Cabby Salad
I don’t care that the halfway point of the summer has come and gone (i.e., my family’s annual York Beach vacation) and Labor Day weekend is less than three weeks away. Do you hear me, Mother Nature/annoying men on the train talking about how the summer is basically over?
I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU THINK.
…I say, as the leaves start changing color and falling off the trees, and the pumpkins in my garden grow larger by the second. ugh. This feels eerily similar to the the arguments I’ve had with my [older and slightly wiser] friends about the ‘official’ end of your mid-twenties:
“Talia, twenty-seven is considered your late twenties.”
“Huh? Wait. Are you trying to tell me that I’ve spent the last year of my life oblivious to the fact that I had slid down the ‘mid-twenties’ slide and landed smack dab in the middle of the ‘late twenties’ sandbox? I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT. “
“Um, I’m pretty sure we had this exact conversation last year and you agreed that twenty-seven is the start of your late twenties.”
“You obviously have early-onset Alzheimer’s, I NEVER would have agreed to that. because honestly, WHAT DO YOU KNOW ANYWAY?!”
…I’m pretty positive that somewhere in the depths of my brain there was a correlation between those two scenarios. If you figure it out, wanna clue me in? I’m all verklempt and whatnot with this nonsense that summer might be nearing its end, and it’s clearly causing me emotional distress.
BECAUSE I’M SO NOT READY FOR THE END OF SUMMER.
(in case you couldn’t tell)
Irregardless.
Let’s get to the point here: I made you a tasty summer side! In fact, it’s one of my favorite dishes to bring to barbecues and other summer gatherings. It’s made using fresh, seasonal ingredients, and pairs perfectly with burgers, hot dogs or anything else you may be so inclined to toss on the grill (veggies, pizza, pineapple, every stone fruit imaginable – your options are really endless). Sweet corn, ripe tomatoes, buttery avocado, fresh cilantro – all the best flavors of the season combine into a bright and flavorful salad!
The inspiration for this dish came years ago – a brilliant find during some midday web surfing. I miiight have been at work, discussing the deets of an upcoming summer gathering with my friend/co-worker/favorite lifeguard, Jodi. This was long before we discovered the joys of pinterest, so we definitely put a little bit of elbow grease into our search – combing our favorite recipe websites, reading through hundreds of ‘top 10’ lists, testing countless Google search terms…
We got lots of work done that day, too. I’m sure of it.
Alas. We found this gem and knew immediately that it was a surefire winner. The original recipe had a stupid name was called cowboy caviar (courtesy of delish.com); but as Jodi and I started making adjustments to ingredients and measurements, we realized that it needed to be changed. We put trusty ol’ Peter to work, who coined the name Cabby Salad: Corn, Avocado and Black Bean salad. He’s clever AND handsome – who knew!
In addition to being a delicious dish on its own, this salad has been family-tested, blogger-approved in the following situations: with chips as a salsa; over a bed of greens as a salad; over grilled chicken as a ‘marinade’ (of sorts); as a burger topping. In other words, it’s pretty versatile!
Also, reader beware: the measurements listed below make enough to feed a small army! Jodi and I have large families/groups of friends, so we don’t necessarily understand the phrase ‘small portions’. Feel free to halve the recipe – unless you are planning on eating cabby salad every day for the next week!
- 3 (15.5 oz) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups sweet corn (or a 32 oz bag of frozen sweet corn)
- 4 avocados, diced
- 4 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 red onion, diced
- ¾ cup salsa
- juice from 1 lime
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (or ¼ cup dried cilantro)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
Also, note that this recipe makes enough to feed a small army. Feel free to halve it - which should be just enough to feed a family of four.
Adapted From: Cowboy Caviar | delish.com
This recipe comes together pretty quickly and adapts well to any personal touches you may decide to make. A touch of heat here, a little more avocado there – play around with the ingredients list and see what tickles your fancy!
Happy mid-summer, friends!
this is so incredibly true that I cannot stop laughing. I don’t suggest cutting it in half, definitely make enough to feed an army and enjoy it all week! It gets better as it sits in the fridge. All leftover, all the time :)
I figured you might appreciate this anecdote :) definitely one of our best recipe finds to date!
This is still my favorite article on the blog because I laugh like a crazy person every.single.time I read it.
also still make this for a million people, while living alone and eat it for every meal all week long!
everytime I see that you’ve commented on any post, I laugh hysterically at: ‘friend/co-worker/favorite lifeguard, Jodi’
still one of my top three articles bah hahaha!!!
YUP, this is definitely still one of my favorites! I made it just last weekend for the 4th HAHAH