Beans, Beans, Good for Your Heart

What most moved him was a certain meal on beans. Robert Browning

I've never been a big fan of beans. Most were mushy, some were tasteless, and all were healthy. To a kid, this combination makes for a very "yuck" dinner. I grew up and still didn't like beans. Then, one fateful night, I tried them for, what seemed like the millionth time, and to my surprise, I liked them. Who knew, right?

Sometime after that eye opening meal, I heard that humans' taste buds change every seven years. If you are some smarty pants and knows that this is completely made up, do me a favor and don't tell me because I believe it whole heartedly. This theory is the number one reason that I will now eat, and enjoy, pimento cheese, avacados, blue cheese, and beans. I'm still waiting for my seven year hatered of goat cheese to finally run its course.

Anyway, back to beans. To me there is nothing better than a black bean salad on a hot summer day. Over the last couple of years, I have made a few variations of this cool, colorful crisp salad, not because I'm a kitchen genious or because I scour every cookbook I own for a thousand different ways to build a better black bean salad, but because I never find the time to write down my original culinary successes. So inevitably, I forget them. I've always been a little forgetful and spacey, just ask my mother.

We all know the benefits of beans: high in fiber, high in protein, and of course giving you the ability to send your enemies running for the hills after ingesting a nice big plate of frijoles from your local Mexican restaurant. Now with all of the obvious good qualities out of the way, let's examine the most important, its taste.

Although there are many dishes in which to add black beans, I'm particularly fond of ones where they are the main ingredient. I can't think of a better way to praise the black bean than creating with a salad where it can truly be a star. After seven long years, I've finally welcomed a bean salad into my summer side dish repertoire. It's fresh, colorful and healthy...what more can a grown-up ask for?

Black Bean Salad

Dressing:
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
Juice of one lemon
1 tbs. red or white vinegar
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. olive oil

Salad:
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can corn, drained and rinsed or 3 ears of fresh corn off the cob
1/4 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 c. brown rice cooked according to directions
1 1/2 c. grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 tbs. fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Sprinkle salt over chopped garlic and take the side of a chef's knife and smash and smear over and over to make a paste. Place in a big mixing bowl, and whisk in lemon juice, vinegar, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Taste for seasonings.

Add salad ingredients to the bowl and stir to incorporate the dressing. Garnish with parsley and serve.