Black Bean & Corn Salad with Chipotle Honey Dressing

This was one of those beautifully serendipitous moments when everything comes together perfectly. All I had in my refrigerator were some leftover ingredients from a slow cooker Mexican quinoa recipe that doesn't even bear mentioning on this blog. Some beans (I always use red instead of black, some corn, a half an avocado, and an open can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I remember thinking when I opened the can, "When the hell am I going to use the rest of these?" I was on the computer, doing something totally unrelated to cooking and my computer got a mind to hit the favorites bar. I swear I wasn't even near it. But it clicked on "Once Upon a Chef," another thing I did not purposely put in my favorites toolbar, but it appeared one day and I didn't object. Anyway, it went straight to the site and what menu was front and center? This one that called for . . .wait for it . . . beans, corn, avocado, AND f-ing chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. What??? I had to run out and get some lettuce and limes. Lettuce is more useful to me than cilantro and I just served this on a bed lettuce. I used tomatoes instead of red peppers because that was also left from the other recipe. The dressing is so amazing that next time you open a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce you're just going to use the entire thing to make the dressing and then you're going to drink it straight from the blender. I'm not kidding.

 

Servings: 6 (as a side dish)

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 2 ears fresh corn
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans
• 1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh chopped cilantro (plus a bit more for garnish, if desired)
• 1 avocado

For the Dressing

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1-2 limes
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (from a can)

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the corn, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the corn from the water and let cool.
2. Meanwhile, place the chopped red onions in a small bowl and cover with water. Let sit about ten minutes, then drain completely in a sieve and set aside.
3. Place the beans in a sieve; run under cold water to rinse well. Let drain completely and set aside.
4. Holding the cooled corn upright in a large bowl, cut the kernels off the cob in strips. Add the beans, red onion, red bell pepper and cilantro.
5. Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or mini food processor; process until smooth.
6. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or, preferably, overnight.
7. Right before serving, slice the avocado in half. Remove the pit; using a butter knife, cut a grid in each half. Holding the avocado halves over the salad, use a spoon to scoop out the diced flesh. Toss the salad gently, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (I usually add a squeeze of fresh lime to freshen it up). Garnish with a bit of fresh chopped cilantro if desired. Serve cold.