As a kid we grew up in California and went to the beach every summer for 2 weeks. Those were my favorite two weeks. The rest of the time we swam in our backyard pool. When I was 10 we moved to Connecticut and our family continued to beach it at the Jersey shore or Cape Cod. When we weren't at the beach we swam on the swim team at our club. The evenings consisted of "kick the can" or "touch football" in the streets with our neighborhood friends.
This past week I had the opportunity to revisit my childhood neighborhood and walk the streets I used to play in decades ago. My favorite place was the reservoir where I could be found riding my bike for hours on end along the paths through the woods. It was my sanctuary.
I really have no childhood memories of summer foods. Remember, my mother hated to cook. What I can recall is the smell of the charcoal as my dad cooked up steaks and burgers on Sunday evenings. I also remember the Good Humor man who would ring his bell and we would drop everything, race home for a quarter and jump on our bikes and find him before his truck took him to a different hood. My favorite was toasted coconut over vanilla ice cream on a stick. Ah, sitting on the curb enjoying each mouthful was heavenly!
Memorial weekend marks the start of summer with the halfway point the 4th of July, and ends with Labor Day weekend. There are sure to be family reunions, baseball picnics and summer parties. I have included the summer salad recipes that have been my go-to for the pot lucks that abound this time of year. I always bring my bowl home empty. Bon appetite!
Black Bean and Quinoa Salad
5 TBL olive oil
1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 cup Veggie broth
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 TBL lime or lemon juice
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 cup cooked black beans
1 cup whole kernel corn
1 large tomato, diced
1 red sweet pepper, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
3 TBL cilantro, chopped
2 TBL fresh parsley, chopped
In large saucepan heat 1 TBL oil over medium heat. Add quinoa & stir till toasted & aromatic, approx. 5 minutes. Stir in broth, cumin & salt. Reduce heat to low & simmer, covered until all liquid is absorbed, approximately 15 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand 15 minutes.
In medium bowl whisk 4 TBL olive oil, lime juice & pepper. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Serve on bed of greens at room temperature.
Eat For Life Hummus
2 -3 cloves of fresh garlic
4 cups cooked garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ fresh squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup water (reserved from cooking the beans)
1 tsp cumin
¼ cup tahini
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| One my favorite brands of tahini! |
1 tsp your favorite dried herb or 1 Tbl fresh (oregano, basil, rosemary)
In food processor chop the garlic with steel blade till stick to sides.
Stop machine and scrape minced garlic back to center and add beans and cumin.
Process to a course puree, then stop machine and scrape the sides again.
Mix the oil and lemon juice in a separate bowl.
Slowly add the liquid mixture to the beans as machine is running.
Add any fresh or dried herbs you prefer.
Add tahini and process until the hummus is smooth.
If mixture is too thick, thin with reserved water or plain water.
Serve with cucumber slices, baby carrots, celery, and sweet peppers.
Hummus will keep 3-4 days in fridge. It is great also spread on whole grain wraps with fresh veggies.
