I received an interesting food sample in the mail the other day: a product called Crunchsters made out of sprouted mung beans. If you're not familiar with mung beans, they are the tiniest member of the legume (AKA bean) family and can be eaten raw or cooked.

Sprouted mung beans are similar in texture to dried soy nuts and equally nutritious. They don't call them "mighty mung beans" for nothin'!A little over a 1 oz. serving of sprouted mung beans provides 7 grams or plant-based protein, 5 grams of dietary fiber and 20% of the daily value for magnesium- an essential mineral needed for blood pressure and bone health.

They are relatively low in sodium (7% of the daily value) and also provide potassium, iron and manganese. The sample pack I received included 4 different flavors: smokey balsamic, sea salt, beyond bacon and BBQ. The beans may be eaten solo as a snack or used as a topper for a recipe.

The whole pack of Crunchsters provides 180 calories, which is totally reasonable for a mid-day snack. Given the warm temps, I opted for a big salad as part of my lunch today. I had some cannellini beans on hand as well as kalamata olives and a few cherry tomatoes.

I like to make my own dressing since I think salads taste fresher than with store bought dressing. If you see them in the store (available in Whole Foods or Amazon), give them a try!  #freesample #smokey #balsamic #mungbeans #vegan #nonGMO #organic #crunchsters

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped romaine lettuce

5 kalamata olives, cut in half

5 cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 Tbsp. cannellini or other white bean (navy, Great Nothern, etc.)

1 Tbsp. Crunchsters smokey balsamic mung beans

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

Directions:

1. Place romaine in a bowl and top with tomatoes, olives, white beans and Crunchsters mung beans.

2. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. Drizzle dressing over salad and serve.

Makes 1 salad