Blueberry Corn Salad

I made this salad last year, and apparently forgot to blog about it.  It’s a great summer salad, super refreshing and full of surprising flavors.  I made it for our Fourth of July party and forgot to mention what it was.  Sister thought it was olives and corn, and was quite surprised when it was sweet (pleasantly surprised)!  The blueberries and corn burst with sweetness against the smokiness from the cumin, and the tartness from the lime juice.  It takes full advantage of the fresh produce this season.  This works great as a salsa over grilled chicken, or is a great on it’s own as a side salad.

Blueberry Corn Salad

Serves 6-8

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

• 3 ears of corn
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cucumber, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1/4 red onion, minced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp honey
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add your shucked corn, boil for about 5 minutes.  Drain and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine blueberries, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeno, and red onion.  Once the corn has cooled enough to handle, cut kernels off the corn and add to bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over salad.  Chill until ready to serve.

Garden Bean Salad

I love me some beans.  They’re a great source of fiber and protein.  They’re delicious hot, cold or room temperature, they place nice with tons of different flavors, and they’re easy.  Despite my bean love, I’ve never quite liked three bean salad.  There’s a weird sweetness to it that tastes kind of stale to me.  So this is my update on a three bean salad, with lots of vegetables to up the freshness (and health benefits!).  You can use pretty much whatever you have on hand.  I’m usually not a fan of raw onion, so I used shallots which have a slightly milder taste, and I soaked the slices in cold water while preparing the rest of the salad to give them an even milder flavor.  In the end I thought they added a nice subtle spiciness, but weren’t too overwhelming.  You could also mince red onion, or just slice red onion depending on your love of onions.

Garden Bean Salad

Serves 12-15

Adapted from Food Network Magazine, September 2010

• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 (15oz) cans small white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 sweet bell pepper, diced (orange would be nice for the color, but whatever you like)
• 3 cups frozen green beans, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

Soak shallots in cold water while preparing the rest of the salad.  In a large bowl, combine beans, corn, tomatoes, bell pepper, and green beans.  Mix in the drained shallots.

In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, salt, oil and pepper.  Pour dressing over the salad, let marinate at room temperature for about an hour.  Garnish with parsley, taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

This was a dip I made for my very good friend, Becky‘s housewarming party.  I forgot to post this in a timely manner, it’s almost too easy to be a recipe.  But if you’re looking for a good salsa recipe that doesn’t depend on summer produce, this is a good one.  This is also great mixed in with scrambled eggs if you have leftovers.  Per usual I made way too much, so I’ll reduce the quantity below.  Still seeking tips on how to estimate quantities for groups.  Other highlights from the housewarming were Becky’s delicious Pumpkin and White Chocolate Cookies and life-changing Nutella Fudge.  Clearly it was well-fed and joy-filled house!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Serves 15-20

Adapted from Paula Deen

• 3 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (17 oz) pkg frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
• 3 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 limes juiced
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• Salt and pepper

In a large bowl combine beans, corn, tomatoes, onion and cilantro.  In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper.   Combine and let sit for at least an hour to allow flavors to meld.

Green Bean, Corn and Potato Salad

Fresh from the farm produce is amazing.  On yet another fruit picking outing, Mom and I picked Honey Crisp apples, blackberries, and peaches.  We also picked up a whole bunch of vegetables while were on the farm.  This salad is a great way of showcasing your farm (or farmer’s market) fresh produce.  The dressing is flavorful but not overpowering.

Green Bean, Corn and Potato Salad

Serves 6

Adapted from Love and Lemons

• 4-5 fist sized potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 cups green beans, blanched, chopped in 1 inch pieces
• 1-2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 3 ears of corn, grilled and kernels cut off
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
• 1 Tbsp capers, drained (optional)

dressing:

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 clove of garlic, pressed
• 1/2 tsp agave or honey
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Drizzle chopped potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden.

Whisk dressing ingredients together and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine roasted potatoes, blanched green beans, grilled corn kernels, basil and capers.  Pour half of the dressing on the salad, taste and adjust seasoning and/or add more dressing.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Black Bean Burgers with Corn

I enjoy experimenting with new black bean burger recipes.   There are so many tasty combinations out there that I can’t commit to just one recipe.

This recipe caught my eye because of the corn!  Sweet corn + spicy + smokey cumin + creamy savory black beans = yum!  I definitely enjoyed all the flavors going on in these.  They were great without any condiments, or you can go the tradition route with ketchup and mustard, or mix it up and use some guacamole which I think would be awesome.

I served these on Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns, but you can use whatever your like or go bun-less.

Black Bean Burgers with Corn

Makes 9 burgers

Adapted from Teacher by Day, Chef by Night

• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tbsp salsa
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp flax seed in 3 Tbsp water (optional)
• 3/4 cup corn
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

Mix flax seed in the water if using, and set aside.  Add one can of black beans, salsa, jalapeno and garlic to the bowl of your food processor, pulse until mostly smooth.  Add tomato paste, cumin, salt and the flax seed in water, pulse until mixed.  Scoop mixture into a mixing bowl and add the remaining black beans, corn, egg and breadcrumbs.  Mix well and then shape into patties.  Spray a skillet or grill pan lightly with cooking spray (I’m not an outdoor griller, but I suppose you could try these on the grill, they held their shape pretty well) and heat over medium-high.   Place patties in the pan and cooking for about 5-8 minutes on each side or until golden and crispy on the outside and heated through.

I served these with kale chips and roasted sweet potato.  Delicious!  Just preheat the oven to 400°F and toss your favorite vegetables (or veggies you’re not sure you like, roasting vegetables makes magic happen) with a little olive oil and kosher salt.  Spread veggies evenly on a baking sheet and roast for about 15-20 minutes tossing about halfway through.