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!

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!

Radish-Beet Slaw

I've been getting so many beautiful watermelon radishes in our farm box lately! I made this salad recently and it was easy, tasty, and colorful. Full of crunch! The recipes serves 4 as a side.

Warm Potato & Arugula Salad with truffle oil and avocado

Baby Max has arrived! He's already been to his first protest, to the snow in Tahoe, and wine tasting. He's 6 weeks old today and so sweet. 

I've taken the past few weeks off from the blog, but am starting to come out of the fog and felt inspired to photograph my lunch today. It was this simple but filling bowl of arugula topped with warm potatoes and avocado chunks, dressed with truffle oil and red wine vinegar. It's what happened to be in the fridge, but it was delicious enough to share. It's simple and quick to make (I made, ate and shot the whole thing while Max slept!). Would make a lovely lunch or dinner. Enjoy!