downtown fresno blog

Posted by Kim Schoelen

Ferrer Farms has a fun and ever changing variety of fruits and veggies.  I picked up four ears of corn and two Asian pears this week.  Originally I think I was going to do something creative with both items, but the Asian pears quickly became snacks.    Oops.

So, my aunt Jackie totally struck gold with a recipe she tried out last fall during Thanksgiving.  We have a lot of different dietary restrictions in our family- one who needs gluten free options, 3 vegans, 1 vegetarian and then about 8 omnivores.  Foods that work for everyone are awesome but hard to come by.  When she unveiled her bean salad we all oohed and aaaahed.  And ate.  Voraciously.  I decided to beg her for the recipe.

This recipe is vegan, gluten free and ridiculously easy.  You’ll be the party hero when you bring this cold dish to share.  Everyone loves it and for those staunch “MEAT MEAT MEAT” people, it doesn’t even register that there’s no meat or dairy involved.  Pretty cool.  Plus all those beans are an amazing protein source.

Here’s how you do it

• 3 cans pinto beans
• 1 can black beans
• Kernels from 4 ears of corn
• 1 package of fresh salsa
• 1 red onion
• cilantro
• lemon juice
• vinegar

Drain your beans (and rinse them to get rid of all of that extra salt!) and put them in a big bowl.  Add your corn and onions.  Then add the salsa, cilantro, vinegar and lemon to taste.  Chill.  no seriously, you’re gonna chill because you just made a great side dish in like, 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts      10 Servings  Amount Per Serving   Calories 251.6   Total Fat 1.5 g   Saturated Fat 0.3 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g   Monounsaturated Fat 0.3 g   Cholesterol 0.0 mg   Sodium 422.1 mg   Potassium 864.6 mg   Total Carbohydrate 49.2 g   Dietary Fiber 14.2 g   Sugars 2.0 g   Protein 14.0 g   Vitamin A 7.2 %   Vitamin B-12 0.0 %   Vitamin B-6 13.8 %   Vitamin C 23.9 %   Vitamin D 0.0 %   Vitamin E 1.5 %   Calcium 7.4 %   Copper 25.0 %   Folate 65.8 %   Iron 22.8 %   Magnesium 27.1 %   Manganese 43.7 %   Niacin 9.5 %   Pantothenic Acid     8.8 %   Phosphorus     27.7 %   Riboflavin 9.6 %   Selenium 11.8 %   Thiamin 27.4 %   Zinc 12.5 %