Recipe: Black Bean and Corn Salad with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette

 

Sorry for the crappy pictures; this was kind of an impromptu recipe post, and these snapshots are courtesy of my phone. I promise you the recipe is much higher quality. The later half of the week and weekend were crazy-busy! I saw The Front Bottoms and Say Anything on Wednesday, and BRAND NEW on Friday, and then spent the weekend with my sister and Nanny (grandma) in between working. Whew. The concerts were both amazing. I got to meet Brian Sella (of The Front Bottoms) again, and Brand New was just out of this world. They sounded perfect, and played every song I could have wished to hear. The experience was so surreal, as this was the first time I'd ever seen them live; I could hardly sing along because I was just so in awe. But, anyways, yeah, this recipe! I mixed this up during a brief period of spare time (imagine that!), knowing that I'd need something simple and filling to prepare for the schedule insanity. I ended up loving the result, and cannot wait to prepare it again; hopefully with a bit of extra time to really perfect it. Here's the skinny: 

Black Bean and Corn Salad (one serving):

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium meat. Add 1/4 can of drained black beans and a few sprinkles of packaged taco seasoning. Cook until tender, and remove from heat. Next, get some more oil heated in your pan before adding 1/4 can of drained sweet corn. You want your heat up higher for the corn, so that it begins to char slightly; this will mimic a grilled flavor. Add salt, pepper, and the zest of one lime to your corn, then remove from heat. Put your beans and corn in the refrigerator to cool slightly while you prepare the rest of your salad. Chop 1/14 of a red and yellow bell pepper, one roma tomato, and a few slices of cucumber. Use a bit of red onion, too, if you have it on hand! I didn't, and really felt like that's what my salad was missing. Mix your veggies, beans, and corn in a bowl and add a handful of baby lettuces; the mix I buy has spinach, arugula, radicchio, and kale. 

Honey-Lime Vinaigrette:

Juice and zest of one lime

1/2 tablespoon of honey

1 clove minced garlic (heat through in oil to remove sharp flavor before adding)

A few sprigs of cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper*

cumin*

chili powder*

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

(*seasonings were all to taste)

Pour the vinaigrette over your salad, and toss until evenly distributed. Finish with chopped avocado, a couple lime wedges, and pepper! I ended up putting some crumbled pepper jack cheese on mine, too, and it was delicious. Serve with blue corn chips or flour tortillas for dipping! This salad was very refreshing, filling, and easy; I'm all about throwing what you have in your pantry in a bowl, and making a meal out of it. This would be great for summer cookouts or as a side dish to any taco night. I hope you enjoy it, too!

-Heather