Beet and Black Bean Salad

This is just a quick, put-together recipe for a yummy beet and black bean salad.  It would be just as good with white beans, red beans, or garbanzos...but because of the color of the beets and the way they take over everything, I liked using the black beans.  I've calculated the WeightWatcher's points value on this and 1 cup = 4 points.  There's no oil in it.  (Woot!)

Ingredients:

3 large beets, fresh (boiled, cooled and cut into 1/2" cubes)

1 cup hearts of palm (1 can/4 stalks), rinsed and sliced

3 cups canned black beans

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup shredded carrots

6 medium green onions, chopped

3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Juice of one lemon

salt

pepper 

cumin (about a 1/2 tsp)

a little dash of garlic powder

 Boil the beets til tender, about 45 minutes.  Cool in cold water, peel and cut into 1/2" cubes.  Combine all the ingredients.  Add the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.  Add seasonings and spices and tweak to your liking.

I ate this as a main dish with a 1/2 cup side of brown rice.  It would also be good on a bed of lettuce, or whatever.  It's good both at room temperature or served cold.