summer is all about spending time outdoors with friends and family, while enjoying really great food and drink that accent all of the fresh flavors the season has to offer. don’t waste a lot of time slaving over a hot stove, entertain and enjoy yourself with these 20 simple recipes for light summer fare!
there’s an email that has been sitting in my inbox for a few weeks now, and i think it’s time i finally address it. new reader, paula, appreciated my story and how i gradually found that healthier choices in my diet improved my quality of life. because of this she felt she had to share with me a little information on the dangers of soy.
it’s true, in the past year or so it has become overwhelmingly apparent that soy, which has become widely overused among Americans and in the past couple decades, might not be the perfect health food it’s been built up to be. the major dangers appear to be digetional if large quantities are consumed - which is common with any bean - and hormonal, because of phytoestrogens it contains.
like the estrogen our bodies naturally produce, phytoestrogens cause similar effects. this is why i’ve heard many a man cautioned not to eat too much soy for fear of growing boobs, but also why menopausal women find relief from a glass of soy milk a day rather than hormonal therapy. like nearly any chemical compound found in food, it is not concentrated enough in it’s natural form - the edamame bean - to cause harm, and even in its processed form - tofu, soy milk, tempeh - you will not likely see any adverse effects if eatten in moderation.
along with soy i have also i’ve heard that countless other foods have similar harms and should be avoided completely, like nuts or coconut. the simple fact of the matter is that foods affect everyone differently, but they rarely cause major harm unless a severe allergy is present or they are consumed in excess.
the only rule i prescribe to and find works for me is balance. for it is the glass of wine with dinner that aids digestion, but the shots of whiskey that induce a hangover. in this case it is the small serving of tofu occasionally eaten with dinner that may elleviate symptoms of pms, but the processed soy eaten several times a day for several years that may eventually cause breast cancer.
that being said, i eat soy in moderation and will continue to do so. here is a simple way to prepare tofu so that it’s not overly fried and crispy. the tender little pieces of protein really replicate meat quite well for warey carnivores, and taste amazing slathered in this asian-inspired orange ginger marinade.
i don’t understand why it’s considered normal to eat super sweet food first thing in the morning. if i wake up and eat a blueberry muffin my blood sugar will be bouncing up and down all day, let alone pancakes or waffles stacked high and drizzled in syrup. that’s why i usually look to the not-so-sweet to satisfy my early morning hunger - a slice of whole grain toast, porridge or a scone.
this simple recipe is hard to screw up. if you’re feeling creative throw in flavors like vanilla, cinnamon or lemon zest, and feel free to replace the apricots with another fruit or leave them out completely. i added them because i love their fresh tart taste and they are so cheap at the market right now, as low as $1 a pound!
even as someone with considerable knowledge of nutrition and a degree in biology, it wasn’t immediately obvious to me just what an antioxidant was or why i was being told to dose up on them so heavily. but after brushing up on my organic chemistry, i’ve compiled this simple little guide of everything you need to know about antioxidants.
i’ve recently been making soup out of all sorts of things. squash, kale, radish tops, spinach, green garlic, shallots, tomatoes. you name it and i can make it into a soup. last week at the echo park farmers’ market i got a ton of zucchini for just that purpose. it’s soft so it will sauté and blend into a purée very well.
when deciding on which herb would really accent it’s flavor, i had a lot of choices. oregano? yah. basil? duh. but fresh parsley…i liked the sound of that. it’s light and fresh tasting, but much more mellow than it’s cousin, cilantro. the parsley gives this soup a crisp taste which is lovely paired with the sweet and savory taste of the sauted onions and zucchini.
last year when i went to san francisco to visit my friends rose and kim, rose made sweet basil and mint iced tea for a picnic we had in golden gate park. it was simply wonderful and refreshing to drink while spending a beautiful summer day outdoors.
you may not think of basil as an herb you would use for tea, but being in the mint family it shares many of its sweet, cooling properties. and they go very nicely together. pick up some fresh herbs at the farmers’ market and it will only cost you a few dollars to whip up a batch!
the cool thing about purslane is it’s a succulent! while most lettuce greens you eat are delicate and thin, this one is thicker, crispy, lemony and slightly salty. they are a very different texture than other edible greens. and while it is considered a weed, purslane is the highest source of omega-3 fatty acids amongst leafy vegetables.
it can be sautéd, stewed or used as a substitution for spinach, but it makes an amazing salad because of it’s fresh taste and texture. i’ve mixed it here with roasted corn because it is one of my favorite summer foods, radish for a crisp bit of spiciness and dill because, besides being a flavor i always enjoy, it never fails lighten up any dish.
i have worked at two juice bars here in LA and think i’ve gotten a pretty good taste of the raw food experience. i’ve sampled and prepared many raw creations, learned about the health benefits and most importantly, met a lot of people that have plenty of experience with raw food.
personally, a completely raw diet isn’t for me, but i do enjoy raw food as a good portion of what i eat. i prefer having the option to eat delicious raw treats as well as cooked ones. so i’ve compiled here a short list of my opinions as to why it’s a great idea to go raw, and why maybe it’s not.
i’ve been baking vegan treats for at least 2 or 3 years now and i can safely say that i’ve got the cookie down. there are so many cookie recipes already that leave out eggs or substitute oil for butter, that a vegan cookie recipe is easy to come by and hard to screw up.
but for some reason, all this time, the cupcake has successfully eluded me. i envied so many other bloggers who seemed to flawlessly pull off those soft-looking treats, with piles of sweet frosting and a dash of sprinkles. every time i followed a seemingly simple recipe it resulted in flat, dense blobs that never attempted to rise and whose taste can’t seem to justify their heavy texture.
finally, i stumbled upon an amazing recipe. somehow, just a small amount of vinegar gives this cake the soft, moist texture that doesn’t taste vegan. and the frosting just substitutes vegan margarine for butter. i’ve just made a few adjustments, i substituted rice vinegar for white since that’s all i had and added pluots, since they are one of my favorite fruits that just came back into season!
as you may haven noticed we did a redesign to the site. we hope you all like it - it was done in an effort to bring clarity and focus to the recipes themselves. we hope that this comes across and that the site is easier to use than ever! if you have any feedback, suggestions, or feature requests please let us know in the comments - we’re always trying to improve your experience looking at the recipes.
lastly, a big thanks to the ever wonderful jesse von doom who graciously created the spiffy new header at the top of the page.