Spicy Black Bean and Corn Salad

Here's a light, very fresh tasting side dish salad that is perfect to take to a picnic or potluck. I got the recipe from a quilter friend in West Virginia but hadn't actually tried it until I made it to take to a picnic. The results are delicious and I came home with an empty bowl! I made a couple of changes from the original recipe just to suit my taste. Feel free to adjust the seasoning and salsa to your liking.

Spicy Black Bean and Corn Salad
Makes about 4 cups

16 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn, frozen or canned
3/4 cup scallions, sliced
3/4 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 small red bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup Salsa (this is where you can add some extra heat!)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1 clove garlic, minced*
Cilantro, (optional) definitely want to add next time!

Instructions: Mix well and chill if desired. Serve with additional salsa, tortilla chips or pita.


*I like to keep my garlic cloves in the freezer. They last so much longer and are so easy to run through the garlic press. When you buy your garlic take the head apart into cloves, but leave the skins on. Put all the cloves in a resealable freezer bag and store in the freezer. When you're ready to use them pull out just the number you need for your recipe and let them sit out for about 2 minutes then run through your garlic press. The peels stay in the press and the garlic comes through very easily with minimal effort.

If you don't have fresh (or frozen) garlic you can use 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder instead of fresh. And instead of fresh lemon juice sub with 1 Tbsp each of apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar. I think lime juice would be good too.

A Spring Bento

The last couple of weeks we've had some really nice weather. It's been in the 40s and sunny a lot. Yesterday it was a little gloomy so I made a happy spring-ish bento for lunch.

Tomato, basil, mozzarella and a little balsamic vinegar. Tuna salad in a small pita and fresh pineapple & strawberries. A piece of the basil made it's way onto the pineapple by accident, and it was delish!

Today, our weather has gotten worse. Snow. I shouldn't be surprised really, we pretty much always get snow in April. We'll probably even get more later in the month, but mentally I had hoped to be past this and headed into spring.

This is the view out my home office window. The snow is starting to stick and come down heavier now. Maybe it won't last long...*fingers crossed*...and those of you that live in warm places (like Florida!) send some sun my way!

Menu Plan Monday #21

Monday: Spaghetti (Meatless Monday)

Tuesday: Pork & Mango Potstickers (just didn't get to the them last week)

Wednesday:  Veggie stuffed baked potatoes (meatless)

Thursday: Baked Chimichanga, Black bean, avocado, cucumber & tomato salad, and Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake for dessert. Having friends over for dinner.

Friday: Usually dinner out! :)

Saturday: leftovers

Sunday: Chili Night


Check out hundreds of other great menus at Org Junkie.

Other recipes I might try this week:

Chocolate Banana Souffles - never made souffle before, always wanted to, so why not now?!

Baby Red Potato Salad - may not use red potatoes but we'll see. This sounds like a great addition to lunch!

Zucchini Carpaccio - this sounds like a perfect lunch for me. Not sure hubby will eat it for lunch, but he will likely try a bite or two.

Phyllo Stacked Salad & Halibut Skewers

Here is one of our dinners from this week. A friend was supposed to come over for dinner but didn't make it due to heavy traffic & road closure coming to the Valley from Anchorage (we only have 1 divided highway out of  Anchorage - Alaska is kinda lacking on roads), so my husband and I enjoyed a nice meal just the two of us.

I found this tip in a magazine for using phyllo dough (which was a first for me) to make a salad. I thought it looked simple but would make for a nice presentation.

Phyllo Stacked Salad

Stack 4 sheets of phyllo, brushing each piece with melted butter. Cut the stack into 8 rectangles and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375°, or until lightly golden brown. Cool completely.

To serve, place one rectangle on a salad plate; top with greens and a drizzle of vinaigrette. Crown with another rectangle & sprinkle with fresh herbs.

To assemble our salads I used organic baby romaine lettuce blend and then sprinkled with crumbled feta & craisins. Once the top piece was on I sprinkled with ribbons of fresh basil from the garden. I let each person use the dressing of their choice once we were at the table. If making for a larger crowd I would have lightly dressed the greens before adding the top phyllo.

I enjoyed the light crunch of the phyllo contrasted against the baby greens. I think next time I will add fresh chopped herbs to each layer as I'm buttering and stacking the phyllo before baking.

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A couple of weeks ago I came up with this recipe when our grocery store was out of pesto. What's up with that?! Yes, I know I could have made my own, but I haven't tried that yet and didn't have time that particular day. So, a new creation was born. The first time I made this we cooked the fish skewers along with some veggies on the charcoal grill. This time I used the indoor (George Foreman) grill to save time. I prefer the flavor of the charcoal grill with this particular dish and the pancetta crisps up nicely with the hotter grill.

 

Grilled Halibut Skewers with Pancetta

3/4 - 1 lb. fresh halibut, cut into 1" cubes
1 pkg pancetta rounds (pre-pkg from the deli, maybe 6-8 oz)
1 6 oz container of artichoke tapenade (I used Meze brand)
1 pkg. Near East Toasted Pine Nut Couscous
Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes if using charcoal or gas grill.

Cook couscous according to pkg directions. Cut halibut into chunks and pancetta into strips long enough to wrap around halibut pieces. Lay down a piece of pancetta and place 1/2 tsp. artichoke tapenade in center. Top with halibut and wrap with pancetta. Thread onto skewer. Repeat until you're out of halibut & pancetta. I usually scoop out some of the tapenade so I don't contaminate the entire container as I'm working. The recipe doesn't take the whole 6 oz. Save to serve on crackers later when you need a snack. :)  Grill about 4 minutes each side until halibut is done, being careful not to overcook. Serve over couscous with veggies on the side.

The Plated Bento

The other day I was in a hurry for lunch, but wanted to have a sort-of bento too, so I threw this together in my bento box. No, there's no way I could have gotten either lid on there, but it was nice to have it all in it's own little box, even if it was on a plate. The plate was more for balancing issues since we were eating in front of the tv (bad I know).

Inside the sandwich thin is chicken salad I made from leftover roasted chicken, a little mayo, grapes & apples, then there's a babybel cheese, fresh watermelon & pineapple, and macaroni salad from the deli.

Bentos 03.17.2010

I didn't get much into a St. Patrick's day theme, other than to use green bento boxes. Here in Alaska it was sunny and warm (upper 30s) on St. Patrick's so we took our light lunch bentos for a ride in the car to soak up some sun (we soaked up the sun, the bentos did not). :)

This first one is mine. Chicken salad wrap with sliced apple baran on top and fresh pineapple with sliced apple baran in the bottom tier.  Another B.O.M.B entry for me!

D's box also had chicken salad wrap, extra lettuce and sliced apples, cheese & crackers.