I'm still savoring the end-of-summer tomatoes from my garden, so I hope tomato-deprived readers won't be too upset if I share a few more recipes using them before the calendar officially flips over to fall. (When I don't have garden tomatoes I've been known to buy those "tomatoes on the vine" from Costco, but only if they have that fresh tomato smell.) This recipe was adapted from a salad my friend Bonnie found in The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook. I changed the dressing a little to add more flavor (and cut down the lime juice, which Bonnie recommended.) I loved the crunch of jicama in the salad and made it twice in a week, so even if you have to buy tomatoes, give it a try before the salad days of summer are gone for another year.

 

While beans drain make the dressing by whisking together the lime juice, garlic puree, ground cumin, and olive oil.

Put the drained beans into a bowl and toss with 2 T of the dressing. Let beans marinate while you prep the other ingredients.

Peel the jicama and cut into small cubes. (The second time I made this, I cut the jicama even smaller, so take your choice on that.)

Dice enough fresh tomatoes to make 1 cup diced tomatoes. (I used Roma tomatoes, but any type of tomato will work, even cherry tomatoes cut in half.)

Add the jicama, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro to the marinating beans. Stir in the rest of the dressing, season salad with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and serve.

Pour black beans into a colander placed in the sink, rinse well with cold water (until no more foam appears) and let beans drain well. (You can pat them dry with paper towels if you're in a hurry.)

In a small bowl, mix together lime juice, garlic puree, and ground cumin, and then whisk in olive oil. Put the drained beans into a plastic or glass bowl and stir in 2 T of the dressing. Let beans marinate in the dressing while you prep other ingredients.

Peel jicama and dice into small cubes. (I used a vegetable peeler, but if your peeler isn't very sharp it might be easier to cut the jicama into slices and cut off the peeling with a knife. Don't get discouraged, because jicama is delicious in this salad.) Dice enough tomatoes to make 1 cup tomatoes. Clean green onions, then slice. Wash cilantro and spin dry or dry with paper towels, then chop enough to make 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped cilantro.

Stir jicama pieces, diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro into the marinating beans. Stir in the rest of the dressing, season the salad with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and serve.

This salad was not bad when it had been in the fridge overnight, but the flavor was definitely best when it was freshly made. You could make it a few hours ahead and keep it at room temperature if needed.

I was excited to discover that jicama is approved for all phases of the South Beach Diet, making this salad something that would definitely be a treat for phase one. Remember that beans should be limited to 1/3 to 1/2 cup serving size for phase one, probably about 1 cup of this salad with the other ingredients added to the beans.