Friday, June 24, 2011

Beans, Beans....and Corn


A few months back, I picked up a book called  Raising the Salad Bar.  I found this book to be a wonderful resource for anyone looking to incorporate more vegetables into their diet.  It features salads of all types, each in its own chapter. There is a chapter on seafood salads, one on chicken salads, one on potato salads, Leafy Greens, Beans, etc.
I've been working my way through the book and almost every one has been a winner.  This week, I made a Corn, Edamame and Bean Salad that I'd like to share with you.  I substituted  black beans for the kidney beans and it still worked.

1 cup frozen shelled edamame beans.
Kernels from 3 ears of fresh corn (about 2 cups)
1 cup cooked Kidney Beans, or from a can, rinsed & drained
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing:
2 tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
2 T minced red onion
1 t ground cumin
3 T fresh lime juice
2 T olive oil
Salt to taste

 1. Cook the edamame, as directed on the package, and set aside.
 2. Briefly cook the corn til just tender.  An easy way to do this, is to place the corn, still in its husks, in the microwave for 3 mins. Remove from the microwave and when it is cool, take off the husks and the silk, and cut the kernels from the corn.
 3. Prepare the dressing by placing all the ingredients into a bowl and stir til combined, adding salt to taste.
 4. Combine the edamame, corn and beans in a bowl. Add the dressing to the salad. Mix in the chopped cilantro and serve.

This salad tastes best at room temperature..  If it sits a while or is stored in the fridge, perk it up with some more lime juice.

Serves 6 to 8