It was HOT & I was HUNGRY!! Eating something hot was out of the question. Out of desperation, I just started pulling things out of the fridge & cupboards that seemed like they might go together & I ended up with this cold salad! I will certainly be adding this to my summer dish list! This salad is PACKED with flavor – & bonus – a super healthy lunch!

What’s in it:

• 1 Cucumber (Sliced & chopped into quarters)
• 1 can Black Beans (Cooked)
• 3 Hard Boiled Eggs (Sliced & chopped)
• Half of a Red Onion (Diced)
• Hard Goat Cheese (Crumbled) ~ My fave: Farmer’s Goat Cheese from Goat Lady Dairy in Climax, NC
• Fresh lime juice
• Habanero Mango & Carrot Hot Sauce* ~ “Whaaat?! The Snack Company” in Virginia Beach
• Garlic Pepper
• Garam Masala
• Rosemary

What I did:

• Cooked a can of black beans on the stove & mixed in garlic pepper & garam masala (both to preferred taste)
• While the black beans cooked, I sliced/diced/chopped the cucumber, hard boiled eggs, & red onion
• I turned off the black beans once they were done to let them a cool a bit while I mixed cucumbers, eggs, & onions together with the hot sauce & lime juice (again, your preferred taste).
• I mixed the black beans in with the rest of the mixture & sprinkled goat cheese over it a few times…folding the mixture together between each time
• And then I simply garnished it with Rosemary!
  
  *If you don’t like heat…don’t add the hot sauce! And obviously you can use your favorite hot sauce, BUT the combination of the habaneros, mangos & carrots really gives this salad a unique flavor!

TIP: It was even more pungent with flavor after it had sat in the fridge overnight!

I purchased the goat cheese at Greensboro Curb Farmer’s Market in Greensboro, NC & the hot sauce at the Buckroe Beach Farmers Market in Hampton, VA.