Fresh Black Bean Salad -- The Soup That Started From the Same Good Place

Tom Whelan posted his first entry on RecipeSpinoff. I helped him set up the account in September and we'd been going back and forth since about which section to use — he ended up in the contributor blog section, same as me, and his first post was the Delilah section from Horses I Have Known, the one he'd revised back in August. He titled it: Delilah: A Morgan Mare, Paradise Valley, 1977.

The response was almost immediate and surprised him. Comments from Montana people, from horse people in other states, from people who had no connection to horses at all but who said the writing was vivid and they kept reading. He called me Wednesday and said: People are reading it. He said it like it was news about someone else. I told him people would keep reading it if he kept posting. He said he wasn't sure he was fast enough. I said he had time.

The COVID numbers in the county are higher than they've been. Tom's daughter called twice this week and I can tell she's worried. I've been stopping in every other day — not advertised as a check-in, just dropping things off or asking about the horses from a manuscript section I pretended to have questions about. He knows what I'm doing. He doesn't push back on it. That's how we've arrived at the version of care that works for both of us.

Made a pot of black bean soup with the smoked ham hock from the freezer and epazote from a dried packet I'd been sitting on for months. Good deep beans. I ate it for lunch several days running and brought a jar to Tom on one of the visits. He ate it while I sat with a coffee and we talked about Delilah and about what a good Morgan can do in rocky footing that a Quarter Horse might not manage. Good afternoon. The best kind of afternoon, actually.

The soup I made that week — the ham hock, the epazote, the deep low simmer — came from the same instinct as this salad: get the beans right and the rest takes care of itself. When the weather shifts and I want something I can make ahead, eat cold from the jar, and bring to someone without it feeling like a gesture, this fresh black bean salad is where I land. Same pantry logic, lighter on its feet.

Fresh Black Bean Salad

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen and thawed, or canned and drained)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine the base. In a large bowl, add the rinsed black beans, corn, diced red bell pepper, red onion, and jalapeño. Stir gently to distribute evenly.
2. Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, minced garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper until combined.
3. Dress and toss. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and toss to coat. Fold in the chopped cilantro.
4. Rest before serving. Let the salad sit for at least 10 minutes at room temperature so the flavors can settle together. It improves further after an hour in the refrigerator.
5. Taste and adjust. Check seasoning before serving — add more lime juice or salt as needed. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 29g | Fiber: 9g | Sodium: 310mg