Corn and Bean salad

Even though we all strive to cook elaborate snacks on weekends, secretely we all would long to have something quick to fix. All the home cooks have some magic recipe in their sleeve to make their family happy on a weekend, without standing in the kitchen for long time. May it be a store bought chips packet or homemade murukku, but the smile we see in our love's face is important :) Right !
 In my house sundal (Indian lentil salad) is one snack that saves me a lot of time.  Corn and bean salad is another easy to do recipe.  Click to see my 'colorful corn and bean salad'. Mostly I buy frozen corn in a bag. But if you are willing, you can prepare it from fresh corn too. Tea time snacks in my house is mostly easy to fix types.  When it comes to lentils, I always buy dried beans. Dried beans are inexpensive and belongs to 'good eats'. Canned beans comes handy, when we need to soak them.  I cook black bean ahead , portion them and freeze it in small containers. So here is my hubby's favorite 5 minute sundal / salad.

Corn and bean salad

Ingredients:
Sweet corn - 1 cup
black bean - 1/2 cup
Parmesan cheese - 2 tbsp (optional)
salt , pepper - to taste
lemon - few drops

Method:
Boil the corn and remove the kernels from cob using a knife. (or) Just buy a bag of frozen corn and keep it handy.
Take a cup of frozen corn and rinse in water. Put it in a microwavable cup. Microwave it for 2 minutes . I don't cover it while microwaving.
Mix it with cooked hot black bean. Add salt, pepper, cheese , lemon juice and mix well.
Corn bean salad  is ready!

Serving suggestion:
Serve as snack or side dish with baked chicken and vegetables.

Corn and black bean salad

Corn and bean salad is another popular salad. This is a salad I often see in food network shows. There may be many variations but I customized it according to my taste and calorie need. Though the recipe is simple, I wanted to note down the way I prepare my own 'home made salad dressing'.  Here I have used the black bean. Black bean tastes similar to whole black gram (urad dhal). It can be substituted by red bean , rajma (kidney beans) or any bean of our choice.

Ingredients:
cooked sweet corn kernels- 1 cup
cooked black bean - 1 cup
tomato - 2
red bell pepper - 1
cucumber -1
white onion - 1/2
cilantro - handful

dressing:
Extra virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp
vinegar - 1 tsp
lemon juice - 1/2 fruit
salt - to taste
red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
sugar - 1 tbsp
garlic powder - 1/4 tsp
dried Italian seasoning herbs - 1 tsp

Preparation:
Soak 1/2  cup black bean in water overnight. Wash and  remove the water.
Add enough water to just immerse the soaked bean. Pressure cook for 3 whistles or cook in stove top till it is soft.
(or) Buy a can of cooked black bean. Wash well to remove excess salt.

Method:
Mix all the items given for dressing, shake well. Keep refrigerated until we need. we can keep this for 1 week (I have not tested more than that).
Cut the onion, cucumber, pepper, tomato into 1 inch size cubes.
Finely chop the cilantro.
Put them in a large bowl and add the cooked beans , corn.
Mix well. Add the required salad dressing , toss and serve.

Serving suggestion:
Makes a starter food or healthy snack.