This past Monday, I went hunting for a chilled black bean and corn salad recipe to accompany the southwestern seasoned tilapia my boyfriend planned to grill for dinner. We thought the flavors would pair well together in this healthy meal plan, and that a chilled side dish would hit the spot during our current heat wave out in southern California.
I had no problem finding recipes, there are tons of them. But, I hadn’t planned far enough ahead to make the salad and chill overnight, as several good recipes required. And we also wanted something with a good kick — Jeff and I are both very into hot spicy foods.
I narrowed my search down to two choices and emailed him for an opinon. We both liked the sound of this old recipe reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
I followed the exact recipe, opting to go with the jalapeno as they suggest. The salad turned out quite good, with a lot of flavor and crunch. It tastes even better after sitting in the fridge overnight…my coworkers loved the leftovers I brought to work. So I will definitely make this again, especially for potlucks or parties since it’s so portable.
But, anytime it’ll just be Jeff and I eating it, I will definitely spice it up with more jalapenos (or perhaps swap them for serranos), possibly leaving in the seeds. And I will definitely at least double the cayenne pepper. Like I said, we prefer our food on the hot and spicy side.
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1½ cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 6 green onions, with tops, finely chopped
- 1 fresh hot chili pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional; we used 1 jalapeno)
- ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
- Put lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and cayenne in a small jar. Cover and shake until well mixed.
- In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, red bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, chili pepper and cilantro.
- Shake the dressing and pour over salad. Toss until well coated.
- Refrigerate and adjust seasonings before serving.
