Black Bean & Avocado Fresco Salad
A hearty salad with southwestern flavors, makes a great accompaniment to the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Chicken Enchilada Soup.
This salad was meant as a side dish to My Number One Fan’s contribution to the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Chicken Enchilada Soup.
Queso Fresco is a fairly recent import to the U.S. after Mexican cheese manufacturers agreed to pasteurize their product to meet USDA guidelines, a process not done with its south-of-the-border version. Queso Fresco simply means "Fresh Cheese" and it’s kindred to what Americans might know as Farmer's Cheese. It has the consistency of Greek Feta Cheese in that it is more crumbly than creamy and does not melt well. But it does not taste like Feta, which is made from sheep's milk and is aged in brine. Queso Fresco is made from cow's milk and is un-aged. It is mild, milky, slightly tangy and perfect for salads, particularly this one.
Black Bean & Avocado Fresco Salad
Ingredients
- juice from one fresh lime
- zest from one fresh lime
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- pinch of smoked salt (like, San Francisco Salt Company Cherry Wood)
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
- 1 15-oz can black beans (like, Bush's or Goya)
- 1 medium to large ripe avocado
- 2 medium ripe tomatoes
- 1/2 large cucumber
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/3 medium red onion
- 3 oz Queso Fresco (like, Cacique Ranchero)
Instructions
- Mix the vinaigrette ingredients together with a wire whisk and set aside at room temperature.
- Drain and rinse the black beans through a colander under cold running water, then allow to air dry while you prepare the rest of the salad ingredients.
- De-seed and remove the avocado from its shell using a large soup spoon. Lay it out on a cutting board and slice into cubes. Place into a large metal mixing bowl.
- Core the tomatoes and cut into cubes. Peel the cucumber and slice lengthwise, then cut the slices into cubes. Add both to the mixing bowl.
- Rough chop the cilantro and add to the ingredients.
- I cut the red onion into thinly sliced rings or dice if you prefer.
- Add the black beans to the mixing bowl, then give all the ingredients a toss. Put the bowl into the refrigerator for an hour or so. This will chill everything and allow the flavors to marry a bit.
- In the meantime, crumble the three ounces of Queso Fresco. This isn't difficult to do because the cheese almost crumbles on its own when you slice it.
- At the last minute, add the cheese to the salad along with the dressing, then toss to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You'll need a microplane to zest the lime. I don't recommend omitting this step. The zest gives the vinaigrette a brighter flavor that matches this salad perfectly.
