*CLOSED* Quick and Easy Black Bean, Tomato, and Corn Salad + Red Gold Tomatoes Review and Giveaway

Oh look, it’s already the middle of July!  The year’s half-gone, and so much has happened and there’s more to come.

I hope everyone’s summer is going well.  I’ve had a few weekend trips and another coming up later in the month, our AC broke down a couple weeks ago and was thankfully fixed quickly, and I’m still trying to get my cooking mojo back.  I’m not sure what happened or quite when it happened, but I haven’t been spending as much time playing around in the kitchen.  And when I do, it’s to make quick and simple stuff.  Luckily for me, summer is the best time to do quick and simple. After all, it’s the season for fresh fruit, veggies, outdoor dining, and grilling!  Believe it or not, I have even craved a salad or two!

When it comes to salads, I’m pretty picky. I just can’t do salads that combine meat, fruit, nuts, stinky cheese, sweet dressing, etc.  A fruit salad, yes.  A grilled chicken salad, yes.  Fattoush or Greek salad, yes. A grain salad or bowl of chopped veggies and dressing, yes. Chicken with berries, candied walnuts, gorgonzola, random greens and a raspberry vinaigrette?  Um, no thanks.

This super quick and easy black bean, tomato, and corn salad? YES!!

I love that this can be eaten on its own, over lettuce with some grilled chicken for a faux Chipotle burrito bol, or even as a topping for grilled fish. All it contains is canned black beans, corn, and diced tomatoes, along with some cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt and lime juice for seasoning. Dump and go, my kind of “recipe!”

For this salad, I like to use the diced tomatoes with green chilies for a bit of heat. It just so happens that the folks at Red Gold contacted me and offered to send me an assortment of their canned diced tomatoes to play around with.  Red Gold is a fourth generation, family-owned and operated business that has been making premium quality tomato products since 1942. I used canned tomato products quite a bit, so I was more than happy to sample some of their products.  The diced tomatoes with chilies are perfect for something like my salad or when I make chili.  The diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil  and the ones with basil, garlic, and oregano will of course be used when I make pasta sauce. If only I liked cilantro, the diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro sound interesting and I think would work well in a homemade salsa.

So, not only did the folks at Red Gold send me a variety of canned diced tomatoes and a cute apron, but they are going to let me give away the same to one of you!  And they are throwing a Summer Grillin’ Party and we are all invited!  Be sure to stop by their Facebook page  for a chance to win an apron or the grand prize, a Big Egg Grill!

Here’s what you need to do to win your own assortment of Red Gold diced tomatoes:

1. Visit the Red Gold website, then come back here and leave me a comment telling me which of their diced tomato products you’d like to try. For an additional entry, tell me which of their other products you’d like to try.

2.  Leave a comment here telling me your favorite summer-time quick and easy recipe/dish

3.  Follow Spice’s Bites on Facebook (www.facebook.com/spicesbites) and Twitter (@spicesbites) and leave a comment here telling me you did

4.  Follow Red Gold on Facebook (www.facebook.com/redgold) and Twitter (@RedGoldTomatoes) and leave a comment here telling me you did.

5.  Tweet about this giveaway, using the hashtags #RGParty, #RedGoldRecipes, and #EGGhead4life. You can do this once per day.

Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents age 18 and over.  Giveaway runs from Monday, July 14th, 2014 through 9pm EST Friday, July 18th, 2014.  Once I’ve selected a winner, I will email you to get your contact info, so make sure you enter an email address when leaving a comment (it won’t show up in the comment). Winner has 48 hours to reply or else I will have to select another winner.

*Disclosure:  Red Gold Tomatoes sent me several varieties of their canned diced tomatoes to sample and review. I did not receive any compensation and am not obligated to post a positive review.  Any opinions are my own.  Red Gold Tomatoes  is providing the prize for the winner of the giveaway.

UPDATE

Here’s the winner of the giveaway!

Dandi D July 15, 2014 at 12:15 pm [edit]

 

Quick and Easy Black Bean, Tomato, and Corn Salad

 

Ingredients

1 14.5 oz can black beans, drained

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained

1 14.5 oz can yellow corn, drained

1/4 cup sliced green onions

chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, salt, and lime juice to taste

 

Preparation

1.  Combine all ingredients in large bowl, seasoning to taste.  Enjoy!