What a weird week, right? On the one hand, we're gearing up for a holiday weekend that's still totally summer in feel. On the other hand, we're about to enter the months that end in 'ber, which means UGGS and casseroles and chilly mornings and BABIES. It makes me happy my mother-in-law got us a fall wreath a few years ago, I'll tell you that much. 
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Ok and just baby and just for us, but you know what I mean. A new season is upon us even though blahblahblah fall doesn't "start" for a few more weeks, but there are some days that still really feel like summer.
So today we have one of the last summery recipes, totally fresh and light and healthy and you could get every single ingredient for it from your farmer's market if you're into that kind of thing. Or a grocery store would work too. I made this a few days ago for my dad's birthday as a part of a larger healthy Mexican-style meal, but REALLY the salad itself can stand alone as a meal given that there are beans in it. My bff heather makes a version of this that's chopped just slightly smaller and calls it "salsa," and I make the veggies slightly larger and call it a salad. The beauty of this dish is that it works as a condiment or a side dish OR a main dish salad, can incorporate any veggies you like, and of course is great with some cheese and sliced grilled chicken on top if you're not on the vegan bandwagon. It's a bank canvas kind of a dish, and you need to be making it all the time, summer or not.
For this version, you need corn, green onion, lime, cilantro, avocado, a bell pepper, hearts of palm, tomatoes, salt, cumin, chili powder, and black beans. Again, this is just what I like to use! Canned tomatoes and/or frozen corn work great, you could use white onion instead of green, add a jalapeno, skip any of the ingredients that you don't like...you get the gist. 
The bulk of this "recipe" is just chopping up the veggies! I like to keep everything pretty uniform, somewhere between the size of the beans and the size of the corn kernels. 
For the corn, I stand the cob up in the bowl I'm using and scrap the kernels directly off into the bowl. 
Then, just chop everything else and slice the green onions! Note: If you're making this in advance, add the avocado and beans right at the end before serving so they don't muddy everything up. BUT, I was making this all at once. Veggies IN, lime zested directly over the bowl! 
And juiced. 
Summer. But kind of all year too, right? 
Mix everything together gently (to protect the beans and avocado), taste, add more salt or spices if you'd like, and DONE. 
Look how gorgeous! Of course if you hate cilantro leave it out. You could add some parsley for freshness, or just skip the herb. 
No further explanation needed, I think. Make this soon, and enjoy!
Recipe
Corn + Black Bean Chopped Salad {vegan}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ears corn kernels scraped from cob
- 1 bell pepper diced
- ½ cup drained diced hearts of palm
- 4 green onions sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 can black beans drained
- 1 avocado diced
Instructions
- Combine the corn, pepper, hearts of palm, onions, cherry tomatoes, spices, and olive oil in a large bowl. Mix to combine. This portion of the salad can be made in advance.
- Right before serving, add the lime juice, zest, cilantro, beans, and avocado. Stir very gently to combine everything. Taste, and add more spices or lime juice if you'd like. Serve immediately so the avocado doesn't turn brown.
Notes
- This is great as a condiment, side dish, or main dish salad.
- Substitute to your heart's desire here! Canned or frozen corn is fine, white onion instead of green, lemon instead of lime, any color bell pepper, jalapeno for spice, other beans - be creative!
- For a non-vegan version, feel free to add some crumbled queso fresco and/or grilled sliced chicken to the mixture.
I love a good chopped salad.. as I find that there is always so much texture and flavour. This looks great and definitely is a summer salad I can see myself making for the warmer weather here in Australia.