Corn and Black Beans with Nasturtiums

I have a green thumb! Who knew! When I moved to the suburbs I tried to grow herbs and planted flowers, only to watch them eaten by the deer or wilt and shrivel up. Ironically my mother was living in the city and had the most gorgeous flowers blooming on her balcony and plants thriving in her apartment. My mom tried to instill her gardening wisdom upon me to no avail until now. I have a beautiful, flourishing edible garden. I am so excited and look for recipes to highlight the spices and flowers growing in my garden. 

I decided to make Corn and Black Beans with Nasturtiums, a scrumptious side dish packed with protein from the black beans and sweetness from the summer corn. The dish enhanced by the colorful and spicy nasturtiums is easy to prepare and will become a summertime staple.

Although my mother would most likely not have liked this salad, she would be proud of my garden and the use of the spices and edible flowers. I lovingly dedicate this blog to my mom.

                                     Corn and Black Beans with Nasturtiums
                                                             adapted from
                                                      Cooking with Flowers
                                                             Miche Bacher

Ingredients
1 cup black beans, soaked over night
kernels from 2 ears of corn
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 cup nasturtium flowers, roughly chopped
1/2 cup nasturtium leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
juice of one lime
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Put beans in a big pot of water and boil them until they are fork tender, about 1 hour.

Drain beans and combine with remaining ingredients in a serving bowl. Toss, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.

follow Anne on twitter and Instagram @AnneFretz