The Daily Bite: Insalata Estiva

(Summer Salad)

There were always a few dishes my mom used to make for us on a regular basis during the summer months in Italy and one of those was this really yummy salad. Often we used to spend long days at the beach, and I was always very excited to see what my mom had packed for lunch.

While some of my little friends could only rely on the same boring sandwich, I definitely had, most of the time, a pretty wide menu to choose from. There was always some sort of salad, a gourmet sandwich, often made with Focaccia bread (my favorite) and a little something sweet to end the meal.

This salad was frequently present on our “beach menu” for its simplicity and incredibly refreshing taste. It is rich of vitamin C and antioxidants and I love how the zesty vinaigrette brings all the flavors together.

It was also an easy way to make me eat beans, which, according to my mom, are really good for you!

Servings: 4

For the vinaigrette:

Juice of one lime
1 ½ tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
Hot pepper sauce to taste
A pinch of garlic salt

For the salad:

1 can (15 oz) of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (8.75 oz) of corn kernels, drained
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
2 oz. of fresh mozzarella, cubed
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoon of fresh minced cilantro

In a little bowl whisk together all the vinaigrette ingredients and pour it on the salad. Cover with some plastic wrap to keep the flavors in and let it sit for at least 20 minutes.
Serve at room temperature.

For a lighter version you can skip the mozzarella.

Buon Appetito!