Black Bean and Corn Salad

2  15 ounce, cans    black beans, drained and rinsed
2  cans    crisp canned corn, drained or 3 ½ cups frozen corn, cooked and chilled
1/3  cup    chopped red onions
¼  cup    chopped fresh cilantro
3  Tbsp.    fresh lime juice
2   tsp.    olive oil
½  tsp.    salt
½  tsp.    ground cumin
1/8th tsp.    ground red pepper, optional
¼  jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped, optional
1  Avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped, optional
2  grilled, boneless chicken breasts, sliced in ½ inch strips, optional
4    leafs    Romaine lettuce, optional

Mix lime juice, olive oil, salt, cumin and red pepper, if using, in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Put all ingredients except chicken strips, lettuce leafs and avocado in a medium bowl.  Add the first mixture.  Gently stir until everything is coated with the first mixture.  Chill at least two hours or overnight.  Add avocado just before serving.  Place a lettuce leaf on a plate, place ¾ cup salad on the lettuce leaf and lay ½ of one chicken breast across the top of the salad.  Repeat with the rest of the lettuce, salad and chicken.

You can make this as hot as you want by adding more red pepper or chopped jalapeno pepper or mild by not using any red pepper or jalapeno pepper.  The salad is yummy either way.

By adding the chicken this salad becomes a main dish.