Corn and Black Bean Salad

After a winter storm blew in on Mother's Day dropping a foot and a half of snow on us and dropped our temps down to a hard freeze warning we are finally starting to warm up.  My goal for this summer is to eat light meals using only fresh ingredients.  That doesn't mean I'm not going to enjoy grilling a steak or burgers.  The dishes I serve with that meal will be more vegetables, salads and cold soups.

I had some corn on the cob and decided to make a salad out of the leftovers.   To brighten and lighten up this salad I used fresh vegetables, citrus and extra virgin olive oil.  I served it with grilled chicken breasts (recipe for the chicken will be posted next week).  I couldn't be any happier with this spring dinner.

Corn and Black Bean Salad

1 15oz can black beans, rinsed well
corn from two cobs, I used a white and yellow corn
1 1/2 roma tomatoes, diced
2 green onions, sliced whites and greens
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 serrano chili, minced
zest and juice from a lime
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I use California Ranch Olive Oil)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl combine all ingredients, refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.  Note: I cooked the corn the day before and then refrigerated overnight.  I put on the grill to get some char marks on 4 sides before cutting the corn off the cob (you can also use 1 1/4 cup of frozen corn)

Food for Thought:

Did you know that when you buy extra virgin olive oil that is produced outside of the United States you are not guaranteed that you are getting what you paid for?