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Mediterranean Nachos

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Here is the perfect warm-weather solution to dinner from my latest cookbook, The Forest Feast Road Trip. It’s vegetarian, but can easily be made vegan by using a non-dairy yogurt and skipping the Feta. this is also a great picnic food, as it can easily be assembled on-site outdoors. Protein-packed and very easy to assemble, this is an easy snack or light meal! Use my ideas as a starting point and swap in your favorite toppings.

Finishing Oil

I've always said that some good olive oil and a little salt is all you need to prepare delicious fruits and vegetables. I have my cooking olive oil that I buy in large containers to roast and sauté vegetables, but a couple years ago I started using a higher quality finishing oil. Finishing oil, you might say? How do I use that? Well, when really good, in-season olives are harvested and bottled and consumed soon after, there’s a much more robust and almost peppery flavor. When you drizzle just a bit of it on a salad or roasted vegetables or a dish that’s already done, it just boosts the overall flavor. I love it!

So in wanting more people to try this, I was excited to collaborate with PRMRY, a small women-owned olive oil brand in San Francisco to make this special finishing oil. The oil was produced not far from me in California and we timed it to release with my new California cookbook, The Forest Feast Road Trip. I watercolor painted the label and it includes poppies that are also on the cover of the book!

Shop this special oil HERE.

BBQ Corn Salad

Doesn't food cooked outdoors always taste better?! In this BBQ Corn Salad from my new book, the grill gives the corn a smokiness that’s so delicious. I first made this dish on a road trip to Lake Tahoe with corn from the farmers’ market on the lake. There’s corn, feta, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, lime and Tajin seasoning. If you can’t find Tajin, you can also use taco seasoning like this one from @patagoniaprovisions which I love for the flavor but also because it’s organic —and like all their products, I know it’s been responsibly sourced. Find this perfect warm-weather salad recipe in The Forest Feast Road Trip.

If you’re hosting a BBQ and need an easy, vegetarian side dish or salad, this is it! Grilling the corn adds a smokiness that’s so delicious. With the salty feta and crunchy bell pepper, it’s the perfect summer side. And easily made ahead!

Thank you Patagonia Provisions for gifting me some of your products to try!