SHORELINES

BALSAMIC CUCUMBER AND TOMATO SALAD INGREDIENTS 3 cucumbers 3 tomatoes ½ small red onion ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon garlic 5 leaves fresh basil (finely diced) Salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon olive oil Juice of ¼ lemon PREPARATION 1. Dice cucumbers, tomatoes and onion and place in medium-size bowl. 2. Add remaining ingredients and gently toss until vegetables are well-coated. For best results, make the day before to let the flavors develop. 3. Pin eapple an d Ed am am e Salad Serves 8 INGREDIENTS 1 red bell pepper (diced) 1 green bell pepper (diced) ½ large pineapple (diced) ½ small red onion (small dice) 1 mango (diced) 1 8-ounce bag organic frozen edamame (shelled) 1 15-ounce can of black beans drained and rinsed 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro ¼ teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon olive oil ½ jalapeno finely diced (optional) Juice of ½ lime Salt to taste PREPARATION 1. Cook edamame according to package directions. Cool with an ice bath and set aside. 2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, then gently mix. For best results, make a day ahead to let flavors develop. 4. Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies Makes 2 dozen cookies INGREDIENTS 1 cup butter (salted) 1⅔ cups organic sugar 2 egg whites 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 10-ounce bag semisweet or dark chocolate chips (frozen) 1 cup walnut halves or pieces 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt PREPARATION 1. Preheat oven to 350. 2. Mix butter (slightly melted) and sugar until barely incorporated. Add egg whites and vanilla and gently mix. Add frozen chocolate chips and walnuts, gently mixing by hand or with mixer on low speed. 3. Add rest of ingredients and mix just until blended. 4. Drop by spoon onto ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 7 minutes. Cool on cooling racks. Becom ing a Waterm elon Lover By Dan Guffey ere was a time when I wasn't a watermelon fan. As a kid, I had tried them. But as is usual for kids, the one time I had one that wasn't ripe ruined me, and I wasn't reformed until I was in my 30s. But all it took was one taste of a perfectly ripened, ice-cold Sugar Baby watermelon and my transformation into a watermelon lover was complete. e deliciousness I had missed out on for all those years made me wonder: How do you pick the "perfect" watermelon? I am a firm believer in "It never hurts to ask," so I asked the foremost authority on watermelon ripeness available – an old farmer at the local farmer's market. He gave me a few simple things to look for: • e "belly," the part that lays on the ground when it is growing, should be yellow. e more yellow, the better the flavor. • e more webbing – the thick brown marking that spreads out across the melon and looks like spiderwebs – the better. is is a direct result of bees pollinating the watermelon in its early development. More webbing equals more pollination, making a sweeter fruit. • Black spots, which the webbing sometimes has in it, are concentrated sugar seeping out of the fruit. Yum! • Sound, which is a bit of a mystery to me. Maybe I'm watermelon tone deaf, but the theory goes that the higher-pitched the sound when thumped, the more dense and field-ripened the watermelon is – like the way a glass changes tone, depending on how full it is, when thumped. • Weight – the watermelon should seem heavy for its size. Armed with this information, I have enjoyed watermelon season, or as some call it – summer – ever since. Illustration By: Jin Kim 9 www.apcshorelines.com

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