New Seasons Market + Harissa Watermelon-Tomato Salad

This week, I got to visit a beautiful new grocery store near me in Sunnyvale, CA: New Seasons Market. If you live nearby, lucky you! Meet your new favorite place to shop.

There are several New Seasons Markets in Oregon and Washington, but the store is new to California and I am excited to have one in my community. Apart from the gorgeous local produce, amazing flower selection, and natural food heaven, what was perhaps most impressive about this place to me was the company's ethics. They were the first grocer in America with a B-Corp certification, which means they have to meet rigorous social and environmental standards. Their employees seemed happy, fairly paid, and well taken care of, and they try to work with suppliers that have a similar philosophy.

For example, in the front of the store, they had a tomato tasting for shoppers (who doesn't love that?!). My favorite was a big, beautiful, yellow Brandywine tomato from Pinnacle Farms, which is about an hour from the store– a farm that's known for treating its workers well. New Seasons employees regularly visit this organic farm to see where the produce is coming from. The farm is committed to treating not only its workers, but also the land, community and environment with utmost respect.

I got to have lunch at the deli and there were some really creative dishes on display. I had a watermelon salad that was so good that I decided to go home and put my own twist on it. I loved the addition of harissa (a red chili paste often used in Middle Eastern cuisine). I took home one of those yellow Brandywine tomatoes and had to include it! We are having a heatwave in the woods right now, so this is all I want to eat. Perfect for your Labor Day BBQ!

Harissa Watermelon-Tomato Salad

inspired by a recipe found at New Seasons Market's deli

1 large yellow tomato (look for an Heirloom or Brandywine variety if possible)

2 c cubed seedless watermelon

1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced (I used a mandoline)

3 T chopped mint 

3 T crumbled feta cheese 

for the dressing: 

1 T harissa (mild or spicy...your choice. I went spicy!)

2 T olive oil

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 t agave (or honey)

a pinch of cumin

salt & pepper to taste

Slice the tomato and watermelon into big chunks and lay them out on a platter. Sprinkle the red onion, mint and feta on top. Mix the ingredients for the dressing well with a fork in a cup. Drizzle the dressing over the platter. 

If you're in the Sunnyvale, CA area, I encourage you to stop by New Seasons Market. You'll love it! There's also a store opening this winter in Emeryville, CA.

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This post was done in partnership with New Seasons Market, and all opinions are my own. This is a great grocery store, and I was excited to work with them. Thanks for supporting the businesses that keep The Forest Feast going! 

New Seasons Market, 760 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA. @newseasonsmarket #newseasonsmarket

Cucumber Noodle Salad

I love my little hand spiralizer and use it all the time for zucchini, but I just recently started using it for cucumber, and it's so good!

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Recipe below...

CUCUMBER NOODLE SALAD with sesame dressing

2 cucumbers

1 handful basil, chopped

1 handful pepitas (pumpkin seeds, roasted & salted)

For the dressing: mix equal parts sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce, plus a sprinkle of sesame seeds

Trim the cucumber ends and use a spiralizer to make noodles out of them. You may want to flip the cucumber halfway through and spiralize it from the opposite end since the seedy part in the middle can get tricky. I try to make these noodles just before serving, as they can start to leak some water over time. Spiralize them over a strainer if you can.  If they do get watery, just drain the bowl a bit before serving– but a little water in the bottom of the bowl is no big deal.

Sprinkle the noodles with the pepitas and chopped basil, then add some dressing to taste  before serving. You can make individual plates and spoon the dressing over, or serve in a bowl and toss. Other fun additions are avocado and feta, but be creative! Any type of nuts, cheese or herbs are welcome here. Enjoy!

Serves 4 as a side

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Za'atar Sweet Potatoes and Garlicky Kale + The OPP Cookbook

I love listening to podcasts while driving and Jessica Murnane's is one of my favorites. In fact, one of my favorite interviews I've ever done was by her on her One Part Podcast– she asks great questions! So I was super excited to meet her in person last year when I was in Charleston. We met for a drink while she was in the middle of working on her first cookbook. I remember her telling me she was looking for a photographer and considering Nicole Franzen, who I thought would be a dream to work with (who I love to follow on Instagram and who she ended up choosing!). 

Her book, One Part Plant: A Simple Guide to Eating Real, One Meal at a Time, was just released and I was so excited to get a copy in the mail recently to see just how beautifully it turned out. The book is full of recipes that are vegan and gluten-free, although that's not really in the tag line. Instead it's about choosing to eat at least one plant-based meal a day, which can be very healing and make you feel great. After being diagnosed with endometriosis, she began eating a plant-based diet which basically healed her, and that prompted the OPP movement. He recipes are delicious, clever and colorful...and of course beautifully shot. Plus she is always wearing super cute outfits in the book (and in real life) and has a fabulous design sense. 

Here's her recipe for Za'atar Sweet Potatoes and Garlicky Kale from the One Part Plant cookbook. YUM!

Find the full recipe HERE. Photo by Nicole Franzen.

Check out Jessica's website, follow her on Instagram @jessicamurnane, and buy her book here.

Congrats, Jess!

Weeknight Dinner Party Menu + Romaine Salad Cups

Now that we have 2 kids, I find that we are having people over even more, especially in the evening. We have cocktail hour outside with our guests while Ezra plays in his jammies, then we put both kids to bed and enjoy dinner with friends. The key, however, is having the food made in advance. This week we had a small weeknight dinner party for 4 people and I did an easy, make-ahead menu. To make a very simple menu seem more special, I did twist on the usual salad presentation, and doctored up some box brownies.

The fun part I thought was this "salad", in which I put toppings inside of Romaine leaves. You can really fill them with anything you might put in your usual salad, just chopped up smaller, and they look pretty out on a platter. 

WEEKNIGHT DINNER PARTY MENU

Guests brought wine, which we had outside before dinner, along with a bowl of nuts (simple!).

• Broccoli Lasagna

  • Sauté finely chopped broccoli and thin slices of red onion with garlic and olive oil. Layer the broccoli mixture with no-boil lasagna noodles, ricotta, and marinara. Shredded mozzarella on top. Bake at 375ºF for about 45 minutes. I prepped the lasagna ahead and popped it in the oven about an hour before we ate.

• Romaine Salad Cups

  • Lay Romaine leaves out on a platter and fill with your favorite salad toppings. I used grated carrot, sliced bell pepper, diced red onion, feta crumbles and sunflower seeds. I made a simple dressing by mixing store-bought pesto in a jar with a splash of red wine vinegar, and a little more olive oil.

• A nice baguette! (With butter, of course.)

• Cashew Butter Brownies

  • For dessert, I made a box mixture of brownies according to package instructions. I poured the batter in a pie dish (a little prettier), then I placed dollops of cashew butter (you could use almond or peanut) and used a wooden skewer to swirl it around. I made this ahead and left it in the fridge until we sat down to dinner. Then I popped it in the oven to bake while we ate so it would be warm out of the oven for dessert.

Happy cooking and have a great weekend!

Oscar Party Menu!

Oscars night is one of my favorites! This year I'm embarrassed to say I've hardly seen any of the movies (mostly because I was pregnant and had a wild toddler for most of 2016). But honestly, I'm mostly interested in the dresses anyways. And the FOOD! I love cuddling up on the couch with a glass of bubbly and some tasty appetizers so I can nosh all evening. From red carpet to best picture, I'm in it for the long haul.

In case you're hosting a viewing party, I've teamed up with Bolthouse Farms MAIO to create a fun vegetarian Oscar Party Menu. I came up with 3 delicious finger foods that use their better-for-you, rich and creamy, yogurt-based MAIO spreads. All of these dishes can be made in advance and served warm or at room temperature. MAIO is available in the refrigerated produce section at Northern California Safeway Stores (where I do most of my shopping).

OSCAR PARTY MENU

vegetarian finger foods for 6

• Lentil Pita Sliders

• Tzaziki Dip with Steamed Artichokes

• Chipotle Deviled Eggs

These Lentil Pita Sliders can be made in one bowl and only take a couple minutes to assemble.

LENTIL PITA SLIDERS

for the patties:

1 (15 oz) can of lentils, drained

1 medium carrot, finely grated. (squeeze extra liquid out)

1 egg

1 T hummus

1 T Garlic MAIO

3 T breadcrumbs

oil for frying (I use olive)

Mix all above ingredients in a bowl. Fry heaping 1 T scoops of the mixture over medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side or until browned, to create small patties. Makes about 12 patties.

for the sliders:

3 round pita breads

Garlic MAIO

1 bunch fresh cilantro

hot sauce (I use Sriracha)

1 small red onion (sliced into thin rounds)

dill pickles

Quarter the pita breads (making triangles). Spread MAIO inside each pita, then add hot sauce, a lentil patty, pickles, cilantro and red onion. Enjoy!

Alongside the sliders, I'm serving a Tzaziki dip which is made by combining one container (8 oz) of plain MAIO, a third of a cucumber (peeled and finely chopped), 3 sprigs of fresh dill (finely chopped), and a pinch of salt. Serve with 2 steamed artichokes (or pita chips, fresh pita, carrot sticks, celery, etc...).

And because I'm obsessed with Deviled Eggs (see here, here and here), I had to try a new variety. For 6 people, hard-boil about 8 eggs. Peel and halve them, then mix the yolks with an equal amount of Chipotle MAIO (you can just eyeball it). Spoon or pipe this mixture into the egg whites. (I snip the corner off a plastic bag and squeeze the filling in.) Sprinkle the eggs with olive oil, coarse salt, chili powder and red pepper flakes. YES.

Since everything is more fun with Champagne, why not serve some bubbly?! You can always put fresh pomegranate seeds in each glass for added festivity. Maybe make a Champagne Cocktail. Or even make this beauty and call it a Red Carpet Fizz!

Happy Oscars and Cheers!

This sponsored post was done in partnership with Bolthouse Farms MAIO, a tasty product I have fun cooking with and hope you will, too! All opinions are my own.