Up to the Challenge Black Bean Salsa

Frankly, I don’t know how Mom did it. She kept track of all her children’s likes and dislikes, right down to the details of whether we ate our carrots cooked or raw, wanted our toast cut in triangles or sliced into strips, or preferred our sandwiches with or without butter. She even knew what colour of beans drew smiles and which incited tantrums. Despite a litany of requests that could keep a lesser deity occupied, she managed to put a meal on the table with something for everyone. And a tasty meal, at that.

I bow to her genius. My only goal for tonight’s meeting munchy was to bring a garlic-free, vegan option. After scouring through a dozen cookbooks, I realized most appetizers – even vegetarian versions – call for some form of dairy. Garlic is practically a given. Unable to face garlicless hummus or mock-cheese tofu spreads, I tweaked my Six Degrees of Separation Black Bean Salad and came up with a slightly spicy, scoopable salsa.

Now, is everybody happy?

Up to the Challenge Black Bean Salsa
Printable recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tin or 2 cups cooked black beans, drained
• 2 tomatoes, chopped and seeded (you can use tinned tomatoes if fresh are out of season)
• 2 green onions, slivered (optional)
• 1/4 sweet red pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 sweet green pepper, finely chopped
• 1 – 2 tbsp pickled jalapeno or banana peppers (amount is up to your heat tolerance)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Toss all ingredients together to coat evenly.
2. Let stand, stirring occasionally, for an hour or so before serving.
3. Serve with tortilla “scoop” chips and sour cream on the side for the non-vegans.

Variations

• Add 1 tbsp ground cumin

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Tagged as: bean salad, black beans, healthy, high-fibre, salad