More Lovin'

Immediately after our watermelon salad we indulged in a delicious pasta salad. This was loosely based off of Martha Stewart's Orzo Pasta Salad.


Pasta Salad with Fried Zucchini and Corn

2 corn on the cob, kernels cut off
3 small zucchini (I could have probably used a more)
Cooked, refrigerated pasta (I used a gluten-free corn pasta [no - I am not going gluten free])
1/2 Thinly sliced onion
EVOO
S & P

Heat a pan with EVOO and add zucchini and onion and cook on high heat until soft. Add corn and cook until heated. Add to cold pasta with additional EVOO and stick in fridge until cold. After cold, eat.

Summer Lovin'

Yes! Binging on fruit this summer has been much too pleasurable. I'm trying to stuff my face as much as I can to really take advantage of the bounty. This might actually be the first summer I am doing this. I didn't use to fully appreciate or understand that there was a season for produce unless it was asparagus or fresh peas because I'm pretty sure you can't buy that shit out of season. Stores are stocked all year long with what I want so why only buy during certain months, right?

But now, now I am tasting a huge difference in when I buy produce. It's kinda sad it took me so long. But I'm catching on to what I feel like most people already know.

This post is one that has been floating around on the internets in some version or another. I actually based this recipe off of Plenty - the book I mentioned in a previous post. The only thing I would change about how I did it would be to let the onions soak in some kind of marinade before hand to take the bite out. They were a tad strong. Also, the original recipe called for feta but I am trying to limit my dairy and it tasted awesome without it. Again since this is my own recipe - use the portions appropriate for the amount of people you are serving.

Watermelon
Onion
Basil
EVOO
Balsamic Vinegar (I used two kinds)
Salt
Pepper


Cut up the onion and let sit in olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper for about an hour to soften. Cut up watermelon and chop basil. Mix with onion dressing. Eat. Enjoy.

The "simple" things

I thought it was an interesting comment on our food system when Haagen-Dazs launched their Haagen-Dazs 5 ice cream line. I never realized most ice cream had more than five ingredients. Turns out it usually doesn't. Haagen-Dazs didn't change their ingredients at all, they just starting marketing it differently. Consumers are going back to the basics and buying a "simple, pure, and authentic" product is super appealing. There is nothing simple and pure about a cow being hooked up to a machine for 10-12 hours a day. Authentic? Sure.

 The abuse that goes on in dairy farms is gross and disgusting. This is coming from a carnivore who is still trying to cut out dairy from her diet, by the way. I'm not standing on my soap box talking about something I cannot relate to. Having taken a few classes on media literacy and critical thinking I can only summarize by saying that the image their commercials present of glorious mountains, tiny wild raspberries, and hand wrapped vanilla is blown insanely out of proportion. So ridiculous.

On the lighter side of things I made sorbet! AND it has just four ingredients. Recipe found here.

1 c. Water
1 c. Sugar
4 cups frozen raspberries raspberries
1/4 c. Thyme

Make simple syrup with water, sugar and thyme. Let cool. In blender, mix 1/2 c. simple syrup and raspberries. Put in bowl. Stick in freezer. Serve when frozen.

If you make it right it will look pretty. If you don't, like I did, it won't look so good. I added all of the simple syrup to my recipe and it hardened...too well. So...that's why it looks funny. But still good!

Aguas Frescas - it's the new cool thing

I totally did not die in Maui. Really.

Look, we're married!

The Jan-Apr detox was a resounding success. I eventually got Kimberly Snyder's book and completely overhauled my diet and have seen positive results. Her book is super nerdy with information and a ton of resources, references, and citations. (Can you tell I am in college? Citations, wooo!) This is definitely a book worth checking out.

This totally looks like sherbert

Every morning starts with her green smoothie. Spinach, romaine lettuce, apple, pear, celery, and lemon juice. It's pretty flipping good. My skin is happy. My body is happy. I guess there is happiness all around. I have my (now) husband hooked on it too! More importantly I'm not crazy tired all day long! Seriously. This is the girl who had a pastry and a cappuccino every morning. Less coffee more energy, what?! No fooling.

Now that I am married, I guess I should keep up this being healthy business, right? To be successful at this I need to make it fun. Otherwise, please pass the vodka because that is waaay fun. Just kidding. Not really.

So frothy!

But seriously, I did a little research (aka Google) and found out about Aguas Frescas and thought, hey, that's like an alcoholic beverage without the alcohol. I can dig that. There are so many choices out there too. Lately my go to drink has been freshly squeezed grapefruit juice with club soda. So obsessed. But these drinks are a little more involved. The one I made today was watermelon and grapefruit with club soda. It's got a whole 'nother ingredient. Whoa.

Grapefruit on the left, watermelon on the right

It was pretty tasty if I do say so myself. The flavors blended well and created the perfect summer drink. (along with, like, 50 other perfect summer drinks, I'm sure).

I bought half of a watermelon which is dirt cheap! Put it through my blender and strained it. Please - you don't need a cheesecloth like the recipe says. Than you juice a bunch of grapefruit. Mix it together and add club soda.

On the awesome side of things - Casey brought me back a kithen aid from Illinois. Literally packed it in his baggage and brought it home. His wonderful grandmother gave it to me. So...I am crazy stoked to get-a-bakin' with this piece of heavy machinery.