Mixed Bean Salad with Tomato Dressing

Forget soggy sarnies and limp lettuce. With a little forward planning you can rustle up fresh, zingy salads and delicious cakes and pastries for the ultimate banquet on a blanket

1. 1

   Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Drop in the tomato and leave for a few seconds until the skin starts to peel. Remove from the pan and place in a bowl of iced water. Peel off the skin and roughly chop the tomato. keep to one side.
   Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for a couple of minutes until just tender. Drain and place in the iced water to stop them cooking.
   
   Place the drained tinned beans and sweetcorn in a large bowl. Add the green beans, red peppers and red onion, along with the chopped parsley or basil.
   
   To make the dressing, blend together the skinned tomato, garlic, red wine vinegar and olive oil with a hand blender or small food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
   
   Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. keep chilled until you are ready to serve the salad.