Spotlight on black beans

Black bean, corn and avocado salad

Friends Academy, Locust Valley, N.Y.

This composed salad makes the most of the Friends Academy students’ love of all things avocado. “They’re obsessed with avocados at this school,” says Jodi Resnick-Tirado, senior director of dining services. Along with a protein/fiber punch, the black beans provide a nice visual counterpoint to the bright green of the avocados and cheery yellow of the corn kernels.

Black bean hummus

University of North Texas, Denton

When you’re used to seeing something one way—hummus is normally a pale chickpea color, for example—seeing it in a different color is a fun surprise. That’s true for the charcoal soft-serve ice cream that’s all over Instagram these days, and also for this camera-ready black bean hummus from the veggie-forward foodservice team at UNT. Pass the pita!

Black bean and corn tacos

Delaware North at Miller Park, Milwaukee

Tacos are always a good item to have in the starting lineup. Milwaukee Brewers Executive Chef Seth VanderLaan, who maintains a stadium garden, has developed a recipe that brings the garden into the taco, with sautéed mushrooms for meatiness.