Fresh Corn, Black Beans, and Tomato Salad

Another great tasting recipe from Cook's Illustrated: Fresh off the cob is perhaps the best way to eat summer corn, but corn tossed with beans and tomatoes is a close second. The sweetness of the beans and the acidity of the tomatoes bring out the flavor of the corn. We wanted to find the best way to combine and flavor this trio. Here’s what we discovered: Boil the ears of corn until just tender, then cool them quickly under running water so that they don’t overcook. Canned black beans taste fine, as long as you rinse and drain them thoroughly to remove any of the liquid in which they come packed. Choose sweet-tasting, firm-textured grape or cherry tomatoes. They release less watery juice into the salad than diced full-size tomatoes do.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 6  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2  tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1  tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1  jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8  ears fresh corn, husks and silks removed
• 1  pint grape tomatoes or 1  pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 (15 1/2ounce) can black beans, rinsed
• 6  scallions, sliced thin
• 2  tablespoons  minced fresh cilantro

Directions

1. For the dressing: Combine first 8 ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid then Shake all of the dressing ingredients together.
2. Cook the corn in 6 quarts boiling water until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Cut the kernels from each cob into a large mixing bowl using a paring knife. Add the tomatoes, beans, scallions, cilantro, and dressing and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
3. To Make Ahead.
4. This salad can be prepared, covered, and refrigerated a day in advance. Before serving, bring to room temperature and freshen with a squeeze of lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. My Note: For the two of us, I used just 2 ears, microwaved in a covered dish for 2 minutes, about a pint of grape tomatoes from the Farmers Market, one can of black beans, half small onion and 1 tab minced cilantro (you can omit cilantro if you don't like it, still taste great). For the dressing I just cut everything in half except I did use one garlic clove and 1 small jalapeno minced very fine. Plus I used half tablespoon of white wine vinegar and red wine vinegar each, you can use a bit more according to your taste. Fresh corn is the key here, plus I used Bush's Low Sodium Black Beans. This dish should not be served ice cold let it come to room temperature.