Summer Freshness

Sometimes you are in the mood to eat, but not really in the mood to cook…truthfully, I would say this is a quandary that I find myself in 75% of the time.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE cooking, creating new recipes, hosting get togethers…and just being in my kitchen, but the flip side of that love is that I hate washing dishes, cleaning up the mess I leave behind, etc…. Where is that easy button when you need it????

So, how can you quickly create tasty dishes, with fresh ingredients and limited cooking time?  A quick trip to the store, some creativity and 15min to cook some quinoa!

Caprese Avocado Toast, Quinoa Salad, Fresh Peaches & Cream

The quinoa salad is very easy, has limited ingredients and is full of summer freshness! It is also gluten and dairy free (makes it great for picnics)…and can be changed based on  what you have in your fridge or what looks good at the vegetable stand!    Check out the recipe for this easy salad, from an earlier blog post.  Veggie Delight

I made a few changes to this recipe, this time…I used raw zucchini instead of cucumbers and instead of lime juice I added a few splashes of coconut aminos.  I LOVE raw zucchini and coconut aminos was something new that I wanted to try…it is like soy sauce, but tastier!

The caprese avocado toast is incredibly simple!  Just toast a slice of bread, spread on some fresh avocado and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add slices of fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil…top with balsamic reduction, then eat!    (Balsamic reduction is literally just that…reduced balsamic vinegar.  Cook 1/4c over low heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.  It will thicken as it cools.)

 

Finally, we have dessert….fresh peaches & cream!  WAHOO!  Wash and dice your fresh peaches…how many depends on how many people you are feeding.  This cream is whipped coconut milk, 2 TBSP of powdered sugar and 1-2tsps of almond extract.  The almond pair well with the peaches and also pleasantly masks the coconut flavor from the milk.  Here is an easy recipe for coconut milk whipped cream, in case you have never made it!  (You can also just whip up heavy cream too, then add the powdered sugar and almond extract.)  Once your cream is whipped, put a spoonful (or more…bc more is better) on top of your peaches, sprinkle with cinnamon….ENJOY!!!!!!!

 

Remember, cooking doesn’t have to be complicated, it doesn’t have to be loaded with expensive ingredients, and it doesn’t have to take hours to prepare 🙂

Happy eating!!!!

~Chef Steph~