Fresh Peach & Tomato Salsa

Can we agree that chips and salsa is the best snacking combo on the planet?

Good. I knew we could be friends.

Since our move from Colorado to Minnesota at the beginning of the summer, we’ve consumed many bags of tortilla chips and many jars of salsa with friends and family because a) SO easy, and 2) YUM. I’ve mostly gone for the store-bought version because it turns out moving is completely exhausting and leaves me with little to no energy for cooking. But there have been a couple times when I’ve found myself with some random ingredients that come together to make a killer homemade salsa. This fresh peach & tomato salsa has to be my favorite.

One perfectly ripe fresh peach, one locally grown tomato, some lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, salt and pepper is all it took to make this bowl of beauty and you need to get on board immediately. It’s not hard and it is sure to impress your friends!

Fresh Peach & Tomato Salsa

• 1 medium fresh peach, peeled and diced

• 1 medium ripe tomato (or a handful of ripe cherry tomatoes), diced

• 1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced

• 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

• juice of 1 lime

• salt to taste

1. Add all the ingredients in a medium bowl and toss gently to combine.

2. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

3. Enjoy immediately! This one is best fresh because it can get pretty watery the longer it sits.

Creamy Grilled Scallion Jalapeño Salad Dressing

This recipe has no sugar added, which made me think that I should remind you all to check out Jacqueline Smith's Go Sugar Free Course! A new course begins soon, and I want to encourage you all to at least head to her site to read about the amazing work she does to help people (like me) get control and lead their healthiest, happiest life! Taking her course changed the way I feed my family and myself and I am so grateful for that. 

This is going to sound ridiculous, but I feel like I'm finally getting my life in order after having my youngest son TWO YEARS AGO. I know. It's taken me this  long and I think that's probably OK and not unusual. I mean, babies are hard work. You're tired, anxious, deliriously in love, and unsure ALL THE TIME. Once you get out of that phase, which lasts about 12-18 months, you enter the omg-I-have-a-toddler-slow-the-eff-down phase. Not as exhausting as the first phase, but close. Things are dropped and broken on the daily, but you get the sweetest hugs and kisses on the face of planet, so the deliriously in love part stays as intense as ever, and you have more freedom to do things like laundry and meal prep. That's our current phase. 

Fortunately, this phase is coming at a good time because the 5 year old is involved in lots of evening activities right now. I have my wits about me enough to get a meal plan together each week, which helps me have our dinner ready and in the Instant Pot/Slow Cooker/Rice Cooker before we head out for swimming/soccer/choir/etc. Now that the weather is getting warmer, my current favorite trick is throwing a ton of stuff on the grill Sunday night so we have ready-to-eat options throughout the week. Grilled meat and veggies are perfect in everything from pasta to bowls to sandwiches. 

Spoiler Alert: I'm working on an eBook to help you all prep for the week with realistic recipes that are Set the Table worthy: beautiful, healthy, and delicious. Keep your eyes peeled here and here for updates on this exciting project! I cannot WAIT to share it with you all. 

Annnnd moving on to this gorgeous salad dressing...

This dressing came about thanks to a big batch grilling night a couple weeks ago. I had a jalapeño and a bunch of scallions that needed to be used up, so onto the grill they went! I didn't have an exact plan for them, but getting them nice and charred helped me come up with the idea to whir them in the blender to make a tasty, easy salad dressing for the week. I used a touch of mayo, a lot of plain greek yogurt, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and some salt and pepper. And I was immediately addicted. 

My sometimes boring lunch turned into a zingy salad of all my favorite things (hearts of palm, avocado, grilled chicken thighs, crushed tortilla chips) and a healthy drizzle of this creamy grilled scallion jalapeño salad dressing. 

I have also found that this dressing makes an excellent dip for cut up veggies, or a spread for sandwiches! Hello, multi-tasker of my dreams! 

So the next time you fire up your grill, make sure you have a jalapeño and some scallions to add to the mix so you can make and enjoy this all week long. YOU'RE WELCOME. 

Creamy Grilled Scallion Jalapeño Salad Dressing

Makes about 1 cup of dressing

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

• 1 medium/large jalapeño, grilled, stem removed (for spicy: leave seeds intact | for mild: scrape out seeds and membrane)
• 4 scallions, trimmed and grilled
• 1/3 cup mayo 
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (I suggest Tillamook or Noosa)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, leaves and stems
• 1 clove of garlic
• juice of 2 limes (at least 2 tablespoons total)
• salt and pepper to taste
• milk to thin the dressing if needed

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. 
2. Pulse until creamy dreamy dressing forms. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. 
3. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use as needed. 

Nectarine Mojito with Basil

Cocktail Friday is here! It’s been ages. There’s a big cocktail shaped hole in my heart. Or there was...until TODAY! The boys and I walked to the park this morning, played for about 15 minutes, and got rained on. So we booked it home, hopped in the car, and went to the grocery store. The moment we walked through the automatic doors, I was hit with the sweet scent of stone fruit from a gigantic display in the produce department. I picked up some perfect nectarines, followed by bright green basil, and knew I had to make something as soon as possible with my treasures. So, this nectarine basil mojito was born! It has no added sugar and a light, fresh flavor that is perfect for the dog days of summer when you think the heat might actually make you pass out.

I’m not a fan of super sugary cocktails, so this mojito makes me particularly happy. If you want it to be a little sweeter, you can add some maple syrup or agave when you muddle the ingredients in the glass. Also, if you have an issue with texture-y things in your drinks, feel free to make a purée out of your nectarines. Just peel, add to a blender with the basil rum, and give it a whirl until smooth. Then follow the recipe as written!

Cheers, friends! I hope everyone has something to look forward to this weekend.

Nectarine Mojito with Basil

makes 1 cocktail

• 1/3 of a very ripe nectarine, thinly sliced*
• 1 1/2 oz white rum (coconut rum is also tasty)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 large basil leaf, julienned
• 3 mint leaves
• sparkling water
• crushed ice
• basil leaves, nectarine slices, and lime slice for garnish

In the bottom of a glass, muddle the nectarine slices with the rum, lime juice, mint and basil leaf (this is also where you would add any sweetener, if using).

Add ice to the glass, followed by a splash of sparkling water.

Garnish and serve!

*It is important that the nectarine is very ripe. This ensures as much flavor and sweetness as possible.