Black Bean Salad

If your family likes beans this recipe for black bean salad is a super delicious and completely versatile dish. It makes an awesome and flavorful side dish or light main dish. A friend of mine gave me this delightful recipe a few years ago and I had forgotten all about it until I was flipping through my disorganized recipe book.

Black beans are a good source of protein, thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese, and an excellent source of dietary fiber and folate. After researching black beans a little further I also found information that suggests that black beans help lower your risk of colon cancer. It seems they provide additional support for our digestive tracts, particularly the colon. All good reasons to make black beans a part of our diet.

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 Cup red, yellow, or orange pepper, finely chopped
1 Tsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 Tbsp cilantro (I used parsley because that is what I had on hand)
1/4 Tsp cumin
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp red chile honey (see recipe below)
1 Tsp salt
3/4 Cup corn kernels
1 Cup ripe tomatoes, chopped (I used grape tomatoes and those worked just fine, however romas would have been better I think)
1 Cup black beans, cooked

Saute the onions and peppers in olive oil over medium heat until soft.

In a separate bowl, combine cilantro, cumin, vinegar, honey mixture, and salt.

Add corn, tomatoes, black beans and sauteed vegetables to the dressing mixture and combine thoroughly. Allow flavors to blend by letting the salad stand for 30-45 minutes. I placed my black bean salad in the refrigerator and served it cold, however you can serve it room temperature as well.

**If you like things spicy you can also add 1 finely chopped or minced jalapeno. For the sake of my kids I decided to leave the jalapeno out.

Red Chile Honey

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 Tbsp red chile powder
1/8 Tsp cumin
1/8 garlic salt

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat for about 2 minutes. Stir continuously until all the flavors have combined.