Avocado, Black Bean, & Corn Salsa

I have no words for this salsa.  Besides FREAKING AMAZING.  Our friend Cori brought it over for our Super Bowl party this year and I couldn't stop eating it and thinking about it the next day. It's so light, so refreshing, so flavorful.  I can't describe it.  Just make it.



Start by adding all of the salsa ingredients in a big bowl.  Make sure you rinse your black beans in a strainer before adding them.

Next, make your dressing.  Olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder.  Shake until all of the sugar dissolves.  Pour it all over the salsa and toss lightly. Serve immediately, or let it chill in the fridge for an our or so.

Serve with some scoop tortilla chips so you can shovel the good stuff into your mouth as effectively as possible. 

I made this twice for two parties in the past two weeks and both times this salsa vanished. Mainly because I was shoving it into my mouth...but others helped too.  In fact, I witnessed a party goer (later on in the evening) grab a handful of the salsa and shake it into his mouth like popcorn.  As a cook, those are the moments I live for.

Avocado, Black Bean, & Corn Salsa Recipe
2 Cans of Black Beans, 15 oz each
2 Cans of Sweet Corn, 11 oz each
2 Jalapenos, finely diced (optional)
2 Avocados, diced
2 Bunches of Green Onions, chopped
4 oz of Feta, crumbled
1/2 Cup of Olive Oil
1/4 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
1/8 Cup of Sugar
1/4 Tsp of Garlic Powder

Drain and rinse both the corn and black beans well.  Shake off any excess water.  Add the jalapenos (I leave the seeds in), avocados, green onions, and feta.  In an air tight container, add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder and shake until sugar completely dissolves.  Add dressing to salsa and toss.  Serve with tortilla chip scoops and watch it fly out of the bowl.

Stay hungry!

Chipotle Pineapple Salsa and Marinade

After making this, I will never buy salsa again.  This was heavenly.  Sweet, spicey, fresh and homemade. AND easy.  When I was in Mexico with my husband, (the trip we actually got engaged on) we had al pastor tacos every day.  They cooked pork over a spit and served it with flour tortillas with pineapple salsa on the side.  Pork and pineapple go so well together.  It's just another "sweet and savory" dish that makes my eyes bug out.

This was an impromptu marinade for the pork we made in the rotisserie for tacos, so I only shot a few photos and didn't really pay attention to how much of what I added.

From memory:  2 Cups of chopped fresh pineapple, 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (you can find this in the specialty mexican food section of your grocery store), 5 garlic gloves, and a splash (1 - 2 Tbs of white vinegar).

Throw everything into a food processor and blend.

In addition to marinating the pork, we served this on the side in a trio of sauces for the tacos.  A hint of summer in November and a total accidental discovery.  I love recipes like this!  Enjoy and stay hungry!