By Margaux Laskey

I made this the other night for a family barbecue. It was a wonderful accompaniment to our hamburgers and hot dogs. The canned beans may be a little soft for some, but if you want a firmer bean in the dish, try chick peas. Author suggests eating this with a pile of tortilla chips. 🙂

INGREDIENTS

Yield:8 cups

• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 3 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded if desired, and diced
• ½ red onion, finely diced (about ¾ cup)
• 1(15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
• 1(15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed
• 1½ cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 to 4 cobs) or thawed, drained frozen sweet corn (about 8 ounces)
• 1 red, green or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
• ½ cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish, if desired
• 1 scallion, white and green parts, chopped, for garnish (optional)
• Tortilla chips, for serving

PREPARATION

1. Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper to combine.
2. Add the tomatoes, red onion, black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, bell pepper, jalapeño and cilantro. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
3. To serve, toss well and season to taste. Sprinkle with scallions and serve with tortilla chips.