For the Bean Mixture use either:
4-5 400g tins of ready cooked beans
red kidney, borlotti, haricot/cannellini, black eye peas & chick peas - choose varied colors (empty the beans into a saucepan and gently warm through before dressing with chosen marinade – be careful not to cook as they are often already very soft
     or
Mixed dried beans about 1kg - half the weight of the eventual amount of cooked beans. (Cover with water, do not add any salt, bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes.  This is important as Red Kidney beans contain a toxin which can cause stomach upsets unless they are boiled in this way – and Red Kidney beans are needed for their color. Continue to cook on low heat, still without adding any salt, until softened – around 1 hour in total.  Drain well and dress with chosen marinade.  The liquid can be used as a stock to enrich other recipes.) 

Dark & Spicy Marinade
6fl oz/175ml olive oil
3fl oz/75ml red wine vinegar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground coriander
1 tsp freshly ground cumin
½ tsp chili powder
1 clove garlic, crushed

Light & Sharp Marinade
6fl oz/17ml sunflower oil
3fl oz/75ml lemon juice
½tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
½tsp dry mustard powder
½tsp freshly grated root ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed

1.  Mix together the ingredients for the chosen marinade.

2.  Prepare the bean mixture (either by using tins or by pre-cooking dried beans – see above).

3.  While the beans are warm, pour the marinade over and gently stir to combine. 

4.  Cover and leave in a cool place, transferring to the fridge if possible once cold, to allow the flavors to permeate the beans.  Ideally do this overnight or at least for several hours.

5.  Just before serving chopped parsley can be sprinkled over the salad to add extra color – for the Dark & Spicy marinated beans chopped fresh coriander can be substituted.