Perfect Piña Coladas {Dairy-Free}
Happy Labor Day weekend! Can you believe summer is almost over? Normally summers in the valley creep by, each day hotter and more miserable than the previous, but not this one. It flew. Wasn't it just fourth of july like last week? I'm not ready for Fall, I haven't even made zucchini bread yet! I'm buying peaches and tomatoes and artichokes like a mad woman before they are quickly swooped up and replaced by apples. I think summer's fruit makes its heat manageable.
My greatest food discovery this summer was without a doubt coconut milk. I'm not talking about the kind you pour over cereal, I'm talking about the thick, creamy, canned kind, most commonly used in asian cuisine. I've been trying to cut back on dairy for a million reason, though not always succeeding at it (thank you, burrata), and coconut milk allows my dairy-free treats to stay creamy, decadent, and like I'm not missing out one bit. Oh, and the fact that it smells like vacation helps too!
These piña coladas are perfection. Creamy, sweet but not sugary, and so so satisfying. They make me feel like I'm on a beach somewhere beautiful rather than sitting at the bistro table, I literally found by the dumpster of our apartment complex, on our dinky patio in the middle of a heat-stricken valley. So sit back, relax, and sip one of these bad boys down. They make life a little easier. You deserve it.
Serves Two
Ingredients:
1 pound frozen pineapple
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 medium ripe banana
1 tablespoon agave nectar (or honey)
1/2 cup ice
1/4 - 1/2 cup rum (optional)
Perfect Piña Coladas {Dairy-Free}
Serves Two
1 pound frozen pineapple
1 can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated & shaken well*
1 medium ripe banana
1 tbsp agave nectar (or honey)
1/2 cup ice
1/4 - 1/2 cup rum (optional)**
Blend the pineapple, coconut milk, and banana until smooth, add ice, agave nectar and rum and adjust to taste.
* When you refrigerate the coconut milk it has a tendency to separate - becoming coconut cream on the top with coconut water on the bottom. Give it a good shake before opening the can, but if you still find that it's separated that's OK. Everything will get blended together even though it may come out of the can a mess.
** I may be boring, but I'm actually a bigger fan of these without the rum, but feel free to add it!
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!
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.
Strawberry Banana Granola
One of my New Year's resolutions for 2014 was to "eat better breakfasts". I realized that I'd, for the most part, eliminated processed foods from my routine with the exception of good ol' cereal. Let me start by saying, I love cereal. It's delicious, it's comforting, it's easy, it tastes like childhood. But... it doesn't have protein, it doesn't keep you full for hours, and even the "healthy" cereal has a nice dose of sugar first thing in the morning. Basically, besides tasting fantastic, it's not really doing much for you.
So for weeks I cooked over-easy eggs with toast, spinach, and tomatoes. I made warm oatmeal with apples and maple syrup on cold winter mornings. And then I discovered this homemade granola recipe and it was a game-changer. One bite of this stuff and you will forget store-bought cereal ever existed. It it that good. And the smell of it cooking the oven? Beyond words. The warmth of the cinnamon and banana are met perfectly with the tangy bite of strawberry. It makes the perfect snack on its own, but is divine over almond milk or with greek yogurt.
I get the occasional eye-roll when I tell people I make my own granola, but honestly people, it takes about 15 minutes to mix up plus a little more in the oven and one batch lasts us about two weeks. Totally worth it. Oh, and it's packed full of protein and lots of other good-for-you things.
Yields about 8 cups
Minimalist Baker
Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup walnut pieces
2 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)
2 tablespoons hemp seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon flax seed meal
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon honey (or agave)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium ripe banana
1.2 oz freeze dried strawberries (I use trader joe's brand)
Preheat oven to 350. Mix oats, almonds, pecans, walnuts, chia & hemp seeds, flax seed meal, cinnamon, and sea salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Blend together (either with an immersion blender or stand blender) the coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, vanilla, and banana until smooth and creamy. Pour maple syrup mixture into oats mixture and stir until oats are completely moistened.
Press the granola into a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool. Using a metal spatula (or your hands), break up the granola into desired chunks. It will continue to harden as it cools. Mix in strawberries and serve. Keeps for 2-3 weeks in an airtight container.