Caribbean Salad

When I left for college my aunt Teresa gave me an array of her favorite recipes along with a huge box of "kitchen staples" like her favorite marinade, pesto and organic chicken broth.  It was a fabulous gift for a cook.  This is one of the recipes she gave me. It's from a small cafe on Harbour Island, Bahamas called "Three Sisters Cafe".  It's a salad with black beans, corn and hearts of palm.  It's great as a side dish or a light lunch.  The calories per serving are so low, they aren't even worth counting!

Ingredients:

-1 can rinsed black beans

-1 can shoe-peg corn (white kernels)

-1 can hearts of palm

-2 cans of rotel with lime and cilantro

-1 cup fresh cilantro

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1 tsp cumin

-2 limes

Gadgets Needed:

-Food processor or blender to make dressing

What are hearts of palms? No, they're not part of an artichoke despite their similar taste.  They're actually the HEART, or core of a palm tree branch! Crazy, huh?  Find out more here.  

First, rinse your black beans.  This decreases the sodium, calories and you don't need the juice...it will only make the salad mushy. Drain your corn and tomatoes.  Put it all in a large mixing bowl

Cut your hearts of palm into discs and add to the bowl. 

To make the dressing you will need a food processor or blender. Rinse your cilantro and cut off the leaves.  Add olive oil, cilantro and cumin to the processor.  Blend until mixed well and cilantro is finely chopped. 

Add the green, pesto-like mixture to your bowl.  Mix well. 

Now squeeze the juices of both limes over the mixture.  Stir well and enjoy!! This will save in the fridge all week and only gets better as the corn and hearts of palm soak in the flavors of the dressing. 

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