Pam's Black Bean and Corn Salad

I love the desert and all it's beauty.  I have lived in a desert, nearly all my life.  I currently reside in Goodyear, Arizona.  It is desert, but it is also an agricultural center in what we call "The Valley of the Sun".   I am surrounded by fields of cotton, chilies, corn, and flowers.  So even though the land around me may be different shades of brown, there are gorgeous patches of green. 

With all of this, you get heat.  Yes, it is hot in Arizona.  It makes you thank God for air conditioning.  I once heard a comedian, new to Arizona, say that he sweated in places on his body he didn't know could sweat just getting out of a car.  It's true, we have a dry heat, but it doesn't take long for your clothes to become sweat soaked in 112 degree temps.

Even still, I love my home state.  Those 112 degree days aren't that many.  The benefits of having abundant produce available year round, mild winters, and gorgeous sunsets makes up for the heat in my opinion.

When the summer is here, and it's too hot to cook something heavy, I like to make salads.  One of the favorites in our home is my black bean and corn salad.  It is one of the most flexible dishes I make.

We use it as salsa, or a stand alone salad.  We eat it on tacos, in burritos, on Mexican pizzas, or on top of baked potatoes.  It's wonderful cold, but just as delightful hot.  It can be spicy, or mild.  The leftovers, if you are lucky to have any, can be blended up into a bean dip.

You absolutely must try this salad.

Ingredients:

• 3 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 or 2  cans of corn, drained (or you can use 2-3 fresh cobs of corn, kernels cut off)
• 1/2 medium red onion diced
• 4-5 green onions diced (I use the whole green onion, it's your choice)
• 2-3 roma tomatoes diced (I like romas because they have less juice)
• 1 jalapeno seeded, minced (totally optional)
• 1 /2 to 1 cup fresh cilantro (I use a ton of cilantro because I love it, you can omit, or use another herb such as parsley or basil)
• salt
• pepper

Dressing:

• juice of 2 limes
• 1-2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tsp cumin 

Cut the corn off the cob if you are using fresh corn.  I do this by inverting a small bowl inside a large bowl.  I prop the cob on the small bowl, then cut down the cob, letting all the corn fall into the bowl.  If you do this first, while your beans are draining, you can use the same large bowl to mix everything in.   

Rinse and drain your black beans.  Add them to the large mixing bowl.  The amount of corn you use is up to your taste.  I like more beans than corn.  I also prefer to use fresh uncooked corn for the crunch and sweetness.  If you don't have fresh corn available, go ahead and use canned corn.  I have also used canned hominy before and it was just as good.

When you dice the tomatoes, cut them in half and lightly squeeze the seeds and juice out.  Or run your fingertip through the center to scrape them out.  You don't want the salad to be too watery.

When you dice the jalapeno, cut the top off, slice it in half lengthwise, and using a small spoon, scrape out the seeds and white membrane and discard them.  Then cut lengthwise into julienne and dice.  If you prefer spicier food, keep the membrane.  If you don't like spicy, omit the jalapeno.


Add all the other vegetables and the cilantro and lightly mix.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Remember you are making a dressing, so don't over salt.


Mix your dressing in a separate cup or bowl.  You don't want a lot of dressing, because the salad is much better when it isn't watery.  I use a Pyrex measuring cup and a fork to whisk it.  Some limes have less juice than others, so it is entirely dependent upon that how many limes you need.  Sometimes I use red wine vinegar instead of lime, you can use that or lemon.  


I prefer the dressing to be on the tart side, so I use at least 2:1 lime juice to oil.  Add all the dressing ingredients to the cup and mix with your fork.  Taste it to see if you need more oil, or more vinegar.  I like mine to be sour/sweet/savory all at the same time.  It is a matter of taste.  


Always taste your food.  


Pour the dressing on the salad, mix, and refrigerate.  Mix before serving.  You can make this the day before, it tastes great as leftovers.  You can adjust this and add different things to it.  I have added crumbled Mexican cotija cheese (similar to feta), diced jicama, diced avocado, hominy, and even bacon bits.


The leftovers make a most excellent bean dip for Super Bowl parties.  Just puree it in the blender, add a little water or olive oil if you need to for smoothness.  Serve with tortilla chips.

This is the salad stuffed into a baked potato.