Why I love Summer

Summer has never been my favorite time of year until just recently.  I school I really didn't like summer, I was an only child and I've always been easily bored.  Most of the time I would hide in my room with a bag of those big minty pastels that look like Hersey's Kisses and read.  If I was home everyone else was traveling, if I was traveling everyone else was home.  So I was BORED!!!  Now that I'm in college, I love summer.  It's an odd switch, but I'm nothing if not odd.  During the summer my course load goes down to one or two classes instead of four or five, either way I still have a full time job.  Summer is a breath of fresh air, I get to recharge, read what I want to read not the dry accounting books I relegated to during classes and I get to cook.  I love cooking, it relaxes and recharges me.  Cooking is a vent for my creativity, yes accountants are creative and not in the bad Madoff way! ;)  So this summer like all others I've been relaxing and cooking.  I did some experimenting and a few of them turned out well.  I make this bread from Annie's Eats, it uses powdered dry milk which I haven't found a substitute for.  Just this weekend I made homemade lemonade, Vegan Dad's Rhubarb Syrup (which didn't go so well and became Rhubarb Jam), homemade Ciabatta Bread and a new Salad.  The picture has the lemonade, jam and ciabatta.

Vegan Dad's Syrup Jam
Follow the link and get Vegan Dad's recipe.
The only change I made to the ingredients is that I used Raspberry Jam not Strawberry.  I think any berry jam will work with this.  The boo boo I made was while straining the syrup into a new pot I accidentally dropped in about 1 1/2 c of the pulp.  I think this was a happy accident.  This changes the cooking slightly, the jam will not foam, but keep stirring it once it starts to boil and keep stirring until it gets glossy.  Move to a jar and allow to cool.

Veg's Summer Pucker Lemonade
I love sour lemonade so I only used 3/4 cup of sugar.  I prefer brown sugar, I think refined sugar has a harsh taste, you could also use agave syrup.

7 1/2 large lemons
1/2 - 1 1/2 sugar
1 gallon water

Juice the lemons, stir in the sugar and add the water.  Chill and enjoy.

Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa Salad
This is my go to salad, you can use anything really the mainstay's are the black beans and corn.  It's easy and perfect for a quick easy summer salad.

1 can black beans
4 ears grilled corn, cut from the cob
1 c salsa, or canned diced tomatoes
2T cilantro or flat leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1c quinoa
1/2 lemon, grate rind and use the juice
S & P to taste

Cook quinoa per package instruction, I like to use vegetable broth.  Once the quinoa is finished cooking put everything up to the the salt and pepper in a large bowl, mix well.  Add the salt and pepper if you want, but it's not really necessary.  Chill and enjoy.