corn, tomato, avocado and black bean salad

It's summery, it's light, it's healthy, it's delicious!  You could technically make this all year round, but right now while the corn, tomatoes and herbs are fresh and local, take advantage and enjoy this salad to it's full potential.  Makes a great BBQ side dish.

A couple tips for you...don't add the avocado until the end, after you've mixed the other ingredients together and have adjusted your spices.  It'll get mushy if you stir it around too much.

The cumin and red pepper are optional because the salad is excellent with or without them.  They'll add a little Mexican kick, so I'd advise you to start with a little and go from there.  Also, this salad tastes better once it has chilled in the fridge for awhile, giving the flavors a chance to marinate.  You can adjust the overall taste before you're ready to serve and/or add optional spices to individual servings.


corn, tomato, avocado and black bean salad

2 ears fresh sweet corn OR 1 can of corn
3 tomatoes
1 small red onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 lime
1 avocado
large handful of fresh cilantro
small handful of fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
cumin (optional)
red pepper (optional)
drizzle of olive oil

If using fresh corn, remove the husks and place the corn cobs in a large pot of cold water.  Bring the water to a boil and then immediately turn off the stove, remove the corn from the water and and allow the corn to cool in the refrigerator.  If using a can of corn, open the can, drain the water and set corn aside.

Dice the onion and tomatoes and mince the garlic.  Chop the cilantro and parsley.  When the corn has cooled, slice it from the cob by standing the cob on one end, with a cutting board underneath, and slice downwards with a knife on all sides until you've removed all or most of the kernels.  Combine the corn, tomatoes, red onion, garlic, rinsed black beans, cilantro and parsley in a bowl.  Squeeze the lime juice over the salad and add salt and pepper to taste.  Add cumin and red pepper to taste if using.  At this point you can dice your avocado and carefully scrape out the chunks with a spoon and gently stir into the salad.  Drizzle the top of the salad with a little olive oil and set in the fridge, covered, to chill until ready to serve.  Serve as a side dish or on a bed of greens.  It goes excellent with chicken, fish, or BBQ.

To dice an avocado, cut in in half lengthwise, slice into cubes with a knife, them carefully scrape out the flesh with a spoon.  Remove the seed and repeat with the other half.



Some more color for your summer table