Black Bean Salsa...Non-Mexican's allowed.

You've just recieved an inviation to a party. You call to RSVP, and while doing so, know that it's only polite to ask if you can bring anything. You ask, even though you dont actually want to bring a single thing since your nine to five plus your 4 kid's soccer practices are taking over your life as it is. However, now you're obligated. Don't worry-I've got you covered.

A homemade black bean salsa is sure to make people think its taken you hours, when really, it'll only take you about 20 minutes. If you're making the trek up to Burlington, VT, the USA's most organic city, you can even make it organic...Told you I had your back.

First, get your sliced black olives. If you want them to blend in more, feel free to run a rough chop over them. Prepare about a quarter of a cup of them.

Then dice up some red onions, about a cup.

Chop up 2 large, or 3 medium sized tomatoes. There are more tomatoes in this dish because texturally, it is much more different than all of the other ingredients, it serves as a greatly welcomed change.

Next, add a can of corn. I know, I know, I'm supposed to be using all fresh, gourmet ingredients. However, I like canned because sincce the size of the kernels on an actual ear of corn differ so greatly, using canned corn ensures that you are not going to get any of the hard bottoms from the actual ear of corn. 

Finally, Chop up some green onions. Make sure you get green. Since we're already using a red ingredient (the tomato), as well a yellow one (the corn), green is a color option we havent yet used. You want to vary the colors in dishes because with different colors comes different pigents, which encompass different vitamins. 

Roughly chop some parsley up. Make sure its fresh. There's nothing worse than having an hors d'oeuvres consisting of almost all fresh food, and then killing it all with non flavorful dried herbs. A good rule to follow is to only use dried herbs in a meal consisting of a liquid, such as a soup. This is the case because then the liquid will rejuvenate the herbs and make them work relatively close to how fresh ones would. 

Add one can of black beans, juices included. It will be kind of thick but as you mix all of the ingredients together, the juices from the other vegetables with thin it out. This means that after all the juices mix together, there will be more flavor by the end.

You're going to need about 1 and a half, to 2 tablespoons of ground cumin. Cumin is a spice commonly used in mexican cooking. It's the spice that counteracts the acidity of the often used tomato. Thats why alot of times people with acid reflux can hold down mexican food, as opposed to Italian food, better. It also deepens the flavor of the food.

Mix all of the ingredients together, and try to serve immediately so that the red onion doesn't release too many of its juices into the dish, and overpower the other flavors. If you are running really short on time, and can't prepare this dish right before it needs to be served, toss the onion in the freezer for about 30-40 minutes. This freezes the enzymes in the onion, by breaking down the cell wall that relases the sulfates. These sulfates are responsible for making you cry. Even though now, your recipes are THAT good. 

SERVE WITH: 

-Tortilla chips. For a more intriguing look, try mixing together different colored chips, such as the blue corn tortilla chips, and the sun dried tomato tortilla chips, with the original white corn ones. This adds for a more appealing look, which in turn gets more people to try it. 

until next time,
K

NON-COOKS LIFELINE:

Rejuvenated herbs- This occurs when a dried herb has been added to a hot liquid. The liquid will then infuse itself into the dried herb, and bring it somewhat close to its original, fresh state.