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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Salad from Miramar Farm

Jonathan, baby Max and I visited the most inspiring farm recently in Half Moon Bay, on the coast near where we live called Miramar Farms. It's a stunning spot created by Jayne and Mark Battey that hosts groups for learning programs, meetings and workshops. I was moved by the beauty and quiet of this farm overlooking the sea. Guests must leave feeling so renewed and rejuvenated! After spending just an hour there, I sure did.

Miramar Farms. The ocean at Half Moon Bay is in the distance.

A labrynth for personal reflection

Jon & Max walking the Labrynth

Visitors can sit in the tea house for some quiet time.

The farm beds

Food is grown at the farm specifically to be served to the guests. We met Miramar's chef, Robin, and farmer, Liz, who work together with others to create amazing meals throughout the week. They sent us home with a huge bag full of the most beautiful greens: lettuces, a spicy salad mix, kale, radishes, turnips, herbs and flowers. There's really something about seeing where a vegetable is grown, picking it, and eating it on the same day. It tastes SO much better!! (Because it is!) Knowing exactly where it came from, and meeting Liz who had spent weeks cultivating it, made me appreciate the flavor even more. 

Lettuce we got to take home

Liz holding baby Max

We went to a friend's house for dinner that night and I made a giant salad, with nothing but the lettuce, radishes and the spicy salad mix Liz had picked for us. I served it with this citrussy dressing below (that I created recently for Buzz + Bloom honey) and it was the best salad I'd had in a LONG time. 

Get the salad dressing recipe here.

Cheers!

Sparkling Cucumber Basil Lemonade Cocktail

I have been following Lily Diamond's blog, Kale & Caramel, and Instagram (@kaleandcaramel) for years and so enjoy it. Her unique kitchen approach includes recipes not only for deliciously fresh food (like these Crispy Lentil Smashed Potatoes) and drinks (like the cocktail below), but also for DIY beauty products (like this Blackberry Basil Healing Face Mask).  

Her first book, Kale & Caramel,  just came out and it is BEAUTIFUL. Having grown up in an apple orchard in California where we grew a lot of our own vegetables, I think there's something so valuable about connecting to plants in the place that you live; watering them, feeling their leaves, watching them grow, picking them, eating them, having your hands and feet in the dirt. Lily grew up in Hawaii among a bounty of edible flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables in her backyard which informs her kitchen approach. This connection to plants and dirt and place is often difficult to maintain when you live in a more urban area without things readily growing around you, but Lily talks about how using fresh herbs, flowers and other plants in the kitchen can help you retrieve that connection. She calls it a "return to wildness", which I think is so valuable, grounding, and healthy. 

Here's Lily's recipe for Sparkling Cucumber Basil Lemonade from her new book. (her pic below, plus my little watercolor illustration above.)

Sparkling Cucumber Basil Lemonade

serves 2

preparation time: 5 minutes

3-inch length of cucumber, chilled and coarsely chopped (about ⅓ cup), plus cucumber slices for garnish 2 to 3 fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus lemon slices for garnish

Add the chopped cucumber to a blender or food processor with the basil, lemon juice,still water, and honey. Blend until smooth,then distribute evenly between 2 glasses.

Add the sparkling water, again splitting evenly between the glasses. Drop in a few ice cubes, and garnish with cucumber slices, lemon slices, and basil as desired.

1⁄4 cup still water 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar

3⁄4 cup sparkling water, or more to taste Ice cubes, for serving

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Lily suggests making it a cocktail by adding gin, vodka, light rum, or cachaça. Yes, please. Cheers!

Recipe and drink photo copyright © 2017 by Lily Diamond from KALE & CARAMEL: Recipes for Body, Heart, and Table published by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Photos copyright © 2017, Lily Diamond

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!