recipe:: Sage-lavender couscous with peaches and spinach

This is such an easy and refreshing summer dinner (or side dish for a summer picnic), and you can swap out the ingredients to create endless options, depending on what you like or what's available at your local farmer's market.

Ingredients
2 cups Israeli pearl couscous
3 fresh peaches (sliced in cubes)
3 cups fresh baby spinach
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. lavender buds
3-4 fresh sage leaves (finely chopped)
Sea salt to taste

Instructions
Add vegetable oil to large saute pan, and cook spinach until slightly tender.

In a medium saucepan, bring vegetable stock to a boil. Add couscous, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until soft. Add peaches, spinach, lavender, sage, and sea salt. Stir thoroughly and cook for another minute. Serve hot or cold.

Enjoy! (Pairs well with a crisp white wine.)

recipe:: strawberry and cucumber salad with honey, mint, and lavender

I made this on Sunday afternoon for our little backyard cookout. It was so good, I made a second round and have been eating it every day since.* And - bonus points - it's super easy and quick to make.

Ingredients
1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced in half
2 fresh cucumbers, diced
1/4 cup honey
1 T lavender blossoms
1/4 fresh chopped mint leaves

Instructions
Combine strawberries, cucumbers, and honey in a large bowl. Mix until strawberries and cucumbers are evenly coated with honey. Add mint and lavender. Stir until evenly distributed. Serve immediately, or stick in the fridge to enjoy later. You can omit the lavender if you don't like it, but I highly recommend giving it a try!

*Sadly, it's probably the last time I'll be able to eat it since I started getting a rash on my face on Sunday and it's been getting progressively worse since then. Upon visiting the doctor this morning, he made the connection I failed to make- I've probably developed a sudden allergy to strawberries. How sad! They are one of my favorite fruits. This really has not been my month. Here's hoping to a better June, right?

weekend recipe:: scrambled eggs with ricotta and dill

I stumbled upon this recipe on Epicurious and it called for fresh chives. Since I didn't have fresh chives in my herb garden, I substituted fresh dill and it was really tasty and really easy to make. If you like dill, I highly recommend this. The recipe is below (my modifications are in italic).

Ingredients
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
4 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick slices whole grain bread, lightly toasted and buttered with fresh dill butter

Instructions
Whisk eggs, dill and salt together. Spray pan with non-stick spray (or melt one tablespoon butter in pan). Scramble eggs until fluffy (don't fry or brown the eggs). Remove from heat and mix with ricotta cheese. Place on slices of toast and top with more fresh dill.

View the original recipe here.

recipe:: lazy weekend eggs

Okay, I think it's a bit of a stretch to actually call this one a recipe, but it's still tasty. And perfect for those lazy weekend mornings when you want something other than cereal but you aren't motivated to go out to a restaurant.

So here it is, you guys:

• 2 eggs
• Paprika to taste
• Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
• A dollop of mayo or Miracle Whip (whichever strikes your fancy)

Scramble eggs, paprika, salt and pepper together in a pan. Top with mayo. And...dunzo! That's it. Tasty and easy. If you want to get fancy, throw in some sweet onions, but you really don't need it because the paprika and mayo add plenty of flavor.

Happy Saturday, everyone!

food // spinach, noodle and chickpea soup

I spent the better part of last week feeling like I got hit by three freight trains thanks to a nasty cold. All I wanted was hot tea, chicken soup and lots and lots of DayQuil. Since I didn't have any cans 'o Campbell's in my cupboards, I decided to get adventurous and make my own (cooking is adventurous when you're sick). I came across this recipe on Fresh 365 and thought it sounded like a good base for my soup. So, I adapted my recipe from that one. I just threw all the ingredients in the pot and let the stove do its thing while I went through half of box of tissues. I'll never eat canned soup again.



Spinach, noodle and chickpea soup
1 12-oz container low sodium chicken stock (or veggie stock)
1/2 lb pasta (I used whole wheat spaghetti and broke it in thirds)
1 15.5-oz can chickpeas
2 cans of water (use empty chickpea can)
1 cup fresh baby spinach
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp thyme
sea salt, to taste
cracked black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to boil.  Gently boil 8-12 minutes (or until pasta is cooked). Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!