Colorful Black Bean Salad

Several years ago I watched Rachel Ray put together a black bean salad on her new food show. I tried it and it was a hit in my house. Everyone loved it. My daughter was young enough to count the colors in this salad. Unfortunately, I made it too often and about a year later we grew very tired of the salad. No one liked it anymore and I took it out of my regular rotation. About 4-5 years later I made it again and we all liked it once again.

I do not make this salad frequently but when I do we all love it. I don't always use the same ingredients. I mix them up a little. I usually add some greens but I ran out so I skipped them. The dressing is really simple. Salt, freshly ground black pepper and lime juice.

You will need
3/4 cup dry black beans or 1 can
a handful of frozen corn
30 cherry tomatoes
1 avocado
1 zucchini
1 bunch of greens either torn or cut into bite sized pieces (I skipped these today)
salt and black pepper to taste
juice of half a lime

Soak the black beans overnight. The next day cook them in a pressure cooker until cooked through but not mushy. Alternately, you can cook them in a pan with 2 cups of water on medium heat. It will take about 30 minutes to cook. Drain and add to a large mixing bowl.

Cut the ends of the zucchini. Slice in rounds, sprinkle a little salt and keep aside for a few minutes. Wash the corn and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds with a half cup of water. Drain and add to the bowl of black beans. Wash the cherry tomatoes, slice them and add them to the bowl. Now drain the zucchini, slice finely and add it to the bowl. Finally cut the avocado in half around the seed. Discard the peel and seed. Dice finely and it to the bowl. Add salt and fresh ground black pepper as needed. Squeeze the juice of half a lime over the bowl. Mix it up and serve.

Enjoy!