Bean salads are great! They are low in fat and high in fiber and go well with grilled foods as a side dish or can be used as a topping for chicken or even as a dip with hearty chips or crackers!

Another advantage is you can use canned or frozen beans and vegetables as well as mixing and matching certain ingredients that you have or don’t have on hand. Which is exactly what I did the other night to this recipe. I will give you the original  recipe as well as my altered version using  different ingredients  I had available to me as an example of utilizing things in my kitchen without running to the market for the exact ingredients. By the way, it turned out as flavorful as the original!! This salad is a favorite of mine.

SALAD:     Serves 6-8

2 cans(15 ounces each) black beans                                        

Kernels from 2 ears fresh corn (about 2 cups)

1 red bell pepper, roasted or raw,diced

3 scallion greens, thinly sliced

1/4 cup minced red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

CHILE-LIME DRESSING

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chile powder

pinch of cayenne or ground chipolte powder           

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)

5 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste

1)  Drain beans and rinse well. Steam the corn kernels for 3 minutes; set aside to cool.

2)  In a medium bowl, combine the beans, corn, red pepper, scallions and red onion.

3)  Make the dressing in a separate bowl; Whisk together the spices, lime juice, oil and salt. Add to salad and mix well.

4)  Just before serving, add the cilantro.

MY ALTERED VERSION / USING WHAT I HAD ON HAND:

First of all I didn’t need so much salad, it was just the two of us, so I simply halved the ingredients. Easy!

SALAD

1 can(15 oz) Kidney beans   (I didn’t have black!)

Kernels from 1 ear of leftover grilled corn, (if I wouldn’t have had leftovers I’d of used 1 cup frozen)

1 roasted Ortega chile, chopped

1 large Jalapeno Chile, seeds and veins removed, (to take away the heat), diced small

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 plum tomato chopped, seeds removed  ( I put this in not only for taste but the red color I missed out on by not having a red bell pepper as original recipe called for)

1 large stack celery thinly sliced ( for crunch)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (If I hadn’t of had cilantro I would have used parsley)

CHILE-LIME DRESSING

1/4 tsp. of  cumin

1/4 tsp. chile powder

pinch of cayenne pepper

3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

salt to taste, about 1/2 tsp.)

1)  Whisk all dressing ingredients in a medium bowl, (why dirty a separate bowl? Just start with the dressing).

2)  Put  all salad ingredients except cilantro in the same bowl as the dressing, mix well.

3)  Keep salad in fridge until ready to serve, stirring occasionally to incorporate flavors.

4)  When ready to serve add the chopped cilantro and stir.

DELICIOUS!!