“Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.” ~Marcus Aurelius
Are you like me, where you seem to be hurdled through your life at an incredible pace? Where even weekends and vacations can be a series of activities that leave you exhilarated but exhausted? It’s so easy to truck through life on autopilot, instead of stopping to savor the moment. Alex and I gave a little talk on mindful eating this weekend and it was a fitting reminder to ourselves to slow down and be mindfully present.
And if there’s a place to be mindfully present, it’s with this salad. First, juicy, succulent ripe peaches and vibrant red, yellow and violet tomatoes that taste literally like summer. Then, burrata. The description on the container is: “fresh mozzarella cheese filled with shreds of mozzarella soaked in cream”. In my opinion, one of the best taste treats on the planet (we first had it here). Add some peppery garden basil and some crunchy, salty peanuts, and it’s one of those first bite “Whoa” moments. While burrata is a bit on the pricey side, it’s worth it for a special splurge – an appetizer for a summer meal on the patio, or a simple main course with some crusty bread or crackers. And if your diet restricts dairy, the salad is fabulous without it; the combination of savory tomato + sweet peach is remarkable in itself. It takes a few minutes to put together, and without much effort looks completely artful on a plate.
Ultra simple recipes that showcase the flavor of each component are my favorite, and this one hits the mark. I can rave on and on since it was the idea of my fabulous husband, who brought home a load of peaches. (Me: “How about peach crisp, peach pie, peach ice cream?” Alex: “Peach, tomato, and burrata salad?” Me: “Sold.”) Every bite was a reminder to slow down and savor the remaining bits of summer.
Make sure to store the peaches and tomatoes at room temperature, and that they are perfectly ripe when serving. Burrata is a little pricey, but completely worth the splurge for a special taste treat.
by: a Couple Cooks
Serves: 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a main
What You Need
2 ripe peaches
2 large ripe heirloom tomatoes
½ cup multicolored cherry tomatoes
2 4-ounce balls burrata cheese
10 leaves basil
2 tablespoons salted peanuts (crushed)
Kosher or sea salt
What To Do
Slice the peaches and tomatoes, and arrange them on plates. Sprinkle with kosher or sea salt.
Tear the burrata cheese into pieces, taking care with the creamy filling. Arrange on top of the tomato slices, then top with torn basil leaves.
Crush the peanuts (using a rolling pin) and sprinkle on top.
Over the past three years, my patio garden has grown and evolved. I’ve learned so much and every year, I get a bit better at not killing things off. One of the toughest things is battling the hot, valley summer while trying to balance water conservation. This year I installed a drip system that works on a timer, but I’m still carefully monitoring everything (but the initial water bill was nearly half of what it was last year!) It’s both exciting and a bit nerve-wracking because it seems very easy to kill a plant off that was doing well only a week ago.
That being said, I tend to have excellent luck with peppers. I have three plants, a sweet pepper plant, a shisito plant and a poblano plant (primarily to make stuffed peppers). If I had it my way, 90% of stuffed pepper recipes would be made using poblano (this also might be because I’m kind of in love with Chile Relleno). I love the unique flavor and the fact that you’re getting a chili pepper without the intensive heat of some.
These stuffed peppers use one of my favorite stuffing grains: sorghum. Sorghum has such a nice, nutty texture and holds its own with the sweet corn. Of course, if you don’t want to wait for it to cook (it does take a bit longer) or can’t find it, quinoa is usually my second choice for a grain!
When I was growing up, my mom had a small garden on one side of our house in sort of a raised bed layout. I remember helping her plant, occasionally weed, and usually trample the poor garden while I was playing (I wasn’t kind to plants). However, since then (and a renewed spirit when I was part of the u-pick CSA), I fell in love with gardening. We’ve not settled in one place long enough for me to cultivate an in-ground garden but for the past three summers, I’ve been experimenting with a container garden that has now taken over the patio. It’s not ideal conditions (it gets hot and the sun isn’t direct for enough hours of the day) but through trial and error, I’ve made it work. I like to think of it as my lab so that when we do buy a house, I’ve got a head start on gardening education.
So, when Edyn approached me about a solar-powered, wifi garden sensor (that measures moisture, light, nutrients, and humidity), I jumped at the chance to check it out and review it. It’s rare that I mention items not related to cooking, but that should be an indication of how excited I was. One of the downsides of container gardens is the soil doesn’t get the same TLC as a normal garden. There aren’t worms, nutrients are a bit harder to monitor, and in small pots, the moisture level is irregular.
One caveat before I dig in, I didn’t use the sensor exactly how it’s intended to be used. I would leave it in one pot for a few days to measure and then I’d move it to a different one since I have pots of different sizes and plants that are supposed to have different moisture levels. While this gave me information, it left my long-term data a bit skewed (but that’s okay, I definitely saw benefit from it).
The first benefit of the sensor was that it became apparent my plants were nutrient poor. I added nutrients and within minutes, the sensor registered and let me know I was spot on. The second, and probably most important (and responsible in California), was the moisture level. I keep my soil running on the minimum amount of water and this sensor helps me keep tabs on that as to not waste any (but keep my plants alive!)
Beyond the sensor, the app does have capability to monitor plants you have and give recommendations about what to plant based on your soil conditions. However, the app is a bit buggy and I was never able to get this to work. I think once this is up and running, it will be an awesome additional feature.
I think this is a good tool for people who may not have the biggest green thumb or for those of you just beginning. I’ll be excited when the bugs get worked out of the app and everything is fully functional! So far, though, it’s been a nice addition to my garden.
Also, curious as to what I’m currently growing?
5 different kinds of tomatoes (primarily cherry and grape varieties), cucumbers, zucchini, summer, squash, pole beans, Italian green peppers, shisito peppers, swiss chard, array of herbs, bluerries, raspberries, and blackberries. I also have three dwarf trees: lemon, lime, and avocado.
And of course, this wouldn’t be a post without a recipe. I think one of the major benefits of having a garden is pretty much always having salad materials. This dressing has become one of my summer, go-to staples. While during the cooler months I’d roast my own garlic, I do a bit of cheating and pick some up (usually when I’m grabbing some olives from the olive bar at the store).
Raw Celery Root with Apple, Caraway, and Horseradish
Adapted slightly from the forthcoming release of The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook and the fine folks at America’s Test Kitchen. The cookbook offers a shortcut to preparing the celery root by running it through the blade setting on your food processor. I found that the salad held up better the next day with the matchstick preparation. ATK is giving away one copy of The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook to Happyolks reader. Leave a comment with the best thing you’ve read or watched recently and you’ll be entered to win. Giveaway will end 3/4.
Juice of one lemon
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tsp honey
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp sour cream or Greek yogurt
3 Celery root, peeled
1 Crisp apple
6 scallions, sliced at a bias
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
25 sprigs tarragon leaves
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 heaping teaspoons prepared horseradish
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Whisk lemon juice, mustard, honey, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in oil. Add sour cream last, stir to combine, and then set aside.
Clean and peel celery root. To create matchsticks, place halved root on the cutting board and cut a slice to a ⅛ inch thickness at a bias. Continue cutting, maintaining a wide bias through the whole root. Repeat with remaining half, then again with the two remaining prepped roots. Create a stack of two or three slices. If you are doing this for the first time you may want to start with a single slice just to get comfortable with the method and as you practice a bit you can start stacking. Cut across the celery root, lengthwise. The thickness we’re aiming for, again, is ⅛ inch. Repeat with remaining slices. Place celery root in a large bowl. Repeat this technique with the apple and add to the bowl of prepped celery root.
Stir in dressing immediately after creating your matchsticks to prevent browning. Add scallions, parsley, tarragon, caraway seeds, and horseradish. Stir to combine, adding more greens or if things feel a bit sparse. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
With Isac waking up too early in the morning (night, really), my head has been in a constant haze these last days and the buttons on my keyboard are dancing in front of me when I am trying to hit them. So, let’s immediately get down to business. And with business I mean salad. This simple salad puts our Golden Sauerkraut recipe from last month to good use. With all the fresh produce available this time of the year, bowls like these are on weekly rotation in our home. They are quick to make and easy adaptable to whatever vegetables we have available. Warm quinoa and a fried egg makes this more filling than a normal salad, and tahini, lemon and sauerkraut add flavour. We use a fork to break the egg and stir around so the yolk gets mixed with the other ingredients. Come to think of it, this is almost like a hippie sister to bibimbap. Hippie Bibimbap!
We tried a few bowls similar to this, topped with krauts, on cafes in Sydney and Melbourne. They all had names like Buddha bowl, Yoga bowl and Sunshine bowl. In our version, we have kept the flavours quite simple and neutral to really let the kraut sing. You can of course use any type of sauerkraut, or kimchi. If you are making this without any sauerkraut, you might want to add some extra tahini and a squeeze of lemon to amp up the flavour. You can skip the egg as well to make it an entirely vegan dish (in that case, you might also want to add some extra tahini).
On another matter, we are sorry that we have been so immensely slow at updating the blog lately. We do however have two pretty exciting new posts lined up for you. Look here and here for clues. And check back with us soon.
The Hippie Bowl Serves 2
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (any color works), rinsed 2 carrots 4 radishes 1/2 fennel bulb 2 avocados, stone removed 2 small kale leaves, stems removed 1 handful mixed baby lettuce 2 tsp olive oil 2 tsp lemon juice 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper 2 tbsp tahini (sesame paste) 4 tbsp golden sauerkraut (see recipe here) 2 fried eggs 2 tsp hemp seeds
Cooking the quinoa: Place rinsed quinoa, 1 cup water and a pinch of salt in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a bare simmer and let gently cook for about 15 minutes, or until you see small tails on the quinoa seeds. Set aside to cool in a large mixing bowl.
Making the salad: Slice the carrots and the radishes. Slice the fennel very finely. Cut the avocados into small cubes. Remove stems from the kale and chop. Place all prepared ingredients, including the mixed baby lettuce, into the quinoa bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and give it a good toss with your hands. Divide the salad in two bowls, drizzle each bowl with a generous tablespoon tahini and a couple of tablespoons sauerkraut. Finely top with a fried egg in each bowl and sprinkle with hemp seeds. Serve immediately.
******** PS! Some of you might remember that this blog was nominated for the Saveur Blog Award in the category Best Use of Video? Well, apparently we just won the Reader’s Choice award! Thank you everyone that voted for us. This is the second time we win a Saveur award and it feels pretty unreal. Seriously, we are so grateful for all your support. You rock!
I have a piece in the new issue of Darling Magazine this month. I was asked to write a rosy-cheeked take on family dinners––their evolution from youth to adulthood, tradition, nostalgia, how the act of gathering around a table “transcends the act of dining as a means to an end.” I was feeling OK but not awesome about my rough draft when I submitted it in December, then: Christmas. We hosted my family at our new place. It snowed. I planned a few elaborate meals because, you know, food is love, and on the second night, before anyone took their second bite of potato tarragon galette, my brother and I were in a shouting match over my request that he not text at the dinner table. He got defensive. I called him an asshole. He got up and left. My mom cried, dad got quiet. Shaun tried to mediate.
It was ugly. But, it was real. More often than not, the meals we get to share with family and friends do not take on the convivial, alluring nature we see promoted across blogs and boutique media. It’s easy to set a beautifully-styled farm table and encourage meaningful, open-hearted dialogue and then CONVENIENTLY disregard that meaningful, open-hearted dialogue is, by nature of our human-ness, a fucking mess most of the time. The mess doesn’t sell.
There is nothing precious about our dinner table. It is, and has been, a mighty kickstand for the hardest and heartiest conversations in our lives. Sure, we’ve made many memorable, effortless, joy-filled moments around our table over the years, like that one night we stayed up late on a weeknight braiding challah and eating boozy french toast with a friend who kicked her dude to the curb. The time Cody and Emily stopped over before Corbyn and Caroline’s wedding with the kids and Shaun poured a bowl of tomato soup for Ev’s “Mr. Shark,” which he proceeded to splash all over his clean pajamas and Mr. Shark. And yet, for every uncomplicated and tender occasion we’ve experienced at the table with loved ones, there have been at least a dozen gritty, soul-obliterating instances that preceded it. Like New Years Eve of 2012 when Shaun and I ate buttered toast before The Lumineers show at the Ogden, contemplating if we’d even do 2013 together as a couple, or the night before our wedding that we ate bad pizza together on the floor, holding each other, laughing, crying, wishing we would have just eloped like we’d wanted all along.
Here’s my addendum to the story that was actually published: family dinner is where we do the work. And when I say family I mean our biological families, friend families or otherwise. And when I say table, I mean the couch or the barstools or the floor or the porch or the car. Wherever we eat, wherever we are forced to stop and reckon with the day or our lives or our relationships with one another in the presence of food: we go to work. We take something that is hard and make it easy, or take something that is easy and royally overcomplicate it. We wrestle, together, with what Anne Lamott calls “the three most terrible truths of our existence: that we are so ruined, and so loved, and in charge of so little.” It’s the angst and heat and sticky stuff that comes with the work that builds real, long-lasting commitment and goodness in our lives. We need to get better at celebrating THAT.
I struck my match, she poured out her gasoline.
We burn now. All the time. ― Tarryn Fisher
Carrot Habanero Hot Sauce (aka Honeymoon Heat) (aka SUPER SPICY)
Adapted from my friends Corbyn and Caroline who discovered a love of carrot based hot sauces while honeymooning in Belize last year. This recipe makes about 6 quarts of hot sauce. Yes! You read that right 6 qts. I felt like there was really no sense in making a small batch when so many friends go through sriracha so quickly. You can easily halve, quarter, or further divide the recipe to make a smaller portion with the same result.
15 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 cups peeled, chopped carrot
4 medium sweet yellow onions, chopped
30 medium habanero chiles, stemmed
3 cups white vinegar
¼ cup salt
¼ cup sugar
Juice of 6-8 limes
_____
Roast the garlic in a skillet over medium heat, turning regularly until soft and blackened in spots, 10 to 15 minutes.
In the same pot, combine the carrot, onion and habanero chiles with the vinegar, 3 cups water, salt and sugar. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the carrots are thoroughly tender, about 20 minutes. Blend until smooth. Thin with a lime juice and more water if the sauce seems too thick. Taste and add salt as preferred. Store in glass jars in the fridge.
This post is the latest in our Healthy + Whole series to explore a healthy approach to whole foods eating; check out the entire series here.
When Alex and I first started trying to eat “healthy”, we did something a little crazy: we took a look at our pantry and fridge and threw out anything that resembled a processed food. Willingly. Microwave dinners, pancake mix, Oreo cookies, bottled Ranch dressing–all were dumped into the trash, or given away to friends. Why? We’d read a book that challenged us to try eating minimally processed foods (think 5 ingredients or less), and figured if we didn’t have it on hand, we wouldn’t be tempted to eat it. I’m still a little amazed that 1. we did it because we wanted to and 2. that it actually worked.
Turns out this is a “thing” called Pantry Rehab (or Fridge Rehab), and it’s the premise behind a new book called What the Fork are You Eating?, which examines how to get your kitchen chock full of whole foods. The book caught our eye and we both bought it and reached out to the author, Stefanie Sacks. We are so pleased to bring you this Q&A with Stefanie about whole foods eating and her new book. I spoke with her a few weeks ago and she is one of the most generous, humble, kind, and passionate people I’ve met in the industry. Stefanie is highly credentialed as a culinary nutritionist,certified nutrition specialist (CNS) and certified dietitian nutritionist (CDN), yet at the same time she’s extraordinarily down to earth in her approach to food. As she mentioned to me on the phone, she’s been passionate about healthy eating way before it was cool, so I credit her for helping start the momentum that got us to perform some Pantry Rehab in the first place. Here’s Stefanie!
What sparked your interest in food and health? Did you always eat the way you do today?
My love for food and cooking blossomed at age three. My 1970’s wooden play kitchen was my “toy” of choice. I spent hours in this pretend culinary haven acting out the role of executive chef and playing “restaurant” with my maternal grandmother. Without fail, she uncomfortably sat at my tiny table and chairs patiently (and lovingly) waiting for her inevitable tuna sandwich on white bread with a pickle.
Suffering from asthma, allergies, recurring bronchitis and pneumonia shaped much of my childhood thus finding an alternative to the multiple inhalers, allergy meds, steroids and antibiotics I regularly consumed was critical. At fifteen, during my Montauk summers, a job at the local health food market and café was a no-brainer. It was here that my eyes were opened to the idea of food as healing—a moment of down time meant a book in my hands and Food and Healing by Annemarie Colbin made a life changing impression confirming that food choice dictated health. Thus, feverishly focusing on everything food was central to my teenage existence—I became my very own lab rat as I experimented with not-so mainstream foods, fad diets and edible theories (from vegetarianism to macrobiotics) all with the hope of feeling better. And eventually I did.
What is Pantry/Freezer/Fridge Rehab? What are a few accessible pointers on how to start one without feeling overwhelmed (baby steps)?
We all need a “makeover” in some aspect of our lives. Who can be on top of everything? Given my passion for food and my knowledge and skills, I guide people through food lifestyle change. And a huge part of this process is the pantry/freezer/fridge rehab. While I may be highly opinionated about food and food choice, I am never judgmental as everyone has a different starting point for change and for me to be able to truly help those in need, I must understand what they can do and truly respect and honor what they can’t. What The Fork Are You Eating? really explores the many things people can do to change whether you’re the nutrition neophyte or maven.
Here are a few pointers to avoid feeling too overwhelmed:
Understand that the ingredients tell the true story of your food; so don’t buy into the labeling hype. If your ingredient list reads like a short novel or you can’t pronounce something that is in your food, don’t buy it!
If any of your ingredients read “artificial flavors”, ditch the bag, box or can and find a better alternative with the “natural flavor” version. Most every product has a not so evil twin.
Do away with the artificial sweeteners from aspartame to sucralose; there is enough research to question their true safety.
Toss anything with food dye in it as in Red No. 40 or Yellow No. 5 or 6. They are pervasive in everything from pickles to candy. Again, enough research to question their true safety and most anything that has the dye (other than many mainstream candies) can be swapped for better alternatives
If you opt into “lowfat” know that most often the fat is replaced with sugar and the sugar (too much of it) ends up turning into the fat anyway—so eat the healthy fat!
As a culinary nutritionist, certified nutrition specialist (CNS) and certified dietitian nutritionist (CDN), what does a healthy diet look like to you?
Eating healthfully is all about moderation and variety. I like to aim for fresh whole foods 70-80% of the time. I am not a stickler for organic as much as I am hell bent on buying local and purchasing animal foods treated with the highest humane welfare. When I can’t find either, I tend to go USDA Organic using Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen as my guide to navigate produce and I very carefully pick and choose my animal foods looking for verifications like AWA (voted the highest humane welfare certification by Consumer Reports) or Certified Humane. Like most people, packaged foods are a part of our everyday—I am just super discerning about what foods I choose for my family (calling on many of the pointers noted above and in What The Fork).
And as I say in the book, “ninety percent of the time, I consume foods void of my Top Rated Terminators (chemical preservatives, artificial flavors and enhancers, artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, sugar and its many euphemisms, trans fats (hydrogenated oils), chemical pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs)), whether at home or otherwise. I leave the 10 percent for the occasional product that might have a GMO ingredient in it (hard to avoid), those eggs that I have to grab at the local supermarket that I know came from hens that were not humanely raised or for meals out (plus that Haribo gummy bear— hey, I’m human). So generally speaking, we eat everything from kale to candy, but most of our food is made with the purest ingredients (yes, this can be done).
When we are outside the home, I have learned to loosen the reins a bit. Birthday parties are a free-for-all. At this stage, my kids are making conscious choices for themselves. For school, I have no worries— healthy food is central to their place of education. As for summer camp, it can be a bit of an unsavory food fest, but I work with the camp director on what my boys can eat (the chicken-like nuggets are not okay, nor are the incandescent ice pops) and help them navigate the choices themselves. When we go to the movies, all bets are off, and the kids go to the local candy store to get a small bag of whatever they want. What it boils down to is making educated choices—don’t let ignorance be bliss when it comes to your food consumption. Moderation is truly my mantra (I have done all the extremes and am over it).”
We love the recipes included in your new book! Do you have a few that stand out as favorites?
Most of the recipes in the book are our family favorites but if I were to pick a few loves they would be:
Golicious Granola
Greek Goddess Salad
Chicken and Rice Soup
Cowgirl Chili
Jack’s Banana Ice Cream
What does a day in the life of Stefanie Sacks look like in terms of breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Breakfast is typically some version of my Power Green drink that I typically pack with nuts for some protein. If really hungry, I will have an egg wrap. Sipping green tea throughout the day is my “vice”. I have a weak spot for Starbucks iced green tea (with no sweetener and a touch of soymilk). Lunch is normally some form of salad with beans, cheese and maybe a spot of fish like sardines or tuna. I am a sucker for soup as well whether hot or cold outside. Snacks include nuts and seeds, cheese and crackers, fruit, vegetables with hummus. And dinner is normally a balanced mix of greens, a grain (or other starch like a potato) and protein (either plant based, fish or poultry). Though I am a sucker for a good bowl of pasta doused with ghee, tomato sauce and Parmesan! For after dinner snacks, I am known to sneak a bowl of potato chips (I am a bit of a chipaholic) into bed while I decompress to a movie!
“Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.” ~Marcus Aurelius
I struck my match, she poured out her gasoline.
We burn now. All the time. ― Tarryn Fisher
