FRESH CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALAD WITH CORN CHIPS

Posted in Salads, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

We have new neighbors who moved here from a town in Kansas 5 hours away, where they own a big farm. One of their main crops is corn, and they have been gifting us spectacular examples of their labor of love. We often indulge with nothing more than a little salt and pepper, but we’ve also been working hard trying new recipes. Here is one that is a total winner!

FRESH CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALAD WITH CORN CHIPS
(adapted from The New York Times)

for the dressing:
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sugar (if your corn is super sweet, omit it)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

for the salad:
4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 4 large cobs)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
A big handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
corn tortilla chips, lightly crushed, amount to taste
2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and roughly diced
Hot sauce (optional), for serving

Prepare the dressing: To a large bowl, add the lime juice, cumin, sugar, crushed red pepper and olive oil. Season with about 1 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper and whisk to combine. Taste and check seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
To the dressing, add the corn, black beans and cilantro. Toss to combine, taste and season with salt and pepper.
When ready to eat, add the corn chips and avocados, and toss to combine. Dot with hot sauce, if so desired.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Such a colorful salad, and quite substantial, as it is quite high in carbs. You can serve it only next to a main dish like grilled salmon, which we chose in our first time enjoying it, or go for the kill and also add rice and more chips like my beloved did.

Some dishes make you smile just looking at the plate, so colorful and fun. And having the best corn makes it super special. Leftovers were still ok, although I recommend adding fresh corn chips. The avocado might suffer a bit but the overall acidity helps.

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28Mar2026

SALMON BOWL WITH BROWN RICE AND MANGO

Posted in Air-Frying, Rice and Grains, Seafood by sallybr

This goes into our rotation for sure! The recipe for the salmon has been in my blog for a while and it is indeed something I cook often. But today I share one awesome way to enjoy it. Do not omit the mango pieces, and I actually strongly advise you to get frozen fruit. I am so tired of buying fresh mangoes just to be disappointed at the texture or taste. As long as you are careful about how you de-frost it, it will work perfectly (see the comments).

SALMON BOWL WITH BROWN RICE AND MANGO
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

1 recipe for salmon bites (click here)
1 + 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
avocado slices
cucumber slices, salted and rinsed
fresh mango pieces
1/8 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare a quick dressing with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Amounts are flexible. You want enough to coat the fruit and veggies.

Place the cooked brown rice, still warm, in the center of a serving bowl, using a small bowl to shape it. Add the fruit and veggies around, drizzling the dressing all over them, and arrange the salmon pieces together as shown in the picture.

Serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: To use frozen mango, remove the amount you need from the package and lay over a paper towel to defrost. Do it about 30 minutes before your meal. By the time you plate it, it will be close to room temperature, still a bit cold in the center, but the texture won’t suffer. This was a delicious meal, very easy to put together, I highly recommend you give it a try. If you don’t have an air-frier, you can grill the salmon or roast it in the oven.

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2Aug2025

TWO INCREDIBLY SIMPLE RECIPES

Posted in Incredibly simple, Salads, Side dishes, Veggies by sallybr

The first one is truly simple because you actually make the potatoes a day or two before, but the recipe itself qualified to be in this folder when I first published it in 2023. Check it out here. I always make one or two extra potatoes so that I have leftovers. Because, how could you resist these?

Simply grab the leftover roasted potatoes from the fridge, and cut in slices that should not be too thin, not overly thick, as they will warm up exclusively on the skillet. Add olive oil to the pan, once it is really hot, add the slices and brown them on both sides. Add a little more salt to serve. They will be super creamy inside and get that superb crust all over. Addictive, I tell you.

The second one was featured recently in the New York Times with a lot of praise by the readers. It seemed a bit odd, very few ingredients, kind of monochromatic. But we were both quite impressed by the flavor and texture. I share with you my version, which is slightly modified from the original one. A bit of olive oil and dill were brought to play.

CUCUMBER-AVOCADO SALAD
(modified from The New York Times)

1 large English cucumber
Kosher salt
2 very ripe avocados
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
drizzle of olive oil
fresh or dried dill to taste
red pepper flakes for serving, to taste

Peel the cucumbers in alternating strips and trim ends. Halve lengthwise and slice thin. Transfer to a colander and sprinkle 1 to 2 tsp kosher salt all over the slices. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Halve the avocados and remove the pits. Using a spoon, remove the flesh from the skins, then cut the flesh into ½-inch cubes. Transfer to a large bowl, add the lemon juice and season with salt. Stir to combine.

Shake the cucumbers in the colander to get rid of any excess moisture, rinse briefly then transfer to the bowl with the avocado. Drizze olive oil, and add dill. Mix well but gently, the avocado should start getting creamy and cover all the slices of cucumber. That is a good thing. Serve with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if so desired.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

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17Oct2023

CHINESE TIGER SALAD

Posted in Salads by sallybr

No, I have no idea why it is called Tiger Salad, but I can tell you it is delicious and you should make it… It is yet another recipe from Josette’s blog, and you can read her thoughts about it clicking here.

CHINESE TIGER SALAD WITH CORN AND AVOCADO
(slightly modified from thebrookcook)

2 T sesame seeds, I used black
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
3 T canola oil
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp oil from a jar of chili crisp
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
3 large ears of corn, husked, slightly rubbed with canola oil
2 avocados, cut into large pieces
1 English hothouse cucumber, seeds removed, halves sliced crosswise
1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 T crumbled queso fresco or Cotija cheese, plus more for garnish

To Make the Dressing: toast the sesame seeds slightly in a dry small skillet over medium heat; transfer to a large shallow bowl. Add lime juice, oil, soy sauce, chili crisp oil, toasted sesame oil, unseasoned rice vinegar, and salt and stir vigorously until salt is dissolved. Set dressing aside.

To Make the Salad: air-fry or grill the corn and remove the kernels from the cobs, placing them in a large bowl. Add avocado, cucumber, and half of the cilantro. Add reserved dressing and toss gently to combine. Taste salad and season with more salt if needed. Top with the cheese, remaining cilantro and more black sesame seeds if you like.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This is quite a satisfying salad thanks to the corn, and very flavorful with all the lime juice, the sesame oil and of course the heat of the chili crisp oil. I took a picture without the cheese, as Phil prefers to skip it, so I added only to my plate. I’ve made the salad again using feta and it also goes super well with all other ingredients. It is an interesting recipe, a marriage of Chinese and Mexican cuisines. It also keeps well, leftovers were great next day, even the avocado was still fine.

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31Jul2023

GOING BEYOND GUACAMOLE

Posted in Side dishes, Small Dishes, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

We consume a lot of avocados, often in guacamole format, but sometimes just sliced with a squirt of lemon, salt and pepper. Last weekend I was relaxing a bit browsing through stuff I had saved in our TiVo, and went on a binge watch of Molly Yeh’s Girl Meets Farm. Her cooking style is different from mine, but I love her baking ideas, and her warm, fun personality. In one of the episodes she made avocado salsa with a definite Asian feel, and I had to try it myself. Verdict? I loved it. Hubby still prefers avocado in guacamole shape, but agreed that it is definitely “blog-worthy”. So here we are.

SESAME AVOCADO SALSA
(from Molly Yeh’s Girl Meets Farm)

4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Juice of 1 lime
Sriracha or other hot sauce, as desired
4 avocados, chopped
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
black or toasted sesame seeds, for topping

Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, lime and some hot sauce in a large bowl. Add the avocados and toss to coat, mashing some of the avocados a little bit to bring everything together. Taste and adjust as desired, I added more lime juice. Top with the chopped cilantro and sesame seeds.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I am on a sesame oil kick lately, and find that it gives many dishes a wonderful taste, if you don’t add too much you cannot quite tell what it is, but it is, to quote Martha Stewart, “a good thing”. We had leftovers and although it got slightly darker, flavor and texture were not compromised. If you are serving to company, definitely prepare it right before you intend to enjoy it, although keeping it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so does not hurt at all.