Black bean peach salad and tabbouleh

Tonight's dinner was a bit eclectic - based largely on what I had in the fridge and what I felt like making, these two salads went together better than I expected.  The black bean salad has a bit of spice which is nicely balanced by the sweetness of the peaches.  In a continuation of my what-to-do-with-all-these-cucumbers situation, the tabbouleh served well to use up several cukes, the tomatoes I had on hand (one from the garden, one from the market), and some leftover bulgur.   I served the salads with a side of honeydew melon which was also delicious!  Also in the photo above you can see the placemats which I made a few years ago with some Amy Butler fabric, without even thinking about the fact that it would perfectly match my orange (spodumene glaze) plates.

Black Bean and Peach Salad

• 4-6 cups cooked black beans (2-3 cans), rinsed
• 2 fresh peaches, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 -1 cup chopped peppers (1-2 large peppers or multiple small)
• 3-4 scallions, chopped (or red onion would be good too)
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon crumbled aleppo peppers (or crushed red pepper generally if you don't have aleppos)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve.

Garden Tabbouleh

• 1 cup uncooked bulgur wheat
• 1-2 cups chopped cucumber
• 1-2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 - 1 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• salt to taste (I salted generously)

Put bulgur in a heatproof bowl and cook by pouring boiling water to cover by 1", then cover and let sit for 15-20 minutes.  Drain if necessary then combine with remaining ingredients in a bowl.