Cow boy caviar!
15 oz can of black beans....rinse and drain.
3/4 cup corn...either fresh cooked, frozen or canned ( rinsed and drained)
2 roma tomatoes, seeded, drained and chopped.
3 or 4 green onions cut up tops and all.
One small green pepper, chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro...or to taste or fresh parsley if you are a cilantro hater.
Chopped fresh jalapeno to taste...I use about half and remove the seeds.
1/4 cup olive oil
3 T fresh lime juice
Let stand at least an hour to marry the flavors.
Linda C

Here's one a friend shared with me a few years ago. She served it at a dinner party and it was so good!

Spicy Black Bean Salad / Side Dish

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained
1-1/2 cups corn
1-1/2 cups chopped red onion
1-1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 3 medium)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 large ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, diced

Tortilla chips--optional

.
Whisk first 6 ingredient in large bowl to blend.

Stir in beans, corn, onion, tomatoes, and bell pepper.

Mix in avocado; season to taste with salt and pepper.

(Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Transfer to serving bowl.

Mine is very simple.

Can od black beans, frozen corn niblets, diced red onion, diced bell pepper, diced tomatoes (seeded) or cherry tomatoes halved, diced cucumber and feta.

I prefer an olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice and cumin based salad dressing but my family prefers and oil and vinegar based Italian dressing or Greek dressing

As other have said let sit dressed for an hour or two to let flavours blend, I din;t add the feta until serving time.

One of the best bowls of canned black beans I've had was when I was camping and we roasted some onions over the fire. I cut some up and added them to the canned black beans we had. It was delicious. I haven't tried repeating that at home, cause I'm usually using canned beans when I'm in a hurry, but I suppose one could roast an onion in the oven or over the grill, and add it to the beans.

All the salads above look very good. I'll have to try some.

Sally

Friday night we had Fajitas with grilled flank steak that had been marinated in the same garlic, lime, cumin and a little chipotle pepper. Served with homemade flour tortillas and black beans on the side.

The black beans were a last minute addition so I just opened a can of them and simmered them with a little fresh minced garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Mashed a little and topped with grated cheese and homemade salsa.

If I had had any bacon on hand, I would have added a slice or two to the beans for a slight smokey flavour.

Thanks everyone! DH just said he's in the mood for warm means tonight, so I'm going to use Ann-T's approach. Sally, I'm planning on grilling some onions too! I LOVE cilantro and cumin.

I've saved all the other suggestions for later in the summer when the local tomatoes and corn are good.

I wasn't familiar with cowboy caviar until I bought some at Costo. It was tasty, but way too sweet. I'll make it myself next time!

Sue

I'm late, but my family loves this.

Open and drain a can of black beans and spread on the bottom of a square pyrex dish.

On top of the beans place 2-4 boneless chicken breast, sprinkle with a bit of taco seasoning, top with salsa

Cover with alum foil and bake 350 until chicken is tender. Remove foil, top with grated cheese, return to oven to melt.

Serve

Using them up....

I often add them to my baked beans because I like the flavor.

My chili often has more then one kind of bean... blacks are a favorite.

A favorite soup is ham broth, black beans, kidney beans, cabbage, onions, and hot peppers. It turns out gray with bits of stuff visable... frightens my co-workers in the lunchroom. I don't care.. it tastes delicious as well as high fiber/low fat. If the ham/ham broth ain't smokey enough I add a drop of liquid hickory smoke.

Must add that dry black beans cook up very nice... less salt and way cheaper.

: )
lyra

Black beans are probably one of my favorite foods, almost always as bastardized Mexican: great in quesadillas or nachos.

Or as a dip, with cheese or without:
1) Brown onions in bacon grease, add black beans & maybe spices (cumin & garlic I think), then puree partially with an immersion blender.
2) Mix a can of black beans with a can or tomatoes & chilis, partially blend, then stir in some grated cheddar cheese and cook until blended and melty. Mmm...

Somewhere I found a recipe for black bean & sweet potato quesadillas, which I sometimes make without cheese (which then can't be called a quesadilla).

Black bean soup is also lovely in colder weather, preferably with cornbread.

I've never had black beans in cowboy caviar; I use black-eyed peas for that.

Jessicaml reminded me of one of my favorite easy peasey quick chile soups I make when I'm lazy or don't have time to do it right. Mix a can of black beans and a can of Chili-Fixins Rotel (or similar product) together and heat. Add some chopped onions of any kind, and some chopped cilantro, and wallah, lunch in five minutes. You can grate some cheese on top if desired. Serve with crackers or cornbread.

Sally