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Summer Cooking Continued

Let’s be honest: Our summer activities are a bit limited. Going to the beach or other public places (that are open) is a little bit tricky, as is travel out of town. Nevertheless, I think people are still able to enjoy the summer. Two weeks ago on a walk I spied several groups of people all properly distanced from each other at Coal Oil Point. This is a first, and suggests to me we’re all taking things a little more seriously than before. Small steps!

Social distancing on the beach.

But even with limited summer activities, there remains one good way to celebrate the season. Fresh produce!!! As I said in my spring rolls post, one of my favorite things about summer here is the arrival of things like berries and tomatoes. It’s a great season to be a jam-maker. My parents and I have also picked up several treats from local farmstands, including peaches and a pound of fresh green beans for me. I love to cook with very fresh, in-season stuff; we’re very lucky here in California to have good produce year-round.

Green beans!!!


I like summer for another reason as well: usually, there’s more time to experiment with new recipes. During the academic year, I tend to rely on recipes I’ve made before and involve less work. Of course, the usual situation is a little different now, with most things being virtual. But I still like to use summer for experimenting with complex new recipes. Especially if those new recipes involve fresh produce that’s in season!
The recipe below is an example that uses some in-season stuff, and was a new one for me. The recipe base is very versatile: you can use any kinds or combination of beans you want. I used chickpeas and black beans, which gave it a nice mix of colors. Likewise, if you can’t find blood oranges, any kind of orange would work and provide a pretty contrast to the green things. I also am a big fan of sprouts (since 2018) and cilantro (since always), so that’s a nice perk of this recipe for me. My only recommendation would be to keep the dressing and salad separate, if you’re planning to eat it over two days. The sprouts get a little soggy otherwise.
I hope you’re all having a fun, safe, and delicious summer!

In the Santa Ynez Valley.

Blood Orange and Mixed Bean Salad: Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 small hot pepper, diced (I used a serrano pepper)
2 cans beans, any type, drained and rinsed
3 blood or navel oranges, sectioned
2-4 celery stalks, very thinly sliced; I like celery, so I used about the same amount as I had 
beans.
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
½ package sprouts (such as alfalfa, radish, or broccoli)
Chopped cilantro leaves to taste

Pretty simple assembly: Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl! I usually like to eyeball dressing ingredients, but with this one, I do recommend using the measurements so that no flavor is too overpowering. If you want to eat it over more than one day, mix the dressing ingredients separately and pour over the salad when serving.

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