A BBQ and Bean Salad

We hosted a BBQ last weekend. Due to restrictions in our territory and small community, this was our first big get together in a long, long time.

I love hosting. I love the list making, menu planning, cleaning, set-up, cooking, baking (etc., etc.). Honestly, I probably also love hosting because it allows me to stay at home, which is my favourite place to be. And hosting gives me something to do when the inevitable overwhelm of socializing hits me. I love talking to people…that is, until I don’t…and then I can re-fill bowls, top up drinks, or do dishes.

When C and I discussed the menu, we hemmed and hawed about a few different dishes, but we both knew for sure that we’d have my mum’s ‘Black Bean Salad’.

You probably know that before moving north, I didn’t cook. Like zip. Zilch. Not. One. Dish. So, when we learned of our impending move to Beaver Creek, I started to freak out. “A TEN-HOUR drive to get groceries!?” “No restaurants?!” I panicked. I’d have to COOK! Heaven forbid.

My mum, saint that she is, intervened. She made me a cookbook full of my favourite recipes, meal planning suggestions, grocery shopping tips, and best of all, family photos. She put together packages of all the spices I might need – an exhaustive selection with everything from A(llspice) to Z(aatar spice).

There are lots of great recipes in the cookbook. Some are her own and some are her spin on someone else’s recipe that she’s used for years. The ‘Black Bean Salad’ is one of the best. It’s based on a recipe by Mary Sue Waisman in her book, Flavour First. Beside the recipe in the cookbook my mum put together, my brother has scrawled “Angus’ favourite”, and later C added, “C’s favourite, too!”. I wonder if you might find it’s your favourite, too?

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

Salad

-       2 cups corn kernels

-       2 cups roasted red peppers

-       4 cups black beans

-       1 cup feta cheese

-       1 red onion, chopped

-       1 jar olives (we love these)

-       4-5 chopped tomatoes

-       1 cup finely chopped kale

Dressing

-       2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

-       2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

-       1 tsp Dijon mustard

-       1 ½ tsp cumin

-       1 tsp cayenne

-       1 tbsp chopped garlic

-       ½ cup olive oil

-       Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except for the feta, kale, and corn in a large bowl. Heat a frying pan and in it, toast the corn until slightly blackened. Let it cool, then add it to the bowl. Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar, shake to mix, and pour it over salad. Stir in the kale and feta just before serving.