It’s music to my ears when one of my kids mentions that they would like to make a salad for dinner.. and I’m thankful my oldest has taken an interest in preparing food.
I think back to when I was her age and my mom didn’t allow me to help in the kitchen – as much as I wanted to cook, I couldn’t… and I feel that it stifled my creativity. My oldest loves helping in the kitchen… she loves to peruse cookbooks, and Pinterest, in hopes that she can create a fabulous dish that we will all love.
One of the easiest ways to help them learn is to teach them to make recipes based on what they have, not on what they don’t have. Because we pick up our week’s worth of veggies from our local CSA, we always have a variety of stuff on hand.
It’s definitely hard for kids to do that though – but this cookbook is a fabulous way to help them learn. I received this book as a gift and it’s FULL of amazing recipes sorted by season and also by type of fruit/vegetable. It has been one of the greatest gifts I have ever received from my Dad and I use it almost every single day.
It has over 350 recipes – many vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, along with practical extensive information on nutrition, storage, cleaning, serving ideas and cooking techniques.
This salad is SO incredibly easy to make.. and can be thrown together with produce straight from the garden. It takes just a few minutes, requires no refrigeration and would be super for an upcoming barbecue.
A delicious combination of black beans, vegetables, and Mexican spices that is incredibly easy to make and perfect for a barbecue or potluck.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1-2 tsp cumin powder
- 1-2 tsp chili powder
- pinch salt
- 1 can (16 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained or 1 1/2 C. cooked black beans
- 2 chopped fresh tomatoes or a pint of halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 6-7 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix the dressing ingredients.
- Then, add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Eat as a salad or enjoy with tostadas or tortilla chips.
Notes
This Mexican Black Bean and Tomato Salad tastes best when refrigerated for at least an hour before serving.

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