Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salad with Snow Peas

Last week I either ate something grilled for me, or something I grilled myself.

That's what summertime is all about, right? Sitting in the backyard, smelling those sweet veggies and luscious meats simmering away in a chamber of smokey heaven, letting the little ones dig in the dirt or soak everything with the hose? Sounds like my kind of party.

We actually just barely landed our first grill - before we had been borrowing one from my parents.

This past week, though, the stars aligned:

Ryan racked up a bunch of points using Westlaw.com during law school, and was about to lose the points because his subscription was ending. So he went through the rewards section, found out he had enough points for a new grill, ordered it (free for us!) and called me saying a grill was on it's way.

I was beyond excited. Even though that grill is about 1 foot x about 8 inches, it grills like a dream, and I've just loved having it in our backyard.

This "salad" was more to me like something I'd attack with a pile of corn tortilla chips.

And that's exactly what I did after I shot a few photos. No shame whatsoever.

For dinner I served this as a salad alongside some grilled teriyaki chicken and fresh watermelon. I swear summertime has the most vibrant flavors and tastes to choose from, and it seems like they're enhanced even more when thrown over the grill outside.

The flavors were bright, and tasted so fresh. The red pepper and grilled corn take over most of the taste, but with the texture and sweetness of the snow peas, and the rustic tones of the garlic, everything came together in a way I didn't really expect. I thought this would taste like the usual black bean salsa you see floating around the internet...

But let me tell you this: it's a thousand times better, and I'll never ever go back.

Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salad with Snow Peas 
yields about  servings

ingredients: 
4 ears of corn, husks removed
2 T EVOO
1 C diced red bell pepper
3/4 C diced red onion
1/4 C cider vinegar
1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 T minced garlic
1/2 C snow peas, julienned
1 t sea salt
1 t freshly ground black pepper

method:
1. Preheat your grill (either a grill pan inside, or full-on grill outside) to medium. Drizzle a little olive oil on corn and grill corn until lightly charred, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a bundt pan (lining up one corn husk vertically in the middle of the pan's island center) and remove kernels using a serrated knife. Set aside.
2. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add oil, then red pepper and onion. Saute for 3 minutes.
3. Add your vinegar, beans, and corn. Saute for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in garlic and snow peas (leaving a little bit for garnish) and saute 1 more minute. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or cold.

recipe adapted from: foodnetwork.com