Mango & Blueberry Fruit Salad

My nephew and his boyfriend brought us some delicious mangoes from their trip to Key West, a gift for taking care of their sweet, sweet dog, Cooper.  After devouring two just on their own, I used another one for this great fruit salad since blueberries are also in season.  This is sort of a non-recipe recipe, so amounts are approximate.  The grated fresh ginger adds a wonderful element to this dish, and worth the trip to the store if you don't have any on hand.  (I keep a knob or two of fresh ginger in the freezer and grate it frozen for occasions like these.)  If you don't have a nephew who brings you gifts of mangoes, then you could use peaches (also in season!).  The best place hands down to get peaches in this area is McConnell's Farm. Check out the link!

Mango & Blueberry Fruit Salad 
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 mango, cut into cubes (scroll down for a mango cutting lesson)
about 1 cup of fresh blueberries

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the lime juice, honey and ginger to blend.  Add the mango cubes and blueberries and toss to distribute the honey/juice mixture.  Can be refrigerated for a few hours--and truth be told, this was still very good the day after it was made. Some chopped fresh mint would also be nice, but the taste of mangoes, blueberry and ginger doesn't need any embellishment.  Makes--oh, about two cups or so of salad--enough, certainly, for four as a side dish.

Mango cutting lesson:
Before I learned how to cut a mango, I wound up mangling a few into a pulp.  Here's how I avoid that now!  Mangoes have a large pit in their center that the fruit meat tends to cling to. The trick to getting around the pit is to lay the mango on a cutting board with the flat side down.  Estimating where the pit is--about a third of the way into the center from the edge or so, slice off one side of the mango, like this:

Do the same with the other side.  Then, using your knife, score the flesh lengthwise and across (see photo below) being a bit careful not to cut entirely through the skin (though it's not a big deal if you do).

Using your thumb and fingers, push on the mango skin to turn it sort of inside out, so that the scored flesh stands up, like this:

You can then easily (well...) slice the cubes off the skin and into a bowl.  Trim the skin off of the fruit that remains around the pit and score and cut into cubes around the pit as best you can. Voila! An un-mangled mango!

Two Avocado Recipes with Honey

Open-faced toasted avocado sandwich with honey and Parmesan

Two for one recipe day!  In the first, an open-faced toasted avocado sandwich with honey and Parmesan cheese, the honey serves as a garnish.  It offers a little bit sweetness to the salty Parmesan.  It couldn't be simpler.  In the second, the avocado is the garnish for a delicious lentil salad. It takes a bit more time to make than the sandwich, but is worth it!

Open-faced Toasted Avocado Sandwich
1 slice of good quality bread
1/2 avocado, cut into slices to fit the bread
1-2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper to taste
Arrange the avocado slices on the bread.  If you have a large avocado, you might use less than one half.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese to cover the avocado and drizzle the honey all over.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top.  Toast in a toaster oven for about a minute (maybe two) until the cheese is nicely browned.  Voila!  Serves one.

French Lentil Salad with Rhubarb & Honey

French Lentil Salad with Rhubarb and Honey
In this recipe, I used black "beluga" lentils.  French (Puy) lentils would also be good.  Both are smaller than brown lentils and hold their shape well for a salad.  Brown lentils will still work.  If you use them, watch them carefully while boiling to be sure they don't get too mushy.  Rhubarb is now ready in the garden and I tossed a few stalks into this salad.  I hope to post some other rhubarb recipes soon.

2 cups lentils
5 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 large onion, cut in 1/4 inch dice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 stalks celery, cut in 1/4 inch dice
3 medium carrots, cut in 1/4 inch coins
3 rhubarb stalks, minced
1 head of garlic (about 4 or 5 cloves), each clove thinly sliced
another pinch of salt
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (if you have it)
1-2 avocados, sliced (for garnish)
salt and pepper to taste

Place the lentils in a large sauce pan, add the water and bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat.  Once the water starts boiling, turn the heat down a bit to keep a steady simmer going.  Boil the lentils until they are just done--about 15-20 minutes, checking regularly after about 10 minutes.  The lentils should be soft yet firm--no crunchy bite, but still holding together (kind of like "al dente").

While the lentils are boiling, heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute or frying pan over medium high heat and add the onions. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.  As the onions begin to soften, add the celery, carrots and rhubarb, stirring well to coat with oil.  At this point, you might need to turn the heat to medium to keep the vegetables from burning.  When the celery, carrots, and rhubarb begin to soften and give off some juices (about 5 minutes or so), add the garlic and another sprinkling of salt.  Stir to distribute and continue cooking for another five minutes or so until the juices evaporate, the vegetables are tender (but still a bit crisp).  Remove from heat and set aside.

Make the dressing:  Combine the vinegar and honey. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to emulsify.

When the lentils are done, drain them well and place in a large bowl.  Add the cooked vegetables and toss.  Pour the dressing over all, gently tossing to distribute it well.  Taste the salad to see if it needs more salt and add if needed along with about 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper.  If serving right away, sprinkle parsley on top--but hold off if you're waiting for the lentils to cool to room temperature (or to be chilled in the fridge).

To serve, cut an avocado into thin slices.  Place one serving of the salad in a bowl and garnish with avocado slices.  Sprinkle a little more salt and pepper on top.  

Can be served hot, room temperature, or chilled.  Makes about 8 servings.
 

Avocado and Citrus Salad

Late winter is a great time for citrus fruits.  Though California avocados aren't in season, because of the Mexican avocado crops, it's usually pretty easy to find good avocados.  The orange and red grapefruit in this salad provide just enough acidity to keep the avocado from turning brown too quickly, but this is still a salad that you want to eat as soon as you make it.  It's be great on its own, but was nice on a bed of baby spinach.  This made enough for two generous dinner servings.  If this is part of a larger meal, it would serve four and is easily doubled.  It'd make a refreshing salad for Easter!

Avocado and Citrus Salad
1 navel orange "supremed" (see directions below)
1 red grapefruit, also supremed
juice from supreming the fruit
1 tablespoon honey
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 thin slice of red onion, chopped
1 avocado
2 cups baby spinach, washed and dried

Supreming citrus fruit:  Slice the ends off of the fruit and stand it on one cut end.  Slice the skin off the fruit, taking care to cut all of the bitter pith off but leave as much of the fruit as you can.  Hold the peeled fruit in one hand and, over a small bowl or measuring to catch the juices, slice on either side of each segment to free the fruit.  Place the segments on a cutting board.  When all of the segments have been removed, squeeze the remaining membranes over the small bowl to extract as much juice as you can for the dressing.  Cut the segments into about 1-inch pieces and place in a salad bowl.   Stir the honey into the juice, blending well.  With a whisk, slowly add the olive oil to emulsify. Whisk in a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside.  Cut the avocado in half length-wise and open. Remove the pitt and peel each side.  Cut into about 1-inch chunks. Add the avocado and diced onion to the citrus fruit and toss. Pour the dressing on top and toss again.  Taste and add salt and pepper if needed and/or some more olive oil.  Place one cup of spinach on a salad plate or bowl and top with half of the fruit/avocado.  Enjoy!

Festive Red Cabbage Salad

If you're starting to think about a resolution for healthy eating in 2016, then this salad might be a delicious way to begin the new year.  The recipe, from the BBC Good Food website, combines  red cabbage, beets, apples and oranges with a honey-sweetened dressing, and toasted walnuts for crunch and flavor.  It can be made ahead, though the cabbage will wilt a bit if it sits in the fridge for a few days.  We took this to our Christmas Eve celebration with family and our nephew asked us to leave the leftovers for him.  Can't think of a better endorsement!

Festive Red Cabbage Salad
1/2 small red cabbage, finely shredded
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 tart apples, cored and diced
4-5 small cooked beets, diced
1 large orange 
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons red currant jelly (or other tart jelly)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Toss the cabbage, onion, apples and beets in a large bowl.  Finely grate the zest of the orange over the veggies in the bowl.  Cut the rest of the pith off the orange.  Holding the orange over a smaller bowl to catch the juice (to use in the dressing) cut the orange segments from their membranes, chop them into two or three pieces, and add them to the bowl with the veggies. Squeeze the remaining orange membranes over the smaller bowl to get every bit of juice that you can. Add the vinegar, jelly and honey to the  bowl with the orange juice and whisk until well blended.  Continuing to whisk, dribble the olive oil into the dressing until well emulsified. Pour over the salad, add salt and pepper and toss well.  Check seasoning.   If you're serving right away, then sprinkle the walnuts on top.  If not, then hold off on adding the walnuts until you're ready to serve.  Happy New Year!

Wonderful and Unique Celery Salad-Perfect for Lunch!

About a month ago, we completely ran out of celery, that eternal staple of the American vegetable bin. For the next few weeks, I bought celery every time I was in a store, which is why we wound up with three big celery bunches of celery in the bin. What can I say? I must have unconsciously vowed to never be without celery again!  Our celery boom sent me searching for celery-rich recipes and I'm glad I found this one at Bon Appetit, which uses other staples we often have like almonds and dates. It's a perfect salad to take to work for lunch:  it has a bit of protein from the almonds and Parmesan cheese, a bright flavor and it won't stink up the office (or office kitchen).  The original recipe did not call for honey.  I think the additional honey softens the lemon juice and adds oomph.

Unique Celery Salad
8 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal.
1/2 cup roasted unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped
6 dates, coarsely chopped  
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt 
freshly ground pepper
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
3-4 shavings of Parmesan cheese per serving

Toss the sliced celery, almonds and dates in a bowl.  In a small jar with tight fitting lid, shake lemon juice, honey and olive oil together until well combined.  Pour on top of salad and toss to coat evenly.  Sprinkle on salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and toss again.  Taste and correct seasoning.  Put a few shavings of Parmesan on each serving.  Makes about 4 lunch servings.
 

Homely Celeriac Becomes Beauitful Co-Star in Beet Salad

Trimmed but not yet pared celeriac from the garden

Robert grew a patch of celeriac (also called celery-root) in the garden this year.  A 2006 NPR story by vegetable expert Jack Staub calls celeriac "the unsung frog prince of winter vegetables." It is not a pretty root--but it can be a delicious addition to fall and winter fare and it is remarkably versatile. Staub describes its flavor as a cross between celery and parsley, which is apt.  Celeriac can be boiled or roasted--essentially treated like you would any root vegetable.  But unlike most root vegetables and winter squash (potatoes, turnips, parsnips, etc.) it's also great raw, which is how I used it in this salad with another root crop: beets. 

The original recipe comes from a 2004 Gourmet Magazine article, available at Epicurious. Some reviewers of the recipe claim this salad made beet lovers out of beet haters.  A few reviewers also complain that the recipe is a lot of work. The beets are roasted for about an hour and there is a fair amount of chopping involved.  The result of that effort, though, is a unique and tasty salad that's also good for you!  Since we have a bunch of celeriac still growing in the garden, I'll be looking for more ways to use it as fall unfolds. Stay tuned!

To save time, you may be tempted to skip roasting fresh beets and instead use canned.  I think that would result in a just fine salad, but the roasting takes the flavor to another level.  You might also be tempted not to cut the vegetables into matchsticks, opting for a rougher, if quicker, chop of some kind.  That might also work, but I think the time spent on cutting into matchsticks makes these two root vegetables great co-stars and is worth the few minutes it takes.  A sharp knife (thanks, Robert!) is very helpful for this recipe!

I, of course, added honey to the dressing--and humbly suggest that the honey should earn a best supporting ingredient award. Scroll past the salad photo for the recipe!

Raw celeriac turns a lovely pink when paired with roasted beets in this salad.

Celeriac & Beet Salad
4 medium beets, top greens trimmed off and beets well-washed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound celeriac, trimmed and peeled 
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley 
Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place beets on a piece of foil large enough to enclose beets entirely.  Drizzle the 1 tablespoon of olive oil over beets, sprinkle with salt and wrap the foil around the beets.  Place package in a pan in case the packet leaks and roast the beets for about an hour--or until they're completely tender.  Remove the beets from the oven and let them steam in the package until they're cool enough to handle.

While the beets roast, slice the celeriac into matchsticks about 1/8 inch thick and 1 or 1 1/2 inches long.  You can save time by cutting the celeriac into thin slices, stacking the slices and then making the matchsticks.  Place the cut celeriac and chopped onions into a bowl &  drizzle the honey over them.  Toss with your hands so that the honey coats the matchsticks.  This will prevent the celeriac from browning too much while you wait for the beets to cool. Place the lemon juice, oil, salt & pepper in a jar, secure the lid tightly, and shake the bejeebers out of it to emulsify the dressing. (You could also do this in a small food processor.)  Pour the dressing over the celeriac and toss to coat.  Cover the bowl while you wait for the beets to cool.  When the beets are cool enough to handle, slip the peels off and cut them into matchsticks. Place them in the bowl with the dressed celeriac.  Toss and watch the celeriac turn into a lovely pink color.  If you're serving right away, taste for seasoning (may need more lemon juice or salt or pepper--or honey!) and then sprinkle the parsley on top.  I think this salad benefits from sitting around a day to let the flavors meld.  Can be served cold or at room temperature.

If you want to guild the lily--or make a bigger salad--you could add an apple also sliced into matchsticks.  A tablespoon or so of grated ginger would also be nice.  Other variations could include orange juice instead of lemon juice with a teaspoon or so of grated orange peel to boost the flavor.

This recipe makes 8 servings. 

Deconstructed Spring Roll Salad

I'm a big fan of the fresh spring rolls that you can get at Thai and Vietnamese restaurants. They aren't as hard to make as they look (though mine are not the works of art that the professionals make). I had some left over spring roll ingredients recently and decided to turn them into a salad to pack in my lunch.  I could hardly wait to dig into it!  
Deconstructed Spring Roll Salad 
1/3 package of bean thread noodles (I used Dynasty, comes in a 5.29 oz package), soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes, drained and chopped.
1 whole carrot, grated
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
1/8 cup chopped basil
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup baby spinach (or flat leaf torn in bite-size pieces)
1/8 cup chopped peanuts
Dressing:
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Toss the soaked and chopped bean threads with the grated carrot, cucumber, basil, cilantro and spinach.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.  Taste and correct seasoning.  It may need a bit more soy sauce, a drizzle of honey, some more vinegar.  Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. If you make in the morning by lunch time, the spinach will wilt a bit.  Makes one very generous serving.

You can play around with the ingredients--add some avocado, bean sprouts or chopped zucchini would be nice; lettuce could replace the spinach; sunflower seeds instead of peanuts; tofu or other protein would also be great!

Quinoa "Tabouleh"

This lovely salad is a riff on the Middle Eastern dish, tabouleh, which is traditionally made with bulgur, a cereal made from wheat groats. Instead of bulgur, I used quinoa in this recipe. Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a seed that can be used like rice (or bulgur!).  Quinoa has been gaining in popularity because it is high in protein and quite tasty.  You can find white, black and red quinoa on most grocery store shelves these days.  I used red in this dish.  Looking for more quinoa recipes?  Check out these previous posts: Quinoa Pilaf and Quinoa, Red Pepper and Black Bean Salad.

Quinoa "Tabouleh"
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup fresh flat parsley leaves, chopped
3 celery ribs, 1/4 inch diced
3-4 green onions, 1/4 inch slices (include green parts!)
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (optional, but nice! I used dried cherries. Apricots or mangoes would also be nice)
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup roasted chopped almonds (unsalted)--walnuts, sunflower seeds or cashews would also work.

If it hasn't been pre-rinsed, then place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse with water for a minute or so.  In a sauce pan, combine water and quinoa with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover pan, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until water is absorbed.  You'll know the quinoa is done when the white spiral-like germ of the seed becomes visible. Spoon into a bowl, fluff and let cool to room temperature.  When the quinoa is cool, add the parsley, celery, onions and dried fruit and toss to combine.  In a small bowl or jar, whisk (or shake) the lemon juice, oil, honey, salt & pepper until well-combined.  Pour over the quinoa and toss to combine.  Sprinkle top with nuts (or stir in if you prefer).  Makes about 8 servings as a side dish.

Lentil Salad with Delicious Honey Yogurt Basil Dressing

The dressing in this salad is, as the title proclaims, delicious and could be used for a variety of salads, especially a simple lettuce salad or even in a potato salad in place of mayonnaise.  It is from the July/August issue of Vegetarian Times.  I used it on this lovely lentil salad with cucumbers, red onions and celery.  The salad weeps a bit, so be sure to stir it well before serving.

For the salad:

2 cups cooked lentils

1 cup chopped cucumbers

2-3 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 cup finely diced red onion

Toss in a large bowl.

For the dressing:

1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar (the original recipe calls for rice vinegar)

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

Whirl the dressing ingredients in a small food processor until thoroughly blended and creamy.  (If you don't have a small food processor, then finely chop the basil and place all of the ingredients in a jar with a lid.  Vigorously shake until well blended!)

Pour the dressing over the salad, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate the salad for a few hours to chill.  Stir well before serving and check again for seasoning--add a bit more salt and pepper if needed.  Just before serving, you could also add a handful of sunflower seeds or toasted and chopped walnuts or almonds.

Serves four generously if this is a main dish and easily 6 as a side dish.

Mom's Famous Coleslaw--now with honey! :)

Mom's Famous Coleslaw (Photo courtesy of Dad!)

My gold standard for coleslaw is my mother's recipe--finely shredded cabbage and carrots with a tangy yet slightly sweet mayonnaise dressing.  We request it as a side dish just about every time we get together.  I was getting ready to post another coleslaw recipe to the blog that I made for a recent gathering and wanted to include Mom's, too.  (You really gotta try it!)  That's when I learned that my dear momma doesn't really follow a recipe.  Ah!  But she generously agreed to make a batch and try to track what she does.  This time, instead of adding a pinch of sugar, she added honey--we all thought it was delicious!  Thanks Ma!

I'm including here the other coleslaw recipe I made at the gathering to go with hamburgers and veggie burgers.  The cabbage is thinly sliced rather than shredded and the recipe includes some unique ingredients (cucumbers and fresh tomatoes) that set it apart.  If you like your coleslaw crunchy & shredded, rather than finely grated, this should do the trick.  It's a Lucinda Scala Quinn recipe called Tangy Sweet Coleslaw from the August 2008 issue of Martha Stewart Living.  

Mom's Famous Coleslaw--now with Honey!
1/2 small head of cabbage, finely grated
2 carrots, finely grated
a little onion (a tablespoon or two), finely grated
1/4 cup (maybe more) mayonnaise (don't even THINK about using Miracle Whip!)
a capful of cider vinegar (from a quart bottle)
a soup spoon of honey

Combine the grated cabbage, carrots and onions in a bowl. Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar and honey and pour over the vegetables and combine.  Add some more mayonnaise if you think you need it.  4-6 servings (with no leftovers!)

Honeyed Coleslaw
1/2 a large head of cabbage, thinnly sliced
2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 small carrots, grated
2 small (or 1 medium) tomatoes, seeded and cut in a 1/4 dice
1/2 seedless cucumber, cut into 1/4 dice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
coarse salt and pepper to taste
Place the shredded cabbage in a strainer and place over a bowl..  Toss the salt with the cabbage, being sure to even distribute the salt throughout and let the cabbage sit over the bowl for about an hour.  This will soften it a bit and it will reduce a little.  Rinse the cabbage and pat dry with a non-terry cloth kitchen towel.  Place the cabbage, carrots, tomatoes and cucumber in a bowl and toss to mix well.  In a smaller bowl, whisk the yogurt, mayonnaise, honey and vinegar together until well blended.  Pour this over the cabbage and other vegetables.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and chill for at least two hours.  This can be made up to one day in advance (though truth be told, we've been eating the leftovers for a few days!).  When ready to serve, stir well to be sure the dressing is evenly distributed.  Makes 8 generous servings.

Garlicky Chickpea Salad

This is a refreshing summer salad that would make a substantial lunch with some crusty bread on the side or nice addition to a cookout.  It puts all the lovely herbs that are burgeoning in the garden now to good use. You can add just about any vegetable you like--since it's tomato season, some nice fresh cherry tomatoes if you have 'em would be great, as would some crunchy celery, or some kalamata or green olives.  You could also add 1/2 cup or so of crumbled feta cheese.  If you're not so keen on a strong garlic flavor, you could saute the garlic before adding to the dressing, but then you'd have to call the salad something else!

Garlicky Chickpea Salad
1 medium to large garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans--if you're using canned, you could get away with one 14 oz can of chickpeas, but then I'd bump up the veggies a bit)
1/2 red pepper, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2-3 scallions, sliced in 1/4 inch rings
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, minced
4-5 basil leaves, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Using the side of a knife, smash the garlic clove on a cutting board, sprinkle the salt on it and continuing to use the side of the knife, mash the garlic and salt into a pulp.  Add this to a small bowl, or jar with a tight fitting lid or to a small food processor.  Add the vinegar, honey, mayo and oregano and whisk, shake or whirl to thoroughly combine.  Slowly whisk in the olive oil (or shake or whirl) until the dressing is fully emulsified.  Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and pour the dressing over it and stir to coat the beans.  Let the chickpeas marinate in the dressing, stirring a few times, for about 30 minutes.  Add the vegetables and herbs and toss to combine.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  If you like, chill the salad for about an hour before serving, but it can be served at room temperature, too.

Recipes for July 4th! Honeyed Three Bean Salad & Honey Cheese Cake Squares

Honeyed Three Bean Salad

I'm trying to make up for my two-month hiatus as a blogger by posting a few recipes at a time. The first is a take on the classic three bean salad, with a few twists--including using edamame (soy beans) as one of the three beans.  Like its classic cousin, this salad a bit on the sweet side--but it's delicious and refreshing and sure to please at a July 4th cook out.  The poppy seeds make it special.  You could skip the edamame for classic green beans instead.  If you do, don't make the salad too far in advance as the vinegar in the dressing will turn the green beans a dull grey.  The inspiration for this salad came from a recipe in a May/June 2007  issue  of Vegetarian Times.

The second recipe, for Honey Cheese Cake Squares, is one that I pulled from an April 2003 issue of the now defunct Gourmet Magazine.  Recipes from Gourmet are all now available on Epicurious. The honey cheese cake squares were a hit for dessert this weekend when my cousin, his new wife and son were visiting from North Carolina (they're adorable newly weds!). The honey in this recipe really shines through--and a lighter honey I think works best.

Need more recipe ideas for your July 4th cookout or family get together?  Check out a past post for Memorial Day Picnic Recipes (including honey baked beans and grilled skirt steak).

Three Bean Salad

1 10-oz package frozen shelled edamame beans (2 cups) 

1 15-oz can dark kidney beans, drained

1 15-oz can navy beans, drained

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, diced (about 1/4 inch)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

salt and pepper to taste

Cook edamame according to package direction and then immediately put in ice water to cool and stop cooking.  Drain and put in a large bowl along with drained kidney and navy beans.  Add red onion and celery to bowl and toss. In a jar (or food processor), combine the vinegar, honey, mustard, oil and poppy seeds and shake (or process) until well combined.  Pour over beans and toss to evenly distribute.  Taste and season with salt & pepper.  Let the flavors meld for a few hours and up to one day.  Serve cold.  Makes about 8 servings

HONEY CHEESE CAKE SQUARES

Makes about 24 1 1/2 inch squares

For the crust:
6 whole graham crackers, crumbled
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup light (spring or summer) honey

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Pulse the graham crackers, sugar and butter in a food processor.  Press mixture evenly over the bottom of a 8x8 square baking dish and bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove and let cool for about five minutes.

For the filling, blend the cream cheese, egg, milk, zest, lemon juice and honey in the cleaned food processor.  Pour filling over crust and bake in the middle of the oven until the filling is set (and a bit puffed)--about 30 minutes.  Cool and then chill for at least three hours.  When fully chilled, cut into squares--they'll still be a bit rough around the edges, though--just like most of us! :)

Honey Cheese Cake Squares