Looking for a fresh side dish for weekly taco night? This Colorful Black Bean Salad, with cilantro lime vinaigrette, is light and refreshing and packed with all your favorite Tex-Mex flavors!
I love getting into the kitchen to test out new recipes, but just like you all, dinner time can be kind of hectic. Trying to squeeze in last minute errands or phone calls before businesses close for the day, dealing with rush hour traffic, getting to the gym for a quick work out, and getting dinner on the table at a reasonable hour.
And truth is, sometimes we aren’t even sitting down to dinner until 8:30 at night due to our schedules.
On days like this, quick and easy go to recipes are key to not making a desperate stop to get fast food or resorting to just cereal or sandwiches for dinner.
But then I feel like I get stuck in a dinner rut and make the same dishes- taco salad, spaghetti, lemon pepper chicken with roasted broccoli and rice, and so on and so on- because these are so insanely easy that I can make with my eyes closed.
In an effort to change up dinner, at least a little, I’ll often experiment with side dishes. Yeah it will still be broccoli, but maybe I make a quick cheese sauce to go over it or transform the broccoli into a salad. Or instead of plain rice make Mexican Rice, or Cilantro Lime Rice or Lemon Rosemary Rice.
So yeah, our main dish might be plain, boring and typical but that side dish, well it’s winning! 😉
This Colorful Black Bean Salad is one of those side dish recipes (that could totally be a vegetarian or vegan main dish served with rice or quinoa, if desired) that is a great way to change up your go to dinner recipes.
Since we eat Tex-Mex multiple times a week, this salad not only added a pop of color to our go to our plate but also added some freshness and kept our dinners on the “lighter” side, since our typical Tex-Mex meals are normally covered in cheese and sauce. I’ve made this several times, and yes, the recipe makes a lot, which is great for dinner parties, but can easily be halved (which is normally what I do). Serve this Colorful Black Bean Salad with enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas and some rice or quinoa for a complete meal!
What are your cures for dinner time ruts? Please share in the comments below!
- Colorful Black Bean Salad:
- 1 medium jicama peeled and diced
- 1 small red onion diced
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- 1 large green bell pepper diced
- 3 cups corn kernels fresh or frozen
- 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 jalapeño seeded and minced
- -
- Cilantro Lime Dressing:
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper
- In a large bowl toss together jicama, onion, bell peppers, corn, black beans and jalapeno. Set aside.
- To make dressing, in a small bowl whisk together lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, cumin, salt and black pepper. Pour desired amount of dressing over salad and toss to combine.
- Serve immediately or store in an air tight container for 3-4 days.
Recipe adapted from Cooking Channel
If you like this Colorful Black Bean Salad, you might also enjoy these other recipes:
Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Vinaigrette
