I was originally thinking of doing something like a southwest avocado salad, with some diced avocado, tomato, beans and cilantro, with a dressing of olive oil, cumin, lime juice, and maybe a little vinegar. It seemed a bit simple and predictable to me however.
Oh, but southwest avocado/bean salad is SOOO good!
Not really in the 'cooking' category, but here's a salad I have made at least a dozen times over the past couple of years, and it's
always a hit. I've tweaked it a bit and saved my changes.
Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salad
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
(that's way too much...1/4 c is plenty)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
(I leave this out and sub 1/2 tsp cumin instead)
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced (or two!)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
6 green onions, thinly sliced
(I use chopped red onion)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
(that might be too much for some, I love cilantro)
Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cumin in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.
Better if it sits for a bit before serving. Mix everything but avocados, add them last and gently stir in so they don't get all broken up. They'll stay nice and green with the lime juice dressing. So yummy.
And welcome to DC, capnkid! Good luck on your competition, and stick around!
Black Bean and Corn Salad II Recipe - Allrecipes.com