Pasta and Corn Salad

We had this salad in class on Monday. It tastes lighter than you might expect. It’s a combination of pasta, corn and plenty of other veggies. The dressing is simple, but packed with flavor. Oil, lime juice, mustard, chili powder, cumin…. so good. You could easily add a protein like chicken, ham or shrimp to make it a main dish. Or add a plant based protein like black beans or cooked lentils and keep it vegetarian. So here is the recipe. I hope you like it.
Pasta and Corn Salad
1 1/4 lbs. pasta
1 1/2 T. oil
4 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 c. corn, fresh or frozen, thawed
3 large carrots, cut in matchstick pieces
1 sweet pepper, seeded and sliced thin
1/2 large sweet or red onion, chopped
Dressing
1/3 c. olive oil
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. Lime juice
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1 1/2 t. cumin
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, optional, or parsley.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with the 1 1/2 T. oil. Add vegetables and mix well. Combine dressing ingredients and blend well. Toss with pasta mixture and serve or chill until later. Serves 8.
Corn and Black Bean Salad

This salad was inspired by ingredients I had on hand. I had picked up some beautiful sweet corn the other day. I also had some sweet peppers and home canned black beans. I knew the trio would work well together.
I used fresh corn in this dish. You could use frozen corn, if that was all you had. Fresh corn season is too short around here. I always buy extra corn for freezing. I just blanch the shucked corn for a few minutes in boiling water, then drop into ice water. Once the corn is cool enough to handle, I cut the corn off the ears. Then I package up the corn and freeze it.
You could also grill corn and cut it off the cob to freeze.
I like to boil the cobs after the corn is cut off, for a corn stock, which I also freeze. The cobs have a lot of flavor.
If using the frozen corn in a salad, you’ll want to drain it after thawing.
So here is the recipe. Pretty simple. You could add some sweet onion, if you like, too.
Corn and Black Bean Salad
4 c. cooked corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
¼ c. olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. Balsamic vinegar
2 t. Italian seasoning- I used my Tuscan blend
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste, optional
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Stir to combine well. Chill before serving. Serves 6-8.
Corn and Black Bean Salad

This salad was inspired by ingredients I had on hand. I had picked up some beautiful sweet corn the other day. I also had some sweet peppers and home canned black beans. I knew the trio would work well together.
I used fresh corn in this dish. You could use frozen corn, if that was all you had. Fresh corn season is too short around here. I always buy extra corn for freezing. I just blanch the shucked corn for a few minutes in boiling water, then drop into ice water. Once the corn is cool enough to handle, I cut the corn off the ears. Then I package up the corn and freeze it.
You could also grill corn and cut it off the cob to freeze.
I like to boil the cobs after the corn is cut off, for a corn stock, which I also freeze. The cobs have a lot of flavor.
If using the frozen corn in a salad, you’ll want to drain it after thawing.
So here is the recipe. Pretty simple. You could add some sweet onion, if you like, too.
Corn and Black Bean Salad
4 c. cooked corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
¼ c. olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. Balsamic vinegar
2 t. Italian seasoning- I used my Tuscan blend
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste, optional
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Stir to combine well. Chill before serving. Serves 6-8.
Corn and Black Bean Salad

This salad was inspired by ingredients I had on hand. I had picked up some beautiful local sweet corn the other day. I also had some sweet peppers and home canned black beans. I knew the trio would work well together.
I used fresh corn in this dish. You could use frozen corn, if that was all you had. Fresh corn season is too short around here. I always buy extra corn for freezing. I just blanch the shucked corn for a few minutes in boiling water, then drop into ice water. Once the corn is cool enough to handle, I cut the corn off the ears. Then I package up the corn and freeze it.
You could also grill corn and cut it off the cob to freeze.
I like to boil the cobs after the corn is cut off, for a corn stock, which I also freeze. The cobs have a lot of flavor.
If using the frozen corn in a salad, you’ll want to drain it after thawing.
So here is the recipe. Pretty simple. You could add some sweet onion, if you like, too.
Corn and Black Bean Salad
4 c. cooked corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
¼ c. olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. Balsamic vinegar
2 t. Italian seasoning- I used my Tuscan blend
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste, optional
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Stir to combine well. Chill before serving. Serves 6-8.




