Cucumber Black Bean Salad

This is another refreshing salad for a summery day. And a great way to make a dent in the bag of 15 cucumbers you got for 99 cents.

Ingredients:
3 small/medium cucumbers
1 package cherry tomatoes
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 medium onion
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lime
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
Pepper

Dice the cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. Drain the corn and beans and mix with the vegetables. Squeeze all the juice from the lime onto the mixture and add olive oil, garlic salt, and pepper to taste.

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Mango Salsa

Refreshing mango salsa perfect for a summer afternoon!

Ingredients:
1 large ripe mango
1/2 lime
1/4 large cucumber
1/4 red onion
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Peel and dice the mango and put into a small bowl. Dice the cucumber and onion and add to the mango along with the cilantro. Squeeze the juice of the lime on top and toss the salsa all together. Serve immediately!

Summer Chickpea Quinoa

There’s nothing better than fresh produce from a farmer’s market – food tastes better knowing you’re supporting local, sustainable farming. For this recipe I used half quinoa and half brown rice, but you could use all of just one of those.

Ingredients:
1 c. cooked quinoa
1 c. cooked brown rice
1 tsp. rosemary
1 can chickpeas (drained)
1 medium zucchini
1/2 head of cauliflower
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Combine quinoa and rice after it is cooked. Dice cauliflower and zucchini and stir into quinoa/rice mix along with chickpeas. Add all spices and stir well, then add more spices to taste.

Asian Rice with Vegetables

We used some vegetables that we had left over in the fridge but this dish would really go well with a variety of other sorts. Also, the cauliflower was roasted in the oven to make it crispy and brown.

1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 teaspoon peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms, cooked
1/4 cup broccoli, cooked
1/4 cup cauliflower, cooked
handful of cashews

Mix together the rice soy sauce and peanut butter in a bowl until well combined. Add in the mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower and cashews and toss together. Serve warm or cold.

Raspberry S’mores Bars

This is the next best thing to making s’mores on a firepit in the summer!

1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons water, maybe more
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup frozen raspberries
1/3 cup large marshmallows, sliced in half
1/3 cup chocolate chips, or chopped dark chocolate

Combine graham cracker crumbs, flour, oats and butter in a bowl. Mix together and add in water. If the mixture is too powdery and cannot hold together, add more water in tablespoon increments. Pour the mixture into a parchment paper lined loaf pan and press into the bottom. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate over the crust so that it starts to melt. After 2-3 minutes place the frozen raspberries over the chocolate and bake at 350 for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the sliced marshmallows over the top. Broil in the oven for 2-3 minutes or until the top of the marshmallows are golden brown.