Salsa Season

There's something magical in finding new ways to enjoy familiar dishes. The other day I made an adaptation of one of my family's summertime staples -- Corn & Black Bean Salsa -- aka "Bean Dip." The original combination of corn, black beans, diced tomato, and various chopped onions, dressed in olive oil, lime juice, cumin and copious amounts of fresh cilantro pays homage to Southwest-inspired flavors. The notoriously refreshing crowd pleaser is versatile enough to be served with tortilla chips as an appetizer, paired with a grilled meat or fish, used as a salad fixing, a hearty wrap filling, or --this just in-- an easy omelet.

I am continually tweaking the ingredients in this salsa, which, by nature, caters to an infinite number of variations. My adjustments this time include chickpeas instead of corn, fresh parsley instead of cilantro, and adding ground coriander to the spice mix. Lime juice was the main acidic element, though I also added a few squirts of lemon juice to give a twist to the citrus flavor.

BLACK BEAN & CHICKPEA SALSA

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
2-3 Tbsp fresh parsley
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
A few squirts of lemon juice

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; toss well to combine. Serve immediately or let sit to enhance the flavors.

To make an omelet: I added the salsa to a small skillet (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and allowed the ingredients to heat up (medium heat) for a few minutes without letting the beans or tomato get too mushy. I then poured 3 egg whites over the mixture, covered the pan and allowed the mixture to cook until eggs were set and cooked through. I flipped once at the very end to brown the top side of the omelet (optional). It was such an easy way to make a meal out of a delicious salsa, I can't believe this stroke of genius didn't come to me earlier!