Peach, Walnut & Roasted Beet Salad

I'm going to be the master of the obvious here & tell you that it's been hot lately. Super hot. That means I'm less motivated to make heavy dinners & really into anything I don't have to actually cook.

Of course, I have turned the oven on a few times. I had to roast the beets for this salad, for example. But I made it worthwhile by making Hot Chocolate Cookies at the same time! It was a win-win situation. Then I stored the beets in the fridge so they were ready for me to put on salads throughout the week.

I was super excited to pull my beets. We thinned them a few weeks ago & I got just enough to have for one meal. Last weekend we pulled the rest (I was sweating like crazy out there!). There were 4 that had some surface damage, so I cleaned those right away & roasted the good parts.

I wasn't sure whether we'd just toss them on salads or if I'd do something special with them, but I came across a recipe on the Whole Foods site that was just begging to have them on it. We ate outside for the first time in weeks, happy to enjoy the fresh air & the crisp flavors.

I hope you're staying cool. We usually go for a nice bike ride on Saturday mornings, but this week we cut it short to 4 miles. It was too hot! We stopped at the producers-only farm market on the way home & got lettuce, peaches, corn on the cob, & zucchini. I can't wait to see what they have to offer next weekend!

Peach, Walnut & Roasted Beet Salad

Inspired & Adapted from Whole Foods

Serves 2 as the main course or 4 as side salads

Dressing:

1/4 c walnuts, toasted
1 large peach, chopped
2 T lime juice (or more to taste)

Salad:
1/2 head green leaf lettuce, washed & torn into pieces

1/2 head red leaf lettuce, washed & torn into pieces

1 peach, sliced
2 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

2 beets, roasted - follow these instructions, just use only red beets - can be done ahead of time

Blend dressing ingredients in a food processor or high-powered blender until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Divide lettuces evenly between bowls/plates. Top with remaining ingredients, divided evenly. Drizzle with dressing & serve immediately. Alternatively, serve with dressing on the side & allow each person to add their own, to taste. (We didn't use all of the dressing for our 2 salads. There was enough left for at least 1 more salad.)

Notes:

- Beets can be roasted a day or two before making the salad. Store in the refrigerator.

- Dressing will keep for about 4 days. You can make it ahead of time & store in the refrigerator. This is good to do if you like your dressing cold because if you make it fresh it will be warm or room temperature.

1/4 c walnuts, toasted

Dessert Plantains

A few weeks ago, we bought a plantain at Whole Foods. I wasn't really sure what to do with it, but I'd read about them a little & wanted to try one.

[source]

Plantains are a relative of bananas. They're bigger & are often used in savory dishes, similarly to potatoes. I wanted to try them grilled, but by the time we got around to using it, that wasn't possible. It was black & very ripe, making it more like a banana.

Once cooked, our very ripe plantain tasted similar to a banana but with a firmer consistency. We really liked it as a dessert! Next time, I won't let it sit on the counter for so long & we can try a savory version.

Dessert Plantains

Serves 2

1 plantain, peeled

1 tsp coconut oil

2 T toasted marshmallow vodka

1/2 T cinnamon sugar

3 T chocolate chips

Cut the peeled plantain in half. Slice each half lengthwise into 3-4 slices, depending on the size of your plantain. Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add plantain slices once coconut oil is melted. Allow to cook for about 2 minutes, then flip. Pour vodka over plantains & cook until it boils off. Remove from heat & divide evenly onto 2 plates. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar & chocolate chips. Serve immediately.



Happy Marriage!

Introducing La & Andy, the bride & groom!

I was honored to be part of their wedding. Everything was very laid-back & organized, in typical La fashion. All of the girls in the wedding party felt like we weren't doing our part because everything was already taken care of!

We had a fun time decorating the church with these tissue paper puffs.

The flowers were gorgeous! I have my bouquet sitting at home on the counter & they're still alive almost a week later.

 

One of the other bridesmaids made La this personalized hanger. Apparently you can buy them on Etsy, but she took some wire & twisted it herself. She was also the one to do most of our hair. I did a little curling & pinning along the way, but she did the bulk of it.

We caught a peek of the groomsmen & groom (note: he's the one in shorts!) as they arrived at the church. They looked very official.

What bride doesn't want to do her wedding day prep in the men's bathroom right next to a urinal? She wasn't fazed at all!

It was super hot on Saturday, so after the ceremony, the men were given permission to change into cooler clothes. Luckily, the Bup brought a polo that matched my dress!

Andy brewed the beer for the wedding. This was the Honeymoooon Brew, a honey & basil beer. Sounds a little strange, but it's amazing! He also made a "Love is in the ale" wheat beer. We got to take some of the leftovers home. :-D

The favors were the tin pictured. Inside were dice & instruction for one of their favorite games, Farkle. They taught us to play on one of our weekend cabin trips & it's really fun.

Fans for the crowd to stay cool!

Mom & Dad celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on 7/1. I'm so proud to be their daughter! Here's to 35 more years for them!

Dad & daughter: matching cheesy grins.

Father daughter dance to Frank Sinatra. Who else? As kids, our dads always listened to Frank & we'd complain.

Congrats! I'm so happy for the two of you!