Summer Salad You Won't Forget

Have you ever received a phone call where the person on the other end barely let you get out a "hello" before they started talking? Well, that's what happened to me two weeks ago. "All the cousins are getting together," my sister said, "and we're coming to your house. We're having a potluck and the theme is picnic. We'll be there by one in the afternoon. See ya"

Truthfully, the call wasn't quite that terse, but almost.

"We're coming to your house for potluck"

I hadn't seen my two sisters for many months because of health problems in their families and the cousin who is like a brother to me had nearly disappeared off my radar--even though he only lives about two hours away. All told, I was happy we who were related as well as the spouses would all be together again, even if for only half a day.

Picnic spread across the table. Yumm.

While my family supports my being vegan, I've always asked them not to take that into consideration when planning meals. So I set my mind to thinking about what kind of dish I'd prepare that I'd like and they would too. I finally decided on a bean salad unlike any other I've ever eaten. It's a recipe I received decades ago from a neighbor, yet I seldom make it because it makes so much I could just about feed an army. Then again, I figured the small army coming to my home might like it, so I dug my old, beat up recipe box out of the cupboard and began scrounging for the recipe. (I really should get these files in order.)

Family potluck--always a fun time.

The salad was a huge hit. Two of the relatives even asked for the recipe. I fully intended to email it to them when I thought to myself: maybe my vegan blog pals would like it too. So it is that I wish to share with you one of the best summer salads I've ever eaten. It's even safe to take on a picnic. And to leave out of the cooler. It's right up there on the top of the summer safe picnic scale. Even more, it's doggone good. I hope you like it as much as all the others I've ever served it to.

MARINATED BEAN SALAD

1 16 oz. can kidney beans

1 16 oz. can cut green beans

1 16 oz. can garbanzo beans

1 16 oz. can black-eyed peas

Dump all beans into a sieve or colander and rinse well with cold water. Allow them to drain well before putting them into a large bowl.

Add:

2 1/2 cups chopped celery

1 c. finely minced parsley

1 whole bunch of green onions, sliced, both white and green parts

1 small jar of stuffed green olives

1 small can of sliced black olives

Make the marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 Tbs. brown sugar

1 garlic clove, mashed

Mix thoroughly and pour over the beans, vegetables, herbs, and olives.

Refrigerate for at least two days to allow the spices to infuse the bean mixture and everytime you pass the frig, give the beans a good stir to redistribute them from the top to the bottom so everything eventually gets coated with the marinade. This is not a make it and eat it dish.

Serves a small Army (about 12)

All that was left in the bottom of my 2 1/2 quart bowl was
this little bit and I had to diligently scrape it all
together so you could see the ingredients. If I'd been
wise, I'd have taken its photo before we ate.

Tempura

Gluten free vegan - there's a challenge. If the recipe calls for wheat flour, it doesn't get a second look from me. But in the fine print of all the tempura recipes I read, it says, don't stir this batter too long or you will activate the gluten in the flour and the batter will be too sticky. That means that here is a recipe that lends itself to gluten free flours. Yahoo.

I love the crunch and versatility of tempura. It's a technique that uniquely modifies a vegetable. Tempura provides texture and a certain mystic to a meal. It's just plain fun to eat tempura. Even a wary child will be intrigued.

Warning: Deep frying requires your full attention. Hot oil and a batter are a spitting, popping combination. Be careful and mindful. Keep the small children out of the kitchen. If you are dipping vegetables like bell peppers, that have a skin on them, score the skin before you batter or it may blister and explode in the hot oil. Wear an apron. Safety goggles aren't out of the question. But a helmet is going a little too far.

Tempura (mushrooms, spinach and sweet potato) and rice

Tempura 
 (deep fried vegetables)
1 cup flour (for gluten free, use brown rice flour or chickpea flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
and very important
1 cup ICE cold water


Vegetables
(such as: sweet potato, mushrooms, spinach, kale, eggplant, carrot, green beans, potato, okra, pumpkin, snow peas)
Peanut oil 
(traditionally sesame oil is used, you can also use canola or vegetable oil)

Prepare the vegetables. Wash and cut into bite size pieces. Dry. 

Heat the oil. It is ready when batter dropped into the oil turns golden brown. (325 - 350 degrees F)

Mix the batter last so you are working with cold batter. 

When oil is hot, dip the vegetables into the batter to coat lightly, then carefully put into the hot oil to fry. They will be ready in 2-3 minutes.Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and rain on paper towel. 

Serve hot with a soy or plum dipping sauce, or just give your vegetables a splash of lemon. 

Serve with a green salad and a bowl of steaming hot rice. 

Fond Memories at the Market

 

According to the USDA, the number of farmer's markets in the United States rose from 1,755 in 1994 to over 6,131 in 2010.In addition to a renewed interest in eating healthy, locally grown foods and getting great bargains(two dollars for over three pounds of beets at this week's West Fork  Garden Market;beat that big box store!), I can't help but wonder if there are some fond memories coming into play here. Remember those fresh potatoes we used to dig before we got too busy for such things? The lettuce you used to snip for dinner before lettuce came cut and prewashed in plastic bags? The green beans that Grandma cooked, that had a snap when you bit into them? I say I wonder because I am not a psychiatrist; certainly not an expert. But when I go each week to the local farmer's markets, fond memories come flooding back to me.

My grandmother(we called her Nanny) was a character by any one's definition. Standing at four feet ten inches tall and presiding over a very large family,she knew how to cook. She loved to fish and she liked to drink. Some would say she drank too much . I suspect she thought she just drank her fair share. She lived to almost one hundred and in later years she cut back to a six pack of beer a day. She obviously had a strong constitution because although sometimes she had a bit of a glow about her, you never thought she was tipsy.

Well into her seventies when I was a teen, she was still crazy about fishing. Donning a pair of waders with a spinning rod in hand, she would spend days in a raging river in search of trout. I was the only kid I knew who had their parents permission to skip school to go fishing with their grandmother. We would go home at the end of the day and she would cook our catch along with whatever was fresh from her garden.

These are a few of my fond memories. My grandmother is gone now as I am sure some of your loved ones are.I hope that summer dishes and your trips to the local farmer's markets bring back some fond memories to you as well!

As follows is my grandmother's recipe for Green Beans and Potatoes. It is not a fancy dish. It's comfort food. You won't find it on the menu of your local gourmet restaurant. But you will find most of the ingredients at this week's farmers markets.

In a large pot, melt half a stick of butter. Add 1/4 tsp. of baking soda and let it foam.

Add about 4 lbs. of  new potatoes and 1 lb. of fresh  picked green or yellow beans.

Cover with water and cook until tender. Add one can of evaporated milk and warm  through.

(Vegan version-Substitute vegan margarine for butter and soy milk for the evaporated milk)

John Ford lives in Winslow, Arkansas. He has pretty much given up hope for a productive garden this year and will be shopping at the local farmer's markets regularly.