Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad

Since discovering this yummy, summery salad about a year ago, it has become one of my family’s favorite dishes. It’s light, super flavorful and the perfect accompaniment to so much of what we grill during the spring and summer months. The chipotle in adobo is the key to giving it that ‘something special’. If you can’t roast your corn on the bbq, cut it off the ear and do it in a pan on the stove top – furthermore, if you make this in the off-season or while corn-on-the-cob is costly, you can use frozen – however, I strongly recommend using high-quality, super-sweet white corn as opposed to petite yellow kernels or a lesser quality brand corn. I tried using an ‘on sale brand a few weeks ago and the corn was chewy, not sweet and had zero life to it at all. I tossed the whole lot and remade the salad anew. This salad is too good to eat unperfect – I shoulda known better than to cut a CORN-er! ;-)

Enjoy this bright and flavorful salad!

Roasted Corn Salad

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 Tbs. fresh orange juice
1 tsp. diced chipotle chili in adobo,
plus 1 Tbs. of the adobo sauce
1/4 tsp. salt (add more to taste to your liking)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. honey
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil
7 ears of corn, husks and silks removed
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro – finely chopped, plus cilantro leaves for garnish
3 to 4 roma tomatoes diced small
1/2 red pepper – diced small
1/3 red onion – diced small

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, orange juice, chipotle chili and adobo sauce, 1 tsp. of the salt, the garlic, honey and the 1/4 cup olive oil until smooth. Set the vinaigrette aside. Prepare a hot fire in a grill or preheat a grill pan over high heat. *Rub the ears of corn with the 2 Tbs. olive oil and the remaining 1 tsp. salt. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, until charred in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter. When the corn is cool enough to handle, remove the kernels from the cobs and place the kernels in a large bowl. *If a bbq grill or grill pan is not available, you can cut kernels from fresh ears (or use frozen corn in a pinch) and roast/fry it in the olive oil in a pan stovetop until the kernels begin to get golden brown.Add the black beans, chopped cilantro, tomatoes, onion and vinaigrette and stir until well combined. Let flavors for about an hour before serving. Garnish with the cilantro leaves. Serve chilled for at least an hour. Enjoy!