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. 

Spiced Peaches & Cream Quinoa Porridge

A couple of weeks ago, Brad and I found ourselves faced with a childless weekend. This is a foreign idea to me these days. Weekends are typically filled with tasks that don't vary from the rest of the week; cooking, dishes, playing Star Wars, cooking, dishes, playing Star Wars... You get the idea. We took advantage of our 36 free hours to work on some projects around the house, go see a movie, and head to brunch.

It was strange. And wonderful. And strange.

We visited a popular brunch spot in this region of the country called Snooze A.M. Eatery. Their pancakes are to die for and their eggs benedict makes me teary. But on this particular day, I decided to go in a new direction and try their quinoa porridge. It was perfection: warm, flavorful, studded with fresh peaches, and comforting without being heavy. That, plus a latte, made me oh so happy. And I know that when my Palisade peaches arrived, I would have to recreate the dish.

Can we discuss Colorado peaches for a second? Every area of the world has a food that cannot be beat anywhere else. For example: Japan + sushi. France + croissants. Argentina + malbec (not food but WHATEVS). Well, I've been racking my brain for FOUR YEARS trying to decide what Colorado's food is, and it isn't green chiles. It is peaches. To be clear, I love green chiles, but Colorado does not blow the competition out of the water with that one.

Peaches all the way.

If you aren't in Colorado and don't have access to truly delicious peaches, I have good news! You can make this perfectly wonderful breakfast with just about any fruit. Bananas? Yep. Strawberries? Heck yes! Seriously. Just about anything. Play with the fruit, the nuts, the spices...find what makes your soul sing and go with it.

Spiced Peaches & Cream Quinoa Porridge

Makes 4 hearty servings

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 peaches, peeled and diced
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup pepitas, toasted
• fresh peach slices

1. Combine the quinoa, almond milk, spices and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until quinoa is tender. (note: there will still be plenty of liquid in the pan to achieve a porridge-like consistency. ALSO, keep a close eye on the quinoa as it cooks as the almond milk can easily bubble over!)
2. Stir the peaches and maple syrup into the cooked quinoa. Scoop into serving bowls and top with pepitas, fresh peach slices, and additional maple syrup if desired.