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Easy Homemade Black Bean Salad

easy homemade black bean salad

Zesty with lots of bright flavors and a kick of smokiness is the best way to describe this black bean salad. A combination of fresh veggies, herbs and spices creates a dish full of flavor and texture. This is an easy salad that’s the perfect side dish for any meal.

What you need to make Easy Homemade Black Bean Salad:

ingredients for black bean salad

How to make Easy Homemade Black Bean Salad:

RINSE IT: Rinse and drain the black beans thoroughly and set aside.

boil and roast the corn

BOIL AND ROAST IT: Shuck the corn by removing the husk and silk. Cook in a pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Our family loves when we give the corn a bit of a smokey flavor. To get this flavor, rub a little butter or spray the cobs with cooking spray and roast under the broiler until slightly charred, rotating the cobs to cover all sides. Careful not to overdue it as the kernels will dry out quickly under the broiler. Once done, set the corn aside to cool.

remove kernels from cob

SHAVE IT: Once cooled and easy to handle, shave the kernels off the cob by placing a kitchen towel on your cutting surface and using a serrated knife (or a chef’s knife). Place the corn on the towel, holding with one hand and with the other, use the knife to saw in a back and forth motion, moving the knife down the ear of corn. Let the kernels collect on the towel. Some of the kernels may stay grouped together in bunches, there’s no need to separate them, they will break apart once tossed in the salad.

dice the red bell peppers

DICE IT: Bell peppers add a nice sweet and crunchy texture to this salad, our family prefers red bell peppers, although you can also use yellow, orange or green. I find an easy way to dice bell peppers is by first cutting the peppers in half, remove the seeds and pith. Then, cut strips into the halves being careful not to cut all the way through. Stack and dice as usual.

diced vegetables

FINISH PREPPING: Mince the garlic, dice the onions and chop the cilantro. Once this is complete, zest your limes, and then squeeze them. In a large bowl, mix the black beans, corn, bell peppers, red onion, cilantro and lime zest, set aside. Keep the avocados whole for now, they will be added at the end when the salad is ready to be served. Adding them now will turn them brown and mushy.

whisk the dressing

WHISK IT: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, honey and the chipotle chili in adobo sauce. You can feel free to add more (or less) chipotle peppers according to your heat tolerance.

combine all the black bean salad ingredients

MIX IT: Add the chipotle lime dressing to the black bean and veggie mixture. Mix well to combine, and then chill in the refrigerator for an hour so that the flavors have a chance to marry.

amazing black bean salad

SERVE IT: When ready to serve, bring salad to room temperature, dice the avocados and add to the bowl, stir gently to combine.

Easy Homemade Black Bean Salad

Easy Homemade Black Bean Salad

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Zesty with lots of bright flavors and a kick of smokiness is the best way to describe this black bean salad. A combination of fresh veggies, herbs and spices creates a dish full of flavor and texture.

Ingredients

  • 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3 ears fresh cooked corn, kernels cut off the cob
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup red onions, diced
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 Hass avocados, chopped

Instructions

  1. Rinse and drain the black beans thoroughly and set aside.
  2. Boil corn for 3-4 minutes. Roast under the broiler or on the grill, if desired. Once the corn has cooled down, remove the kernels.
  3. Chop and prep the bell peppers, onions, cilantro and garlic. Next, zest and squeeze the limes and set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, mix the black beans, corn, bell peppers, red onion, cilantro and lime zest, set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, honey and the chipotle chili in adobo sauce to create the chipotle lime dressing.
  5. Add the chipotle lime dressing to the black bean and veggie mixture. Mix well to combine, and then chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
  6. When ready to serve, bring salad to room temperature, dice the avocados and add to the bowl, stir gently to combine.

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