Black Bean and Corn Salad

I’m in a summer frame of mind, and it’s not hard to figure out why. My next Fool’s Gold romance novella, ALMOST SUMMER, will be released on May 1 wherever ebooks are sold. Then on May 29, SUMMER DAYS will be released in mass market paperback, ebook, and audio, followed by SUMMER NIGHTS and ALL SUMMER LONG.

To me, summertime equals salad time, especially salads that don’t require turning on the oven. I looked through my pantry. A can of corn was right next to a can of black beans, both staples in California-Mexican cuisine I grew up with. I’ve had some great Black Bean and Corn Salad at restaurants, and I remembered them tasting sweet-tart and fresh.

I looked up several recipes online. I had thought the tang in the recipe would come from vinegar, but I was surprised to discover that every recipe started with lime juice. I didn’t have any lime juice on hand. However, I did have some frozen limeade concentrate, because I had recently made a batch of Fool’s Gold Frozen Margaritas. (You know, the ones that Jo serves at Jo’s Bar in downtown Fool’s Gold… YUM! I’ll share that recipe one of these days) The limeade was sweet enough on its own that I didn’t need to add any sugar to the dressing. My salad turned out to be just as good as any of the restaurant salads I remembered.

Recipe: Black Bean and Corn Salad

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans sweet corn, drained
1 can minced green chilies (desired spiciness)
4 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, cut into ¼-inch chunks
1 small onion, chopped
¼ C fresh cilantro, minced
2 T frozen limeade concentrate, mixed with ¼ C water
1/3 C olive oil
1 T ground cumin
1 clove garlic
1/8 t Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
¼ t salt

Place the drained beans and corn in a bowl with the chilies, cheese, onions, and cilantro. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the vegetable mixture. Stir to coat.