Pineapple and Black Bean Salad

This salad is good.

So good, in fact, that I’d like to eat it off my impeccably clean floors.

Do you know what’s so funny about that statement?

The part about the impeccably clean floors.

Hee, hee. Ho, ho. Aaaaaaaand, never.

Do you know what’s even funnier?

Every time I shoot photos of food for this blog, I give Max the deep meaningful voice and hairy eyeball to prevent him from even stepping one little paw into the room where the so-called magic happens. Of course, for this salad, my everlasting awkwardness happened and I spilled. Next, my insufferable laziness kicked in. I immediately called for Max, my little living, breathing Hoover. And he stood at the threshold of the dining room.

“Come on baby Maxie, come here!”

Stood there.

“Baby boy! Mama has some yummies for you!”

Stood there. Tilted the head. Stood there.

“Look! Look!” I pointed like a mad woman at the pile on the floor.

And Max still stood there, no doubt convinced that the bitch was setting him up like a DC mayor. Then he walked away. And I stomped into the kitchen for a rag so I could clean the floor like a normal person. Ugh.

Maxie-Babybear sure did miss out. Juicy pineapple, nutty corn, and creamy black beans, tossed with basil, mint, citrus, and a few other essentials. The husband deemed it refreshing. The fact that he even deemed it palatable means that it’ll please your pickiest eater.

Think picnic, potluck, brunch, cookouts, or just dinner for the family. It’s versatile and keeps well – one night we had it as a taco stuffer, another it was a salad. The next night we had carry-out, but it wasn’t my fault. It was the 4 cupcakes I needed to taste test throughout the afternoon, which subsequently rendered me nearly unconscious and in no mood to cook dinner.

I encourage you to make a big batch of this and play with the various ways you’d like to eat it. And if you’d like to eat it off your own floors, I hope you mop more frequently than I do.

Pineapple and Black Bean Salad

3 cups pineapple, diced
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup red pepper, diced
1/3 cup red onion, minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon agave syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients together. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Will keep for at least 3 days in the refrigerator.

Serves: 6-8 people