Black bean and Corn Salad with Jalapeño Cumin Dressing

Summer means long warm days, cold drinks and a good salad! Okay, yes I know summer means lots of other things too. However I guess we can all agree a good salad really adds to a wonderful sunny day.This black bean and corn salad represents the best of summer produce! Inspired by Mexican flavors, this salad is fresh, flavorful and importantly filling.

I will be the first to admit I was not a fan of salads. Being from a culture where food is almost always cooked, salad is bit of a rarity in daily cuisine. Add to that when I came across some really sad looking salads when I first moved to the US ,I decided to stay away completely. Thankfully over the last few years, I have discovered that delicious salads are not an oxymoron and I promise this salad is one of those.

How to make a delicious black bean and corn salad

As with any salad, this depends on 3 things

• Fresh and in season ingredients
• Delicious dressing
• Great textures

The base includes

• Black Beans - you can use canned black beans or freshly cooked ones. You can also use pinto, red kidney or garbanzo beans instead.
• Grilled Corn - I grilled fresh corn on the stove and stripped it. You can do so on the grill, on the stove top or even broil it in the oven before removing the kernels. If you want to use frozen roasted corn, heat it up in a skillet until the additional moisture is cooked off.
• Avocados - Use just ripe avocados. If the avocados are very ripe, they might get soggy in the salad.
• Cherry tomatoes- You can use regular ones but I like cherry/grape tomatoes better in this recipe
• Bell Pepper - I used a yellow bell pepper vs green since I like the sweeter ones better
• Red Onion - Red onion is stronger in flavor so feel free to use yellow ones or even green onions/chives.

Dressing includes

• Greek yoghurt/Vegan Yoghurt - I used vegan yoghurt and it worked out great. Use the regular version or even sour cream.
• Jalapeno - Switch with any chile of your choice
• Cumin Powder
• Salt
• Garlic powder
• Black Pepper
• Agave Syrup - use another liquid sweetener of your choice
• Coriander leaves(cilantro)

Serving and Storage

It is best served and eaten right after it is prepared. If you want to prep this ahead of time, plan to take thissalad to a picnic or a cook out, prep all the vegetables except the avocados and beans. Place covered in the refrigerator. Add the avocados and beans just before planning to serve or leaving home.

I would suggest placing the dressing in a separate bowl/container and letting everyone use as much as they want depending on their spice/heat tolerance although the yoghurt definitely keeps it mellow. If you know that everyone either loves or loathes heat, then adjust accordingly while making the dressing.

What can you serve the black bean and corn salad with?

The flavors of this salad will go great with most entrees especially Mexican food. Serve with tacos, nachos, burgers, Spanish rice etc. If you want to keep it light, serve with a side of cold/hot soup like this avocado soup.

Recipe