Black Bean and Corn Salad

Two of our friends from Paynesville, Jackie Osterhaus and her husband, Craig Lukow, brought a black bean and corn salad to a party at our house in June. It was fabulous! 


Jackie said she makes it every weekend of the summer and raved about its versatility — it’s good as a salad on its own, as a dip with chips, on cottage cheese or scrambled eggs or in quesadillas or burritos or you-name-it — there’s no limit to the ways to this “salad” can be served. 


I admit I’ve made it nearly every weekend this summer — it’s addicting! I’ve played with the ingredients and measurements every time, perfecting the taste for my husband, Ole, and myself. Jackie, a certified physician assistant and a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve, said she does the same thing.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

(Jackie Osterhaus)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can red beans, rinsed and drained

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans shoepeg corn, rinsed and drained

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 orange pepper, seeded and chopped

1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

2-3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped

2 bunches green onions, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1½ tsp. cumin

½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 medium-sized lime)

½ cup Italian dressing

Mix vegetables together. Sprinkle spices over the top of vegetables and mix in. Then mix lime juice and Italian dressing together, pour over the salad and mix one last time.

A note from Carol: “Halved grape tomatoes were ingredients in the salad Jackie brought to the party. I’ve left them out and added more peppers and the white beans. I like the shoepeg corn in this recipe but “regular” canned corn could be used as well. Of course any of the ingredients or amounts can be changed to suit your own taste. Have fun making the salad your own creation!”

Jackie and Craig’s world changed soon after that party at our house in late June when her teenage daughter Kristyn was involved in a tragic car accident in northern Minnesota July 3rd. She was ejected from a jeep, landed on her head in the grass and snapped her neck, leaving her paralyzed from her chest to her toes. She was transported by ambulance to North Country Hospital in Bemidji and airlifted from there to North Memorial Hospital in the Twin Cities.

Kristyn is currently at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, one of the top rehabilitation hospitals in the nation, specializing in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord or brain injury. She plans to return to Paynesville in the next four to six weeks.

Please pray for Kristyn and Jackie, Craig and the rest of their family. And, consider attending a benefit hosted by the City of Paynesville and the Paynesville Lutheran Church from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Paynesville High School. The event includes a dinner of pulled pork sandwiches, chips, bars and cookies and a silent auction.

The Paynesville Lutheran Church is also hosting a golf scramble fundraiser for Kristyn Sept. 19 at the Koronis Hills Golf Course beginning with a 2 p.m. shotgun start. Supper will be served at 5 p.m. at the church. (Non-golfers are invited to attend the supper.) The event also includes a silent auction. For more information, call the church office at 320-243-3624.

Donations are being accepted at the Paynesville Lutheran Church, 657 Maple St., Paynesville, MN 56362. Please write Kristyn Osterhaus in the memo line of checks and mark donations for the Kristyn Osterhaus Benefit. CJK