Photo by Allison Eckel, 2010, All Rights Reserved.
Black Bean and Corn Salsa
By Allison Eckel
Summer grilling and backyard parties remind me of my favorite way to answer the question, “What should I bring?” Black bean and corn salsa is easy, quick, inexpensive, light on allergens, vegetarian, and actually healthy.
Ingredients:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
1 /3 red onion, diced (adjust according to taste and the strength of the onion)
1 /2 jalapeno pepper, diced
Juice of 1 lime (2 if you’re squeezing by hand)
1 avocado, chopped
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the order listed. Add the avocado just before serving. This is great with corn chips. I chose baked Tostito-brand chips because, well, they’re baked but also because they are scoops, which hold more salsa!
On the rare occasion you have leftovers, this salsa goes well with grilled tuna steaks brushed with herb-infused olive oil and a chilled pinot grigio.
Now, a little more about my assertion that this side dish/garnish is healthy. My criteria for a healthy food is that it contain no high fructose corn syrup (check) and limited things with chemical names, if at all (check). And although I love summertime salads that rely on mayonnaise, they really are junky (and will spoil in the heat).
David Zinczenko (editorial honcho at Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazines) publishes the fantastic book/blog series Eat This, Not That: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/home. His mantra is “the simpler, the better.” If an ingredient list is complicated, the food is probably the wrong choice. This salsa is as simple as can be. Plus, the fat component is avocado, which provides beneficial cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fat.
The only down side to this salsa is the cans used for the beans and corn. Many food cans are made with an epoxy liner called Bisphenol A, better known as BPA, or that chemical you don’t want in your kid’s reusable water bottle. Not to scare you, but it is definitely lurking in the can of his Spaghetti-Os, which are nutritional wastelands anyway.
To reduce the danger of BPA in your salsa, cook black beans ahead of time and shave corn from fresh ears bought at the farmers market. But if you’re like me, you pick your battles. I am below average in my use of canned goods, so I splurge on the canned beans. I would rather use my cooking time in other ways. The whole point of black bean and corn salsa is its easy, breezy yumminess.
