Jul21

roasted cherry tomato bowls

I don’t know if it’s possible to have too many cherry tomatoes. But if you do, roasting them is the perfect way to eat a whole bunch at a time. They shrivel up into the sweetest, tangiest little bites – which are perfect to toss into simple bowls full of greens and grains.

Around this time last year I posted this slow roasted tomato pasta. This year, I’m cheating the slow roast. Here’s how:

1. Use little tomatoes and it’ll go tons faster.
2. Start roasting them in low heat (like you’re supposed to). Once they begin to dry (and your impatience rises), raise the temp.

At the beginning of the week I like make a big batch of some kind of grain – this time it was chewy wheat berries. Store them in the fridge and they’ll be ready to use for meals like this.

I added spoonfuls of creamy sun cheese (a creamy sauce made out of sunflower seeds – also another a make-ahead item). Some burrata or fresh ricotta would go nicely in here as well.

Jul19

summer / gluten free / Vibrant Food

stuffed peppers w/ green salsa

Back before there were a (seemingly) endless number of food blogs on the internet, there were a few I followed pretty religiously. 101 Cookbooks, Sprouted Kitchen, Seven Spoons, and one of my all time favorites: Kimberly Hasselbrink’s The Year in Food.

I was new to the idea of blogs, but suddenly I spent all my time at the office procrastinating instead of working. What I was going to make that night for dinner became far more important to me that any client project I had on my plate.

I was drawn to these blogs not because I needed to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes – I was enamored with their images and how they made me want to try new foods. Instead of going to the store with a recipe (which never really worked for me anyway), I began going to the market to see what looked good that day. I learned to pick up a new vegetable because it was pretty and figure out what to make with it later. By experimenting this way, my cooking not only became more beautiful, it also became more delicious. (More vibrant, if you will).

So naturally, I was through the moon to meet Kimberley a couple of months ago at the Saveur Awards. “When am I getting your book!” was I think the first ~~question~~ statement I blurted out. Later, when I got home, there it was – Vibrant Food – on my doorstep.

It’s (of course) beautiful and full of so many creative, inspiring, seasonal ideas. Things I would have never thought of: squash blossom tacos, edamame & radish risotto, grilled hallumi with strawberries and mint.

She writes “My hope is that [the book] is equal parts inspiration and accessibility. Even if you can’t find nettles, fresh chickpeas, kumquats, quince or some of the other less common ingredients I’ve grown so fond of, I hope that curiosity will get the better of you. Perhaps you’ll bring a striking vegetable home and mull over it, and then build a colorful dish around that vegetable. That is how I cook.”

I made these little stuffed peppers because they were too cute not to. She topped her peppers with a tomatillo salsa, but I had just come home with these gorgeous green tomatoes so I made a green tomato salsa instead.

Get the book!

Jul17

summer / smoothie / matcha

matcha kale & peach smoothies

Blame it on the heat, but I’ve finally joined the “smoothie for breakfast” club. I’ve always been more of a breakfast taco or avocado-toast-in-the-morning kind of person, but lately I’ve been waking up craving something a little more light and refreshing.

This icy cold matcha kale smoothie really hits the spot. Matcha, (to me) is as good of a pick-me-up as coffee. Plus I was able to sneak some greens in here. The kale taste is almost barely noticeable because, Jack, our resident smoothie-lover is not exactly a green juice guy. At least, not yet.

Creamy bananas and sweet ripe peaches help make this smoothie a little more, well, smooth. In the wintertime, I think I’ll try subbing in ripe pears.

And I almost forgot – ginger. It’s totally optional, but adds a nice (healthy) kick. Grate in a little fresh ginger or splash in some ginger juice.

About matcha: Unlike steeped tea, matcha is made by grinding the entire tea leaf into a fine powder. Because you consume the whole leaf, it has approximately 10x more nutrients than regular green tea. (If you’re interested in more health benefits, click here).

We, of course, love it because it tastes good! If you’ve never had it, this smoothie is an easy way to give it a try. Or have a look at our other Matcha Recipes.

Jul15

summer / salad / vegan

mango & red pepper orzo salad

A few weeks ago we spent some time in Chicago visiting my family. In between some pretty indulgent meals (we finally got to the Girl & the Goat !), I did most of the cooking. At each meal, my mom and my sister would ask: “So is this recipe on the site?”

And, um, well, no. They never are… mostly because I find it liberating to cook in someone else’s kitchen with no camera in sight. There are no notes to be taken, and certainly no recipes to follow. I love digging through the fridge to see what’s there and what ingredients could potentially go together.

This mango & red pepper salad was especially refreshing for the heat wave that happened to be going on. Crunchy cucumbers, red onions, fresh herbs and sweet mango… summer was made for big juicy salads like this.

We served this next to some salmon but it’s plenty filling on it’s own – chickpeas and hearty whole wheat orzo make it a complete meal. This would be especially great for picnics and make-ahead lunches. (It’s one of those that actually tastes better the second day).

I topped this with feta when I made it for my family, but I’ve recreated it here to be vegan. It’s super flavorful from the herbs, spices and tahini… even Jack approved it without the cheese (but feel free to add some if you want to).

So mom, here’s the recipe! Or, a least, a similar version of it…

Jul13

summer / whole foods / giveaway

fancy s’mores

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I ate a lot of s’mores as a kid. It all started at our family’s annual summer vacations to Kentucky Lake. Later, at home, my sister and I would make them regularly in the microwave. Authentic “camp” flavor doesn’t happen in the microwave, but it was fun to watch them rise and (nearly!) explode.

It probably comes as no surprise that hershey bars and jet puffed marshmallows aren’t quite my thing anymore. So, last weekend, Jack and I headed to Whole Foods where we gathered ideas and ingredients to make these fancy pants gourmet s’mores.

Most of our inspiration came from the fancy chocolate aisle. I could lose myself in that section all day… So. many. pretty. packages. Jack waited impatiently while I decided ~~which bars looked prettiest together~~ which flavors would go best together.

Truth be told, we tried to make our own homemade vegan marshmallows. It was a big fail, but these vegan homemade-like ones by Sweet and Sara are awesome. (Find them in the refrigerated section).

To keep things somewhat classic, we used regular (365 brand) graham crackers. We also stocked up on fruit and a jar of Jeni’s Salty Caramel Sauce. (I never said these were going to be healthy s’mores!).

Here are the combos we came up with! They were all delicious but I think our favorite was the one with strawberries & white chocolate (made with the Divine White Chocolate & Strawberries bar, pictured above).

The giveaway is now closed.

Also, be sure to check out Whole Foods website for tons of summer recipes, tips & other fun foodie ideas.