Thank god the heatwave has broken, it was all I could handle putting this salad together on Friday after work. By the time I got home I was barely able to bring myself to boil a pot of salted water because I was so hot. I like the hot weather, it’s great and all, but when you can’t get away from it it can become a little much and we haven’t got the A\C installed yet. Plus the summer is supposed to come on slowly so we can acclimatize.
Last week my friend served me a black bean salad and I was really impressed with the flavours in the canned black beans. I am not a huge fan of canned beans when they are the forefront of the dish – with the exception being chickpeas. However her simple salad converted me. Using that salad as inspiration I added green onion, corn and loads of cilantro and cut the balsamic in hers. It is really nice accompaniment to anything barbecued and you can make it ahead, I think it actually takes better the next day but that is just me.
I managed to get it together two weeks in a row for weekend herb blogging, yeay! This week our host is Ulrike from Kuchenlatein. Attempting to read her blog really does show how much I learned in my semester of German in University. I am going to be pretty hard pressed to find something new about cilantro I think. It is such a frequent feature of the WHB events it may as well host one weekend. Actually come to think of it, cilantro would be a great name for a pet – that would really show respect wouldn’t it? In my search for new facts I came across some historical facts about cilantro\coriander – did you know they think it has been used in cooking for over 5000 years? References to it have been found in ancient Sanskrit writings and the seeds were placed in Egyptian tombs. I guess it isn’t just us bloggers who are mad about it huh?
(serves 4)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cob corn, shucked
1 large handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 green onions, finely sliced
3 inches of English cucumber, cut in quarters lengthwise then thinly sliced
1 lemon or lime, juiced
½ teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper
1. In a pot of boiling salted water cook the corn for 3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water until cool. Run a sharp knife along the side of the corn to take off the kernels.
2. Toss the corn kernels, cucumber, beans, cilantro and green onions in a salad bowl. Add the citrus juice chili powder and a healthy amount of freshly ground pepper and salt. Taste and adjust accordingly.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for participating the WHB. I’m not fond of cilantro, but I try this delicious lookin salad with my favourite herb: parsley.
And I am a woman. Ulrike is a girl’s name
Doh! Humblest of apologies, I have fully changed it
Yes I think some flat leaf parsley would be nice in this too.
Hi Katerina!
I always wanted to get a do anf name it pimento…but I guess that is a little off the topic here!!!
Anyway, thanks for stopping by my blog.
I love black bean salsa!
Pimento! I love it.
I love black beans and cilantro both, so of course you know I’m going to love this. I do agree with you about the canned black beans. I’ve been pleasantly surprised how well they work in a recipe like this, especially with something like lime juice, vinegar, or lemon to spice up the beans a bit. Great recipe.