Southwest Chopped Salad (Healthy!)

spatchcock's Note:

This is a very good salad--nice to have the southwest flavor and still have the healthy benefits. Only 2 tsp olive oil!

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 red bell pepper , diced
• 1 cup diced jicama (I left this out)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans , drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo , chopped (about 2 tsp)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro , plus more for garnish
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• sea salt

Directions:

1. If using fresh corn, either grill the corn on an outdoor grill, roast in the oven or cook briefly in boiling water.
2. Slice the kernels from the cobs.
3. (If using frozen corn, thaw it under cool running water.) In a large bowl, combine corn, bell peppers, jícama, if you decide to use it, and black beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together lime juice, mirin, olive oil, chipotles, cilantro, cumin and salt.
5. Pour over the vegetables and toss to mix.
6. Chill for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
7. Garnish with a few cilantro leaves before serving.

Reviews

[ellie_]

Wonderful salad with just the right amount of spice. Although I didn't use any mirin because I didin't know what it was subsituting 1 tablespoon vinegar and eliminated the cumin the dressing was still delicious. Thanks Meow for posting this keeper recipe.

[Prose]

This is really good and easy. I used canned corn instead of frozen. I would definitely not leave out the jicama, if you can find it, because it really adds great texture to the salad. It is great on a bed of salad greens with a side of corn cakes. I will definitely make this again.

[Pam-I-Am]

Definitely an easy salad to throw together. Very colorful and fresh tasting. I made as directed and found that there just wasn't enough dressing for my liking. It seemd dry and not pulled together. So I added about 3 tablespoons of some italian dressing I had in the fridge and increased the cumin to about 1/2 teaspoon so it would still have that southwest flavor. It seemed to do the trick. I also thought it tasted better the 2nd day so this may be one that could be made the night before you serve.