Summer Food


I'm trying to simplify life this summer so there can be more play and less work. I'm not cleaning as often, using disposable diapers instead of cloth, mostly wearing work out clothes and summer dresses, and everyone gets smoothies for breakfast. But dinners are one area I'm not skimping in!

I'm loving the fresh summer food we've been having lately and need to share some of my recent favorites! All the various recipe links are a shade lighter than the text, hopefully it's not confusing!

First up, a twist on my favorite tahini spinach salad!


Use the dressing from this post and add in really whatever sounds good along with roasted chickpeas. This particular version was my favorite! It had roasted Brussels sprouts, green apple, and green onions. For the chickpeas, I like to coat them with olive oil, garlic salt and pepper and roast them at 400 for 30-40 min.

Sweet potato, black bean tacos with an avocado dip:


These were on white corn tortillas and were so, so good. The only thing I didn't use were the pepitas because I didn't have any on hand. 

And more tacos...



We've been making these for awhile but in the winter usually just do the kung pao chicken and eat it over rice with vegetables. The tacos are so much better though!


Classic guacamole: avocados, coarse salt, fresh lime juice, cilantro. I think simple guac is the best.


This isn't classic summer because it's a hot meal, but I made a cauliflower and chicken curry because I wanted to use the Thai basil plant I had just potted. Now I know why the basil dishes at our favorite Thai place are so delicious, the basil has such a distinct flavor that really takes the dish to a whole new level.

I think here I sautéed a bunch of yellow curry powder and little turmeric in about 3 Tbls of coconut oil and then cooked the chicken in that, added salt, ginger, coconut milk, a Thai chili paste, and a little broth and simmered for quite awhile. I added the cauliflower about 5 min before it was done and served it with basmati rice and fresh Thai basil.


I've also been using my large dispenser to make fun water to sip on throughout the day. This one has been my favorite so far: mint and peach.


I don't have a picture of this, but these frosted brownies are absolutely amazing. Devin said the best dessert I've ever made which I think is a gross exaggeration, but regardless: Frosted brownies

Oh and of course, grilled pizza! Grilled pizza how to

And lastly, on Saturday Dev wanted to make us breakfast before our Saturday tradition of biking to the downtown Farmer's Market. He toasted Ezekial bread, buttered it and topped it with a runny egg, bacon, tomatoes, a drizzle of some cilantro ranch dressing I made. He even added a little garnish and some truffle oil! What a guy. :) It was so good we had the same thing on Sunday morning!


I'd love to hear about any fun summer meals people are having lately!


10 comments:

Molly said...

Oh wow. All of these look really, really good. I think I'm going to try the Kung-Pao tacos. Yum. And the frosted brownies if Dev really said that;)

alisonsutter said...

I'm putting the sweet potato tacos on the menu for next week! Meatless meals are a risk at our house...but those look amazing.

Btw...your blog is one of my favorites! I hate to have social media only relationships with people as it can be so deceiving...but I feel like we could be good friends in real life too :)

sarah.flyingkites said...

Love this post and kinda want to move in so u can cook for me. Please? :)

That salad sounds so good!

T and M said...

hmmm, i'm excited to try roasting chickpeas. Maybe then i'll like em better. simplifying & smoothies for bfast sounds good too. and the thai food looks soooo yummy!

i haven't really been making many "summer" meals yet, so no ideas there, but we've been having lots of food right out of the garden-sugar snap peas, etc which has probably been my fav. I'm loving "eggs over greens" in the morning-over easy egg over sauteed spinach or kale!

L, Ann and boys said...

I'm wanting to try the tacos posted :) mmmmm and well...all the other stuff posted too. ;)

I like taking cloth diaper breaks every now and then too. I wash them all after a long oxi clean soak and sort through them to make sure all white again...stuff I don't normally do meticulously. Then when everything is all....errrr....almost I should say, in order in the laundry room, I jump in again with the cloth. :)

petite+grand said...

I made the sweet potato tacos last evening.. Very fun!! Excited about the curry/cauliflower combination.. So fun to spend time together lately.. You are very talented :)!!

Betsy said...

I'm with Molly. the kung pao tacos and the brownies...I am not usually an iced brownie fan but I am going to try it as we need some chocolate in the house pronto.

Sara Huber said...

Everything looks so good. I am going to try the mint/peach water idea tomorrow!

Joy said...

I agree Sara, I want to try that mint/peach water! What a great idea Emily!! I don't know one of those drink dispensers but I have always wanted one. And I need to drink more water so this gives me a great excuse to buy one. Thanks!!:)

Christen Leigh said...

I was hoping you would post the recipe for those tacos--yay! This all looks so delicious. :)