I was short on time this week, big time! With working 9-5 everyday, commuting to work 2 hours round trip, fitting in some training for the 15 K Boilermaker run in July and my first ever Triathlon in August and prepping to be a bridesmaid in a dear friend's wedding this coming Saturday up in Maine, cooking was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to keep things quick, healthy and easy. With last week's heat wave still on my mind, I chose something that was simple and you don't have to fire up your oven for. I have made this recipe many times in the past and it always comes out great. With prep, chop and mix time, this salad took about 30 minutes to prepare. (I subtracted the time that it took to take pictures.) Mike and I ate ours with a side of cedar plank grilled salmon for dinner. I also recommend splitting the salad into 4 Tupperware portions and taking them to work for lunch. Each hefty portion packs out only 9 grams of fat and a ton of fiber to keep you full till your next meal. This salad is also great to take to your next BBQ get together.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup smoked tomato vinaigrette (such as Drew's)
- 1 can (15 oz) no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 large ears) you can also use a frozen bag of corn or canned corn
- 2 oz smoked mozzarella, diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped avocado
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Step By Step
1) Rinse black beans thoroughly in colander.
2) In a large bowl, combine vinaigrette, beans, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
3) Slice corn away from corn stalks, removing whole kernels. Add corn to non-stick skillet and pan roast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Took me approx 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and let corn cool.
4) Cube avocado and mozzarella. Dice cilantro and onion and cut tomatoes into quarters. Add to black bean mixture. Add corn into black bean mixture and toss together.
5) Chill until ready to serve.
I was able to prep salad when I got home from work. I chilled the salad and went for a 3 mile run and came back and we were able to sit down to dinner without having to worry about cooking. It was pretty great 🙂
Recipe adapted from : http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/black-bean-salad
Calorie Break Down:
(Calories per serving)
Eat Fit Not Fat- Black Bean and Smoked Mozzarella Summer Salad: 324 calories and 9 grams of fat, 11 grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein.
Panera's Chopped Chicken Cobb with Avocado Salad: 580 calories, 42 grams of fat
Chili's Santa Fe Chicken Salad: 680 calories, 46 grams of fat
Chipotle make your own salad : 740 calories, 49 grams of fat (romaine lettuce, black beans, fajita veggies, corn salsa, guacamole, cheese and vinaigrette)
I had no idea Chipotle’s salads were so caloric! Geez!
Looks delicious, Suz! I’m sure Jon will want to make this very soon. He’s obsessed with black beans.
Yeah, I thought those were supposed to be healthy… i guess thats why they are so delicious.
Anyways, I am jealous of your fish protein meals . . . I am scared to cook fish!
I’m making this tonight. Don’t try to stop me.
I spread 1/2 avocado onto pumpernickel rye swirl bread, heated the black beans (drained) and cut up smoked mozzarella and put it on top of the avocado and, oh my God, how delicious and easy for lunch.