Happy (long) weekend...

Happy Labor Day weekend! We're headed back up to Maine this weekend, and the forecast looks spectacular. Wishing you a wonderful long weekend of sun and summer. Here are a few things that kept me moving during an exciting and active week:

• Grooving to the classic 1976 jam "Free" by Deniece Williams and feeling instantly lit from inside. Good vibes ahead, friends.
• Enjoying one man's account of his sugar detox in Fast Company's article "How Giving Up Refined Sugar Changed My Brain," and continuing to push myself to consume all whole foods all the time.
• Trying Bon Appetit's take on Brooks Headley's burger-of-the-moment recipe. We're big on homemade vegetable patties and meatballs in this house, so I'm thrilled to add another to the repertoire.  
• Purchasing a beautifully illustrated children's book on microbes. Because I'm still obsessed. 
• And finally, a line from A.A. Milne on the gentle observation of a summer day. I hope you have a chance to meditate on the same this weekend:

"Little soft clouds played happily in a blue sky, skipping from time to time in front of the sun as if they had come to put it out, and then sliding away suddenly so that the next might have his turn"

Steel Cut Oats with Grilled Stone Fruit & Banana Cashew Cream

I've always been a big believer in the phrase "everything in moderation." So in our home, we don't really limit our diets to one category.  On the average night, however, you can finds us whipping up a vegetarian or vegan meal because they tend to be easy and make our bodies feel vibrant and healthy. We still enjoy our weekly libations, and the occasional summer barbecue fare. But through exploration, and the elimination diet, we try to bring a sense of consciousness to the way we eat in order to make ourselves operate well. 

One of the most interesting parts of our cooking journey as a couple has been exploring the realm of just how much you can do with good produce, hearty grains, and a little bit of seasoning. This weekend's Sunday brunch was a great example of that exact kitchen manifesto: a warm bowl of steel cut oats topped with grilled stone fruits and banana cashew cream.

I first wandered into the world of steel cut oats a few years ago when my parents began making them regularly, and my father reported the emergence of his abs, which seemed as good a reason as any to add it to the repertoire. They take a little bit longer than your average oat to cook, but that's because they're more whole and less processed, meaning they tend to keep you satiated for a longer period of time. This is a trade-off I'm willing to make. 

Slow cooking oats gives you time to come up with a whole slew of delicious toppings. Because it's stone fruit season, I chose to sprinkle apricots and plums with Celtic sea salt and grill them up alongside fresh figs on my cast iron skillet, which renders the flesh succulent and decadent. I then whipped up a batch of cashew cream mixed with bananas, which is so painfully easy that the end result leaves you wondering why you don't always have a jar full of this stuff handy. 

The end result is a comforting and nutritious bowl, drizzled with flaxseed oil and sprinkled with hemp seeds for an extra Omega boost. It was a great way to plant-power a day spent at the beach, and kept us nice and full until an al fresco lobster roll beckoned in the late afternoon.

Steel Cut Oats with Grilled Stone Fruit & Banana Cashew Cream

(Serves two, generously)

1 cup steel cut oats

1 cup raw cashews

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon maple syrup 

1/4 cup filtered water

1 teaspoon sea salt (we use Celtic sea salt)

1/2 banana

Seasonal fruit (I chose apricots, plums, and figs)

Flaxseed oil

1 tablespoon hemp seeds

For cashew cream:

1. Measure 1 cup of cashews and place them in a bowl. Boil water and pour over cashews so that they're completely submerged. Let sit for 1-2 hours, covered. 
2. Drain and rinse cashews and place in food processor. Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, vanilla extract, maple syrup and 1/8 cup of filtered water and blend until smooth.
3.  Add more water as needed to achieve your desired consistency (I like my cashew cream on the thicker more creamy side for this dish).
4. Add banana and give one final whirl in the processor until mixture is combined and whipped.

For steel cut oats: 

1. Measure 1 cup of steel cut oats and place them in a large saucepot. Cover them with 3 cups of filtered water. 
2. Cook over low to medium heat for about 30-40 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. Oats should be creamy, so if they appear dry, add 1/2 cup more water and cook for another 10 minutes. 

For grilled fruit: 

1. Set grill or cast iron grill pan to a low-medium heat. 
2. Halve each piece of fruit, and sprinkle with remaining sea salt. Place fruit flesh side down on grill for 3-5 minutes, and flip when grill marks have appeared. 
3. Grill for another 3-5 minutes and remove, letting fruit cool on a plate. 

To assemble bowls, add cooked oats first, top with the fruit, and scoop in cashew cream.  Drizzle with flaxseed oil, top with hemp seeds, and enjoy!

Warm Summer Herb and Vegetable Noodle Salad

Friends, hie thee to your local farmers' market immediately, because things are getting good. 

Here in Boston, we're starting to get into the ripe summer season, where hot heat is whipping the typical week's bounty into a pure abbondanza. Our markets are ripe with berries, zucchinis, herbs, and more, and I can't help myself, but I may have hit three different farmers' markets this week alone. Last week, I took our summer salad game to a new level by finally purchasing a spiralizer, and I've noodled just about everything possible in my fridge since then. 

This warm summer herb and vegetable noodle salad is a more updated version of the the garlic and butter sauteed zucchini I ate frequently during my Italian-American childhood. You could substitute any seasonal vegetable that you have on hand here, as long as it can be easily shredded with a peeler or run through a spiralizer, as well as any fresh herbs. But the concept remains - keep the flavors simple, and let the season's gifts do the talking. 

In my version, yellow zucchini and broccoli stalks (yes, you read that right) have been spiralized into noodles, quickly sauteed with olive oil, garlic, sweet onion, and turned through summer savory, basil and oregano. The resulting dish is sprinkled with Pink Himalayan salt, a hefty squeeze of lemon and red pepper flakes. It's chocked full of flavor, good-for-your-gut dietary fiber, and rounded out with a delicious citrus twist.  

Warm Summer Herb and Vegetable Noodle Salad

(Serves 2)

2 medium yellow zucchini, top cut off

2 large broccoli stalks, florets trimmed off

1/8 cup each of summer savory, basil, and oregano, finely chopped

1 lemon, halved

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium sweet onion, diced

A glug of olive oil

A pat of butter (optional)

Cracked pepper

Good salt (I use Pink Himalayan Salt)

1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes (to taste)

1. Trim your zucchini and broccoli stalks so that each end is cut flat. Run through your spiralizer on a thin spaghetti setting, or, peel/julienne to a thin 1/8 inch strip. Pat noodles dry, and trim using a knife or scissor as some noodles can be quite long!
2. Over medium/low heat, swirl olive oil and butter in a frying pan until melted. Sautee garlic and onions for 3-4 minutes, sweating them out until soft, but not browned. 
3. Place your noodles in the pan, and using tongs or wooden spoons, flip gently as they cook. 
4. Toss 2/3 of your herbs over the noodles in the pan, and fold in. Season with salt and pepper. Cook noodles for about 5 minutes on medium heat, until softened, but not mushy, and remove from heat. 
5. To serve, divide noodles in two bowls and squeeze a half a lemon over each bowl. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and red pepper flakes to taste. 

Summer Rolls with a Spicy Peanut Sauce

We're amidst a bit of a heat wave here in Boston, and despite the fact that we have yet to install our air conditioners, I'm still filled with joy over the change in season after a very long winter.

With the heat comes a positive shift towards spending as much time as possible outside - grounding feet against the grassy earth and taking full inhalations of every blooming tree and flower as they ripen in our neighborhood, allowing ourselves to get fully intoxicated by the earth, in bloom.  We've also been squeezing out every minute of daylight, only to head indoors at a final glimpse of the pink and gold sky.

This weather also has me craving cold foods, liquids and little else. While woman cannot subsist on smoothies alone, salads and bowls for every meal can get old fast. Enter the new favorite bite in our household: homemade summer rolls. Filled with fresh vegetables and paired with a delicious spicy peanut dipping sauce, we totally ate these for three days straight this week.

Summer rolls pack delicious flavor for something so quick and easy to make (you can whip up a batch in twenty minutes flat). They are a nice way to get an abundance of raw vegetables and herbs, which are naturally hydrating on hot days and add a nice crunch. Speaking of the crunch factor, feel free to mix in whatever vegetables you have on hand. Some favorites to include are peppers (bell and jalapeno), cucumbers, carrots,  and some good leafy greens like spinach or kale.  You can also add in simple lean protein, such as shrimp, chicken or egg, to help sustain energy.

My suggestion? One evening this week, whip up a half-dozen rolls, pack them between parchment and bring to the park, along with a vat of the spicy peanut sauce. While this summer weather may be temporary, it's a sign of what's to come. Spring is still full in her breezy splendor. Enjoy as much time outside as possible and soak up that natural air.

Summer Rolls

(Makes 4 small rolls)

1/2 cucumber, sliced into thin 2-inch strips

2 carrots, sliced into thin 2-inch matchsticks

1/2 avocado, sliced into small wedges

1 jalapeno, sliced into thin circles (seeds in or out, depending on preference)

1 scallion, sliced into rings

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, stems removed

4 rice paper sheets (I prefer brown rice paper, and use these)

For summer rolls, first make a clean surface. Soak one rice paper round in warm water, until slightly soft (about 20-30 seconds), and transfer to surface. Arrange 1/4th of each of the vegetables neatly towards middle and left half of the sheet, leaving a one-inch border along edge. Roll up rice paper tightly around filling and fold in sides and continue rolling. Transfer summer roll to a plate and cover with damp paper towels.

For Spicy Peanut Sauce: 

1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

1/2 tablespoon tamari (low sodium) or soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon mirin sauce

1/2 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 tablespoon red pepper flakes (to taste)

1/2 tablespoon sliced scallions

Combine first four ingredients in a bowl, and whisky until creamy. Add more liquid or peanut butter, depending on consistency. Mixture should be smooth and easy to pour. Top with red pepper flakes and sliced scallions and serve in a small dipping bowl.