Black Bean and Corn Salad

Delicious. Even my sister who only eats pinto beans loved it.

Delicious. Makes a huge amount.

So delish! I used 2 cans of black bean & 2 more cans of cannellini beans and it still had plenty of flavor. This dish is excellent cold or heated. Good with whole triscuit or paired with the chicken spinach enchilades.
This will be made weekly in my house until my family says stop!

First, the obvious. This is insanely easy to make. Even I made it! (That says a lot.)

Second, also obvious, this is a GREAT idea to make it and then divide it into 5 containers and take it to work for lunch! I'm always on the hunt for easy lunches to take to work that store well in a fridge for 3 days or so.

Third, 1/2 a cup of this is not enough, and I resent the implication that it would be. It's far too delicious to sit on the side of a plate. It's the focus! This is the shining star or the ONLY star of a meal. (really.) #superstahhhhh

I can admit that I was suspicious when the directions said to "rinse the black beans." GASP! Sacrilege! I mean, isn't that where happiness and flavor live? Apparently not, my friends. I followed the directions fairly well with the exception of (Shame on me, I live in Florida and there IS no excuse for this) substituting lime juice and cilantro from those tubes they have in the produce section. I went a little heavy on the cumin and garlic because ... I like them a lot. I DID opt to add red pepper flakes hoping they were cayenne or close to it.

I can also admit that I had Tobasco, sour cream, cheese, at the ready to dress this baby up. It was right there on the counter should the healthiness overwhelm any chance of tastiness. But first, always try your food, right? Mom always said taste your food before adding salt and pepper. Being a dutiful daughter, I tasted it first and promptly put them all away. This didn't need anything added to it - not even salt! It's so aromatic that as you make it, it's super hard to avoid tasting as you go. It smells delicious. But if you're like me, you'll remain suspicious because it's, you know - healthy and stuff!

When it's all mixed together, you get to sample it right away. No cooking or "resting" or anything. And let me tell you, that you can taste ALL of the flavors in this dish. It's just amazing. Something about cilantro and lime make it very refreshing. The beans will fill you up. The corn and pepper and onions give it a bit of fresh crisp veggieness to it. (Don't look it up, that's not a real word, but you know what I mean, right?)

Please do yourself the favor of trying this delicious dish. I am so glad that I did!