Fava Bean and Brown Rice Salad

 Last week's heat really threw my appetite for a loop. It went from being in the upper 50's to the lowers 90's in a matter of a couple of days. I was still eating hot tomato soup, while the rest of the country seemed to be going through a heat wave. But I loved every minute of it and will continue to enjoy the next three months of it, because that's all we'll get around here until the crisp fall days arrive and I'm back in my sweaters and eating warm comfort foods.

I picked up some fresh fava beans at the market and couldn't wait to grill them up for dinner that night. I think grilling might be my new favorite way to eat them. I was lucky to find some frozen brown rice in my freezer too, which kept me from having to turn on my oven.  After tossing a few ideas in my head on what kind of salad I wanted to make and rummaging through my refrigerator, this salad came out and I really enjoyed it.

I love the creaminess that comes from the fava's, and mixed with just the right amount of celery and sweetness from the cranberries, making this a really unique flavor combination. I served it over lettuce leaves that day because it was so hot and nothing but crunchy, cool lettuce sounded better. If you don't already have cooked brown rice just cook some up, put the salad together and let it cool or chill for a bit before eating.

On a side note, I totally forgot to share with you our wedding invites! We both really loved how they turned out; it was such a labor of love. I'm so excited, our wedding is less than 3 weeks away! Which also means I might be posting a little less often. Now back to the salad.

Fava Bean and Brown Rice Salad
serves 2 as a meal, 4 as a side dish

 for the fava beans
1/2 pound fresh fava beans still in their pods
1 tablespoon olive oil
a couple pinches of salt

for the rice
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
3 tablespoon fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons chopped dried cranberries

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Toss the fava beans, olive oil, and salt in a large bowl. Place the fava beans on the grill a single layer over medium-high heat. Grill for about 5 minutes on one side, or until it begins to blister, then flip over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Once off the grill, let the beans sit in their pods until you can handle them easily, then remove the outer skin. You want them to be cooked so they are soft and creamy, not hard or undercooked.

In a large bowl, toss the brown rice, green onion, celery, parsley, walnuts, cranberries, and grilled fava beans. In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, and cumin. Pour over the rice mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon about a 1/4 cup rice mixture onto a single lettuce leaf and repeat with remaining lettuce. Alternatively, eat alone as a side dish or over chopped lettuce as a salad.

Nectarine Honey Cake

Scott and I just got back in town yesterday, after spending the past few days with family and friends on the eastern side of the state. It felt so good to be away from the computer and work life and be able to enjoy each others company; and honestly all the down time was really great too.

The bbq was fired up most nights and while everyone enjoyed salmon burgers and chicken sausages, I chowed down on the first of summers corn on the cob, pastas, fruit salad, a wonderful rice dish, that I will hopefully share with you soon, and topped it off with chocolate cake. Life is so easy and carefree in the summer time around here; I always wish it would never end.

Even though I ate so plentifully, I hardly cooked a thing the entire time; so I couldn't wait to get back in the kitchen. I made plans to see a couple girlfriends that were in town to have a picnic in the park and we couldn't have asked for better weather. We snacked on the freshest summer berries and fruit, sandwiches, and dived into this simple nectarine honey cake with a whole lot of enthusiasm.

I love when a dessert comes together so quickly and easily, with fantastic results. The fruit is thrown on top and as it bakes, sinks down into the batter, slowly softening and sweetening the cake with tender nectarine flavor. The cake itself is moist, with a nice crumb and has a slight crunch from the browned sugar on top. I love how the flavor of the whole wheat combined with the honey really play off each other and then a burst of sweet, fresh, nectarine tops it off. I could eat this cake all summer long.

You can replace the nectarines with peaches or most likely any stone fruit I would think. If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour on hand you can replace it with all-purpose, but it will lose its sweet wheat flavor that I love so much. We enjoyed this cake still slightly warm from the oven and I think it's best eaten the same day, but I am definitely not one to turn a cake like this down for breakfast the next day.

Nectarine Honey Cake

Adapted from Gourmet

serves 8

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup raw honey

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract

2 nectarines, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 tablespoon demerara sugar

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly butter a 9' springform pan or 9" tart pan with removable bottom.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl beat the butter and honey until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the extracts. Add in the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Spread the batter in the pan evenly, than scatter the nectarines over the top. Stir together the demerara sugar and nutmeg and sprinkle over the top.

Bake until the cake is golden brown and the top is firm but tender when lightly touched, about 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool to room temperature.