On the fourth of July, I like to make ethnic food, specifically food eaten by people upon whose hard-working backs we enjoy this wonderful freedom everyone is so proud of. For several years running, I’ve had this tradition going, serving Cuban drinks and playing Arabic music. It’s my way of keeping it real, purely for fun.

Yesterday, I made Mexican food. We were going to have the iconic Cuban mojitos as usual, but I didn’t buy enough limes, so I made a kind of rum punch with pomegranate juice, lemon juice, fresh mint (which is growing prolifically now on our deck), and blood orange soda . The music was a blend of Cuban, Mexican, Arabic, African, and Indian. God only knows what my neighbors were thinking, as they grilled their relatively normal burnt offerings.

This little salad I is a non-traditional, Mexican-inspired dish that I could easily eat some version of, several times a week. It combines my all-time favorite legumes, black beans and white corn, with several other favorites: avocado, jicama, tomato, red onion, and cilantro. I grilled the corn for an extra flavor kick. The dressing was simple: fresh lime juice, garlic, EVOO, Udo’s DHA Oil Blend, chipotle chile puree (from the “Jump Starts” section of Speed Vegan), sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Easy. Quick. Anyone can do it.

Now I’m off to catch a flight to Pittsburgh. Back in three.