Summer Staple: Black Bean & Corn Salad (or Salsa)

One of my greatest buddies, Lila, posted this recipe on FB recently. She's an amazing cook. She was my college suite-mate and we used to have 'fancy dinner nights'. I miss her cooking. She recommended it from http://www.allrecipes.com/ and here is the original recipe. But, in the interest of time and availability, I had to make do today and the result was still very delicious. Thank you Lila for the recipe and I will make the original sometime soon with peppers and avocado (but with a little less oil). Below is my abbreviated, in-a-bind, version. We couldn't stop eating it--hope you all make Lila's version first!

This is the PERFECT picnic food. Also, a salad you can make a day or so ahead of time before serving. When my friend Kelly and I used to travel for business outside of Charleston (Mount Pleasant, SC), we would always have lunch at this cute place called Square Onion at I'On--a lovely little casual lunch bistro in an idealistic community where you could eat on the sidewalk and see how the other side lived. In our case, the 'other side' were the posh stay at home moms that seemed to have nannies, perfect hair in sweltering 95 degrees, and shopped as a sport. Kelly and I would arrive, hurried, sweaty in our business attire, carrying some file folder that we'd try to sort out over caprese sandwiches and this delightful black bean and corn side salad and figure out who would get the coordinator to write up the adverse events and who would bribe the medical records lady with food for extra files that we realized we needed. Makes me miss you Kelly! Can't eat this salad without thinking of those times....

Hope you all will enjoy this summer staple--salty, tart, spicy, and full of flavor. A great side to sandwiches or quiche or a delicious dip with crispy tortilla chips.

BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALAD

Serves 4

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can corn, drained
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2-3 green onions, chopped (use both white and green parts)
• 1 handful of fresh cilantro, chopped (I used a cilantro 'cube' from Trader Joe's)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. chili powder
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Toss all ingredients together and serve as a side dish or with chips as a salsa. Taste for seasonings. You can serve the salad either cold or at room temperature.

Store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator.