Walnut Summer Squash Pesto

Summer is so close to being over. In just a few short days everyone will swap out their fresh tomatoes and berries for pumpkin and apple everything. Don’t get me wrong, I am just as obsessed with Fall and all the seasonal baking that comes along with it, but before we jump into that, let’s continue to savor the last little bits that summer has to offer. I can’t think of a better way to hold onto summer than by whipping up a batch of this walnut summer squash pesto. It comes together in less than 5 minutes and is so versatile. Throw it on pasta, spear it on a sandwich, cover your favorite salad, or even use it as a veggie dip — the possibilities are endless.

Walnut Squash Pesto

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 clove of garlic

• 1 cup basil

• 1/2 cup walnuts

• 1 cup chopped summer squash

• sea salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined. It’s that simple! Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Super Simple Tomato Sauce

When I was a kid, although not a picky eater, I remember thinking tomatoes were kind of gross. I wasn't adamantly against them, if they were on a burger, I would just eat them, but I wasn't all that crazy about them. Now, as an adult, I crave tomato season from the moment it ends until its return the next summer. This year I've been making anything and everything I can with these gems. My favorite though, this super simple tomato sauce recipe. It's insanely easy and will make you forget about any grocery store jar you've ever picked up. 

Super Simple Tomato Sauce 

• 7 medium tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium onion, diced finely

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon honey

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

• salt and pepper to taste

Heat a medium cast iron skillet over medium heat and place the whole tomatoes on the hot skillet. Cook the tomatoes on the skillet, rotating every few minutes to ensure all sides are equally charred, until the skins start to break open on the tomatoes. Remove the tomatoes from the heat and remove the stems. 

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and then add in the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pot and use a masher (or a wooden spoon) to mash to them. Stir, then add the balsamic vinegar, honey, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Place in a food processor and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight jar and place in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month. 

Baked Falafel Bowls

A little over three years ago I was faced with falafel for the first time. Josiah and I were on our honeymoon and although I would consider myself an adventurous eater, was very hesitant of the Mediterranean cart that he had chosen for lunch. I had zero experience with falafel and minimal experience with any Mediterranean food. I once had a packaged gyro that ended up being okay, but other than that I had no experience. That food experience ended up being great, but admittingly not great enough to make me jump on the falafel bandwagon at that time. My biggest hangup was the warm hummus they served on it. Am I the only one that finds this insanely off putting? I still do! 

Fast forward another year. While we were living in Denver we found a meditanean shack (which is probably a super accurate description of it) and although it somewhat satisfied our mediteranean cravings, we weren't blown away. 

Fast forward again to last March. I was working in Lincoln Park when I stumbled upon Chicago Halal, a food truck turned brick and morter that has the falafel that changed my life. No exaggeration. We've quickly become regulars there. Like, first name basis with Steve and his crew. (HI STEVE!) It's our go-to cheap lunch or dinner when friends are in town or we're not feeling like cooking. I always order the same thing: the salad with half falafel and half gyro meat and ALL THE TAHINI! And yes, I emphasize the tahini like that every single time. I usually end up with about three containers and use all of them and would use more if they gave it to me. This is where my love affair with falafel happened. I can get a gigantic salad for $7 and I generally get two meals out of it, which is such a bargain! However, as much as I would love to run down to Lincoln Park every time I have a craving, it's a bit of a trek so I wanted to create a version I could make right at home. 

This recipe stemmed from no less than #689 attempts so the ability to deliver it to you brings me so much happiness. I love eating the falafel in a bowl form because it allows me to maximize my veggie consumption. It also adds some interest  Something worth mentioning, the dried chickpeas are NOT optional. You can produce good falafel with canned chickpeas, but if you want GREAT falafel (which I mean, come on guys, that's what we're after!) you will need to soak your beans for 24 hours.  

Baked Falafel

Makes 12

• 1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours in the refrigerator
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• Zest of one lemon
• 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley 
• 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro 
• 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• Big pinch of sea salt 

• 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, for brushing before placing in the oven

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Grease a small baking sheet and then set aside set aside. Drain the water from the chickpeas then add them to the base of a food processor along with the remaining ingredients. Process mixture until paste-like, scraping down the sides as needed. Be sure not to over-puree. There should be some chunks still remaining in the mixture.  Scoop the mixture out in 2 tablespoon increments. Drop the falafel mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and roll into round balls. Brush with the oil then bake at 400˚F for 22-24 minutes. Let the falafel cool before moving to an air tight container. The falafel can be refrigerated for us to a week.

To assemble the falafel bowls place the falafel on top of a bowl of your favorite spring mix and add in various toppings including shredded carrots, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, onion slices, pickles, lemon wedge, herbs, hummus, and this tahini recipe.  

Our Favorite Coffee + Food in Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, oh Nashville, where to even begin. To be honest, Nashville has never been at the top of my list of places to visit. Country music has never been my thing and I had many other cities I still hadn't made it to yet that I considered "higher priority." But when some of our best couple friends invited us to join them in Nashville for the Fourth of July, we dropped everything and went. We spent three days there and despite the ridiculously intense heat, we enjoyed a lot of wonderful coffee and a lot of amazing food and I started to see where all of the hype surrounding this city came from! The lack of traffic and absence of general business alone (in comparison to Chicago) had me ready to sign a lease and move. Still not out of the question. ;) I can't wait to plan another visit! Here is a round up of all of the places we loved! If you've been to Nashville, share with me some of your favorite spots!

Hattie B's

Not a healthy place in the slightest, but worth every fried bite! Hattie B's serves up hot chicken to your preferred spiciness level and it is so good! Although fried, the chicken isn't nearly as greasy as a lot of other fried chicken I've had. I got the medium spiciness chicken tenders with coleslaw and fries. Highly recommend!

Pinewood Social

If you're not on broadway with all of the tourists, this place is the place to be! It's a super chill bar / coffee shop / bowling alley full of photo-worthy couch sitting areas. They also have a patio full of yard games and even have a pool! We spent our first evening here and contemplated another. It's the perfect spot to work during the day or cap off the evening at. Obsessed! 

Dose

Coming from Chicago I was initially slightly underwhelmed by the amount of trendy coffee shops in Nashville, but although there were few, the ones we went to, were great! Dose was no exception. My only consistent disappointment was the lack of oatmilk (my favorite non-dairy alternative), but eventually I anticipate some shops to start carrying it. Dose served up an amazing iced almond milk latte, drip coffee, and a very unique avocado toast (with roasted corn, jalepenos, feta, and pickled onions). It was super close to our air b and b in East Nashville so we popped over there a few times. They had a nice, bright vibe and a wide selection of tiems that I really enjoyed. Definitely recommend checking it out! 

Five Daughters Bakery

Known for their 100-layer donuts, this adorable bakery is a MUST if you're in Nashville. Josiah and I shared a peanut butter chocolate one that was really good! Next time I am going to try one of their paleo donuts! 

Burger Up

Although Burger Up is known best for it's beef burgers (obviously) after having Hattie B's fried chicken the night before, I decided to go with a lighter option. I ordered the quinoa patty and a kale salad with parmasan, hazelnuts, and dried cranberries. Oh my gosh, it was so good! Everyone else ordered different burgers and they raved about theirs as well. Definitely a solid place! 

Barista Parlor

I would consider this a coffee shop for serious coffee lovers, but it was super fun! It's a very open space that had a lot of tables available if you wanted to work here during the day. Although I paid almost $8 for an iced almond milk latte, it was so tasty! The neighborhood (Germantown) that this coffee shop was nestled in was cute and fun to explore too. 

Biscuit Love

I don't want to hype this place up to much because I probably wouldn't wait an hour in line again to eat here, but it was a fun experience and seems to be considered a staple when visiting Nashville. I ordered the sausage hash with two sunny side eggs and it was really tasty! According to everyone else at our table the biscuits seemed to be a bit overrated though. 

Ugly Mugs Coffee & Tea

The name alone makes me love this place! They serve up an amazing iced almond milk latte and according to my friend Caitlin, vanilla latte as well. Perhaps my favorite thing about this place was their "Love Coffee Love People" t-shirts that they sold. Definitely picking one up on my next trip! 

Wild Cow

Located right next to Ugly Mugs Coffee & Tea, this adorable little hippie vegetarian restaurant is stealing hearts of meat eaters and veggie heads alike. I ordered the sweet potato black bean tacos with vegan sour cream on corn tortillas with vegan queso and chips and Josiah ordered the chipotle portabello tacos with pineapple coleslaw on the side. Both dishes were so, so good! Their menu had so many amazing options, I'm sad we only got to eat here once! Be aware that they are closed on Tuesdays so you don't make plans to go only to realize they're closed. Not that that happened to us or anything. ;)

Crema

Probably my favorite coffee shop in Nashville! it reminded me so much of one of my favorite Chicago spots. They served up a delicious avocado toast that had goat cheese on it (game changer!) as well as another amazing iced almond milk latte. It's such a bright and plant filled space --- i love it!