Recipe - Black Bean Salad With Peppers Corn Grilled Chicken

3 cup Black beans, or turtle
beans; cooked
14 ounce Stewed tomatoes, Mexican
Style; drained and strained
1 10 ounces wh kernel corn,
frozen; or 8 ounces canned
One half cup Red onion; minced
One half cup Chopped red bell pepper; or
less
3 tablespoon Fresh cilantro; chopped
1 teaspoon Garlic; crushed
1 teaspoon Ground cumin
Salt
2 tablespoon Salad oil
1 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
1 Chicken breast, grilled,
cut into strips
Optionals;
2 tablespoon Mild mixed green pepper;
canned
One fourth teaspoon Ground cinnamon
Freshly ground black pepper
Oregano

Pantry notes Select small oval black beans. Drain canned beans in a
sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Try canned stewed tomatoes
with Jalapeno peppers, chili powder, cumin, and pepper (Del Monte has one;
S&W). Drain, reserve the liquid; chop the tomatoes (thumbnail size).
Avoid seeds and watery pulp. Select a light salad oil: olive, safflower,
corn, canola, blend, etc.

~ Combine ingredients before 'optionals.' Taste and add salt and pepper, a
few more chilis, cinnamon, and/or oregano. If too dry, add some tomato
liquid. Store in the refrigerator until well chilled, at least 4 hours.

Serve as a salad on shredded iceburg or mixed leaf lettuce. Greatest as a
filling for a QUESADILLA with a little shredded monterey jack cheese! (Heat
skillet to medium high; spray one side of a flour torilla with vegetable
oil; place oiled side down in the skillet; spoon on some filling. Top with
cheese. Cover with another torilla. After about 2 minutes, spray the top
torilla and turn it; brown about 1 minute. Serve with sauce casera.)

This idea's popular! Continue to tweak the seasonings and proportions.
Feniger and Milliken (Two Hot Tamales) have a similar idea on page 158 of
their City Cuinsine book (1989). Del Monte ad (1989) suggests similar
spices to make a salsa from their canned tomatoes. Recently (May 1996)
Lucky supermarkets introduced a chicken salad from their deli that
resembles this. May 13, 96