Black Bean and Corn Salad
This salad is one of the best things you will ever eat. It’s addictive! The dressing has a smoky flavor from the chipotles in adobo that pairs well with the fresh crispness of the veggies. The salad is perfect for a light meal or snack; I like to eat this with tortilla chips or mixed into a salad. This recipe is from Once Upon a Chef, a fantastic food blog by Jennifer Segal. She also has a cookbook by the same name.
The original recipe uses fresh corn, but I find that substituting frozen is fine and it makes this salad doable for any season! If you want even more smoky flavor in the salad, you can use roasted corn (which I used in the picture). I really hope you make this recipe, you won’t regret it!
Ingredients
For the Salad:
2 cups frozen corn, you can also use fresh
1 cup chopped red onion
1 (14.5 oz) can black beans
1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh chopped cilantro
1 avocado
For the Dressing
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1-2 limes
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (2 peppers, not 2 cans; use smaller peppers and if they are all large, use only 1-1/2)
Directions
Place the chopped red onions in a small bowl and cover with water. Let sit about ten minutes, then drain completely in a sieve. This takes helps to take the edge off of raw onion. Place in a large bowl.
Drain the can of beans in a sieve; run under cold water to rinse well. Let drain completely and add into bowl.
Microwave the corn for 30 seconds to 1 minute so that they are mostly thawed. Add into the bowl along with bell pepper and cilantro. Toss together gently.
Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or mini food processor; process until smooth. Make sure to scrap down the bottom, sometimes the honey will stick and not get incorporated.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. If you want, you can refrigerate for about 1 hour to have the flavors meld better, but it is not necessary. Right before serving, halve and pit the avocado. Cut into bite size pieces and gently toss into the salad.
Enjoy!
