Summer Favorite

{photo credit to Gentyl & Hyers at Cooking Light}

One of the things I love most about summer besides EVERYTHING! is the abundance of inexpensive and flavorful produce; namely watermelon.  

Because this tasty fruit (among many others) flourishes in warm weather, it's the perfect excuse to consume massive amounts of locally grown produce.  To explain further, I'm truly just not one for self control - I'm an all dip and no chip kinda gal - so having all of these super healthy and delicious seasonal offerings at my disposal is this southern girl's dream come true... 

What I'm craving now:

Watermelon Slushie

{photo credit to Krysta's Life in Food, recipe here}

Riddle me this: what could possibly be more refreshing than a watermelon slushie?

{photo credit to Monica B Hide, recipe here}

To keep it simple, mix one part frozen watermelon (seedless & cubed) and one part coconut water. Pop it in the blender on the highest setting until the mixture is completely smooth.

{photo credit to Kimberly Snyder, recipe here}

To get fancy, add... 

mint or basil

a tablespoon of agave nectar or honey

a splash of lime juice

a banana or any kind of berries

maybe even a shot of rum if you're feeling a little crazy

{photo credit to Raw Food Recipes, recipe here}

And now I give you 5 reasons to drink (or eat) up: just incase you still need a reason or two...

watermelon provides healthy amounts of virtually all essential vitamins and minerals 

just 1 wedge of watermelon provides over 30% of your daily Vitamin A & C requirement

it's a powerful ally against many types of cancer, because it contains lycopene

it tastes wonderful

it's very pretty

Any questions?

Just Peachy

One of the most wonderful things about living in Austin, TX is the abundance of local produce.  

Growing up, I thought all peaches came from Georgia (hello, "Georgia peaches" has such a nice ring to it).  Little did I know that tiny towns sprinkled throughout the Texas Hill Country (with names like Luckenbach, Stonewall and Fredericksburg) are locally famous for the numerous peach varieties birthed each year.

I'll be the first to tell you that Texas peaches make for excellent gifts (recently a co-worker received two dozen from one of his clients) and even better snacks.  Then of course you can always top them with brown sugar, oatmeal, flour and butter for everyone's favorite summertime dessert - peach cobbler.


However I do find one thing about peaches off-putting.  I can never find a perfect peach - they're always a little too hard or too mushy. Which in turn means they're a little sour or overly sweet.  What's a girl to do?  If you're interested in how to select the perfect peach - as am I - Chef de Cuisine Grant MacDonald from TRIO has the inside scoop. Click here to watch.

Miami Flavor

Ross and I recently returned from a trip to Miami - what a glorious city by the sea.  This town has flavor. And not the semi-boring fancy steak houses and scandalous night clubs kind of flavor - but the flavor you wish was sprinkled on your usual scrambled eggs each morning or margarita on the rocks at 5:00.

Every piece of food I ate in Miami was out of this world.  The seafood, produce and cocktails had so much flavor that I was giddy before, during and after every meal. The Mojitos - we averaged 3-5 per day, per person - were stout and packed with muddled mint, lime juice and just enough simple syrup to keep your lips from puckering. The seafood was fresh (SO FRESH), well seasoned, and rarely cooked to preserve it's perfection.  Oh sure, breakfast lacked both mojitos and seafood, but the impeccable fruit, strong coffee and crunchy bagels more than made up for the lack authentic Miami flare.

And now, a glimpse at our trip - mixed in with restaurant recommendations and tourist tips.

But fair warning, you will leave this blog post hungry.

BREAKFAST

No matter the menu selection, - a fresh fruit platter or an egg white frittata with a large side of avocado will suffice - breakfast on the patio beneath the warm morning sun is a daily requirement.

LUNCH

Whether by the pool feasting on Tuna Tartare Lettuce Wraps

or walking down Lincoln Road - passing fruit stands and nibbling on handmade empanadas - lunch in South Beach consists of snacking on light foods, washed down with mojitos, at your leisure.

MOJITOS

With a good twelve inches of sugar cane,

or flavored with earthy hibiscus, the mojito in your hand is only authentic if the mint has been properly muddled - any good Cuban will tell you.

DINNER

Spicy and sweet Calamari and Scallop Ceviche at Ceviche 105.

Corvina, Beef, Scallop and Ahi Tuna Tartare served with plantain chips at Edge.

DESSERT

Simply divine Chocolate Mousse Cake at The River Seafood and Oyster Bar.

These Cheesecake Pops and Meyer Lemon Chiboust from Edge made it all the way back to the hotel room before they were devoured.

Although Ross and I teetered on the line of obtaining Mercury poisoning by the time we hopped in the car back to the airport, it's safe to say we experienced some of the best food this country has to offer - or at least some of our favorite food in the country.