Grilled Vegetable and Black Bean Salad

As I was doing a little spring cleaning on my computer last night I stumbled upon several tasty recipes that had slipped right through the cracks and never made it to you.  What can I say?  I'm not perfect.  It must have been some combination of laziness, forgetfulness, and a little recipe A.D.D.

Either way, they have been found and will be presented to you over the next couple of weeks.  Unless I lose them again...

It's a rule in Boston that on the first couple of "warm" days you must 1) find a patch of grass and lay on it, even if there are 50 others laying in that exact spot and 2) go outside and grill.

Well, not really.  But as soon as it starts warming up, the people of Boston flock to any small grassy area they can find and that delicious *charred* smell from the grill starts to take over the city.

So, obviously we had to partake...I've spent a few afternoons basking in the sun and we've had several very lively grilling parties.  Hello, summer.

This particular night we threw on some Garlic Chili Tilapia and I made the Bean and Corn Salad to go with it.  It was a quickly thrown together meal but it was quite perfect. 

Oh and can I tell you how much I love grilled vegetables?  If someone would have given me a knife and fork right then and there I would have said screw the salad and just went after it.  But then I would have missed out.  Because the salad was delicious.  So don't ever let anyone do that.  They'll thank you later.

Okay so, it starts out as your typical "Mexican" corn/bean salad.  But then you throw in some rice.  And then you throw in your grilled vegetables...andddd then you toss it in a tangy citrus dressing.  And finally you top it with avocado.  Goodness.  Want to know what puts it over the top?  The tangy dressing paired with the grilled vegetables.  The deep flavor of the veggies with the light and fresh tang of the dressing = Perfection.  That being said, you can't skip out on grilling the vegetables in this dish.  I'm sorry to put restrictions on you like that, but it's 100% necessary.

grilled vegetable and black bean salad...

Adapted from Eating Well

Makes: 4-6 Servings   Prep Time: 5 minutes   Grill/Cook Time: 10-12 minutes (veggies) 25-30 minutes (rice)   Total Time: 45 minutes

{Print Me}

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup brown rice (I used Trader Joe's microwavable rice and cut out the 30 minute cook time!)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 large ears corn, husked
• 2 medium red onions, cut into 1/2 inch rings
• 1 red pepper
• 1 large ripe avocado
• 1/2 cup salsa (hot or mild)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 1 handful chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Cook rice in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, 25-30 minutes.  Drain and rinse.  Or if you have microwavable rice, throw it in the microwave and skip this step!
2. In a large bowl, toss rice and beans.  Set aside.
3. Preheat grill.  Oil the grill rack using a paper towel.  Grill corn, onions, and pepper, turning frequently, until tender and charred, 10-12 minutes.
4. Cut kernels from cobs and add to rice and beans.
5. Dice pepper and onions and add to the rice mixture.
6. Whisk salsa, orange juice, lime juice, cilantro, oil, and cumin in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Peel and dice avocado.
8. Spoon rice mixture onto a serving dish (can be served hot or cold), top with dressing and avocado.
9. Enjoy!