Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 402

Mini Zucchini Pizzas, 3 Ways.

You guyyyyyysssss.

Oh my gosh. I’m in love with mini zucchini pizzas and I’m going to shout it from the rooftops. I’m in love with a VEGETABLE!

I mean, yeah, maybe it’s kind of covered in lots of cheese. And bacon. And pesto. And grilled corn.

But seriously.

I was originally saving this recipe for late august, but after posting it on snapchat (you can find me at howsweeteats), thousands of you screenshotted the snaps and asked WHAT the heck was on my zucchini.

I’ll be the first to admit that little zucchini pizzas probably aren’t that unique, and I was thisclose to throwing some mini pepperoni on mine. That would be delish. But at the last minute, I tossed that pep to the side and decided to make a variety of my favorite flavors.

Trash ’em up good.

Because I get extremely bored, like SO bored that I can’t even finish a meal without getting bored, I had to make three different kinds.

Okay, I know, that’s fairly disgusting (the bordem part, obviously not the variety part) and untrue, but if there WAS such a thing as getting bored halfway through your meal, I would be the one to do it.

Joy to live with. That’s me!

Zucchini always reminds me of summer in the most cliché way. My mom would make pan-fried zucchini rounds and cover them in a parmesan cheese shower before serving them to use on super hot summer nights. It was one of the only times I willingly ate vegetables as a kid and actually looked FORWARD to eating vegetables.

You couldn’t even find me with carrot or celery sticks, cherry tomatoes or iceberg lettuce.

But come August, you could always find me with some crispy, crunchy zucchini rounds. I can still taste them to this day.

This summer, I’m going equally as nuts for zucchini, but in a surprisingly… simple way. Not so much simple, like eating it straight from the garden simple, but simple as in I’m not covering it with breadcrumbs and frying it simple.

I’ve been making zucchini lasagna roll-ups once a week and we all go crazy over them. I’ve also been spiralizing so often, if only because it’s fun.

My local farm labeled this pretty zucchini as Mediterranean zucchini, but a quick search on the kitchn told me it’s also (or otherwise) called cousa squash. It tastes just like classic green zucchini but it seemed to have fewer seeds? Maybe be a touch sweeter?

I don’t know but I liked it. Boom.

So here’s what we’re doing!!

Pesto, grilled corn and bacon. Oh my gosh. The flavor here is UNREEEEAL. I added just a touch of cheese but it isn’t even necessary. You will love it without the cheese.

Next up, caramelized red onion and blue cheese. This one practically made my face explode it tasted so wonderful. I used some classic marinara for the sauce on here and while that’s rare for me, it worked perfectly with the blue cheese. Ugh. So good I hate it.

Finally, a classic little marinara and fontina with lots of herbs. The key to the cheese on here is to use the fine side of your grater – as long as you’re using skinnier shreds of cheese, it will melt perfectly and stay on the zucchini round.

Now tell me: what toppings are you going to do?! I can’t even WAIT to hear.

Mini Zucchini Pizzas, 3 Ways

Yield: 45 minutes

Total Time: serves about 4 generously as a meal

Ingredients:

2 large zucchini squash, sliced in 1/2 inch rounds

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

fresh oregano and basil for topping

pesto, grilled corn & bacon

1/2 cup pesto
1 ear sweet corn, grilled or roasted
4 sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

caramelized onion & blue cheese

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup marinara sauce
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

marinara & fontina

1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 cup marinara sauce
4 ounces fontina cheese, finely grated



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Slice your zucchini into at least 1/2 inch rounds. Any thinner and they will get super liquidy and mushy under the toppings!

Place the zucchini rounds on the sheet. Depending on how large they are, you might need two baking sheets. Assemble your pizzas! Spread the rounds with either marinara or pesto. Cover the pesto ones with the grilled corn and bacon. Alternate the marinara ones with the blue cheese and caramelized onions and the grated fontina and italian seasoning.

Bake the rounds for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Remove the rounds from the oven and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and the fresh oregano and basil.

caramelized onions

To make the caramelized onions, heat a saucepan over medium-low heat and add the butter. Stir in the onions and toss. Stir in the sugar and salt. Cook until the onions start to caramelize, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often so they don't burn. You might have to turn the heat all the way down. And with the sugar, they will caramelize quicker than usual!

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Little zucc pacmac, right?

Tuesday Things.

1. I HAVE to try this black ice cream. Look at that! So cool.

2. Definitely didn’t stand in the school supply aisle at Target searching for something I *might* need. Nope. Definitely not.

3. Contrary to popular belief, I really don’t want to be 17 again but wait, yes I do, just so I can wear Lisa Frank’s clothing line. Whyyyyyy didn’t this exist when I was a teen.

4. Dying over these 80 year olds who recreated T Swift’s Shake it Off video. I want to be them.

5. Okay you guys have convinced me to watch Stranger Things. Starting it this week. We are still watching The Night Of along with Ballers (I need that mind numbing show after The Night Of) annnnd I might be doing a little re-binge of the West Wing.

6. Last week I made PURPLE(!!!) cauliflower pizza crust. Now I just want all of my food to be pretty and purple.

7. We have super huge, super scary (of course) hawks all over our neighborhood and I’m pretty sure they keep killing baby birds in nests, which then end up on our driveway. I’ve almost stepped on them every time and then I (of course) have a basic major freak out. Can this be stopped or do I have to chalk it up to the food chain?

8. Did you find anything excellent at the Nordstrom sale?! I bought Max a few (too many) things, I bought some boot(ies), a jacket and a bag that I don’t think I like I much as I thought I did. Share please!

9. Not sure I can stop multitasking anytime soon, but I sort of wish I could like this. Terribly addicted to my phone would probably describe me well.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salads with Greek Yogurt Parmesan Dressing.

Want to be cliche together and eat a Monday salad?

Of course you do!

It’s not a boring one, I swear.

I mean, just look at this color down there.

There is no denying that I can be a salad fiend in the summer. It’s way too hot to cook all day (even though I have to make cookies today – haaalp, I’m going to roast.), sometimes it’s even too hot to be outside and use the grill. Since I don’t want to sweat my face off and subsequently complain to the five people around me that OH MY GOSH IT’S SO HOT, we eat a lot of salads.

But packed with toppings. Full blow meals, on TOP of salads!

That’s how it’s done.

As weird as it sounds, a salad like this is total comfort food for me.

And I am totally not that person.

You know I’m not that person!

Probably because it’s practically vegetable-less? Of course. Slash unfortunately.

This chicken is ridiculously simple. It’s lightly breaded and baked (using my old school chicken finger method) and tastes incredible. I find that baking it this way leaves almost no room for that terrible dry chicken texture and it’s always super flavorful.

Only downside is that you DO have to turn on your oven for a leeeeettle bit in this heat, but I swear (again), it’s quick. You can even make it a day ahead of time if you don’t mind the crunch disappearing a bit. No need to reheat – it tastes excellent cold too.

Other necessities that I must have for a tantrum-free salad:

Cherry tomatoes! Big slices just make me cringe.

Crispy, crunchy bacon pieces. These just elevate a salad, always.

Cucumber half moons. Because I wanted to say “half moons.”

And homemade, quick pickled onions. These onions are my new favorite thing. I make them at least once a week and we put them on everything. Tacos, quick nachos, salads and even pizza. Eddie loves onions so much that he will eat them raw with a fork and even though I’m all NO NO NO to that, I definitely think these ones are delicious.

Much better than plain, raw red onion slices. Write it down!

Oooooh let’s talk about the dressing. You guys know I’m soooo not a dressing person and tend to love oil + vinegar since my tangy, briney love runs deep. But my greek yogurt Caesar dressing ranks up there pretty high and is one that I remake over and over and over again.

I wanted to take that same concept and make it more parmesan-like… aka, lose the anchovies and garlic overload. There’s a time and a place for both of those and things and this was not the time or the place.

Sooooo. What I’m saying is… it’s salads like this or just a massive cheese plate all summer long. Pick your poison.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salads

Yield: serves 2 to 4

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

quick pickled onions

1 red onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt

salads

1 pound boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup seasoned fine bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons flour (any kind is fine)
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 seedless cucumber, sliced
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
extra freshly grated parmesan for sprinkling

greek yogurt parmesan dressing

1 garlic clove, minced
2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons greek yogurt
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil



Directions:

quick pickled onions

Place the onions in a jar or cup. In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt dissolve. Pour over the sliced onions. Let sit at room temperature for an hour. You can obviously make this ahead of time and once made, store it in the fridge in a sealed container or jar.

chicken & salad

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray.

Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Place the eggs in one bowl and the breadcrumbs, parmesan and flour in a second bowl. Stir well.Take each chicken bread and dip it in the beaten egg. Place it in breadcrumb mixture and press gently so the breadcrumbs adhere and cover the entire piece. Gently place the chicken on the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken. I like to spray each piece of chicken with olive oil or canola spray once it's breaded so the crust becomes golden and crunchy.

Bake the chicken for 15 minutes, then gently flip it and bake for 15 minutes more. At this point, you can prep the bacon for the salads if you haven's done so yet and chop the remaining veggies. Remove the chicken and slice it for the salads.

To assemble the salads, toss the lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber together. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and toss again. Add the chicken slices, bacon pieces and pickled onions on top. Drizzle on the dressing and cover with extra parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

greek yogurt parmesan dressing

To make the dressing, add the garlic, yogurt, parmesan, mustard, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper to a food processor and blend until pureed. With the processor still on, stream in the olive oil until a creamy dressing forms. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

(I pick both.)

Currently Crushing On.

{via}

Ummm can you tell from all of my recent crushing on photos that I’m majorly craving a beach trip? I can’t wait until we go on vacation and am counting down the days! If you guys are traveling this summer, where are you headed? Or where have you already been?

We have a fun weekend planned with a little road trip and probably one too many acai bowls. Follow on instagram and snapchat (howsweeteats) to see more! xoxoxo

In the meantime, I’m losing my mind over:

my perfect dinner: mix and match summer crostini bar.

vegan chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream sandwiches. these are gorgeous.

so freaking excited about this coloring cookbook!

coconut butter dipped strawberries with pistachio dust. flipping over these.

craving a bowl of these cold spicy kimchi noodles.

soooo how do we think eddie will feel if i do this to our mailbox?

s’mores coconut mocha. can my coffee look like this every morning?

a lovely blueberry caprese salad. i’m up for it.

this fresh peach daiquiri sounds incredible.

match spaghetti with chili and cheese. are you serious clark?!

love this simple tomato, cucumber and avocado salad.

painkiller cocktail pops. YES.

also absolutely enamored with these baileys cookies and cream pops.

Marinated Grilled Vegetables with Avocado Whipped Feta.

Or, How To Eat Vegetables and Actually Enjoy Them.

Because I did! And I want to do it more.

All it takes is a grill with some smoky flavor and a marinade with lots of flavor. Where have I BEEN?

Maybe I was abducted by aliens?

The answer to the REAL question I know that you’re wondering about will come first.

No, Eddie does not think this is dinner, nor will he ever. He says it makes a great side though, so there’s that.

I, on the other hand, will eat this for dinner!

With some grilled bread of course.

And alllll the avocado feta.

This whipped feta is one of the most popular recipes on the site, and I knew we were going to grill some vegetables to have with it. At the last minute – actually, as the feta was going INTO the food processor – I swore up and down that we had to add an avocado. It sounded so delicious.

And I was not missing the opportunity.

This whole combination makes me so, so happy. The smoky, charred flavor. Paired with the tangy marinade and some of the sweet veggies – like the onions and peppers? Ugh, so good. And then topped with fresh herbs, which are completely refreshing and bright.

And THEN, dipped in the cool avocado feta, which is creamy and light. This entire plate makes me want to eat vegetables every single day.

And FACEPLANT right into it. Never did I ever think I’d be this giddy over some plants!

Marinated Grilled Vegetables with Avocado Whipped Feta

Yield: serves 2 to 4 (or more, depending on what you serve it with)

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 zucchini squash, sliced into rounds
2 large portobello mushroom caps, sliced
1 large eggplant, sliced into rounds
1 large onion, sliced into rounds
1 cup radishes, halved
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into "fry-like" pieces
1 baguette, sliced into rounds
a handful of fresh oregano, basil, rosemary and thyme for garnish

avocado whipped feta

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled and at room temperature
1 avocado, cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil, if needed




Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, paprika and pepper.

Place the zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, onion and radish pieces in a large baking dish. Cover with the marinade and stick the dish in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, I like par boil the sweet potato so once grilled, it's the perfect consistency. I put the slices in a saucepan full of water and bring it to a boil, boiling for about 1 to 2 minutes. Then I remove and toss with the marinade!

Heat the grill to it's highest setting. Brush the baguette with olive oil on both sides.

Once the grill is hot, remove the veggies from the marinade with tongs and place them on the grill. I start with the potatoes, peppers and eggplant. If you zucchini slices and radishes are small, you can use a grill plate if you have one, or simply wrap them in aluminum foil. You can grill until you reach the char you desire - at least until grill marks appear and the veggies are golden.

I grill the bread last because it can burn quickly. I also like it toasty and warm! Fill a platter or baking sheet with your vegatables and bread. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper if you'd like. Cover the vegetables in a sprinkle of fresh herbs. Serve immediately with the avocado feta!

avocado whipped feta

Add almost all of crumbled feta to a food processor and pulse until small crumbs remain. Add in the avocado and puree for 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides when necessary, until the feta is super creamy. Serve topped with a few extra feta crumbs and fresh herbs.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

K, now I’d like a cookie.

Pineapple Peach Agua Fresca.

I might have something that you want to drink more than wine!

And it doesn’t include tequila, rum, vodka or bourbon either. Who am I and what have I done with myself?

It’s been awhile since I made an agua fresca regularly. Back when I was working on Seriously Delish, I was making different versions ‘round the clock in order to find one that I completely loved.

I’ve shared a watermelon and mango version before – and while I always thought that watermelon would remain my favorite, I think I easily have a new one.

PINEAPPLE PEACH!

Strawberry also comes in at a close second, but only because Edgar’s Tacos in the strip district makes the most incredible version. I’ve never seen Eddie suck down a drink as fast as he does with their strawberry agua fresca. It’s definitely packed with sugar and a wonderful treat to have with tacos every once in a while.

In fact, we had Edgar’s at our house a few years ago for a party and they brought a ginormous jug of the agua fresca, like enough to serve 50+ people. Can you say agua fresca for dayssss?

I can. I did. I want to again.

This agua fresca is SO incredibly refreshing. It’s not super sweet and if you’re a fruit lover, it hits the spot. I even find it to be more thirst-quenching than lemonade because it’s just so light and lacks any tartness or sugary aftertaste.

It’s the best thing ever on a hot summer day.

At least the best thing ever right now, because next week you know I’m going to tell you about the next best thing ever. #millennial

And can we talk about the COLOR?! It’s so bright and vibrant and wonderful. I like to use more peaches than pineapple – the pineapple can be overwhelming and take away from that sweet summer peach flavor.

It’s like you’re drinking peach pie in a glass! But… you know, fruit. And water. Fruit water. With mint and lime!

Okay just break out the tequila.

Pineapple Peach Agua Fresca

Yield: serves about 4

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

3 ripe peaches, peeled and cubed
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
2 cups water
3 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons simple syrup
1 cup frozen peach slices
fresh mint
lime slices for serving



Directions:

note: to make the simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water (such as 1/4 cup each) in a saucepan over medium heat. whisk until the sugar dissolves and simmer for a minute or two, then remove from the heat and let cool completely.

Add the peaches, pineapple and 1 cup of water to a blender and blend until completely pureed. Using a fine mesh sieve, pour puree through into a large bowl or measuring cup, using a spoon to press the last of the liquid out when you get to the end. Combine the juice with the remaining water, lime juice and simple syrup in a large pitcher. Taste and add more syrup if desired. Chill until cold. Before serving, add the frozen peach slices (to act as your ice cubes!) along with a few ice cubes if you'd like it super cold.

Serve over crushed ice the extra lime slices and mint.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

You can add a splash.

Acai Waffle Sundae.

This is totally a summer non-recipe recipe.

We’re making a smoothie puree and throwing it on top of… a waffle.

Do you have so much secondhand embarrassment for me right now?

It works though, I swear!

I realize that I’m a walking cliché and even worse, a walking cliché from, like, 2014, with my acai puree here. I first made an acai bowl here at home when I was pregnant with Max, but it wasn’t until this past year when I had a bowl at a local juicery that I fell in LOVE with.

Like majorly in love. It has peanut butter and banana and even some super dark chocolate and I want to drive and get one every single day.

But I don’t.

Instead! I do things like this.

These days I can find frozen acai puree easily (I find mine at whole foods and use sambazon) which wasn’t always the case. Before, I’d save it to make something extra-special or save it for a Saturday morning and make a killer smoothie bowl.

Or, at least what I THOUGHT was a killer smoothie bowl. Heads up: THIS is a killer smoothie bowl. See that? Killer.

Since it’s more accessible now, I don’t mind experimenting with different recipes and a few weeks ago, I threw it all on top of a waffle. Kind of like a good, old belgian waffle, though I’m sure just speaking those words in the presence of acai puree is blasphemy.

If you love the tart and not-super-sweet acai flavor though, you’ll love this. And if you don’t, try it out with banana soft serve (frozen bananas, pureed) instead! The toppings are the most fun part. I love an assortment of berries, a sliced banana for extra richness, shredded coconut, crunchy granola, melty cashew butter and a sprinkle of fresh mint.

Bonus points for chopped chocolate. Obviously.

Now you know allllll about my current secret summer morning obsession – you know, when I don’t just want a smoothie and want to add even MORE to a waffle –  and how I’m spending my time scooping smoothie puree on top of my doughy breakfast. Please let’s still be friends.

Acai Waffle Sundae

Yield: makes 4 to 6 waffles

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

waffles 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

acai & toppings

2 frozen acai puree packets (about 14 ounces)
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 frozen bananas
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 banana, sliced
1 fresh peach, sliced
2/3 cup fresh blueberries
2/3 cup fresh sliced strawberries
2/3 cup fresh cherries, pitted and sliced
2/3 cup granola
1/4 cup cashew butter, melted
3 tablespoons unsweetened, shredded coconut
fresh mint for garnish



Directions:

Preheat your waffle iron the the highest setting.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, soda and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Separate the egg, placing the egg white in the bowl of your electric mixer and the egg yolk in with the buttermilk.

Beat the egg white on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Stir the buttermilk and egg mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in the melted butter until it's combined - it will take a minute or two to incorporate. Fold the stiff egg whites into the batter and then fold almost all of the crispy bacon bits (I reserve some for topping) into the batter. Spoon 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter into the hot waffle iron. Cook until crunchy and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes a piece.

In a high-powered blender, puree the frozen acai puree with the blueberries, banana, coconut milk and vanilla extract. You want it to be "scoopable," so scoop a spoonful and place it in the center of each waffle. Build your sundae! Top with sliced banana and peach, blueberries, strawberries and cherries, a sprinkle of granola, drizzle of cashew butter and shake of coconut. Top it off with some fresh mint and a cherry. Devour immediately.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

One heck of a delicious mess.

Tuesday Things.

1. This watermelon elicits strong feelings of both love and hate, and I thought I’d loathe the combo but I actually love it. It’s rich-meets-refreshing. Plus, sprinkles. Duh. It’s the best thing to eat when it’s 237 degrees outside.

2. Berry Cereal Milkshakes. I’m serious.

3. My goal in life this week is to recreate those chocolate peanut butter magnum ice cream bars to a T. I probably need to eat a “few” to make sure I get it right, obviously.

4. Training your brain past perfectionism. Oooooh yes.

5. You know that Eddie’s losing his mind over all this T Swift drama since he’s her biggest fan.

6. TV! Okay, we started watching The Night Of on HBO and while it’s going to give me nightmares, I’m already so hooked. And it stresses me out like all good HBO programming does. What else are you watching?

7. Would would be inside your ideal s’mores? Traditional? Nutella? Something with potato chips? Also if you haven’t had one yet this summer, now is the time. I’m working on something!

8. This is how I feel.

9. p.s. Babe updates! 18 months and 18 month favorites >> don’t miss it.

Summer Grain Bowls.

Let’s just call this what it really is.

A big old throw-all-my-summer-fruit-and-veg-in-a-bowl salad. But since it’s 2016, we have to call it a GRAIN bowl! Three years ago I probably would have told you it was a quinoa salad with farro. Or a farro salad with quinoa. Or a summer salad.

Lucky for us it’s all of those things and it’s delicious.

Look at these colors. Seriously. Can summer never be over please? K thanks.

Since I like a little vegetable with my fruit, cherries and peaches were the stars of the show here. A touch of corn, halved tomatoes, some crunchy rainbow carrots, paper-thin radish, a quartered cucumber and a ton (like really a ton) of fresh herbs. We are talking MAJOR flavor here.

Oh oh oh! And a teeny crumble of gorgonzola. Tangy, complimentary to the peaches and oh-so delicious.

Plus rainbow micro greens, because my use is out of control.

I didn’t want to do pasta but I knew I didn’t want to JUST do quinoa. I actually really love quinoa but thought that my add-ins, all the chunks and pieces and what not, would overtake the quinoa and it would end up getting… lost. And be completely flavorless. So!

Enter farro. I wanted something with a little more chew and texture. I cook it like pasta in boiling water and then drain. We loooooove it.

My favorite thing about this bowl is that it’s fantastic warm or cold. I wouldn’t necessarily warm up the fruit and vegetables, but the quinoa and farro can be warm and tossed in and served immediately. Or it can sit in the fridge for a few hours and do it’s thang before you eat it. It’s refreshing.

It’s satisfying!

It makes you feel good and healthy and all that jazz. And leaves more room for rosé. Since it’s 2016 and all.

Summer Grain Bowls

Yield: serves 2 to 4

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked farro
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 ripe peaches, thinly sliced
1 cups bing cherries, pitted and halved
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, sliced and halved
2/3 cup chopped carrot (I used rainbow carrots)
2/3 cup corn (fresh or cooked - your choice)
1/2 cup rainbow micro greens
1/4 cup thinly sliced radish
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil leaves
1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme



Directions:

Note: for more flavor you can cook your quinoa and/or farro in chicken or vegetable stock, which is what I always do.

In a large bowl, toss together the quinoa and farro. Season the tomatoes and cucumber with a pinch of salt and pepper - I like to do this just to add more flavor to those two ingredients especially.

Toss all of the fruit and vegetables, down to the radish, into the quinoa and farro. Toss well so everything is combined. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice into the salad. Season with the salt and pepper, tossing well. Toss in the gorgonzola. Right before serving, toss in all of the fresh herbs.

You can make this an hour or so before serving - it's wonderful cold and so are the leftovers!

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

My heart’s in that bowl.

Picklesburgh and Weekend Snapshots.

picklesburgh is my dream day.

how was your weekend?! tell me the deets!