This is arguably the best grill day in the States; Memorial Day is often times rainy, Independence Day can be too darn hot, while Labor Day signals the end of summer and the temptation to look back and say "gosh, summer went by so fast; let's make this a celebration."
With all of that being said, what is on YOUR grill this weekend and is there any secrets you can share? I think here, a pot of 'Texas Red' chili might be in order, tomorrow while on Monday I know I will be grilling marinated flank steak and some baked potatoes. Ahead of time, I will make my family-adored black bean and corn salad. If you want a delicious, cold salad, here is my not-so-secret recipe; I highly, HIGHLY recommend this one. I cannot remember where I got it from, but is so healthy that you can only nitpick the fact that "the corn is a starch!" Anyway, here it is:
The dressing:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
The salad:
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained. **RINSE THEM UNDER COLD WATER UNTIL WATER IS CLEAR**
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Notes:
1. I rarely use green onion and instead use white onion as I generally have that laying around.
2. Add the avocado right before serving, otherwise it turns greenish/brown. Sometimes I cut up the avocado a couple of minutes before and put it into a bowl for people to add it to their own bowls as needed. The reason for that is that the leftover salad will keep for a couple of days, but the avocado after a few hours can make it look unappealing.
3. Cut the tomatoes, onions and pepper to the same size as the corn and black beans.
If you make it, please let me know how it turned out!