Grilled Corn Salad with Black Beans & Rice

1. Cook rice in a large pot of boiling salted water, until al dente, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and rinse. Place in a large bowl, toss with beans and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, preheat grill.

3. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill corn, onions and bell pepper, turning frequently, until tender and charred, 10 to 12 minutes.

4. Cut kernels from cobs (see Tip) and add to reserved rice and beans. Dice the bell pepper and half the onions; add to the rice mixture. Place the remaining onions in a mixing bowl. Peel and dice avocado; add half to rice mixture and half to the bowl with sliced onions.

5. Whisk salsa, orange juice, lime juice, cilantro, oil and cumin in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss 3 tablespoons of the salsa mixture with sliced onions and avocado. Toss the rest with rice mixture.

6. Spoon rice mixture onto a serving dish and top with onion-avocado mixture. Serve with chips, if desired.

Tips

To oil the grill rack: Oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) When grilling delicate foods like tofu and fish, it is helpful to spray the food with cooking spray.

To remove corn kernels from the cob: Stand an uncooked ear of corn on its stem end in a shallow bowl and slice the kernels off with a sharp, thin-bladed knife. This technique produces whole kernels that are good for adding to salads and salsas. If you want to use the corn kernels for soups, fritters or puddings, you can add another step to the process. After cutting the kernels off, reverse the knife and, using the dull side, press it down the length of the ear to push out the rest of the corn and its milk.