Summer Heirloom Tomato and Nectarine Salad

You know that delicious groundbreaking salad that you start to see everywhere when the summer solstice hits? Yep, it deserves to shine.  So damn delicious, I am making it over and over again already, and maybe only forgetting the star of the show, basil, a handful of times.  (Gahhhh, without fail, I forget one ingredient - every. single. time.)

This salad is an incredibly simple and easy dish to throw together.  The perfect summer salad. Bring it to your next barbecue and eyes will light up, serve next to a simple grilled steak for a quick and easy weeknight dinner or serve straight up for lunch or a snack.  So worth it. 

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SUMMER HEIRLOOM TOMATO AND NECTARINE SALAD

Prep Time: 5 min  |  Total Time: 10 min  |  Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 mixed heirloom tomatoes

• 1/2 c baby heirloom or cherry tomatoes, halved

• 2 ripe nectarines, thinly sliced

• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

• 1/2 c pickled red onions

• 1/2 c fresh torn basil leaves or micro greens

• olive oil

• fresh cracked peppercorns

• maldon sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Thinly slice 2 of the large heirloom tomatoes and quarter 1 heirloom tomato.

2. On a platter, arrange tomatoes, mozzarella and nectarines.

3. Drizzle entire salad with olive oil, a generous sprinkle of maldon sea salt and fresh cracked peppercorns. Let sit 5 minutes

4. Arrange pickled red onions and basil on top and finish with additional salt and pepper. Voila, gorgeous!

10 LIFESTYLE CHANGES FOR LASTING HEALTH

Head on over to MindBodyGreen to read my latest post on healthy, lasting lifestyle changes for a better you!

The path to a healthy lifestyle, reaching your goals and making lasting changes has great rewards, but also plenty of obstacles that attempt to steer you off track. 

After years of working with a variety of clientele, as well as pushing myself, I've established a few tips and tricks I give all my clients to help them make a permanent shift to a healthier life. I hope these tools help guide you along the road to becoming your best self as well.

1. Take a moment and determine what makes you happy...

2. Set a schedule for your workouts, put them in your weekly calendar and stick to it...

3. Make deeply restful shut-eye a priority...

4. Think of food as high quality fuel...

5. Add weights to lose weight...

6. Cultivate a support system...

7. Incorporate radical forgiveness into your life...

8. Practice santosha...

9. Ditch self-doubt, stay positive and trust in the universe...

10. Don't take shortcuts...

ENJOY THE JOURNEY, HAVE FUN AND DO WHAT MAKES YOUR HEART SING!

WWW.MINDBODYGREEN.COM

Healthy, Healing...Soup.

A few weeks ago, on a rainy afternoon after an intense spin class, my body craved a big bowl of healthy, healing...soup. That meant a a flavorful , healing broth packed with plenty of goodness to warm me up from the inside out, filled with some healthy delicious protein and delicious spring veggies.  After multiple requests for the recipe, here you go! Simple, easy and absolutely delicious.

WARM GINGER MISO BROTH + ROASTED WILD KING SALMON + BOK CHOY + SUGAR SNAP PEAS + ENGLISH PEAS + SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

Prep Time : 15 min  |  Cooking Time : 20 min  |  Serves : 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 1/2 a small yellow onion, minced

• 1/2 small leek, thinly sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

• 2 tbsp tamari

• 4 c vegetable broth

• 2 tbsp white miso

• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

• 1 baby bok choy, trimmed and divided

• 1 c sugar snap peas, trimmed

• 1/2 c english peas, blanched

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 2-4oz pieces wild king salmon fillet

• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• 1 green onion, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Ginger Miso Broth: Heat 2 tsp sesame oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and leek and cook for a few minutes until translucent and softened, but not browned. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes longer, until fragrant and softened. Stir in the tamari to meld the flavors. Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Ladle 1 c of the broth into a small bowl and whisk in the miso until dissolved. Add miso broth back into pot and let simmer. Adjust seasoning with tamari or miso if desired.

2. Season salmon with salt and pepper and let sit to bring to room temperature.

3. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tsp sesame oil until shimmering. Add shiitake mushrooms in a single layer and brown on each side, until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Add bok choy and sugar snap peas and cook until lightly cooked through and beginning to brown in spots. Remove from pan and set aside with mushrooms.

4. Add 1 tsp sesame oil to same pan and heat until shimmering. Add salmon fillets and cook 3-4 minutes each side, depending on thickness. Remove from heat and let rest.

5. Assemble Soup: Arrange bok choy, sugar snap peas, english peas and shiitake mushrooms in two bowls. Pour broth over the top and place salmon in center. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve warm.

A new take on adventuring

The damp, cool air of the Pacific Northwest can be just as refreshing and soul-nourishing as sunbeams soaking into my skin and bones. While I miss the daily dose of Vitamin D and my community in sunny Venice, I've discovered what makes my adventures tick with soul-boosting energy - do it with people I love and bring food, really really good food.  

Living in Seattle, we leave the bustling city that excites us on a weekly basis in search of nature, tree tops, perfect waves, expanse and quiet.  For me, there's nothing more satisfying than sitting above the clouds, perched on a mountain top sipping coffee after a heart pumping climb, camping in the middle of nowhere and whipping up hearty fare over a warm open fire, crafting a delicious spread on a sandy beach with the hum of waves as your music, or like this day, foraging in the rain for nettles and harvesting clams and oysters at dusk, knowing that a comforting meal is at the tip of your fingers. Hiking, ski touring, summiting, surfing, beaching, mountain biking, city pedaling, flower sniffing, you name it: forget the nuts and seeds, I'll carry ten extra pounds on my back to have a better-than-average picnic and be able to share that experience with friends and family, gazing over an infinite valley of dust and snow. That's what makes my soul sing.

I fully grasp that not everyone seeks adventure in this way, including my main squeeze, and that's ok.  Some get out there purely for the thrill of achievement and the pushing the edge of personal limits, getting outside in nature away from the daily woes of a desk, accomplishing climbs and rides to compare notes with friends on who completed it with a faster time, climbed a higher elevation or who envisioned something more epic than the time before. I can get on board with that, for sure, but what really awakens the adventure-seeker in me is looking at each experience as an opportunity to simultaneously impart a sense of freedom to break the rules a bit and create an eternal memory and inspired menu, no matter what we're about to do. And the most exciting part, is sharing that part of my soul with friends and family and toasting life over a majestic view. This is my canvas. What's yours?

A Sunday for Pancakes

I love Sundays for their silence.  For the morning light that creeps in through the blinds, the ability to nestle in the sheets a bit longer and regenerate and the extra time to sit with a cup(s) of coffee and make something simple, yet delicious.

I extend the last few sips of my coffee for as long as I can, which means I'm still working on the cup from breakfast this morning as I sit down to type, not to mention in a new favorite mug that has a skateboarding cat riding a path into the mountains, next to a lake surrounded by trees and under the big sunny sky. New staple mug. 

After devouring our pancakes, we kept repeating that this really was "the best pancake recipe ever" and I realized I should probably not keep those things to myself, but share them with you and let you experience their deliciousness as well. I hope you find as much joy in them as we do on a lazy and glorious simple Sunday morning. 

Best Pancake Ever

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c heavy cream, milk or nut milk

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 c all-purpose flour or gluten free all-purpose flour

• 2 tbsp coconut sugar or organic cane sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 large farm egg

• 2 tbsp melted unsalted butter

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• dash of cinnamon

• extra butter for cooking

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine heavy cream or milk and apple cider vinegar and let sit to sour.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Add egg to heavy cream, melted butter, vanilla and cinnamon and whisk to combine.

4. Slowly combine cream into flour and gently whisk until smooth consistency.

5. Add a dab of butter to hot cast iron skillet. Once melted, using an ice cream scoop, measure one full scoop of batter and pour into center of pan and let sit. Once bubbles form, quickly flip. After 30 seconds, use the back of the spatula to gently press and cook until lightly browned on both sides.

6. Add another small dab of butter and continue with remaining batter.

7. Finish with your personal choice of powdered sugar, maple syrup, honey and yogurt, fruit compote, etc. Possibilities are endless, but I like to keep it simple and sweet.