Picnic Perfect Black Bean and Corn Salad

John and I were invited to a 4th of July picnic with some new friends in Lexington and each guest was to bring a side dish. This pot-luck-ish scenario always throws me for a loop because I'm constantly worried about making something too generic -others might bring the same- or too far out there -might not accommodate every one's taste. (Nobody wants to claim the dish at the end of the night that has hardly been touched...) After much debate I settled on a Black Bean and Corn Salad. My Mom makes a dip or salsa that is very similar so I fused her recipe (a fusion of two other recipes) with a Grilled Corn, Jicama and Black Bean Salad recipe that I found on Epicurious.com. I loved the idea of grilling the corn for more flavor and adding jicama for crunch- however based on a review of the recipe on Epicurious, I decided to roast the corn in the oven. I cut the corn kernels off of the cob *click here for instruction and placed them in a pile in the center of a large baking sheet sprayed lightly with Pam. I then drizzled the pile with a bit of olive oil, sprinkled with a small pinch of salt and pepper and then tossed to coat before spreading it evenly over the pan. I roasted the corn for 8-10 minutes at 425 degrees until just golden brown. If you're not familiar with jicama, it is a root vegetable described by wikapedia as a "Mexican turnip." It is very crisp and light with a very mild flavor and a texture similar to a raw apple. Frankly, it takes on the flavor of whatever the preparation but adds great crunch to a salad or slaw such as this one.

Ingredients: 3 large ears of corn, roasted per above 2- 15 oz cans of Black Beans (drained and rinsed well) 1- red or orange bell pepper- cut to a small dice (similar to the size of a bean or corn kernel) 1 jalapeno pepper- seeds removed and diced VERY finely 1 cup jicama- peeled and diced 4 or 5 green onions- white and green parts, thinly sliced 1/3 cup cilantro- chopped

I combined all of the veggies in a large bowl and then mixed up the dressing on the side: 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

I mixed the dressing thoroughly with a fork, poured over the salad mixture, and gently folded everything together. The salad actually gets better as it sits in the fridge- I recommend at least 2 hrs- and it keeps for up to 3 or 4 days in the fridge.

It was the perfect cool crunchy compliment to fried chicken on a hot July 4th day. It would be great with a tex-mex menu or you could serve it for lunch with the addition of some grilled chicken or shrimp.

We enjoyed left overs the following day alongside some fantastic burgers. (Extending our 4th celebration to the 5th.) We used 2/3lb lean ground beef and 1/3lb ground sirloin (makes four hefty burgers), seasoned simply with a Napa Style Steak/Burger spice rub. John grilled the burgers, grilled some asparagus and lightly toasted fresh rolls from our grocer's bakery while I caramelized some vidalia onions and sliced some Gruyere cheese for toppings. Happy Birthday America...