Cumin: Black Bean and Papaya Salad

The starter for this meal was really inspired by my trip to the grocery store... this morning. I had so many plans for so many BRAND NEW recipes (to me), but there was an ingredient in every single one that I couldn't find. On top of that, I'm in the midst of my semester report cards (by in the midst I mean I haven't started and I have to finish them by Monday), and really just needed something easy. I had black beans soaking at home with other plans and in my discouragement thought maybe I would go with a Cuban-style black bean soup... when I saw the papaya. 

It looked so pretty up there on the shelf, pre-halved showing off it's pretty salmon-colored insides and cute little round seeds.

They can kind of blend in, those papayas, and if you're not careful, you'll miss them!

I knew I was going to have to wing it with this one, but knew I wanted to at least toast the cumin and grind it myself. I had bought ground, but I don't know, it sounded fun. 

This is usually how Aunt Laura and I begin our meals at the lake, anyway, so I wasn't too nervous. We usually have some idea to start with and then have to just use what we have. Once we even created some excellent fish tacos which started as an adventure in making our own mayonnaise (it turned into tartar sauce... you can't win them all). 

So, Lar, this salad really is just another cooperative success - spoiler alert - to add to the list. Thanks for the contribution.

I started by throwing 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds over low heat and waited for the aroma to fill the room. This sounds so magical, when really, cumin smells a bit like armpit if you ask me. You didn't? Oh, sorry. 

 Anyways, I tossed the little fellers around in the pan for about 30-40 seconds until browned, not burned.

Then, I let them cool for a couple minutes before I dumped them in my new pestle and mortar! I didn't even know what this was when I was researching the other day. I would've just called it a spice grinder. This part was so fun! Stressed? Grind some cumin!

Now, I cooked my beans from dried because black beans in a can are CRAZY expensive here. And I eat them by the barrel so it just makes more sense for me. If you used canned, you can probably leave out the salt in this recipe or just add to taste. 

I've probably done something similar to this type of salad 100 times before (usually with tomato, onion, peppers, etc) but the cumin is a first and gives it a warm and nutty taste. Coupled with the papaya (or just as easily mango or peaches I would imagine) and the tanginess of the cilantro, it really is a bold and exciting way to kick off a meal. Or pair with couscous or rice or quinoa and call it a meal. Or add jalepeños and cheese and make a quesadilla from the leftovers, like I plan to do tomorrow...

Let me know what you think! 

Black Bean and Papaya Salad

Serves 4

2 cups of black beans, cooked and drained

1 cup of chopped papaya, peeled and seeded

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp honey

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 lemon's worth of fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp of cumin seeds, toasted and ground

Mix all ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to allow flavors to blend. Serve chilled. 

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