Watermelon White Wine Granitas

Oh, you guys. Would you look at this dreamy dessert? So perfectly fresh, light and summery, I'm in love. And it's so easy!

YIELD 6 - 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 cups seeded watermelon, scooped (1 small seedless watermelon, about the size of a large cantaloupe)

1 cup white wine of your choice

Juice of small lemon or lime

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Scoop watermelon and combine with wine and citrus juice in a blender or a bowl for an immersion blender

    2.    Process until smooth, pour through a strainer if the little white seeds bug you, and then into a baking dish

    3.    Pop in the freezer and use a fork to rake into icy bits, raking every half hour after that until thoroughly frozen and flaky (about 3 hours)

Smoked Salmon Dinner Salad

I love fast dinner prep. Cooking is great, and as much as I love it, some nights I just can't. That's when simple recipes like this save the day. And it's so good, guys! Salty salmon, crisp sweet red pepper, and creamy rich avocado. Yum.

Enjoy!

YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

        10 to 12 ounces smoked salmon, chopped

        1 avocado, chopped

        1/2 red pepper, chopped

        Handful raw cashews, rough chopped

        6 cups chopped romaine lettuce

        Ground black pepper

        Oil and vinegar dressing (suggested)

        Grated parmesan (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Chop fish and veggies and toss

    2.    Top with cashews, black pepper and optional parmesan

Shrimp Mango Salad with Raw Beets

This Northern California heat is definitely growing my repertoire of minimal-cooking dinners! I mean, sheesh. After a steamy day, the last thing I want to do is stand in front of a boiling pot of anything, no matter how delicious.

This salad is fabulous and refreshing on a warm day (or any day, really!). And the shrimp take just a few minutes in a skillet. Totally doable!

YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 to 1 1/2 pounds shrimp

6 cups mixed greens

1 small mango, peeled and chopped

1/4 to 1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 medium beet, peeled and chopped

oil for sautéing shrimp

salt and pepper

2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (approx 1 medium bulb), optional

I suggest a citrus vinaigrette for dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Heat oil in saucepan on medium, add peeled shrimp and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sauté for a few minutes, until pink and opaque - doesn't take too long, keep an eye out

2.  Prepare mangos, onion, beet and fennel, and toss with greens

3.  Dish up the salad and top with shrimp and dressing

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Sandwich

These pretty little bites are so fun and so yummy, that even if you eat bread, you're going to want to give them a try. There's seriously nothing not to love about them, and that's coming from someone who's *not* a fan of cucumbers.

Especially on a hot day when cooking sounds super un-fun, these are a delicious solution!

YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 medium cucumbers

8 ounces wild-caught smoked salmon

2 cups guacamole

1/4 red onion, finely sliced

1/4 red pepper, finely sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut each cucumber in half length-wise and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds to create channels

2. Use a veggie peeler to remove the skin and shave down the walls just a bit if they feel too thick (I left mine no thinner than 1/4 inch-ish) - I left a little skin around the edges because I thought it looked pretty, up to you

3. Spread about 1/4 cup guacamole into each cucumber channel, then layer in your salmon, peppers and onions

4. Join the halves, cut into two or three pieces and enjoy!

Romaine Tacos

There are lots of reasons to love these guys. Yummy, easy, body-friendly... but my favorite? After a little bit of prep, everyone makes their own dinner! Want seconds? Head back to that lovely pile of crisp romaine and make yourself some more! Yessss. DIY dinners are the best. Don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy making pretty plates of food for the people I love. But now and then the freedom to make my own and sit down just feels so nice.

So here I have instructions for prepping these lovelies *as well as* my super simple taco seasoning recipe. Now, both the tacos and the seasoning recipes are very flexible - tweak to your taste and enjoy!

YIELD 12 tacos

INGREDIENTS

For Tacos

12 whole romaine lettuce leaves

1 pound ground beef

1 tomato, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 avocado, sliced

Salsa

Guacamole

Coconut oil for browning beef

For Taco Seasoning

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic power

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika (I like doing half and half smoked/regular paprika)

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prep your veggies and seasoning and set aside

2. Add beef and half of the diced onions to a skillet with a little coconut oil and cook over medium heat until meat is browned and onions are tender

3. Turn stove off, drain fat from skillet and stir in 3 teaspoons taco seasoning (or to taste)

4. Time to build! Now I've discovered that guacamole is super handy when added to the taco right after the meat is spooned in. It helps keep it in place as well as the rest of the toppings ;) 

NOTES
The taco seasoning recipe yields roughly 2 1/2 tablespoons, and unused seasoning should be stored in a covered container.

Buffalo Avocado Chicken Salad

Inspired by a dish my sister made on a recent visit to Pennsylvania, this perfect-on-a-hot-day recipe is easy and quick to whip up, and disappears even faster! And who in the world wants to be in a hot kitchen on a hot day? NO ONE. Ick. So use leftover baked chicken or canned chicken and give yourself a break. If neither are an option, pop your chicken in the oven to cook the night before, cool in the fridge overnight and minimize hot kitchen time.

* Something else I love about this is that if you double-batch this recipe, it's perfect for next day lunches. So much winning with this one.

YIELD 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

        1 pound cooked chicken, chopped OR 16 ounces canned chicken (preferably in a BPA-free can)

        2 small/medium avocados

        1/4 to 1/2 cup diced red onion

        1/4 diced medium apple (I like sweet apples with this recipe, so fuji, pink lady, honey crisp.)

        2 1/2 tablespoons hot sauce (This gives it a kick, but won't melt your face. If you're concerned, just add to taste.)

        Salt and pepper to taste

        Plenty of celery for scooping

INSTRUCTIONS

    1 .   Mash your avocado with a fork and combine with rest of ingredients

    2.    Celery is my favorite scooper with this one, but get creative if you like - cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, jicama

    Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Coulis and Minted Coconut Cream

Velvety chocolate + tart raspberry coulis + cool minty cream... Just c'mon. Time to bake it up and eat it up. Enjoy!

YIELD 8 - 10 slices

CATEGORIES sweets

INGREDIENTS

        For Cake

        6 ounces dark chocolate (I used 70%)

        6 tablespoons butter

        6 eggs, separated

        1/3 cup coconut sugar

        1 teaspoon vanilla

        oiled 9" springform pan

        For Raspberry Coulis

        10 ounces raspberries

        2 tablespoons water

        2 tablespoons honey

        For Minted Coconut Cream

        6 tablespoons coconut cream (the thick cream at the top of a full-fat can of coconut milk)

        2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk

        1 tablespoon honey

        6 to 8 drops of peppermint extract (to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

    1.    Preheat oven to 275F, and while it's heating up combine butter and chocolate in a microwavable bowl and microwave/stir in 30 second intervals until smooth

    2.    Let the chocolate/butter cool just slightly and stir in egg yolks

    3.    With a hand mixer beat egg whites to soft peaks as you slowly add coconut sugar, then continue to beat into stiff peaks

    4.    Thoroughly whisk 1/3 egg whites/sugar mixture into chocolate/butter and then gently fold in remaining egg whites/sugar

    5.    Pour batter into oiled pan and bake 45 minutes, or until a tooth pick can emerge from the center cleanly

    6.    While the cake is baking, combine ingredients for raspberry coulis in blender and blend until smooth, set aside

    7.    Next combine the minted coconut cream ingredients in a glass or metal mixing bowl (preferably chilled) and use a hand mixer on medium for a couple minutes until it's all whippy and lovely

    8.    When the cake is done, cut slices and top with the coulis and cream

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

This stew is so good with it's rich, herby wine broth and hearty veggies. Goes perfectly with a mixed greens salad and cashew bread. Now, heads-up: I break my slow cooker rule with this recipe, but it's worth it. In my opinion, slow cookers should normally be used for three-step-cooking: chop, dump and cook. Right? We use them for ease. But this time I went ahead and added a few more steps. Nothing complicated, and definitely worth the extra time and effort. Enjoy!

YIELD 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds chuck or stew meat, cut into 1 inch-ish pieces

2 medium potatoes, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 cup red wine

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons salt + little extra for seasoning meat

1 teaspoon black pepper + little extra for seasoning meat

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried basil

3 tablespoons coconut aminos

1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca starch

1 tablespoons coconut oil or butter (for searing)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a skillet on med/high with some coconut oil or butter and add chopped beef, onions and garlic (you should hear a sizzle, or the skillet isn't hot enough yet), sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and sear (for meat, about 3 to 5 minutes on both sides)
2. Be careful not to crowd the meat (sear in batches if necessary) and cook until everything is browned and caramelly
3. Take a minute to stir tapioca flour into 1/2 cup of room temp/cold chicken stock (hot liquid causes it to clump) and set aside while meat is searing
4. When meat/garlic/onions are ready, pour a cup of chicken stock into pan to deglaze, getting all that yummy browned goodness off the bottom of the pan, then combine beef/garlic/onions with rest of ingredients in slow cooker
5. Stir tapioca/chicken stock mixture into slow cooker as well
6. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours
7. During last 30 minutes of cooking, carefully transfer slow cooker contents to a large pot and simmer uncovered until thickened (should take no longer than 30 minutes)