Dilly White Bean Salad

The garden is planted and so far thriving. I was worried about planting so late (after Memorial Day) but our recent tropical-like weather has really given the garden a boost; especially things we’ve started from seed like eggplant, squash, and okra. 

We are of course doing our favorites - tomatoes (8 plants this year), zucchini (just one plant), honey nut squash, acorn squash, and this year we are trying patty pan squash. We have grown patty pan in the past with mixed success, so we’ll see what happens. 

This year we have started more things from seed rather than buying seedlings because I feel like plants do better if they aren’t planted in one location, trucked somewhere, and planted in another location. Also, there is the whole concept of knowing for sure your plants have not been treated with chemicals. 

One advantage of later planting is that you can decrease or maybe even eliminate squash bugs. A later planting means the eggs have already been laid and since your plants are non-existent they don’t lay eggs on them. You should, however, check your plants every day to make sure they haven’t found you. And choose varieties that can grow and mature within our shorter growing season.

This week Mother Nature has given us a heat break and I am very grateful. I hate turning on the oven when the temps are near 90 and you can only eat so many veggie burgers, so last week I decided on a cold salad dinner. I made a big green salad with so many veggies and then I decided to try a new recipe that had just the right amount of protein and flavors for a warm Summer night. 

When I first put it together I felt like it was too lemony but then I put it in the fridge to meld the flavors and when we had dinner - it was perfect.

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, minced

Juice of 1 small lemon; about 2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

Black pepper, to taste

2 15-ounce (225 g) can of white beans*, rinsed and drained (about 3 cups cooked)

2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced (or 1/2 a large cucumber)

3–5 radishes, cut into matchsticks

.75 Oz (21g) fresh dill, stems removed and finely chopped

2 green onions, green and white parts thinly sliced

Instructions:

Make the Vinaigrette: add the garlic, lemon juice, oil, mustard, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk well and set aside for 5 minutes while you prep the remaining ingredients; the lemon juice will mellow out the flavor of the raw garlic.

Make the Salad: add the beans, cucumber, radishes, dill, and green onions to a large bowl. Add the dressing to the bowl and then mix well until evenly incorporated. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if necessary.

Serve: Store in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to combine. more. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.