This Memorial Day I was determined to bring something tasty and healthy to a cookout we attended. Sure chips and hotdogs are yummy, but I wanted something fresh that wasn’t a typical salad. So I brought a black bean salad. This is certainly not my original idea. There are many versions out there and you can certainly come up with your own. This recipe, however, turned out delicious and was the only side dish completely eaten at the party. I’d say that’s a pretty good sign.
I think a few touches take this from good to great. First, fresh lime juice and zest will always provide a stronger flavor than lime juice from the bottle. Second, grilling the fresh corn adds a different dimention of flavor that corn from the can does not. Lastly, there is a bunch of color in this salad that makes it visually appealing. This is very important as most people eat, to some degree, with their eyes.
Hope you had a healthy holiday! Enjoy!
Jenna’s Black Bean Salad
2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 ears of sweet corn
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced to form circles
1 avocado, diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
1 tsp olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
Zest from 1 lime
Salt to taste, about 1 tbsp
1. Strip husk and silk from corn. Rinse and then spray lightly with olive oil. Grill on hot grill for about 2 minutes per side, until grill marks appear. Let cool then cut off kernels from husk.
2. In a medium size bowl add oil, lime juice, zest and cilantro. Mix together and let sit for a minute.
3. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, and onion to bowl and mix to combine. Fold in avocado and salt. Let sit in fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.
Serves 10.
