Secret Recipe Club: Corn and Black Bean Pasta Salad

It's Secret Recipe Club time again!  And I found another amazing recipe, this time from Amy, the Fearless Homemaker!  Amy's blog is super cute with tons of great recipes, entertaining ideas, and crafts, plus cool stories, like how Amy and her husband pulled off a beautiful surprise wedding!  Again, I had a hard time narrowing it down to just one recipe, but in the end, I chose to make this delicious Corn and Black Bean Pasta Salad.  The pasta salad was a great choice. Every bite was bursting with flavor.  Both N and I went back for seconds, and I practically shoveled this pasta salad into my mouth.  Despite my longstanding hatred of anything cilantro, I didn't mind the cilantro oil dressing on the salad.  As Amy mentioned in her post, the cilantro is very subtle in this salad.  So even if you don't like cilantro, have no fear and give this salad a try!  This recipe will definitely be on my menu this summer, it would be great to take to a BBQ, and using fresh summer corn and tomatoes will put this over the top!  Thanks to Amy for sharing the recipe!

Corn and Black Bean Pasta Salad
From the Fearless Homemaker (originally adapted from Bran Appetit)

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
3/4 lb. pasta (I used Fusilli)
Kernels from 3 ears of corn (or 1 small can of summer corn)
2 jalapenos, seeds removed and pepper diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 large tomatoes, diced
Juice from 1 lime
1/3 cup Feta cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a small bowl, stir the minced cilantro into the 1/2 cup olive oil + let this sit until ready to serve.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced jalapenos and cook 3-4 minutes until softened. Toss the corn kernels into the pan with the peppers + cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn starts to brown. Add the black beans and heat a few minutes longer, until heated through.

In a large bowl, toss the pasta, corn, jalapenos, black beans and cilantro oil together. Add in the diced tomatoes, lime juice, and feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm, chilled, or at room temperature, depending on your preference.