Roasted Southwest Salad

Roasted Southwest Salad

Ingredients

1 yellow onion

2 red bell peppers

2 c frozen corn

1 15-ounce can salt-free black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Chop onion and peppers into approximately 1/2-inch pieces. Pile half the onions and peppers onto one rimmed baking sheet, the other half on another sheet. Pour 1 c corn onto each baking sheet. Drizzle each sheet with some of the olive oil (reserving about half the oil) and toss well.

Roast vegetables for about 30 minutes, tossing 3-4 times. Leave in longer if you want the vegetables to get more charred.

Remove from oven and let cool a bit. Using a rubber spatula, scrape vegetables and any charred bits and juice into a large mixing bowl. Add black beans, remaining olive oil and spices. Stir well.

Notes

Serve with fish tacos, taco salad, or on top of grilled shrimp or salmon. Keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days.

For an extra dose of protein, add cooked quinoa to this salad. 

Orange Pomegranate Salsa

My mother-in-law is wonderful. She made this salsa, which is also wonderful. Flavorful, healthy and beautiful. 

Mandarin Pomegranate Salsa

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

Juice from 1 lime

2 T honey

½ tsp salt

Seeds from 2 pomegranates

4 green onions, chopped small

½ c cilantro, minced

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)

6 clementines, peeled, broken into segments and chopped roughly

2 avocados, diced

Directions

Mix lime juice, honey and salt in a large bowl. Add pomegranate seeds, green onions, cilantro, jalapeño and oranges. Stir well. Gently fold in diced avocado. Serve with tortilla chips, over a bed of spinach as a salad, or as a topping for grilled shrimp, salmon or chicken.

Notes

You can make this a day before serving. Wait to add the avocado until just before serving.

Check for pomegranate arils in your grocery store’s freezer!

If pomegranates aren’t in season, you can make this salsa with two crisp red apples instead, like fuji or pink lady. Dice the apples small and leave the skins on so the salsa still has a pop of red.