Tasty Corn, Black Bean, and Tomato Side Dish

Good make-ahead dish for sharing at gatherings.

This corn, black bean, and fresh tomato side dish tends to disappear quickly at parties and gatherings. | Source: Author

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Easy-to-Make and Healthy Side Dish

This quick and easy side dish is a perfect accompaniment to take along on picnics. It can be kept chilled or served at room temperature, which is a plus when having some fun at an outdoor gathering. You can prepare this recipe several days in advance or make it spur of the moment, just before serving.

It pairs nicely with barbecued meals, oven-roasted, fried, or rotisserie chicken, and many other types of meat. It’s great with fish and other vegetarian dishes as well. At potluck gatherings, this dish tends to disappear rapidly. People eat with their eyes first, and this dish hits the mark with colorful visual appeal.

A lot of this dish’s appeal comes from its bright colors. | Source: Author

Ingredients

• 4 ears of fresh corn on the cob, or equivalent (see below)
• 15-ounce (425 g) can of black beans
• 1/2 pint (1 cup or 8 ounces) cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 2 or 3 fresh scallions, to taste
• 2 or 3 fresh limes (depending upon size)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Roast or boil the corn, then let it cool.
2. Once cooled, cut the corn off the cobs.
3. Remove the black beans from their can, rinse, and drain.
4. Halve or quarter the tomatoes, depending upon size.
5. Finely chop the entire bunch of cilantro.
6. Slice the scallions.
7. Put all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
8. Add the extra virgin olive oil, the juice of the limes, the salt, and the pepper.
9. Toss to combine and adjust the oil, lime juice, and seasonings to taste.
10. Chill until ready to serve.

Final Thoughts

Canned corn or thawed frozen corn may be substituted for the fresh ears of corn. A medium cob of corn generally produces 1/2 to 3/4 cup of corn. So using this recipe with fresh corn, you can expect anywhere from 2 to 3 cups of kernels, or approximately 1 lb (453.6 g). I have successfully substituted a 10–12 oz bag of frozen corn (283–340 g) for fresh corn when fresh corn is unavailable.

If cilantro is not a flavor you enjoy, flat-leaf parsley can be used instead.

This side dish is full of delicious, healthful carbs and is a real crowd-pleaser. When fresh corn on the cob is available at our grocery stores, I often make this recipe. Roasting the corn on the grill adds another delectable dimension of flavor.

This dish can easily be doubled or tripled if needed for larger gatherings.

Ready for a bite? | Source: Author

“Cooking is at once one of the simplest and most gratifying of the arts, but to cook well, one must love and respect food.”

- Craig Claiborne

© Peggy Woods (Originally published on HubPages)