BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALAD

My salad bowl of lettuce on my deck.

Continuing from Chili Lime Vinaigrette, this is a good vegetable salad with a a salad dressing included, but the Chili Lime Vinaigrette would work very well.

My dear friend Mikey from Austin gave me this recipe several years ago. It is a great dish with grilled meat or add some grilled chicken sliced and make a one dish meal.

Sort of Mexican, certainly all the ingredients can be found there. When we have the spa lunch in Ixtapan de la Sal, we always have sliced jicama on the table as an appetizer served with a salad dressing type dip.

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Black Bean and Corn Salad

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Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 to 2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

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Salad

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3 or 4 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups diced, peeled jicama

2 cups whole kernel corn, fresh cut from cob , cooked about 2 minutes , or frozen corn thawed or 1 (15 ounce) can of corn drained. All these will work, of course fresh is the best, for fresh add a little salt and sugar to cooking water.

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Leafy lettuce

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Making dressing:

In a large bowl whisk together all ingredients until well blended.

Add the salad ingredients, except lettuce. Toss to mix and coat with dressing. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour for the flavors to develop.

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Serve on lettuce.

I like this served at room temperature.

Serves 10

CHILI LIME VINAIGRETTE

We had a wonderful time with our friends in Mexico. It was so nice to see the sun after the bad winter we have all had. Our friends from Virginia have had a miserable winter and they were really happy to see the sun.

We go to a golf and spa resort in the mountains, about 6500 feet, southwest of Mexico City. It is an agriculture area, where vegetables and flowers are grown and probably some we buy in our grocery stores.

Every morning we were served a dish of fresh assorted fruit and a large glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. At lunch and dinner we always had a great salad. Why was it so much fresher than the salads we make at home. We decided because it wasn't from a bag. I have bought leafy lettuce and washed myself since I have been home and it does taste fresher to me than the bagged. For a really fresh salad, I bought some lettuce sets at the nursery and made a salad bowl arrangement for the table on my deck. I will just snip off leaves for a salad and it will continue to grow until it gets really hot. By giving the pot a little less afternoon sun, you might keep it going well into the summer. A fresh start of lettuce can be done in the late summer for a fall salad bowl.

This recipe is a very simple dressing, but a great fresh salad addition.

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Chili Lime Vinaigrette

Juice of 4 limes (2 tablespoons = 1 nice sized fresh lime)

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped

1/2 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup oil*

Salt and pepper

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*I use olive oil for most salad dressings, but for this one I use a high quality vegetable oil, such as canola oil.

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This is a good dressing for all fresh greens salad or a mixed salad. I use vegetables as follows: lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, green onions, black olives and anything with a southwestern flavor.

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For a different flavor, use the lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper and change the seasoning. Garlic, fresh chopped basil, and olive oil. Add some orange juice along with lime juice, canola oil and substitute honey to taste for sugar for a fruit, nuts and lettuce salad. Use what ever pleases your taste.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS SALAD WITH VINAIGRETTE

Mary, a good friend and fellow volunteer at Community Meals gave me this recipe. She has brought it to potlucks and it is always a hit. I made it for dinner last night, served it with poached salmon and fingerling potatoes, a simple but tasty supper. I did find the chopping to be a little slow, but since everything else was fast, that was okay. You could chop everything except the apples and toss with the vinaigrette a few hours ahead. Add apples half an hour or so before serving.

Mary is in our group going to a spa in Mexico this month. With all the snow and cold weather, I'm looking so forward to this trip. We'll be in the mountains, 6500 feet, southwest of Mexico City. The weather is usually in the high 70s and dry this time of the year. A lot of fruit, vegetables and flowers are grown in this area, a nice place to eat and enjoy the wonderful vegetation.

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Brussels Sprouts Salad with Vinaigrette

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Prepare a vinaigrette the following ingredients:

1/4 cups olive oil

3 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

(if the flavor is a little sharp for you, add 1/2 teaspoon sugar)

Mix with a whisk and set aside.

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8 large Brussels sprouts, ( 2 cups) remove the cores by cutting in quarters and julienne

1/2 cup of julienned red peppers, 1 inch long

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion strips, 1 inch long

1/2 cup julienned apple strips, 1 inch long

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

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Mix together with vinaigrette. Transfer to serving bowl or platter. Garnish with apple wedges.

Serves 4

EGG OLIVE SALAD

I promise to pick up the number of recipes in the weeks to come.  This week has been a learning experience. 
My brother Bob and his wife Barb are coming Saturday and it is my son-in-law Bernie's birthday.  I'm trying to put together a menu that I can post on this blog. 
Today for lunch I had a nice egg olive salad.



EGG OLIVE SALAD
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup green olives with pimientos sliced
1 green onion with about 1 inch of green, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon plain mustard 
1/4 cup mayonaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of Paprika

Mix eggs, green olives and green onions together. 
Mix mustard and mayonaise together.  Gently toss eggs and olives with mayonaise mixture. 
Add salt, pepper and Paprika to taste.

Serve on spring lettuce with crackers or serve as a sandwich.

Serves 3 to 4