Vegan

Summer CSA Salad with Red Wine Tomato Vinaigrette

July 22, 2013 by Erica

Summer CSA Salad with Red Wine Tomato Vinaigrette

Meet my perfect simple summer salad.

You two should be friends.

Summer CSA Salad with Red Wine Tomato Vinaigrette

This salad is certainly no culinary breakthrough, but when it comes to summer produce, sometimes simpler is better. And there is about to be a LOT of summer produce up in here, because this past week’s CSA box was packed to the brim:

Summer CSA Salad with Red Wine Tomato Vinaigrette

I have more lettuce than I know what to do with, along with zucchini, beets, carrots, garlic, green garlic, spring onions, green beans, apricots, and the season’s first corn. Foooooood.

I think the boxes are only going to get more stuffed from here on out. Come August and September, I have no idea how we’re going to eat it all!

For now, I think I’ll try to stuff as much of it as possible into a salad.

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Coconut Almond Fudge Crunch Ice Cream (Vegan)

July 19, 2013 by Erica

Coconut Almond Fudge Crunch Ice Cream

Behold my first vegan ice cream!

I should have shown you this ice cream a while ago. It’s a little unforgivable that I haven’t, actually. But you see, some things got in the way.

First, I needed to work on the recipe.

Next I needed a batch that could actually stay in my freezer long enough to be photographed.

Then I needed my friends to try some.

Last, I needed to take some good pictures… you know, before the subject of my photographs disappeared from the bowl.

Coconut Almond Fudge Crunch Ice Cream

It’s actually a wonder that this whole post isn’t just empty bowl pictures like the one above. But, four batches later, despite my best efforts, I am finally showing you this ice cream.

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Copycat Near East Rice Pilaf

July 17, 2013 by Erica

Copycat Near East Rice Pilaf

A pretty piece of salmon deserves a great side dish.

Growing up, we almost always ate Near East rice pilaf with our salmon. It was a staple that I never really appreciated until I went to college. I remember coming home for vacation during my freshman year and eating my mom’s home cooking again (the best part of coming home, even better than showering with no flip flops on!). We were eating salmon, rice pilaf, and probably string beans, and all the sudden I loved rice pilaf. It was pure nostalgia! Funny how I still remember that moment.

Crispy Pan-Seared Salmon with Rhubarb Sauce

Recently I got a craving for Near East again and decided I’d try to recreate it on my own rather than stocking up on the boxes. (They’re expensive!) Some rice, orzo (little rice-shaped pasta), and spices, and I was in business! My favorite part is the yellow color the turmeric lends the rice. I don’t know what I thought turned it yellow before… magic, I guess!

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Fresh Pea Soup with Mint and Herbs

July 10, 2013 by Erica

Fresh Pea Soup with Mint

On Monday, we had green stuff. Today, we have more green stuff because on Friday, we have ice cream.

I just now realized that it’s green ice cream, but shhhh. It comes with chocolate. But let’s stick to green stuff for now.

Fresh Pea Soup with Mint

So, here’s the deal with this soup: I really like peas. But I don’t eat them very often. Sometimes I eat a handful of frozen peas (the best way to eat them, especially the big chunks!) if I’m looking for something else in the freezer and get distracted. And sometimes I buy sugar snap peas at my Asian market, because they are somehow always so fresh AND so cheap there. And every time those things happen, I remember that I really like peas. But then I forget again.

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Red, Mint & Blue Fruit Salad

July 1, 2013 by Erica

Red, Mint and Blue Fruit Salad

Good morning! I thought we could all start our week off with some beautiful fresh fruit.

It has been ridiculously hot here for the past few days – over 100. I think the whole West has been experiencing this heat wave. Those temps aren’t unusal for a Salt Lake summer – but in June?! I was looking forward to a few more weeks of 80s before we moved into the triple digits! But instead we have highs in the 100s until Thursday, when it will be a cool 98. Eek!

Red, Mint and Blue Fruit Salad

Thank goodness for central air, lots of cold water, and fruit salads like this one. They are basically how I survived the weekend! (Oh and I made some ice cream, too. Just to keep cool, you know?) I’m snacking on this fruit salad as I type, and it’s wonderfully cooling and hydrating. I don’t usually make a conscious effort to choose hydrating snacks, but it strikes me as I’m munching that the water content is half the reason I’m enjoying it so much. Mmmmm melon.

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