Black bean salad with peppers, corn, grilled chicken

8 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
3 cups Black beans, or turtle beans; cooked
14 ounces Stewed tomatoes, Mexican Style; drained and strained
1 10 ounces wh kernel corn, frozen; or 8 ounces canned
½ cup Red onion; diced
½ cup Chopped red bell pepper; or less
3 tablespoons Fresh cilantro; chopped
1 teaspoon Garlic; crushed
1 teaspoon Ground cumin
Salt
2 tablespoons Salad oil
1 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
1 Chicken breast, grilled, cut into strips
Optionals;
2 tablespoons Mild mixed green pepper; canned
¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
Freshly ground black pepper
Oregano

Directions

Pantry notes -- Select small oval black beans. Drain canned beans in a sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Try canned stewed tomatoes with Jalapeno peppers, chili powder, cumin, and pepper (Del Monte has one; S&W). Drain, reserve the liquid; chop the tomatoes (thumbnail size).

Avoid seeds and watery pulp. Select a light salad oil: olive, safflower, corn, canola, blend, etc.

~ Combine ingredients before 'optionals.' Taste and add salt and pepper, a few more chilis, cinnamon, and/or oregano. If too dry, add some tomato liquid. Store in the refrigerator until well chilled, at least 4 hours.

Serve as a salad on shredded iceburg or mixed leaf lettuce. Greatest as a filling for a QUESADILLA with a little shredded monterey jack cheese! (Heat skillet to medium high; spray one side of a flour torilla with vegetable oil; place oiled side down in the skillet; spoon on some filling. Top with cheese. Cover with another torilla. After about 2 minutes, spray the top torilla and turn it; brown about 1 minute. Serve with sauce casera.) This idea's popular! Continue to tweak the seasonings and proportions.

Feniger and Milliken (Two Hot Tamales) have a similar idea on page 158 of their City Cuinsine book (1989). Del Monte ad (1989) suggests similar spices to make a salsa from their canned tomatoes. Recently (May 1996) Lucky supermarkets introduced a chicken salad from their deli that resembles this. - May 13, 96

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