rainbow black bean and peach salad
All of the colors in this dish put the biggest smile on my face. With bell peppers, tomatoes, corn, hot peppers, and peaches, this dish celebrates peak summer and all her delicious offerings. This dish is great on its own, as a more traditional salad with the addition of some arugula or other seasonal greens, as a dip with tortilla chips, or as a taco filling. I wanted to find a way to incorporate some sweetness (like many black bean salads do by adding mango or pineapple) but with fruit that is more local and accessible in my region. And I think I found the perfect one: peach! It pairs so well with the spiciness of the fresno (or jalapeno), the bite of the red onion, and the sweet and savory lime and garlic dressing. This recipe is so simple and requires no stove or oven. Just chop everything up and mix it! It makes for a great light lunch or dinner during the week. It would also make a delicious side or dip at your next summer gathering.
As we are now past the solstice and the halfway point of the Gregorian calendar, it’s a great time to pause and reflect on the first half of the year, and to consider what it is you hope to find, grow, achieve in the second half. I’m trying my best to be present, to appreciate the gifts I’m receiving now in this moment in time. One way I try to do that is by cooking seasonally and taking advantage of peak summer vegetables and fruits that are growing around me. I hope this recipe helps you do just that, to take in and celebrate what the Earth is giving us today. Even though the heat says otherwise, the days are already beginning to shorten and before we know it, autumn will be upon us. In the meantime, I hope this dish helps you feel cool, refreshed, and present.
rainbow black bean and peach salad
ingredients
salad
2 14 oz. cans black beans rinsed and rained
3 bell peppers diced (I like to use one orange, one yellow, and one red for the color but use whatever you have on hand)
1 ripe peach diced
corn from one cob (or, if frozen, about 1/2 cup thawed)
1/2 red onion diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
1/2 to 1 fresno pepper thinly sliced (jalapeño works great here too)
1/2 cup cilantro loosely chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
dressing
juice from 2 limes
1 clove of garlic grated
1 heaping tsp honey (feel free to substitute maple syrup)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)
instructions
In one large bowl, combine the black beans, bell peppers, peach, corn, red onion, cherry tomatoes, fresno pepper, cilantro, and salt.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar (I prefer to make dressings in mason jars or old jam jars), combine the juice, garlic, honey, and salt. Stir or, if you’re using a jar, put on the lid and shake.
Slowly pour in the olive oil as you stir to help it emulsify or just pour in the olive oil and shake the jar again until everything is combined. Taste. If needed, add more salt or honey.
Pour the dressing over the other ingredients in the large bowl (I usually use all of it, so if you want leftovers just double the recipe). Stir until everything is combined and evenly distributed. Taste. If needed, add more salt or another squeeze of lime.
Serve this any way you like! I call this a salad but you can eat it as is with a spoon, add arugula or greens for more of a “typical” salad, eat with tortilla chips as dip, or use it as taco filling.
Enjoy! :)
