The loneliest place on July 4 must be a restaurant. This is a day for picnics and backyard barbecues.
You might venture out to any of North Orange County’s celebrations galore: from Brea’s Country Fair (City Hall Park from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.), to Fullerton’s Community Fireworks Show and Festival (Fullerton Downtown Plaza from 5 to 9 p.m.), La Habra’s annual Fourth of July Spectacular (La Bonita Park, 4 to 9:30 p.m.) or Yorba Linda’s Fourth of July Spectacular (Veteran’s Park from 5 to 9:30 p.m.). But whether you’re toting a basket or dining at home, you’ll want to create a menu that celebrates the holiday: big and bold with tons of flavor and texture.
If ever a salad was invented for the Fourth of July, it’s Ellen Kanner’s Fireworks Black Bean and Mango Salad from her new cookbook “Miami Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes from the Tropics to Your Table” (LCIX Editions), a perfect accompaniment that vegans and carnivores alike will appreciate. I caught Kanner demonstrating this easy preparation on Zoom, sponsored by Melissa’s Produce (and you can too, search for Kanner on YouTube.)
“I created this recipe a few years ago to bring to my friend’s annual Fourth of July party,” she said.
It seems the hostess needed a last-minute vegan dish for the party spread, “so with little warning, and using what I had in the kitchen, I came up with a winner,” Kanner said.
“Fireworks Black Bean and Mango Salad combines tender, earthy-flavored black beans; sweet, juicy mango; tart lime; sweet and hot peppers; soft, fresh greens; and buttery toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for healthy fats and a fun crunch,” she said. “It’s a no-cook wonder that can sit out on a picnic table for hours without wilting. Oil-free fans, this is your moment. And even if you’re not oil-free, this is your salad. It’s naked – in a sexy way, I hope – but I mean it doesn’t have a real dressing. It doesn’t need it. The cumin, lime juice and mango create the flavor, and the mango also provides the right amount of moisture that holds everything together. These flavors, textures and colors come together like a burst of fireworks. Like America itself.”
Mango is the perfect foil for the explosion of flavors and textures in the dish.
“The mango is the most popular fruit in the world,” noted Robert Schueller, director of public relations for Melissa’s Produce, “although it’s only number 15 or 16 in the U.S. Although available year-round, its peak is late spring through summer.
“Not all mangoes taste the same,” he noted. “And color means nothing. What gives away that a mango is ripe is its smell and softness. If it gives a little, then you know it’s time to cut into it. And never refrigerate mangoes unless they become really soft. I recommend with almost every produce item, except maybe berries, to keep it on your counter until it ripens and is very fragrant. You only put your fruits in the refrigerator if you want them chilled, or if it’s so soft that you don’t want it to go bad on the counter.”
Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.
FIREWORKS BLACK BEAN AND MANGO SALAD
From “Miami Vegan” by Ellen Kanner. The pepitas are optional, but they add fabulous crunch, not to mention good amounts of manganese and magnesium.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
• 1 jalapeño, minced
• 1 red pepper, diced (about 1cup)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained or 4 cups cooked black beans
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
• 2 mangoes, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 3 to 4 cups fresh greens like spinach, arugula or frisee
• 1/4 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for garnish, optional
Method:
1. In a large bowl, gently mix together jalapeño, diced red pepper, and celery. Add the black beans and combine well.
2. Add the cumin and the lime and toss to coat.
3. Just before serving, add the chopped mangoes and chopped cilantro to the black beans. Season to taste. Place black beans and mango atop greens and serve at once, garnishing with toasted pitas, if you like (and you will).