Tofu Quinoa Fresh Rolls With Easy Peanut Sauce

I love the end of spring and beginning of summer. The beginning of summer is always filled with the anticipation of all the good things to come... Sunshine. Farmers market bounty. Picnics. Beach trips. The best action movies of the year. And all of the amazing summer food.

As the weather starts warming up, I naturally start craving lighter foods and wanting to spend less time in the kitchen and more time outside. Can you relate?

And that's where these fresh rolls come in. Fresh rolls are a popular Vietnamese dish and I love them in summertime when fresh basil and cucumber are are season. These fresh rolls involve thin strips of crispy tofu combined with quinoa for a hearty, protein-rich snack or side dish. I love enjoying these with a simple green salad while lounging in the sun. Hooray for (almost) summer.

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Quinoa Lettuce Wraps with Easy Peanut Sauce

Need some motivation to help you eat your veggies? 

Or perhaps you're a bit bored in the quinoa department and are looking for a little recipe inspiration? 

I've got you covered. Today's recipe is fresh quinoa lettuce wraps and an easy peanut sauce that comes together in a snap! You're gonna love these!

For the recipe, be sure to head on over to my guest post at Cooking Quinoa. I love Wendy's blog because she is so creative when it comes to making new recipes with quinoa and creating dishes that the whole family will enjoy. (And who knew there were so many amazing ways to use a single ingredient?!)

Peach Fried Rice

When you are looking for a new apartment, there are a lot of things to consider: the price, size, neighborhood, amenities, access to public transportation, etc.  But for me?  It's all about the kitchen. Obviously.

Is there a dishwasher?  What kind of storage are we talking about here?  Will I have space for fermenting kimchi?  Is the apartment close enough that I can walk to a farmers market or a food co-op?  And don't even get me started on access to natural light for photographing food.  That's a whole other post.

I'm pretty resourceful when it comes to space.  For the last two years I've been living in a 460 square-foot apartment with my partner and two cats.  That's a huge feat right there.  But we've definitely outgrown the space and now it's time to move on to something a bit bigger.  But I sure will miss my kitchen...

Peach fried rice is the perfect way to say goodbye.  Whether it's goodbye to a visiting relative, the end of peach season, or goodbye to your adorable little kitchen, I think this dish will leave a lasting impression.

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Raw Zucchini and Tomato Lasagna

I have this weird habit when I eat where I pick through my food and eat the things I dislike first.  A couple of months ago I came up with a theory about this.  I think the way that I eat is similar to the way I live my life: I always put work before pleasure.

Although this has served me well and gotten me to where I am today, this way of life has more flaws than benefits.  When you eat the things you dislike first, you become full by the time you get to the stuff you enjoy.  Same with life.  If you spend all your time putting work before everything else, you have very little time and room in your life to do the things that bring you the most joy.  In a lot of ways I think that kids may have it right... maybe dessert before dinner makes total sense.

For the past couple of months I've been making it a priority to schedule in time for rest, breaks, and things I find pleasurable.  And then today I noticed something new.  I didn't dismantle this lasagna and eat the zucchini first (which I would have done in the past).  Instead, I ate it together.  I think this might be a sign of more-balanced living and good things to come.

If you are wondering what the heck to do with your abundance of summer zucchini, this lasagna is the answer.  This recipe is simple, doesn't require a stove (thank goodness!), and uses the best of summer's bounty: squash, tomatoes, and basil.  I also love this raw nut "cheese" and it adds the perfect bit of fat and flavor to complement these beautiful tomatoes.


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Cucumber Peach Salad

I am an ugly crier.  No really.  Remember in Bridesmaids when Rose Byrne is crying and Kristin Wiig says that she is an ugly crier?  She doesn't even know what ugly crying is.

I suppose this wouldn't be too much of a problem except that I tend to cry during movies... a lot.  The Vow?  Yep.  Hunger Games?  Check.  Brave?  Definitely.  And don't even ask me about the Finding Nemo incident of 2006.  That was a legendary ugly crying moment.

Here's the important thing that you need to know as an ugly crier:  how to hide the signs.  No one wants to go out in the world with red, puffy eyes.  No one. So you quickly learn tricks like using chamomile tea bags and (my personal favorite) cucumber slices to calm the eyes.

If you're an ugly crier, I advise you to keep cucumber on hand at all times.  And, if you happen to have a cucumber and a peach handy,  you might want to consider making yourself this salad.  After all, you probably need a snack after all that crying.

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Raw Beet Ravioli

Why is it that women in action films always run around with their hair down?  This isn't real life. Come on.

In real life, I can barely stand to have my hair down when I'm sitting at my desk... let alone running two miles after a car chase while carrying a giant gun.  You know if this were you that you'd have your hair tied up.

And if you had really been running around for a day and a half without sleep or a shower, your hair would not be looking so good.  You can't fool me, Kate Beckinsdale.  (Although your hair is gorgeous. Really.)

The point is, I'm not going to try to fool you here.  These aren't real ravioli.  There I said it.  These are slices of raw beets filled with a creamy nut "cheese" and topped with pesto oil.  It isn't pasta. But it sure is tasty.  For reals.

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Basil Cashew Mayo

I have this habit of leaving my gym bag pockets unzipped.  It's partly because I'm lazy, but it's also partly because I have never had anything fall out so I never had incentive to zip them up.  Well, that was until two weeks ago when I lost my eyeliner.  And since it was a bit pricey, I am sure you can imagine how excited I was when I found it in my yard a few days ago.  Even though it was a bit weathered and the brand name had been rubbed off, it still worked great.

However, this morning upon closer inspection of the weathered brand name, I discovered that this was not actually my eyeliner.  Lesson learned: zip your gym bag and don't use eyeliner you find in your yard. 

Another important lesson I learned this week is how to make amazingly creamy mayo -- without the eggs or added oils!  So let's get to work!

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