Black Bean Salad with Grilled Veggies

As we get into summer, the challenge for me is to keep things cool. My specialty dishes tend to be things that are heavy, warming, and exactly the wrong thing you want to eat on a hot summer evening. I am always looking for new ideas on tasty things I can put together that work for summer dinners. This black bean salad turned out to be one of the better ones I have tried recently. First things first, I grilled all the vegetables that it made sense to grill, and even one that turned out to NOT be a good idea. 

Plate of grilled veggies

 For the record, grilled onions sounded like a great idea. The only problem was that the execution turned out to be trickier than I initially expected it would be. One of the things about onions is that they are like ogres - they have layers. When onions are raw, these layers stick together really well for the most part. When onions are cooked these layers break apart - like when you cut onions into wedges and try to grill them as I did. The onions broke apart and ended up not as well cooked as I had hoped for, so I had to toss them into a frying pan to give them a quick cook (no oil - high heat) to get them how I had wanted them to be. I do want to try grilling onion again, but might try doing it in rings instead, or trying to hold the layers together with toothpicks.

Full mise en place for the black bean salad

 Once the grilled veggies had cooled somewhat I started assembly on he salad. One can of black beans, one grilled red pepper, one half of a roasted onion (finished in a frying pan), one roasted zucchini, two ears roasted corn, about half a container of cherry tomatoes (raw) and about 4 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese. I cut all the ingredients up into a small chop - about the same size as the black beans (give or take a bit) and put it all in a large serving bowl. I added some salt and pepper, some good chili powder, dried cilantro, some cumin and some smoked paprika. Then I sprinkled it with about two Tbsp of vegetable oil and lime juice. This was then set in the fridge to cool completely and allow the flavors to come together. I didn't measure the spices, I just put stuff on until it tasted good to me.

Completed black bean salad

 This salad was wonderful and versatile. It was fantastic all on it's own, it went great on some warmed tortillas (not homemade today - sorry) or with some taco-flavored beef in a bowl. It was light and flavorful and everything one could probably want on a warm summer evening.

Black bean salad in a bowl

Black bean salad on tortilla 

 So however you plate it up, make sure you grill it up first. The grilled smoky tastes of the grilled veggies really make this salad stand out among some of the other recipes I have tried in the past, and is definitely work your time and worth firing up the grill. Hey, even if you plan on cooking up some burgers and dogs or some chicken later this can always be done earlier in the day or the day before to allow those flavors to come together longer while in the fridge.

What is your favorite cool summer salad? Let me know on Facebook or in the comments below!