Corn and Black Bean Salad

Today is the hottest day of the year. It's 102 degrees outside, and apparently that makes it the hottest day in Nashville since 2007. To that I say "screw the oven."

Well...that was my intention. But our grill is out of propane, so that didn't happen. But, I still rebelled against my oven-broiled chicken with a cold salad!

This recipe mushes up two recipes from two of my favorite bloggers. One part of it is Ree Drummond's corn and avocado salsa, and the other is Smitten Kitchen's black bean and pepper salad. From Ree, I took the corn, avocado, cilantro and hot pepper. From SK, I took the black beans, red pepper, and honey-lime vinaigrette.

I love this served very cold straight out of the refrigerator. It takes time for the ingredients to marry, so I'd suggest leaving it in the fridge for a solid hour - two if you can stand to wait.

For the salad, you will need:

2 ears fresh corn, scraped from the cob, or 1 can canned corn (I like no salt added canned corn), drained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 avocados, diced

1/2 a red onion, diced

1/2 a jalapeno, diced, ribs and seeds removed (unless you like it hot)

1 bell pepper, diced (color of your choice)

Handful chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette, you will need:

Juice of one lime
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons honey
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine corn, beans, avocados, onion, jalapeno, bell pepper in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk vinaigrette ingredients together, taking care to add the olive oil last in a slow stream to emulsify the vinaigrette. Pour over corn-black bean mixture, toss to coat and adjust seasonings to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.