Black Bean and Corn Salad with Avocado Toast

Happy Monday!!

I always find that as soon as softball season starts, I more or less disappear from the Internet for days at a time. I also struggle with being able to make it to the gym during softball season. This year is no exception. It's tough to work full time, commute, play on a few softball teams, have a social life (always busier in summer), and have down time! I'm not complaining though - this is the best time of year.

Because it's been a while since I've had a free evening to write a blog post, I was (secretly) relieved that tonight's game was rained out. Aside from wanting to write a post, I have a ton of blogs I need to catch up on. Sometimes we all just need a night in.

One of the things I love to do when I have some free time is to have fun in the kitchen. Typically, this is something I do on Sundays, which is why I always say that my lunches peak at Monday and just go downhill from there.

The other day on Instagram, I saw a friend posted a black bean and corn salad. It looked SO good that I knew I had to whip up a batch. While the salad would have been good on its own, I needed a few other components to make it a complete lunch in my eyes.

A lunch chock full of protein is great, but I always need a carb to really get me through the afternoon. After a bit of thought, I decided that I'd whip up some avocado toast. This is another idea that I've seen on Instagram and other blogs, but hadn't really tried for myself. It turns out that it's easy to make and extremely delicious. All and all, this entire spread was easy, delicious and healthy.

Black Bean and Corn Salad:

- 1 regular size can black beans (drained and rinsed)

- 1 can of corn or a couple of ears of corn

- Finely diced bell pepper (I used red for colour, but any type would work)

- About 1/8 of a red onion, finely diced

- Freshly chopped parsley or cilantro 

- Juice of a lime

- Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

- Salt and Pepper

- Sliced grilled chicken breast (Optional)

Pour the drained and washed beans into a bowl with the corn. Add in the freshly chopped ingredients. Top with parsley for colour and a bit of flavour. Squeeze some fresh lime juice onto everything, as well as a drizzle of EVOO. Season with salt and pepper and mix until combined.

Store the salad in the fridge until ready to serve.

For added protein, top with sliced chicken breast.

Avocado Toast:

- Sandwich bun or baguette

- 1/2 an avocado

- Lime juice

- Salt and Pepper

Put some slices of bread or a halved sandwich bun or baguette into the toaster.

While the bread is toasting, put half an avocado into a bowl. Squeeze some fresh lime juice on top, and add salt and pepper to taste. Mush the avocado in the bowl until it's smooth. 

When the toast is ready, spread the avocado mixture on top of the toast and eat with the salad.

If you like these flavours, I hope you give this a try!