Ingredients

1 can three bean mix (drained and rinsed)
1 can sweet corn (drained and rinsed)
1 medium tomato
1 medium cucumber
1/2 red bell pepper (capsicum)
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
Romaine (baby cos) lettuce - 1/2-1 head
1 large carrot
1 medium avocado
About 100g tasty (cheddar) cheese, chopped into cubes

Dressing ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin (more if you like)
1 small chili, or chili powder, to taste
Fresh cilantro (coriander)
Salt and pepper to taste

Author of this recipe

Susan Savage

Food blogger / food writer

I love food! So naturally, I enjoy playing around with different flavors and textures to create healthy meals that nourish both myself and my four year old daughter. With a vibrant, colorful... Read more

Vibrant and colorful, just like all my favorite salads! This was created during a huge storm in April 2015 that wiped out our electricity for five days - hence the name "Blackout Salad." If your power is out, it will be a very welcome, surprising mix of flavors (I was dying for a healthy meal after two days of pizza!) or if it's just a normal day, this is a fantastic meat-free option that will satisfy and nourish you.

Rating

Preparation

The best part is that you can basically add whatever you like! I've listed the ingredients I typically use, but I've added raw zucchini and green beans when I've had them at hand. I have omitted onions since I'm not crazy about raw onion, but feel free to add some chopped red onion if you like.

Add drained and rinsed mixed beans and corn to a large bowl.
Chop all remaining ingredients, except for avocado and tasty cheese, into small chunks and add to bowl. I like to squeeze a bit of the juice out of the tomato so it doesn't make any leftovers soggy. Stir all ingredients together.
Cut avocado into small pieces and add avocado and tasty cheese into bowl, mixing ingredients gently.
Place salad ingredients into a jar with a tight lid and shake vigorously.
If you plan to have leftovers, serve the salads and dress generously in the serving bowls. If you will be finishing it, toss with dressing in the mixing bowl then plate and enjoy!

Tips from the author

My four year old loves this salad! To modify for kids, my tips are: Leave the chili/chili powder out, or just add a hint of spice to the dressing. Once served add the chili to your own plate!

Also play around with adding different veggies (this is a great salad for using up whatever you have in your fridge), but don't try and trick your child into eating something they don't usually like. Mine will eat two bowls of this salad, but I tried using raw zucchini once (which she usually likes cooked) and she didn't love it; she ended up trying to pick around the zucchini and it was not an enjoyable salad experience! So trust your kids will enjoy it, but take their opinion into account as well.