Sweet Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad

This post was sponsored by Sunshine Sweet Corn as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

You guys are all well aware by now that I'm a summer person. Give me all the flowing dresses and beach hangs in the sunshine and barefoot dancing under the stars and delicious summertime foods. And in my opinion, there is no food that screams summer like corn on the cob. I crave it all year round, but only recently did I discover that I could find Sunshine Sweet corn, grown in Florida, in the spring as well. I was instantly excited, and proceeded to spend a bunch of time on the Sunshine Sweet Corn website perusing all of their mouth watering recipes to make for my family. I finally settled on the sweet corn and bean quinoa salad, both because anything with black beans and corn is an instant winner in my book, and because it looked just as healthy as it did tasty. And I'm so glad I went for it. We've now had it several time for both lunch and dinner, and it was so incredibly good that I decided I had to share it with all of you as well. You're going to love it, I promise.

Number of servings: 4 to 6 

INGREDIENTS
3 cups fresh sweet corn kernels (4 medium Sunshine Sweet ears)
3 cups cooked and cooled quinoa*
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced red and green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

(I'm a vegetarian, but you can also add 8 ounces cooked salad shrimp, or 2 cups cooked chicken, smoked turkey, or ham cut into 1/2 inch cubes to the salad if you'd like.)

INSTRUCTIONS
In a large bowl, toss corn (just cook in boiling water for 4-6 minutes then remove kernels with a sharp knife or corn zipper), quinoa (*prepare with 1 cup uncooked quinoa, according to package directions), beans, peppers, onion, and scallions (and shrimp or other meat, if using). To make the vinaigrette, in a sealable container, combine olive oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper; shake until the mixture thickens, about 60 seconds. Pour the vinaigrette over the quinoa mixture and toss to combine. Just before serving, sprinkle with the cilantro. Garnish with halved cherry tomatoes,  and/or serve on a bed of greens. (We love it on organic baby spring greens. The best!)

This salad keeps well, so it's great to make ahead of time, and makes for some really great leftovers too. And while I'm a huge fan of quinoa and black beans, it's the Sunshine Sweet Corn that's the star of the show. It's deliciously sweet, fresh tasting, and tender, and it's also non-GMO (a big deal to me) and regulated for quality control. I'm looking forward to adding it to a bunch more of my spring recipes, now that I know it's available this time of year. If you're looking for the best tasting corn you've ever had in April and May, Sunshine Sweet Corn is the way to go. Just visit your local grocery store, pick some up, and make this recipe. Then visit their website for a whole bunch of other incredible recipes that will channel summer - but that you can make right now.

Who else is a summertime food fan? Do you have any favorite recipes that include Sunshine Sweet Corn?

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