Black Bean and Corn Salad

With temperatures in Lawrence, Kansas, inching towards the seventies, I'm itching to crack open my summer cookbook. I realize this is premature, so I'm trying to pull back the reins a bit. However, I couldn't resist fixing one of my favorite summer recipes to accompany some grilling I did tonight. This simple, fresh, and healthy salad is the perfect companion to most summer meals. It can be served as a salad or used as a dip for tortilla chips. It's also great because it keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days.

I also chose to make this dish to redeem myself for my poor photograph in yesterday's entry. What was that mystery meat? It certainly didn't look like a skirt steak. With this colorful salad, I thought it would be easy to snap an appealing photograph. I did O.K.



Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil


• 2 garlic cloves minced


• 2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 large ears)


• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)


• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil


• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes


• 1 cup diced red bell pepper


• 3/4 cup diced red onion

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  

• 2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper


• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (I usually use 1 tsp of dried oregano)
  


• 1 (19-ounce) can black beans rinsed and drained

Directions:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add corn; sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan; cool completely.
2. Combine juice and next 4 ingredients (lime juice through salt), stirring with a whisk. Combine corn mixture, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients. Drizzle juice mixture over corn mixture, and toss gently to coat.
3. Serve cold or at room temperature

Enjoy!