Cucumber and Black Bean Salsa

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! I packed up the baby, the husband, and the dog and headed East to visit my parents for the holiday. It was great to see them of course, but also great to enjoy some delicious food together! My mom is a wonderful cook and she often takes really fun cooking courses, just to stretch her skills or try new cuisines. I wish we lived closer so I could take them with her.

Lately she's been on a cilantro kick, which is fine by me. Yum! So I was tickled when she put together this refreshing cucumber and black bean salsa for us to munch on before the turkey was ready.

• 1 (15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup chopped and seeded cucumber
• 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced (Compari are the best)
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion tops
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 tablespoon canola oil (olive oil is not as good because it will set up in the fridge)
• 1 tablespoon snipped FRESH cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients above and enjoy!

How simple is that?! It's hard to explain the amazing flavors in this salsa, but it's a little tangy, a little tart, a little cooling, and a little heat! It's fantastic. The texture is more similar to a pico de gallo than a traditional tomato salsa but it worked perfectly as a dip with tortilla chips. I could also see this being good as a relish for white fish!

As my mom told me, it's not a difficult recipe... it just takes time due to all that chopping! But the result is a delicious twist on a classic snack.