Below is version 3 of my corn and bean salad base. Learning how to make something once and use it 2+ times, (with variety of course!) is Secret #3 for the Quick of Everyday Healthy. While this recipe was not my fav per say, it was still good and could be improved with a few alterations (noted below). I am sharing this in the spirit of appreciating that any learning journey comprises of both successes and opportunities for learning ;-)

The theme of this recipe is..."Organic Corn LOVES...Tomatoes (especially organic tomato paste since it only costs under $1.50 for a can). I have included this affordable ingredient on my Everyday Pantry Shopping List - as learning how to use basic pantry ingredients - especially the affordable ones in everyday cuisine is Secret # 1 for Convenience and Secret # 5 for Affordable.

Corn and Bean Salad Base
Organic Corn LOVES...Red and Black Beans, Bell Peppers

Ingredients

2 cups black beans
1 cup Red Kidney Beans
1/2 cup onion
1 1/2 cups organic corn
1 bell pepper, chopped (I often use non-organic because the organic is very expensive)

Baked Corn and Bean Salad With Tomato Sauce 
Organic Corn LOVES...Tomatoes

 Ingredients

1/2 cup bean and corn salad base
whole lettuce leaves or Ezekiel sprouted grain or brown rice wraps.
a few cilantro sprigs
a few basil leaves julienned
avocado, cubed

Tomato Sauce for Baked Corn and Bean Salad

1 small can tomato paste
1/4 cup filtered water
1 garlic clove garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
dash cayenne
sea salt to taste

Note: Next time I would add about 1/4 cup of olive oil to make more liquid-ey and bring out flavours and garnish with freshly ground black pepper.

Method

(1)  Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
(2)  Mix all ingredients together for tomato sauce.
(3)  Put bean and corn salad base with 1/2 to 3/4 of the tomato sauce on top in a baking dish and cover with a lid or foil.
(4)  Bake for 20 minutes.
(5)  Put baked beans mixture in lettuce leaves and top with fresh corn loving herbs like fresh cilantro or basil.

The dish was also asking for or a cheeze like condiment such as gomasio or a sour crème. Here are some ideas:

Gomasio

Ingredients

2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp nutritional yeast

Method

(1)  Put all ingredients in a coffee grinder and grind until fine.

Note - You can store gomasio in a glass jar for a month or so and tastes good on everything.

Dairy-Free Sour Crème

I have not written down a recipe for this one, but you can experiment with blending soaked cashews or sunflower seeds with water, a bit of sea salt and some lemon in a blender. Voila!

Bon Appetit!