GRILLED CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALAD WITH CILANTRO VINAIGRETTE

Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette image

I love veggie salads. They're great on their own or mixed into leafy green salads. This grilled corn salad pops with flavor and is rounded out by heartiness from black beans and creaminess from queso fresco cheese.

Provided by Danielle Alex

Time 35m

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 20

Ingredients

4 whole ears sweet corn, husk removed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil for brushing the grill
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 4 pieces, stem and seeds discarded
1 jalapeño
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium red onion, chopped (set 2 tablespoons aside for the vinaigrette)
5 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Zest of 1 large lime
Juice of 2 large limes
1 small roma tomato, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle en adobo
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil or sunflower oil
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta

Steps:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. On the other side of the stove place a grill pan over medium-high heat.
Add the corn to the boiling water and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the water and allow drain on a plate covered with paper towels.
Once the grill is hot, brush the grill pan with oil and place the bell pepper and jalapeño on the pan. Grill the bell peppers until grill marks form, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Grill the jalapeño until marked on all sides, about 3 minutes.
Brush the grill pan again with oil and place the dry ears of corn on the pan. Cook, turning the corn occasionally, until the kernels start to blacken on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to cool.
When cool enough to handle, slice the kernels from the cobs and place in a large bowl. Chop the bell pepper and add it to the bowl. Remove the stem end and seeds from the grilled jalapeño, then finely chop it and add to the corn mixture. Add the black beans, onion and cilantro.
For the vinaigrette: Combine the lime zest, lime juice, tomato, red onion, garlic, adobo sauce, cumin, coriander, salt and chili powder in a blender. Blend on high speed until almost smooth. Lower the speed to medium-low; with the motor running slowly drizzle in the oil. Turn off the blender, scrape the sides if needed and add the cilantro. Pulse a few times until the cilantro looks like small specks of green.
Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables in the bowl and toss. Taste and adjust any seasoning, adding more salt as needed. Sprinkle the salad with queso fresco just before serving.