Southwestern Corn Salad

The last time I made fried rice I had to buy frozen corn instead of the baby corn I usually get (because there wasn't any). This left me with a surplus of corn, however, as you don't need an entire bag for one batch of fried rice. And, now that I have just one month left in this apartment, I figure I better use up the corn, along with the other foods in my cabinets.

Now that it is hot and humid again in Hong Kong, I thought a salad would be the best and coolest way for me to eat my corn. I really like it when combined with black beans in a southwestern, Mexican-inspired style, but I thought I'd get a little inspiration from the pros before trying my own concoction. In the end, I mostly combined a Food Network recipe for roasted corn with this one from one of my favorite chefs, Rachael Ray.

First, I tossed the corn, chopped onion and chopped garlic with oil, salt and pepper. Then I roasted it in the toaster oven at about 400 degrees for around 20 minutes. Once it was cool, I added it to one can of black beans, some chopped cilantro and halved grape tomatoes. The final touches were a splash of vinegar and a little bit of chili oil for heat, and it is very yummy.

I plan to eat it served on top of lettuce and with some sliced avocado. Yum!