Black Bean and Corn Salad colorful, portable, substantial

This is one of those salads that just saves the day over and over again.

Here are the reasons I love this salad: It’s fast, it’s really easy, it’s inexpensive, it’s crowd-pleasing, it’s vegetarian, it’s substantial, it’s colorful, it’s protein-filled, it’s a meal in itself, it looks great on a buffet, it’s super portable, it’s season-less, it’s make-ahead, it’s flexible, it can be doubled or tripled (or halved, but that’s not so much the point of this bigbatch salad).

I could keep going, but if you’re not convinced by now, I think you probably aren’t going to be. Southwestern Black Bean and Corn Salad

1 tablespoon fresh lemon

juice

1 tablespoon white wine

vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin

olive oil

Coarse or kosher salt and

ground pepper to taste 2 (15.5 ounce) cans black

beans, drained and rinsed 2 cups corn kernels

1 cup chopped red or yellow

onions

3 bell peppers, seeded and diced (red, yellow, orange, or a combination) 1 cup thinly sliced green

onions, optional

1 cup crumbled feta cheese,

optional

2 Haas avocados, peeled, pitted and diced

In a small container, combine the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, onions and peppers. Shake up the dressing, pour it over the salad and toss. Sprinkle the green onions and/or the feta over the top if desired, and toss again, or put them out for people to add to their salad.

If you want to serve it right away, gently mix in the avocado. If you have time, this salad is better if you make it a day ahead, refrigerate it, and then just add the avocado right before serving. Makes 10 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving (without feta cheese) contains approximately 114 calories, 4 g protein, 6 g fat, 15 g carbohydrate (3 g sugar), no cholesterol, 12 mg sodium and 5 g fiber.