This is a perfect dish for all of those fresh tomatoes and cobs of corn that are now in season. One word of caution though, freshly harvested corn does not 
have to be cooked long at all. I used to buy corn from the grocery store and boil it for 10 – 12 minutes, which seemed to be adequate. I totally ruined our first batch of local corn by overcooking it by a long shot. I only boiled the second batch for 3 minutes and it was still overdone! I guess the third time really is a charm because I finally decided to boil the corn for 1 short minute and it was perfect. So keep a close eye on that pot if you use fresh corn too.
I also want to mention a little something about the beans in this recipe (or any recipe that calls for beans). I used to always buy canned beans and think nothing of it. Now that I am actually reading the ingredients I have realized the advantage of dried beans – no added salt! Isn’t it odd that a bag of dried beans has 0 mg of sodium, but a can of the very same beans would have hundreds of grams of sodium in it? I will be the first to tell you that it doesn’t always work out for me to remember to soak the beans the night before, so I like to have a back-up can on hand (since it is a whopping 99 cents extra) just in case I forget. I am happy to report though, I just learned that the Earthfare brand of canned organic beans have incredibly low sodium (maybe only 15 mgs…but don’t quote me on that) so next time you are there stock up on some of those for sure!
Tomato, Corn & Black Bean Salad (or dip)
- 3 ears of corn, boiled for 1 minute (or longer if purchased at grocery store)
- 2.5 cups of black beans, cooked and drained (and rinsed if canned)
- 8 ounces of cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (or cilantro would be good too especially if you want to use this recipe as a dip instead)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste (I just added a few shakes of each)
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
Cut the corn kernels off the cobs and gently mix with the beans, sliced tomatoes, and red onions in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together the basil, vinegar, oil, garlic and S & P. Pour the dressing over the salad mixture and gently blend it together. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and enjoy!
If you rinse the canned beans then it gets rid of most of that added sodium, just so you know (in case you have to use that back up can).
Good to know…I learn something new every day about all of this!
Hey Lisa–
Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Tried a take on this recipe last night. Served it over salad greens (which I know you’re not a fan of really…!) and had some flaked salmon on top… It was really good! I think my hubs had more this morning w/ his eggs…
Oh that sounds like a good combo and my husband would love that too b/c he is really into salad greens AND salmon! Thanks for the comment Kristi!
Love your website! Thanks for helping all us moms who want to eat healthier, less processed or non-processed foods. And as a note , Eden Organic canned beans (plain – different varieties available) have no added salt.
Yeah!
Good to know…and thanks for your comment!
I’m going to make this tomorrow for the beach. But I’m going to throw it in a pita or maybe tortilla.
I already copied and saved this recipe. It’s going in my recipe binder!
YUM!!
Keep in mind that if you have to make beans one day, you might as well make several big pots at once. Then cool the beans and measure them into ziploc bags for the freezer.
I think a little over 2 cups is about what’s in a can….but can’t remember for sure.
I love this salad! I have been making it (or a variation of) for years as my go-to dish for parties. Always a crowd favorite! I love to add sliced avocado and a squeeze of lime to add an extra layer of goodness. Also, leftovers make great topping for fish or tacos! Great summer dish! Thanks for sharing!!
I batch crockpot cook beans then freeze them in cup sized portions. Then they are convenient, because I am a bad planner on having beans soaking at the ready. Canned beans also contain BPA, unless they specifically say they don’t, it’s in the lining of the cans. Eden brand foods has BPA free beans, but it’s unlikely to score those for $.99. Looking forward to making this!
Thanks for the inspiration! I think I too will make a cold veggie salad for my cookout tomorrow.
Sounds good! I can imagine dicing all the veg, and tossing it all with some cooked quinoa or brown rice and making a sort of tomatillo dressing to mix in it! Nom nom!!
Oh so yummy! I made this yesterday for a cook-out and everyone really liked it. I did not have tomatoes, nor red onions on hand, so I substituted a red bell pepper that I chopped up. I believe it was just as good! I was also excited to be able to use my own cilantro (1st time having my own herb garden), by just going out my back door and not having to spend $2.00 at the store for a small bunch ~ yippee
Great recipe, I can’t wait to try it! I live outside of the US and beans are a staple in our diet. We eat beans several days a week and love them. I never ever buy canned beans (in fact, canned beans aren’t even available here) and always cook them from scratch. Don’t worry if you forget to soak them overnight, it really isn’t necessary. In fact, I haven’t soaked my beans overnight in a couple of years. What I do is wash them and put them in a crockpot in the morning with fresh garlic, tomato, onion, green pepper and seasoning (and plenty of water, of course). I set the crockpot for 9 hours and the beans cook slowly throughout the day without me having to worry about them and are nice and soft and ready to eat at dinnertime. We serve them with rice and like to top them with fresh cilantro and lime! Yum and cheap!
I am going to have to try this with my beans…thanks for the suggestion!
Oh, and you can always take the leftover beans and put them in the blender to make refried beans. We serve refried beans for breakfast with fresh eggs and a serving of homemade raw milk cheese!
How do you (anyone?) make “Raw Milk Cheese”? I’ve been making my own Yogurt for years and have wanted to know how to make Cottage Cheese also. Thanks.
Just discovered your site, can’t wait to get started! Like you, I thought we were doing fairly well already. I still have a few processed things in the pantry, and will have to wean my honey from raw sugar in his coffee. He might not mind the switch to honey. Ha!
I have such a hard time remembering to take my beans out of the freezer! My sister-in-law and I recently pressure-canned many pints and quarts of pinto and black beans so we’d have them at the ready whenever we need them. Refried beans take 10 minutes from chopping the onion to serving them up, when your beans are cooked *and* thawed.
I’m going to make this bean salad for dinner tonight, with salad and salmon. Thanks for the recipe!
A good way to “fake” soaking dried beans is to boil them for 30 minutes and then drain.
A pressure cooker is a fantastic way to cook dried beans without having to soak. A Crock pot also works well for cooking beans – start soaked (or “fake” soaked beans) in a crock pot with plenty of liquid and a (locally raised) ham hock. Let it cook on low all day, and you have a big pot of beans that can then be eaten on for several meals.
Cool story it is surely. My girlfriend has been seeking for this update.
[...] West chicken </a>, broccoli, <a href=”http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/07/15/recipe-tomato-corn-black-bean-side-salad-or-dip-if-you-w…“> tomato corn, and black bean salad </a> Share this:TwitterFacebookPinterestLike [...]
I just made this, but substituted frozen corn and cilantro. Yummy! It’s more of a “dump in a container with a lid and shake” type of recipe. Love it!