Description
When we were testing recipes for this book, this came out as one of our surprise favorites. It’s the perfect example of how the best salads can be simple, simple, simple. Whipped up from some arguably unsexy leftovers kicking about the kitchen, each ingredient gets the little touch of love it needs so when they are layered together, you get something seriously sexy. The kidney bean flavor is enhanced with a juicy lime squeeze, providing an epic base to this build. As it stands, this makes for a zingy lunch—or you can shovel it into warm tortillas for a more filling dinner (because the sexiest salads should, as a rule, be eaten in the least sexy way.
Ingredients
- Two 7-oz / 198g cans of corn (in water), drained
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 24 oz / 700g jar red kidney beans or two 14-oz / 400g cans, drained and rinsed
- 1 lime (zest of whole, juice of half)
- 1 ripe avocado
- Large handful of fresh cilantro
- 7 oz / 200g feta (optional)
- 1 tsp Tajin seasoning (or a pinch of sea salt, some chile flakes, and some extra lime zest)
- Sea salt
- 5 tbsp Coconut Ranch Dressing (page 58)
- 1 tbsp Pickled Chiles (page 28)
- 1 tbsp Crispy Onions (page 24 for homemade or store-bought works fine)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C/200°Cfan.
- Place your drained corn into a medium sheet pan. Add the olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, and stir to coat the corn with seasoning. Roast the corn for 15 minutes, then stir and return to the oven for another 15 minutes until well colored.
- Pour the red kidney beans onto your serving dish, then grate on the lime zest. Squeeze half of the lime’s juice over the beans and season with a pinch of sea salt. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of Coconut Ranch Dressing over the beans.
- Cut your avocado into large chunks and arrange over the dish.
- Pick the cilantro leaves off the stems and scatter over the dish, reserving some for garnish. Scatter over the roasted corn, then layer on your Pickled Chiles. Crumble the feta across the salad, if using, and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of the Coconut Ranch Dressing. Top with the Crispy Onions, some final cilantro leaves, and the Tajin seasoning.