Corn and Black Bean Salad

The hubby finally broke out the smoker on Saturday and made some smoked pork ribs, which were delish.  Not the healthiest food but they were worth it.  I'm always looking for some new sides to go with BBQ as I get tired of the same 'ol Southern routine -- potato salad, baked beans and/or cole slaw.  Don't get me wrong, I love them all but sometimes you need to shake it up a bit.

In comes a recipe I made up on the fly this weekend - my own version of Corn and Black Bean Salad.   Stephen loved this so much he ate it the next day for leftovers and had two big helpings of it and that man NEVER eats leftovers unless it is pizza.  It's easy to make as well and you can add or subtract ingredients to make it your own.  Here is what I did:

Yum!

4 ears of yellow sweet corn, shucked
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato, rough chopped
1 large ripe avocado, rough chopped
3 green onions, rough chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, finely minced
2 Tbl Light Ranch Dressing
1 Tbl Chili Powder
Salt, Pepper to taste

Wrap corn in foil and either roast in the oven or throw on the grill for 20 minutes until done.  Let cool.  While the corn cooks, chop all your veggies and thrown them in the bowl.  Cut the corn off the cob and add to the bowl.  Throw in your spices and the two Tbls of ranch dressing, chill it in the fridge and then eat.  If you use light dressing, it makes it really light in calories, unlike those super mayonnaise-y potato salads and cole slaw!