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.

Heirloom Tomato & Halloumi Salad

When Brad and I were living in Tokyo, I used to dream of summer when we would be able to come home and enjoy the best summer produce. I know it sounds strange. We were living in the food capitol of the universe, surrounded by amazing food stuffs every single day, and I was anxious to come home to farmer's markets. I guess that just speaks to how special this time of year is when it comes to eating fresh, whole foods. This heirloom tomato and halloumi salad is a perfect example of the kind of food I craved. Sweet, juicy, colorful tomatoes, salty cheese, and loads of fresh herbs simply cannot be beat. Well, the buttery salmon sashimi we bought at the local market always made me weak in the knees. So there's that.

One year, we flew to San Francisco and stayed for a few days. It was our first time in this beautiful city and one of our first trips was to the Ferry Building Famer's Market. I immediately bought a giant heirloom tomato, some locally baked ciabatta, and locally made goat cheese. I tore off a piece of bread, slather it with goat cheese and used a plastic knife to cut a thick slice of tomato. Each and every bite was absolute heaven. Tomato juice dripped down my chin and I devoured that little sandwich like my life depended on it. Glorious.

That sandwich was the inspiration for this tomato salad with halloumi cheese and fresh herbs. This was my first time trying halloumi and I am officially obsessed. Just another reason why I've loved being part of the Go Sugar Free community. I keep learning about new and interesting foods that make my meals fulfilling without added sugar and, in this case, refined grains. The bright green herbs are all from my garden. I walked into the backyard to see what was ready to be cut and ended up with lemon thyme, basil and dill. You can do any combination of herbs you like. Oregano would be amazing.

I finished the dish off with a drizzle of good olive oil, a light sprinkling of sea salt, and a bit of fresh ground black pepper. No sugar-laden salad dressings involved!

If you like this recipe, stay tuned because I'll be posting no sugar added/refined grain free recipes from now until August 11th. During that time, I hope to open your mind to exploring new ways to be kind to your body. After all, it's the only one you've got!

If you’re ready to learn more about Go Sugar Free, you can click here. If you decide to register, you'll be making a massive change in your life that can't do anything but help you become a better, healthier version of yourself.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Jacqueline’s philosophy but aren’t ready to commit to the GSF course, I urge you to get her eBook, 5 Easy Ways to Look Radiant Tomorrow Morning, and Don’t Waste Produce (DWP) Checklist (this is a HUGE help when it comes to no-waste meal planning and encouraging the consumption of more fresh, whole foods).

*This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Heirloom Tomato & Halloumi Salad

Serves 2

Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, thickly sliced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 6 slices halloumi cheese
• 1/3 cup fresh herbs like dill, basil, oregano and thyme
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add the halloumi slices and pan fry until golden brown. Flip and cook until the second side is golden brown as well.
3. Arrange the tomato slices and warm cheese slices on a plate.
4. Sprinkle with the fresh herbs, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.