February 7, 2023

Make the most of your fresh tomatoes with this easy corn and black bean salsa recipe as a healthy snack or side.

Vanderbilt Football Coach Clark Lea has talent on the field and in the kitchen! Today, we introduce the first episode of our new series Cooking with Coach, teaming with our partners at Vanderbilt Athletics.

To kick off the series, Coach Lea joins Vanderbilt Health’s Mallory Yoder to whip up Corn, Black Bean and Tomato Salsa. Our recipe saves you calories for a game-day appetizer and is fresh and yummy. Watch the video above and print the recipe below.

Depending on where we are in the season, this chunky black bean and corn salsa can be a great way to get the most out of that end-of-summer corn and delicious last-of-the-season tomatoes. But one of the best things about this versatile recipe is that it is still really good in winter when you can successfully use frozen corn and canned tomatoes or store-bought cherry tomatoes. Serve it with tortilla chips or as a side salad with an entrée like flank steak or grilled chicken. It’s also a guilt-free snack as it is loaded with lean protein (beans) and potassium as well as cancer-fighting lycopene from the tomatoes.

Corn, Black Bean and Tomato Salsa

AUTHOR
Stacey Kendrick
RECIPE TYPE
Snack, sidedish
SERVES
5

Ingredients

  • 4 ears of corn on the cob, husks removed (or 3 cups frozen, cooked corn)
  • 2 cups of cherry tomatoes (or 2 cans of drained, low-sodium diced tomatoes)
  • 1 can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed with water
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, washed, dried and finely chopped
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • Optional: cubed avocado, salt

Instructions

  1. Cook the corn in a boiling pot of water for 5 minutes, until cooked but still crisp.
  2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a large mixing bowl.
  3. When the corn is cool, remove the kernels from the cob and add them to the bowl, along with the black beans and cilantro.
  4. Mix the spices, pepper, lime juice, olive oil and optional salt together. Gently toss the mixture with the vegetables and beans.
  5. If you want to add avocado, do so right before serving the dish to avoid the avocado turning brown.

Nutrition Information

(Not including the optional avocado or salt) Makes 5 1-cup servings | Calories 210 | Total fat 8g | Saturated fat 1.5g | Cholesterol 0 | Sodium 190mg | Dietary Fiber 7g | Total Sugar 8g | Protein 9g | Calcium 80 mg | Potassium 1100mg | Iron 7mg

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