My Favorite Summer Salad

I feel like it's so much easier to eat healthy during the summertime. Our grill is constantly on, so many vegetables are available to buy locally, our garden is growing, and I always have fresh herbs growing in boxes on our deck.

This weekend proved to be a beautiful one. After a hard day of working in the yard and planting the garden, among a million other tasks outside, Mr. Allan and I chilled a bottle of wine and got ready to grill. To pair with our steak, I made one of my all time favorite summer salad recipes.. Black Bean and Corn Salad. I have no idea where I got this recipe. I ripped it out of a magazine somewhere maybe 3 or 4 years ago. Its full of fresh ingredients and has a really nice vinaigrette type dressing to it. I make a huge batch and we eat with lunches and dinners and sometimes snack on it with tortilla chips as well.

All the ingredients chopped up and topped with a good dose of fresh herbs

Pour the dressing over it, and chill for an hour

  a close up peek...

Black Bean and Corn Salad

1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg (10oz) frozen corn, thawed or 4 ears of fresh corn
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 small jalapeno, seeded and diced small
2 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing
1 cup olive oil**
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

** I only use 3/4 of a cup of olive oil. I have made this recipe using the full cup and find it a little too oily

Directions
In a small bowl whisk together all the dressing ingredients. In a larger bowl, combine black beans and corn. Pour dressing over beans and corn and allow to sit while the other ingredients are prepared. Add remaining vegetables. Serve over mixed greens or as an accompaniment to any meal.

Just a couple of notes....I always have a bag of frozen organic corn in my freezer. Both Whole Foods and Trader Joe's sell a great frozen organic sweet corn. If corn is in season, I do like to add fresh corn. Shuck it, stand the ear up right, and run a sharp chef knife down the side. Also..don't omit the jalapeno. It doesn't add a lot of heat but definitely adds a little something something to this recipe. Just be careful not to touch your eyes or any part after you dice it! Be sure to wash your hands!

Enjoy!