I made two salads during the last few weeks that were completely delicious and I also realized were super versatile, so I thought I’d share them so you can add them to your fridge rotation too! They both involve chopped tomatoes and some other refreshing veggies, so they’re perfect for the spring/summer too. I also included what you can use them for – besides just eating them by themselves of course!

Black Bean and Corn “Salsa” Salad

I made this because I had black beans and corn leftover from a salad, and was going to have tacos so I thought a homemade salsa/salad would be a good element (I didn’t know what to call it because it could really be both!). It involved:

• Half can of drained and rinsed black beans
• Half can drained corn
• Quarter of a red onion, chopped
• 3 small-medium tomatoes on the vine, chopped
• Juice from one lime
• A few drizzles of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

The trick (really with both of these) is to let them sit in the fridge a few hours to let all the flavors and juices soak together and marinate. I made this earlier in the day and it tasted fine, but when I got home to make dinner a few hours later and had another bite I was shocked by how much better it tasted. I ended up eating it by itself, then in the tacos, and then with tortilla chips.

Israeli Salad

When I was babysitting recently someone’s mom mentioned to me that her son loves vegetables and ate Israeli salad everyday, so I had to ask what was in it! I looked up a recipe online and tried my own hand at making it. It was also extremely delicious, especially after it sat, though next time I would de-seed the cucumber and tomato (which the recipe calls for but I didn’t do) and chop everything smaller.

Here are some ways to eat both of these salads:

• With or on top of grilled chicken or steak
• On top of quinoa or rice
• On top of greens (use it like a premade “salad kit”!)
• With pita chips or tortilla chips
• In a wrap with lean meat
• In tacos or as a quesadilla topping
• As a soup garnish
• As a crostini topping
• On top of a burger

See you next week! To see what I’m eating in the meantime, follow me on Instagram or Twitter @ClaireLeaden