Best Damn Guacamole with Persimmons

For as long as I can remember guacamole has been always been my thing. Despite a serious lack of culinary skills, I've whipped it up from the time I was in elementary school. Of course it's evolved and changed since then, but I can confidently say I think my guac is the best out there. But the best thing about guac is that it's totally flexible. Don't like tomato? Skip it. Love the tangy bite of lots of lime? Add more! Don't have cilantro in the fridge? It will still taste pretty fantastic without it. 

That being said, this weekend the hubby and I went to the Calabasas Farmer's market and came home with a bag full of persimmons. Have you ever had them? I hadn't either. I'd heard of them, seen them, and even read recipes with them but honestly I'd never tried them. Despite looking shockingly similar to tomatoes they taste nothing like them. They are sweet like a mango with an inner texture like a firm pear, and they are in full bloom this time of year. The secret to making them taste extra sweet, at least according to the man who sold them to me at the Farmer's Market, is to remove the skin. 

So when we got home, hot and hungry, and I saw a giant ripe avocado sitting in our fruit basket, I decided to have some fun. The persimmons add a sweet unexpected, but totally appreciated, surprise to this very traditional guacamole. The texture blends in perfectly and even adds an extra element of chunkiness. If there's something I think we can all agree on, it's that guacamole should be chunky. Not to mention, it's football season, and I don't know about you but I've never met a person who didn't like guacamole, especially devout and very serious footballs fans (go niners!). 

Best Damn Guacamole with Persimmons 
Serves 4 as an appetizer 

2 small avocados (or 1 large)
1 tbsp salsa verde* 
2-3 tbsp diced yellow onion 
2 packed tbsp diced Roma tomatoes, seeded 
small handful of cilantro, roughly chopped 
1 small persimmon, peeled and diced 
1/4 tsp sea salt 
fresh ground pepper to taste 
1 tbsp lime 

*You can totally use store-bought salsa verde. I like Trader Joe's brand. 

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Using the side of a fork, roughly chop avocado then mix all ingredients together until you'd achieved your desired chunkiness. Serve with chips and devour. 

Spinach Peach Salad with Quinoa, Goat Cheese + Creamy Peach Vinaigrette

I may or may not have eaten peach salad, peach cobbler ice cream, and brown butter peach bars all within the last 24 hours. Clearly I'm not ready for peach season to be over, but clearly neither is southern california because it's been over 100 degrees, like well over 100, for going on five days now, and a crispy cool fall could not feel farther away. So I'm going with it! Drinking smoothies and continuing to stuff my face with as many peaches as I can get my hands on. Soups and stews and anything warm just doesn't feel quite right yet. 

I've never been much of a "salad person".  Partly because they never seem to leave me satisfied and partly because I'm just not good at making them. According to my friend Colleen, a salad-making goddess, it's all about the dressing. She believes homemade flavorful dressings are the secret to any great salad. Her wise words along with a strawberry vinaigrette I had while in Georgia last weekend inspired me. I may not be a fan of salads, but you add peaches, almonds, quinoa, and goat cheese and you've got my attention. So I did just that. Then pureed a perfectly ripe summer peach with some olive oil, lemon, apple cider vinegar and honey for a homemade peach vinaigrette, and my discrimination against salads quickly began to fade. 

This salad is sweet, filling, light, and delicious. The tangy goat cheese and the sweet peaches pack this salad with flavor. And the quinoa and almonds provide enough protein to leave you full for hours. And of course, spinach. Kale is cool and trendy and all, but spinach will always be my #1. 

Spinach Peach Salad with Quinoa, Goat Cheese + Creamy Peach Vinaigrette
Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a main 

1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
1/4 tsp sea salt 
8oz baby spinach 
5oz goat cheese 
1/2 cup sliced almonds 
2-3 peaches, thinly sliced 

For the dressing: 
1 shallot 
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 
1 ripe peach 
1 tbsp honey 
1 tbsp lemon juice 
1/4 tsp sea salt 

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Rinse the quinoa then add it to boiling water, cover and reduce to simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until water is dissolved and quinoa is fluffy.  Add salt, mix and remove from heat. Set aside to cool. 

Add shallot to a mini food processor or blender and pulse until minced. Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. 

In a large bowl, mix spinach, goat cheese, almonds, quinoa, and dressing (you will have extra) and serve. 

 

Burrata & Roasted Cherry Tomato Crostini

Can we talk about burrata for a moment? Let me start by saying if there's a reason I could never go completely vegan, burrata is that reason. If you've never had the pleasure of tasting the stuff it can be described as giant pillows of fresh mozzarella filled with creamy, heavenly goodness.  I recently discovered it when I went to Mario Batali's Pizzeria Mozza for my birthday a couple months ago and ordered his famous caprese salad.  It pretty much changed my life. Talk about decadence. 

This time of year burrata salads are everywhere, either that or my newfound love-affair with the stuff is only now opening my eyes to it! This time of year is also home the best tomatoes you've ever tasted. Did you know you're technically not supposed to refrigerate tomatoes? Yeah. Me either. Apparently it dramatically affects the flavor. I've been embracing this "room temperature rule" particularly when it comes to cherry tomatoes. You know those bright orange ones that you only see around late august?

We got these gems from Mcgrath Family Farm just south of Ventura, CA. If you're ever road tripping up the 101, you must stop for the best, freshest organic produce and the friendliest people. I just adore everything about this place. You can even pick your own strawberries, cherry tomatoes, and heirlooms, which just so happen to all taste like candy this time of year. 

So in attempt to eat burrata, and savor these perfectly sweet cherry tomatoes I was trying to avoid refrigerating, this recipe was born. Add in some "make me feel less guilty for basically eating cheese for dinner" arugula and we're good to go! These are definitely a Friday night kind of treat, which we attempted to treat as an appetizer before something healthy like a salad but failed and ate them all until we were completely full. Oops!  

Burrata & Roasted Cherry Tomato Crostini
Makes 6 large crostini

Ingredients:
1 loaf ciabatta bread
4 cloves garlic, divided
extra virgin olive oil
8 oz burrata (I used Trader Joe's brand)
2 cups tightly packed arugula
1 pint cherry tomatoes
fresh ground sea salt + pepper, to taste

Soak bamboo skewers in cold water for at least 15 minutes. Preheat your oven (or toaster oven) to 450 degrees and your grill (pan) to medium heat. Slide tomatoes on skewers and marinate in olive oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and salt + pepper. Grill tomatoes until softened and slightly charred. Meanwhile, slice bread into six 3/4 inch thick slices, then rub slices with remaining garlic cloves and drizzle both sides olive oil. Bake for 5-7 minutes. Divide the burrata amongst the crostini, top with arugula, and cherry tomato skewers. Sprinkle with chunky sea salt and pepper to taste.