black bean salad

Black Bean Salad

This salad evolves from differing ingredients each time I make it, but reportedly ends up tasting the way my kids expect it to each time. I guess it's because I concentrate on the fresh cilantro, hot peppers and garlic as the main notes of flavor.

Roughly, here it is:

Equal amounts of frozen corn niblets and cooked black beans. (I rinse canned black beans but if you like the broth, you can discard only a part of it, or none of it.)

Chopped red onion, celery, tomatoes, red or orange or green sweet pepper. If you want to soften the celery a bit by blanching it in boiling water, it's good too. I sometimes add chopped carrots softened this way. I like making this salad a colourful as I can. I added a few chopped radishes the last time I made this salad.

The dressing is a mixture of chopped fresh or canned hot peppers, or ground hot peppers with a spash or two of a good olive oil and white wine vinegar. The last time I made this, I added lots of President's Choice "Memories of Patagonia Herb & Garlic Chimichurri Sauce" and "Fire Eaters Peppermill Mix", a blend of dried hot peppers by The Cape Herb & Spice Company.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

After I stir and taste a bit, I stir in last of all, lots of fresh chopped cilantro leaves, a clove or two of fresh garlic, minced fine, and a big squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Great picnic food with corn chips.