Cucumber, Mango, and Black Bean Salad

Nice summer bean salad and a good complement to grilled chicken. Followed the recipe to the letter and definitely felt the flavor improved after chilling. Another incentive to give this a try is that nutritionally it breaks down very healthy for those of us trying to shed a few pounds.

This is really delicious, light and refreshing. My first thought when reading the recipe was that it was going to need a bit more flavor. I started by adding about 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion. I omitted the water and skipped the microwave. I drained and rinsed the beans, added the chopped mango, cuke and onion and tossed to combine. In a small bowl I whisked together the lime juice, cumin, cilantro, salt and pepper. I "pasted" one clove of garlic (rough chop the garlic, add some salt then press the flat of the knife on to the garlic and drag until paste) I then whisked in about 2 Tblsp olive oil. I poued this dressing onto the bean mixture and folded and stirred until evenly coated. For this dish to be at it's potential, it MUST be made the day ahead. Cover tightly and store in the fridge. This will allow the flavors work their magic and penetrate the beans. Otherwise this recipe would come out too bland.

Although I enjoy all of these foods, these flavors did not gel for me. Any suggestions for what I might do differently? I followed the recipe as stated here, serving it about 30 minutes after preparing it.

Very easy to make. Light and fresh!