Packed with protein, fiber, and vitamins, this tangy, satisfying dish stands up on its own as a main course or pairs up beautifully with sandwiches, roast chicken, and seared fish. Serve it cold or room temperature. I make big batches of it and eat it just like that, but that's not all it can do. After a couple of days when I'm tired of eating the same dish, I take a couple cups of it and heat in on the stove with a can of pureed tomatoes and add some chili powder and whatever else I think it needs to make it more like a Southwestern chili. Serve that with some fresh onion, finely diced, and some chopped cilantro... maybe a little grated low fat cheddar or a dollop of sour cream or yogurt (also low fat, preferably). Another variation still is to take a similar amount, a cup or two, and whiz it up in the food processor with a couple cloves of garlic and a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil until it resembles hummus, which it pretty much is at that point. Serve that with toast points or whole wheat pita. Incidentally and for the record, I copped this photo (but not the recipe) off the internet because, again, I'm too lazy to make a batch and break out the digital camera. Which is too bad because my recipe is much prettier than this black bean and corn salad. Mine has deep red kidney beans that glisten like little jewels and earthy garbanzo beans in addition to the black beans... but I'll spell out the specifics, below. The important thing is that the recipe is a guideline, not a divine commandment.
I've used yellow corn when I couldn't find white corn, for example. I have used corn freshly cut off the cob, and corn from a can. I've sauteed the corn with onions before adding it to the dish, I've grilled ears of corn and then cut the kernels into the dish, and I've simply drained a can in a colander and called it a day. I use black, kidney, and garbanzo beans, but if I happen to not have one of those when I want to make a batch I don't feel the need to rush to the store to grab a can. Cans... usually I use canned beans. It's easier. But I have soaked the beans overnight and cooked them until tender, and then put the salad together, and I do recommend that you try that if you have the time- it is better that way, but not so much better that you should avoid the canned stuff. I put mandarin orange segments in the recipe, but I also sometimes add (or use in lieu of oranges) dried cranberries, raisins, or currants. I usually dress this salad very simply with fresh-squeezed lime or lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, but I have also used a basic dijon mustard vinaigrette to good effect. You get the idea. Here is the basic structure of the dish. Feel free to embellish or adjust it as you like. All measurements are approximate.
1- can (16 oz. ?) black beans
1- can (" " " ) kidney beans
1- can (" " " ) garbanzo beans
1- can (about the same size as the cans of beans) white "shoepeg" corn
[I typically open all of the above cans and drain them in a colander in the sink all at once, rinse well]
Put all of the above in a large bowl. Add to that:
1- red bell pepper, finely diced (to about the size of the black beans, or smaller)
1/2- red onion, very finely diced (brunoise is the classical French term for this dice)
1- jalapeno, very finely diced (add this to taste, you may want less or more heat)
1- bunch cilantro, chopped fine
4- scallions (green onions), chopped fine
1- can (8-10 oz.) mandarin orange segments, whole
1- Tablespoon kosher salt
1- teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1- teaspoon of ground cumin
the juice of 2-4 limes, depending on size and moisture content, or of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Fold all ingredients together gently so as not to break the orange segments or damage the beans, but make sure it is combined well. You can serve it right away but I recommend letting it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to marinate first. Enjoy.
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