Mexican Salad

Ruth calls me the queen of salads. I'm beginning to understand why.

Here is another favorite salad that I think compliments enchiladas nicely. Because it is so colorful and makes such a nice presentation, I often take it to barbecue parties and serve it with tortilla chips because it looks more like a salsa to me than a salad.

(This picture was taken of the salad with the black bean omitted.)















Mexican Salad
Prep: 15 minutes

Serve with sour cream and taco chips, or roll up in warmed flour tortillas.

3 cups raw or cooked fresh corn kernels (I use fresh.)
1 can (about 15 oz.) black beans, rinsed
3 ripe tomatoes, cut in chunks
1 each green and red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp each minced garlic, salt and pepper
(I also add finely chopped onion -- purple, yellow or green)

Stir all ingredients in a 2 ½ quart serving bowl.

Make-ahead note: As much as 36 hours in advance, I have put the first 5 ingredients into a bowl (corn, beans, tomatoes and green & red pepper, and cilantro) and stored them in the refrigerator. Then I have separately combined the olive oil, lime juice and seasonings in a separate container and chilled. Several hours before serving I combine these ingredients all together in a serving bowl and chill again.