I’m back in the US again (airport blog posts for the win!), which is mostly a good thing. The weather in Boston this weekend is supposed to be beautiful, my birthday festivities begin next week, and then there’s a long weekend before I head back to Colombia. The only downside? I have to finish doing my taxes. And ASAP. Since I run this blog as a business, my taxes are kind of a nightmare – freelance business owners with lots of small transactions and quick and easy taxes do not go hand in hand. I’m almost done (I think), but it’s not my favorite activity.

Like any unpleasant task, doing your taxes is made easier by scheduling in small rewards. Rewards like a bowl of ice cream, a glass of wine, or an episode of Scandal (if you’re me, at least). Or, if you need a bigger break, pressing pause on the taxes and cooking up some Southern-style comfort food. Having spent my formative college years in North Carolina, I have a soft spot in my heart for good Southern food, especially during times of stress (late night studying, frantically finishing a problem set before class… doing your taxes on the night of April 14th…). So, I’ve teamed up with Cambria Wines to create a Southern dinner that you can enjoy with a glass (or two) of their Katherine’s Vineyard Chardonnay.

Although perhaps not the most classic of Southern dishes, my “tax break” Southern comfort food dinner starts with a smoky chicken gumbo. Only, if you told a real Southerner that it was gumbo they would probably debate it with you, and they would be right to, since this recipe doesn’t take the time to make a deeply flavorful roux before starting the rest of the soup. So, let’s call it a “gumbo-style” smoky chicken stew. It’s full of smoky, rich, Southern flavors – smoked andouille sausage, smoked paprika coated chicken, sweet red peppers, and cayenne – and served over cheesy, smoked gouda grits for good measure. For dessert, there’s maple corn cake – sweeter and fluffier than a corn bread thanks to the use of corn flour and lots of maple syrup, but still simple and rustic in the best way. Topped with Chardonnay-poached peaches and freshly whipped cream, you won’t even remember why  you needed a break in the first place.

Find the recipes for the Smoky Chicken Gumbo with Cheesy Grits and Maple Corn Cake over on the Cambria Wines blog!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Cambria Wines. All opinions are honest and my own.

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The Book: Even before I got to the recipe section of Anya Kassoff’s new book, The Vibrant Table, I knew I would like it. Discussing her healthy eating philosophy in the introduction, Anya writes that she creates “recipes that utilize the most nourishing ingredients in the tastiest ways possible… without feeling confined or making too many rules.” I sometimes struggle with my feelings about diet labels – vegan, raw, gluten-free, paleo, whole 30, etc. On the one hand, at their most basic level, they all encourage eating more whole foods and vegetables, a principle that’s hard to argue with. But move beyond the basic principles, and I get really frustrated with the focus on excluding “bad” things instead of eating more “good” things, as well as by the diet-shaming communities that unfortunately seem to pop up around popular diets (loved Shanna’s post about that a while back). Personally, I like to think I’m of the “everything in moderation” camp, and I would never sacrifice flavor for health, so it was refreshing to hear those feelings echoed in a book with the tagline “Recipes from my always vegetarian, mostly vegan, and sometimes raw kitchen.”

Anya and her daughter Masha are the writer/photographer team behind the popular blog Golubka, and they’ve managed to translate the same helpful and friendly tone and gorgeous photography that have mad their blog a success into this cookbook. The Vibrant Table will inspire you for every meal of the day, with as many healthy breakfast recipes and snacks as savory lunch and dinner ideas. Since I’m a bit of a Russophile, the dishes with a strong Russian influence hold special appeal to me, and I loved getting glimpses of Anya’s memories into summer days at their dacha, foraging for mushrooms and berries. Most of the recipes require a medium effort level: they’re not extremely simple, nor are they overly complex. There also aren’t too may “out there” ingredients (by which I mean the dairy and meat replacements and weird alternative powders that some vegetarian/vegan recipes rely so heavily on, and really turn me off as an omnivore). Instead, the focus is on whole foods and natural flavors you’ll be able to find fairly easily. True to the title, the food really is vibrant, and I love that the photography, which is light-filled and richly colored, compliments the bright and healthy feel of the food so gorgeously.

The Food: I cooked dinner from this book the same day it arrived in the mail – I was so inspired by it that I went out to the store just so I could make the Chickpea Crepes with Mango Salsa that night. I later adapted that recipe to have more Indian flavors and served it with grilled curried chicken (recipe here!), and I’m sure it’s one of many recipes inspired by this book that will enter my regular dinner rotation. For this post, I’m sticking to a recipe that I didn’t feel the need to adapt in the slightest – these beautiful, refreshing Peach and Avocado Summer Rolls. These summer rolls are packed with an astounding number of bright, juicy flavors. Even though they’re one of the main ingredients, the peaches feel unexpected with each bite, when gorgeous little bursts of peach juice mix with the creamy avocado and toothy rice paper. The sauce, too, is intense and delicious, with both the sourness of the tamarind and the saltiness of the soy making it mildly addictive. I will certainly be making these again – they make a filling summer dinner that’s not heavy in the slightest – but I’ll definitely need to practice my wrapping technique (i.e. please excuse the messy styling in these pictures).

Recipe Shortlist: Cacao Buckwheat Granola; Apple and Carrot Breakfast Salad; Zucchini, Chocolate, and Blueberry Pancakes; Marinated Stuffed Poblano Chiles; Golden Gazpacho; Lazy Sweet Potato Dumpling Soup; Beet and Buckwheat Gnocchi; Zucchini Spaghetti with Nectarines and Pumpkin Seed Pesto; Fresh Fig Cupcakes; Earl Grey Poached Pears with Hazelnut Panna Cotta

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Disclaimer: I received a review copy of The Vibrant Table from Roost Books, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Peach and Avocado Summer Rolls

Recipe from The Vibrant Table. Makes 15 rolls.

• 4 TBS smooth almond butter
• 2 TBS tamarind paste
• 1 TBS maple syrup
• 1 TBS grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp soy sauce [Note: I used 3 TBS to get the sauce to a good consistency, and the flavor was still good]
• 2 medium ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced
• 1 lime
• 3/4 c. pistachio nuts, chopped
• 1 TBS plus 1 tsp hazelnut oil
• sea salt
• 3-4 oz. baby spinach
• 15 rice paper wrappers
• 3 medium peaches, pitted and thinly sliced
• 1 c. mixed fresh basil and mint leaves

1. To make the sauce, whisk together the almond butter, tamarind paste, maple syrup, ginger, and soy sauce until smooth. You may need to increase the amount of soy to get a thinner sauce if using very thick almond butter. Taste, and adjust balance if necessary.
2. Place the avocado slices in a shallow dish and squeeze the lime juice over them. In a small bowl, mix the pistachios with 1 tsp of the hazelnut oil and a pinch of sea salt (only if using unsalted pistachios) and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the spinach leaves with the remaining 1 TBS of hazelnut oil and toss gently with your hands to coat the spinach.
3. Fill a large flat dish (such as a pie plate) with slightly warm water. Soak the rice paper wrappers in the warm water one at a time, submerging each wrapper evenly and soaking until soft. As you remove each wrapper from the water, fill it immediately: place 1-2 peach slices in the middle, top with 2-3 avocado slices, a handful of spinach leaves, a few basil or mint leaves, and a small spoonful of pistachios, followed by 1 more peach slice. Don’t overfill the wrapper, as it will be difficult to roll. To roll it, fold the bottoms of the wrapper up over the filling on both sides, then roll to close. Repeat until all your filling is used. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

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It’s mother’s day! Which means every one of you should do something nicer than usual for your mom today. I’m lucky to be able to see my parents almost every week, something that I appreciate far more than I would ever have guessed at the end of high school when I couldn’t wait to flee the state of Massachusetts. It’s so nice to have an escape from the day-to-day only a short-ways a way, somewhere I can spend quiet afternoons outside (in a yard!) and sit down to family dinners with my parents, little brother, and Trevor. Although lots of other parts of the country (and world) appeal to me as destinations, the biggest deterrent to moving somewhere else permanently is being away from my family. Who knew I’d turn out to be such a momma’s girl?

On my visit home yesterday, I brought my mom a batch of these scones, baked fresh that morning, because she really likes scones. We used to go to high tea for special occasions when I was little, and although I couldn’t bring my mom a personal waiter in black tie for the day, I could bring some sweet and flaky baked goods. These particular scones are peach and Bourbon flavored, because not only is my mom sweet and loving and adorable, she’s also a lot of fun, and never one to turn down a margarita or a glass of sangria at the end of a summer’s day. I love that we can now share a drink (and a cackle) and gossip about family and work and friends while rocking back and forth on the porch swing. It’s easy to be friends with my mom.

These scones are quite different than others that I’ve had – whereas I usually think of scones as being a bit dry and crumbly and best served with gobs of jam and cream, these are more like flaky bites of pie crust, already soft and moist and flavorful without the addition of any condiments. I think the crumbly kind of scone has a lot going for it, namely its affinity for jam and cream, but these are a welcome addition to my ever-broadening definition of scones. One thing to note – don’t skip the Bourbon glaze, it’s essential for bringing out the best in these little pastries.

So, Happy Mother’s Day to all the mother’s out there, but especially to mine! I love you, mom.

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Peach Scones with Bourbon Glaze

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated via The Vanilla Bean Blog. Makes 10-12 scones.

• 2 c. flour
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 2 TBS sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 12 TBS butter, frozen
• 1/2 c. creme fraiche
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 c. diced frozen peaches (in 1/4 inch cubes)
• 1/4 c. heavy cream for brushing
• 1 TBS turbinado sugar for sprinkling

For the glaze:

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 4 tsp heavy cream
• 4 tsp Bourbon

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, 2 TBS of sugar, and salt until evenly combined. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together creme fraiche, vanilla, and eggs until evenly combined.
3. Grate the frozen butter over the large holes of a box grater. Add the grated butter to the flour mixture, and use your hands to toss the mixture until all the butter pieces are fully coated with flour. Add the creme fraiche mixture to the butter and flour and use a spatula to stir just until flour is fully moistened – avoid overmixing.
4. Lightly flour a work surface, and dump the dough onto it. Knead gently just until it forms a loose ball. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the ball into a 12 inch square, then fold the dough in thirds. Fold in thirds again in the other direction, leaving you with a tall, 4 inch square. Place on a plate and chill in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, until cold to the touch.
5. Once dough is chilled, return it to your work surface and roll out into a 12 inch square. Sprinkle the diced peaches over the surface, pressing them down lightly into the dough. Roll the dough into a log (like a jelly roll), then use the rolling pin to flatten the log into a 4 inch by 12 inch rectangle. Cut into 5 or 6 rectangles, then cut each rectangle in half, resulting in 10 to 12 triangular scones. Place scones on prepared baking sheet, and brush each generously with heavy cream, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 18-25 minutes, until scones are golden brown on the top. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
6. To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, 4 tsp of heavy cream, and Bourbon until smooth. Glaze should be a good drizzling consistency. If it’s too thick, add a splash more Bourbon; too thin, add a few tablespoons of powdered sugar. Once the scones are cool, use a fork to drizzle the glaze over the scones in thin lines. Let set for 10-15 minutes, then serve.

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How great is July?  Coming back to a garden that has doubled in size in a week, walking through the Copley Square farmer’s market that’s just bursting with produce, eating meals composed entirely of vegetables because they’re just that good – it’s definitely a season of plenty.  In fact it’s so plentiful that I’m torn between the natural inclination to eat smaller, lighter meals in this hot weather and the desire to eat as many eggplants, tomatoes, beans, cherries, peaches, plums, and berries as I can during their short season.

In particular, I can’t get enough of stone fruit.  Sweet cherries eaten ice cold from the fridge, plums so perfect that the juice dribbles down your chin with every bite, peaches baked until hot and bubbly under a buttery crumble – these fruits of summer are so fleeting that in my opinion, it’s worth eating as many of them as you can while they’re around.  There are many great single fruit recipes for each type of fruit, but they also marry well with one another, whether in a luscious cobbler or a simple but addictive fruit salad like this one.

I don’t know about you, but for me, the words “fruit salad” conjure up an image of a sad, not quite cold enough bowl of mushy bananas and unwanted cantaloupe, with a straggling strawberry or two that the pickers left behind.  You know, the kind of fruit salad you used to find at every picnic, bbq, and pool party; the one that played second fiddle to the hamburgers and dirt cake.  This salad is an entirely different story.  Elegant, colorful, and slightly floral, with no filler fruits that get left behind, everyone in my family had at least 3 servings at dinner, even after eating these turkey cobb sandwiches, which were easily the most delicious sandwiches I’ve ever made.  Inspired by the just-blossoming lavender plants in my mom’s Maine garden, I decided to drizzle the fruit with a lemon lavender syrup, which truly tied the whole dish together.  You can use whatever stone fruits you have lying around – just make sure the salad is served cold, and give it an hour or two to soak in the lavender flavor.

Head on over to Greatist for the full recipe!

Other stone fruit recipes to celebrate July:

Spiced plum butter

Cafe Sperl plum squares

Boozy cherry brownies

Cherry cream cheese danishes

Cherry chocolate ice cream

Spiced apricot couscous

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