Roasted Chicken with Corn and Bean Salad

One of my favorite "games" to play in the kitchen is raiding the cupboards and finding all the things that need to be used up before a big cleaning day or a move. Weston will be moving out of his current apartment in a few weeks and so he asked me to see what I could make with the stuff in the cabinets. Since I didn't have access to a car, this challenge was especially difficult because I couldn't go to the store for supplementary ingredients. I am proud to say this did not deter me from making an amazing dinner (and lunch for the next couple of days).

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 can corn, rinsed and drained - or 3 ears fresh corn (grilled corn for extra flavor)

1 can chopped tomatoes, drained

1 1/2 cups chopped red cabbage

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper

3 Tbs Dijon mustard

2 Tbs rice wine vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup fresh onion, chopped

(if I'd been able to go to the store, I'd add 1 cup torn basil leaves)

I know this is primarily a canned salad and the thought of that is kind of... not too exciting to some people. But it's a good way to get rid of things you might have on hand - and the flavors are surprisingly perky. Also, note that I did incorporate some very fresh ingredients like onion, vinegar, and cabbage. If you add basil, that's another POP flavor, too.

Make a vinaigrette with the oil, vinegar, spices, and mustard. Mix together the beans, corn, tomatoes, and cabbage. Then toss with the vinaigrette and finally add the torn basil leaves.

Serve chilled.

Accompany this dish with roasted chicken. We buy Amish chicken on sale and freeze it for a rainy day. Pick of the Chick is a butchered, whole chicken and I like it because you get a nice variety of dark and white meat. The white meat I cube and throw into the salad, while the dark, I serve alongside. Just defrost the chicken, trim off the fat, and spoon over some olive oil, salt and pepper, and my secret ingredient: sage. Bake at 350 until the juices run clear - about 35 minutes. By slow roasting, the chicken stays moist and the outside gets nice and crispy :)