I originally saw this post on Pinterest and made it myself but I put quite a few shortcuts in place so that I could make it start to finish in about 5 minutes. I can’t tell much of a difference between the full version and the shortcut, so as always, I’m going with the shortcut. The other thing I like about the shortcuts is that they make this an easy recipe to remember so you don’t even need to take the time to pull out your recipe binder.

The way to make recipes fast is to do some prep work when you get home from the grocery store. I have lots of plastic containers (bpa free) in all different sizes so I can chop and have things ready. This is, of course, if I didn’t already get the pre-chopped veggies. For this recipe, that would actually only mean chopping red pepper. I also cook my own black beans because it is dramatically cheaper to do it that way. It’s not difficult, it’s just that it takes some planning. What I do is soak about 3 cups of dried beans overnight, and boil for an hour and then I put them in individual packages in the freezer and the fridge for later use. 3 cups dried makes 2-3 times as much cooked and it costs about $2 a pound (when dry).

I feel very passionately about perfect avocados. If you don’t yet have a perfectly ripe avocado, wait another day to make this recipe. As you’ll see in the picture, a perfectly ripe avocado will become somewhat like a dressing and coat the other ingredients. Mmmm… deliciousness.

Black Bean Salad with Avocado, Lime, Cilantro, Red Pepper

Ingredients

• 1 c or a can of black beans
• 1 c of coarsely chopped or ripped cilantro (this is a fluffy cup, not a packed-down cup)
• 1 medium red bell pepper or about a cup or more chopped
• 1 c or a can of corn or you can use frozen but then you’ll have to take the time to thaw it
• 1 perfectly ripe avocado (see note above, I beg of you)
• 1/4 c lime juice from a bottle
• 1 tsp minced garlic from a jar
• 1 tsp salt

How to:

1. Chop everything that needs to be chopped.
2. Add everything to a bowl and mix.