This weekend I woke up early on Saturday with a mission: seek out fresh figs at the farmers’ market. I honestly didn’t even know they could grow in Indiana, so I was thrilled when I saw a couple of friends post photos of some they’d snagged at the market. I got downtown a little before 9 a.m. Saturday to start my search and quickly came upon a stand selling small boxes of 8-10 figs for $4. I happily forked over my cash after poking the figs to make sure they were ripe. I also grabbed a loaf of sesame spelt bread from Muddy Fork Bakery before rushing home to make breakfast with my market finds.

While they’re delicious on their own, I love pairing figs with a few other simple ingredients to make them the star of a meal. I made this toast using my market finds and two ingredients I already had at home: whipped cream cheese and local honey. It was such an easy breakfast to throw together, but tasted so sophisticated. Because fresh figs are so hard to find here, eating them feels like a special occasion. And by the time I’d finished my toast Saturday morning, I experienced instant feelings of regret for not buying more than one box. The figs were heavenly and I’m already planning my week around hunting down some more. Until then, I’ll be dreaming about this toast.

Fig And Honey Toast

serves 1-2

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 slices of fresh bread
• 2 Tbsp. whipped Neufchatel or cream cheese
• 4 fresh figs, stems removed and sliced thinly
• 1 tsp. local honey

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Toast bread until golden brown in toaster oven or toaster.
2. Spread each slice of toast with 1 Tbsp. cheese, 2 sliced figs and drizzle each with 1/2 tsp. honey. Enjoy while warm.

[/directions]

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When we were on vacation a couple of weeks ago, my aunt gave us a bag of coconut snacks to eat on the boat. They quickly became our favorite afternoon treat and the entire family raved about them. They are just slightly sweet and full of crunchy pumpkin and sunflower seeds. I knew the sweet snacks would be easy to recreate at home, so I set out to make my own version once we got back.

I used honey to bind the coconut and seeds together, as well as to give this snack some additional sweetness. The result is an addicting snack with a crunchy texture that reminds me of peanut brittle. I’m constantly on the go for my job, so I love that this snack is so portable. I throw a big container in my desk at work so I can grab a handful when I’m hitting that 3 p.m. slump. This coconut brittle also great broken up and put on top of smoothie bowls and yogurt.

And, the best part: this only takes about 20 minutes to make! An easy recipe with few ingredients is a win in my book. Just make sure you keep a close eye on this once it goes into the oven — coconut can quickly go from toasted to burnt.

Toasted Coconut Brittle

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/3 cup honey

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until mixture is well-coated in honey.
3. Spread coconut mixture into a thin layer on the baking sheet. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until coconut is golden brown and fragrant, flipping mixture every 3 to 4 minutes to prevent burning.
4. Place baking sheet on a cooling rack and let coconut brittle cool for 20 to 30 minutes. Once cooled, use your hands to break the mixture up into large chunks. Store at room temperature in a sealed container.

[/directions]

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Our garden was late to take off this summer, but we are finally getting our first tomatoes! It hasn’t been very hot, which I think may have something to do with the late-summer ripening. It’s amazing to walk outside, grab a ripe tomato off the vine and be able to make the most delicious, fresh BLTs and caprese salad. My husband James isn’t a huge tomato fan, so it’s been a bit overwhelming to try and eat my way through the never-ending supply myself. So, I’ve been trying to use about half of our supply to make sauces or dips I know he’ll enjoy.

Chips and salsa are a guilty pleasure for both of us, so I knew I had to use some of our tomatoes to make a batch. This salsa is similar to my recipe for game day salsa, but uses fresh tomatoes. You can use whatever variety of tomatoes you have growing in your garden, but I suggest using at least two different varieties. We’re growing Roma and Better Boys in our garden, so I used two of each for this salsa. Make this at least a day ahead of time in order to let all of the delicious flavors settle.

Roasted Garden Salsa

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 4-5 large tomatoes, quartered
• 1 1/2 white onions, quartered
• 3-4 jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed*
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• Juice of one lime
• 1/2 cup cilantro

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat your broiler to high. Cover a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spread tomatoes, onions, jalapeños and garlic on top.
2. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil, tossing to coat. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper, then place cookie sheet under the broiler for 10 to 15 minutes, until vegetables are charred on top.
3. Remove vegetables from oven and place on a cooling rack. Let cool for 30 to 45 minutes, until vegetables reach room temperature.
4. Place charred vegetables, lime juice and cilantro in a large food processor and pulse until slightly chunky. Use a spoon to sample salsa and adjust ingredients to fit your tastes.
   [/directions]

*If you like a spicier salsa, leave the ribs in one or two of the jalapeños to kick the heat up.  

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My love for zucchini is bordering on out of control this year. We aren’t growing any of our own this summer (I plan to change that next year), but I keep buying five or six when we are at the farmers’ market every week. I love zucchini because of how versatile it can be. Throwing together zucchini noodles with meatballs makes for an easy weeknight meal. And, I find myself adding grated zucchini to everything from turkey burgers to chocolate cakes, which helps keep whatever I’m making perfectly moist. We have no problem using up our entire supply every week.

I’d been brainstorming ideas for a lightened-up lemon loaf when this recipe idea popped in my head. Why not throw some zucchini into the mix? The result is a delicate, soft bread that’s not sickeningly sweet. A slice is delicious on its own, but I’m dreaming of drizzling my next loaf with a lavender glaze for an impressive, yet effortless, summer dessert.

I will caution you, the ingredients make this loaf very delicate — especially when warm. Avoid handling it too much until it cools completely and sits in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Now send me your favorite zucchini recipes! I’m on a roll.

Gluten-Free Lemon Zucchini Bread

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
• Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
• 2 cups grated zucchini (about one large)
• 1 tsp. vanilla

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or butter.
2. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients until well-mixed.
3. In a separate, large bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, zucchini and vanilla. Carefully pour wet mixture into bowl holding dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to stir until just combined. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
4. Allow bread to cool in loaf pan for at least 20 minutes before running a knife around the edges of the pan and carefully inverting the loaf onto a cooling rack. Cool completely to room temperature, then place in fridge for at least two hours before slicing and serving. Store in fridge.

[/directions]

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I find myself craving the simplest of meals during the summer. Many of them require three main components: bread, cheese and produce. The combination of ingredients is inspired by whatever I can find at the Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. This week I scored some fairy tale eggplant, watermelon and cantaloupe. But there are a few staples I find myself buying week after week: cherry tomatoes, peaches and basil. I go straight to my favorite vendors as soon as I arrive in the morning to make sure I get what I need. Then I immediately head home and throw together the most fresh, delicious lunch.

This idea for toast came together when I found myself staring down two large containers of ricotta cheese, which I had leftover from making this amazing ricotta ice cream for a cookbook club meeting. I was craving something savory and sweet, so I decided I would make both. Why choose when you don’t have to?

A few slices of this toast can be a meal in itself, but it’s also wonderful served alongside a big salad or as an appetizer while you wait for the main course to finish up on the grill. To kick it up a notch, top each toast with a balsamic reduction.

Farmers’ Market Ricotta Toasts

serves 4-6

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1/2 french or whole-grain baguette
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup basil, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
• 1 peach, cut into 12 slices

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Cut baguette into 12 thin slices, slicing at a slight diagonal. Place bread slices on a medium-sized cookie sheet. Pour 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a small bowl and brush over the tops of each bread slice. Place cookie sheet on the top rack of your oven and set it to broil. Watch the bread closely to make sure it doesn’t burn. Broil for 2 to 4 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove bread from oven and set aside.
2. While bread cools, gently stir together 1 Tbsp. olive oil, tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside to let the flavors marry.
3. In a separate small bowl, whisk together ricotta and remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Spread a generous amount of ricotta on top of each piece of bread. Top half of the toasts with the tomato mixture. With the remaining pieces of toast, place two slices of peach on top and sprinkle with the remaining fresh basil.

[/directions]

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What’s on your agenda for the upcoming holiday weekend? We plan to spend our 4th of July grilling in our backyard and enjoying beers around the fire pit with friends. I often work during the holiday, so we tend to keep our celebrations laid back.

Believe it or not, we haven’t seen fireworks since we moved to Bloomington! The town I grew up in set fireworks off in a centrally-located park, which meant you could see them from almost anywhere. It’s weird to me that you have to drive out to the lake or other areas of town to catch any here. But, I’m determined to see fireworks this year. I do always make sure to grab some sparklers — I think running around the yard with them is just as fun as an adult.

I like to keep our celebratory meals for summer holidays light, which is where this dessert comes in. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good fruit crisp or pie, but they involve turning the oven on and often leave me craving a nap. This dessert couldn’t be more simple. The most time-consuming aspect is slicing the berries.

I think mascarpone  cheese and whipped cream are rich and sweet enough on their own, so I add just a hint of sugar to the mix. Feel free to add more sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time if you have a more tart batch of berries. You will likely have some leftover whipped cream, which is never a bad thing!

Summer Berries With Mascarpone Whipped Cream

serves 6-8

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1 lb. strawberries
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp. sugar

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Place a large metal mixing bowl in the freezer. While bowl chills, wash strawberries and blueberries using cold water. Set blueberries aside. Hull and slice strawberries and set aside.
2. Once bowl is cold to the touch, add heavy whipping cream, mascarpone cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat mixture while slowly rotating the bowl until stiff peaks form.
3. Divide berries evenly between six to eight small bowls. Top with a hefty portion of whipped cream.

[/directions]

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GUYS. It’s awards season. Everyone is excited about the Super Bowl on Sunday, but I’m just counting down the days until the Oscars. I’ve always loved movies and Oscars night is one of my favorite events of the year. I’m enamored with everything about the evening, from the beautiful clothing to the celebration of amazing cinema. I still have to watch a lot of the nominees over the next couple of weeks. Which movie was your favorite of 2016?

We almost always get together with friends to watch the Oscars, which makes the evening especially fun. There’s always champagne and a ridiculous amount of food to fuel us through the last speech. Whether we’re hosting or watching at a friend’s house, I always make this southwest cheesecake. It’s a savory appetizer with the consistency of a traditional cheesecake. And, it’s so good. The creamy spread combines all of my favorite flavors: cheese, green chilis, taco seasoning and more cheese.

This is one of those appetizers that’s dangerous — you know what I’m talking about. You start with just a little bit on your plate, but keep going back for more throughout the party. Before you know it, you’ve eaten 25 percent of the dish. It’s just that good!

Southwest cheesecake tastes best the next day, so make this the night before you plan to serve it and let it chill overnight. And, I’m not kidding when I say this feeds a lot of people. You’ll have lots of leftovers if you’re entertaining a small group.

Southwest Cheesecake

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 8 oz. packages cream or Neufchatel cheese, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sour cream, divided
• 1 4 oz. container diced green chilis
• 6 Tbsp. taco seasoning
• 1 cup salsa

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.
2. Place cream cheese and cheddar cheese in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, about two minutes.
3. Add eggs to cheese mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add one cup sour cream, green chilis and taco seasoning and beat until combined.
4. Carefully pour cheesecake mixture into the springform pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until cheesecake is just set. Remove from oven and let cool for ten minutes.
5. Spread one cup of sour cream all over the top of the cheesecake and bake for an additional five minutes. Let cheesecake cool completely before covering and refrigerating overnight.
6. Before serving, top cheesecake with one cup salsa. Serve with crackers and tortilla chips.

[/directions]

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Happy Monday, all! How was your weekend? My parents were supposed to come visit, but the wicked ice storm north of us forced them to cancel their trip. That meant we had an entire weekend with no plans, which never happens. It’s been amazing! We’ve had a good balance of running errands and relaxing at home. And, we both have today off for MLK Day. What a treat!

It was gray and rainy all weekend, which is perfect baking weather. I’ve been trying to develop a healthier banana bread recipe for weeks and I finally came up with a real winner. I experimented with different combinations of fats to try and come up with a loaf  that tastes like traditional banana bread but cuts down on the refined sugars.

There’s something especially cozy about banana bread. It makes the kitchen smell amazing and it tastes like home. My parents made banana bread quite often when I was growing up and it’s always been one of my favorite treats. I’ll be making it a lot more often now that I have this healthier recipe.

This is a great way to use up bananas that are on their last legs and it’s It’s so easy to throw together, even if you aren’t a big fan of baking. A loaf of banana bread also makes a great hostess gift if you’re visiting someone for a weekend. I included some dark chocolate in this recipe, but it can easily be omitted. Enjoy!

Healthy Almond Butter Banana Bread

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3 bananas, mashed (the more brown, the better)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp. unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 cup natural almond butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together bananas, eggs, almond milk, almond butter, honey, Greek yogurt, olive oil and vanilla. Stir until combined. Add banana mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined. Gently fold in dark chocolate.
4. Pour batter into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake on the middle oven rack for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan for 15 minutes before removing it from pan. Serve warm. Allow loaf to cool completely before storing.

[/directions]

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My parents’ house already smells so good.  We are prepping most of our Thanksgiving side dishes today to maximize oven space tomorrow. I’ve already thrown together a pie and some sweet potato rolls. It makes Thanksgiving day so much easier! We can focus all of our energy on the turkey tomorrow and just heat a few things up before we’re ready to feast.

Every Thanksgiving we have a mix of traditional dishes (like grandma’s green bean casserole) and a few new recipes. This corn casserole is a new dish on our family’s table this Thanksgiving. I decided to make it for the first time after James and I had it during a Friendsgiving celebration last weekend. The version we had was covered in cheese and our favorite dish of the entire meal. I knew I had to recreate it for our family’s holiday celebration.

This version is a little bit lighter, thanks to the use of egg whites and majorly scaling back the amount of cheese. But, it’s still just as good as the original. And, the best part, it couldn’t be easier to throw together.

Lightened-up Corn Casserole

from Cooking Light

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 8.75 oz. can no-salt-added corn, drained
• 1 8.75 oz. can cream-style corn
• 1 8.5 oz. package corn muffin mix
• 1 8 oz. container non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except cheese. Mix until smooth and pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
3. Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until set.

[/directions]

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This dip is legendary on my mom’s side of the family. When we were planning our meals for our vacation on Lake Ouachita, there was really only one request: Uncle Bill’s dip. I guess you could say it’s his signature dish.

My uncle’s been making this dip for years and, after a bowl was quickly devoured before dinner one night, I asked for the recipe. It tastes unlike any other chip dip I’ve had because of the unique flavor combinations. My uncle gave me the list of ingredients and told me he just “eyeballs it” when it comes to each amount. I decided to whip some up for a get-together at a friend’s house over the weekend and was nervous I wouldn’t get it right. But, the dip was a hit and I think my Uncle Bill would be proud.

I must say, he insists this dip just won’t taste the same if you try to lighten it up with low-fat cream cheese. I haven’t tested that theory out yet — some recipes are just too good to mess with.

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• Splash of milk
• 1 Tbsp. Heinz chili sauce
• 1/2 tsp. mild curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Place the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl and beat using an electric mixer on high speed until smooth.
2. Add chili sauce, curry powder and garlic salt to the cream cheese mixture and beat until combined. Use a small spoon to taste the dip and adjust seasonings to your liking.

[/directions]

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