A SIMPLE TOMATO + BURRATA SALAD

We don't have cable, and I don't do a whole lot of internet searching that is not food related, so a lot of news passes me by. It may lead me to be a bit out of touch, naive concerning political matters, and over reliant on my twitter feed to update me on breaking headlines, but it has worked for us. I want to believe that we are capable of being good to each other, and too much news convinces me otherwise. From world wide issues over politics, money and religion, to the tragic shooting in Colorado, or something right under your nose like a stranger stealing your stuff, I am completely dismayed that people want to harm other people... people they don't even know. Hugh and I chatted in circles, not understanding this motivation. It can be overwhelming, fear-inducing really, to think of the sadness and hurt, all the "bad things that happen to good people," and how I feel the only way to encourage other's to be good to people, is to be good to them yourself. Ironic how that conversation led me in to the topic of today's post about treatment and wages on our tomato fields in America. Tomato fields in Florida have been quoted as being "ground zero" for modern day slavery. It all starts somewhere doesn't it? Today we are making noise for change and standing up for

slave free tomatoes

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This summer, International Justice Mission has partnered with The Coalition of Immokalee Workers and The Fair Food Standards Council (FFSC) to create Recipe for Change, a campaign to raise awareness about injustices in U.S. tomato fields. The goal is to create a zero tolerance policy for slavery, child labor and sexual abuse. Through both of these organizations and consumers like us, we want to ask the CEOs of major supermarket chains to endorse the Fair Food Program, ensuring the tomatoes you buy are slave-free

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Corporations that join the Fair Food Program agree to pay a small price increase for fairly harvested tomatoes (1.5cents per pound) and promise to shift purchases to the Florida tomato growers who abide by these standards and away from those who don't. The locations that support slave-free tomatoes are Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Farmers Markets and CSA programs. 

Spreading the word is the first step to educating people about this problem. If you feel called to action, you can send a letter using this link to contribute to the voice that is trying to make a change. Support the cause by purchasing tomatoes from the slave-free locations mentioned above. 

A SIMPLE TOMATO + BURRATA SALAD // Serves 4-6

Inspired by Big Sur Bakery Cookbook

Take note of the size of your burrata balls, you may need two. I assume about 4 oz. per person. This salad is very free form, don't pay too close attention to measurements. It's a summertime salad, it's meant to be easy going. 

1 cup torn bread (preferably from a baguette or fresh loaf)

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 sea salt

fresh ground pepper

1 1/2 lbs/ 4-ish heirloom tomatoes

sea salt + fresh ground pepper

2 cups soft lettuce of choice (arugula, spring greens, butter lettuce)

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1 shallot, finely chopped

8 oz. burrata cheese, room temperature

good quality extra virgin olive oil

balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven (ideally toaster oven) to 400'. Spread the torn bread on a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are crisp and brown. Set aside. 

Slice the tomatoes into 1/4'' slices and arrange them on your serving tray in concentric circles. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt and fresh ground pepper and the chopped shallots. Chop the soft greens and basil together, toss them gently with 1 tsp. each olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then mound it in the center of the tomatoes. Distribute the croutons on top and then place the burrata in the center of the lettuce pile, breaking open the creamy center if you'd like. 

Drizzle the burrata with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste and finish with a sprinkle of salt and fresh ground pepper. 

PASILLA CHILE + LIME CABBAGE SLAW

sprouted kitchen slaw

{first thoughts on "the book"}

Sara:

I heard the knock on the door from the shower. Threw on a towel, mascara dripping down my cheeks, water soaking the floor, so I could sign for the package from the FedEx man. "This is really important," was my excuse to him for my ultra appropriate outfit. I have been anticipating the printed copy of our book for almost two years. We were entertaining this idea nearly TWO years ago. So much has happened and now I have a real copy in my hot little hands. Hugh and I went through it page by page, slow and thoughtful, to take in every photo, as if we couldn't dictate the book to you from memory. Short stories, glimpses of dinners in my parents' yard, sarcasm, the recipes I (uncharacteristically) took careful notes about, bright colors... it is me, us, work and learning all in a hardcover book with our names on the front. Crazy. I am humbled by how gorgeous it is and proud to show friends what we've created in our little apartment kitchen. I bring it with me everywhere I go. I've already spilled coffee on the crisp white pages, which, as upsetting as it was when I noticed, now marks it as "my first copy," so I'll never misplace it. I am most impressed with Hugh. The photos are indescribably stunning. I'm romanced by them everytime I browse though, and SO proud of how talented that man is. The book is not out until August 28th (you can keep up with details here), but I wanted to document our first thoughts, as I haven't been this giddy in quite some time.

Hugh:

Three years ago, when I gave Sara a domain name and an empty blog for her birthday, there was no way I could have imagined where that project would lead us. From its casual beginning, to its (still casual, I suppose) current publication, it has been incredible to work along side Sara, to watch her talent and excitement bloom and attract a community of like-minded readers, to experience the frustrations and triumphs of developing our voice and image, and finally hold its sum in our hands. Literally. The book is beautiful and full of goodness and soul. I am so proud of Sara and I am so excited for you to share in it.

sprouted kitchen slaw

I wanted to get this recipe out to you quick in case you're still searching for 4th of July ideas. It's so simple - comes together in 10 minutes. On a table full of grilled items, potato salads and cakes, I find that the green vegetables are always a needed addition. This slaw is lighter than a traditional one due to the dressing, while still giving lots of crunch and flavor. A happy day of food + friends to you all!

PASILLA CHILE + LIME CABBAGE SLAW // Serves 6 as a side

The dressing is the consistency of a creamy vinaigrette. If you like it to cling to the slaw a bit better, a Tbsp. or two more of greek yogurt or mayonnaise will help with that. You could bulk it up with some cucumbers, maybe black beans if you need to stretch it. Or if cabbage is a bit harsh for you, you could add in some chopped romaine to calm down the roughage quality.

// dressing //

zest and juice of two large limes

1 Tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. pasilla chile powder (chipotle or ancho chile work as well)

1/4 cup olive or grapeseed oil

2 Tbsp. greek yogurt or mayonaise (see note)

1 head green cabbage

1/4 cup finely diced red onion

1 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

3/4 cup toasted macadamia nuts

sprouted kitchen slaw

In a small bowl, combine the zest and juice of the limes. Add the honey, salt and chile powder and whisk to combine. Mix in the yogurt or mayo and the oil and whisk well. Taste and alter as preferred. Set aside in the fridge.

Chop the cabbage super thin, using a mandoline if you have one. In a large salad bowl, combine the cabbage, red onion, three quarters of the cilantro, reserving some for garnish and mango. (Everything can be done in advance up to this point and kept covered in the fridge until ready for serving). Add desired amount of dressing and toss to coat. Chop the toasted macadamia nuts and garnish the top with the remaining cilantro and mac nuts. Give it a grind of fresh pepper and serve. * I feel like slaw benefits from a good 10-15 minute rest in the dressing if you have the time. just sayin'.

RATATOUILLE BARLEY SALAD

In a recent podcast about time, our pastor referred to the "margins of our lives" and I was immediately struck by the term. I interpreted it to be the time that we are not concerned with being busy. There is the work that we have to do to make a living, there is the busyness that we make by way of cleaning, errands, seeing friends, working out, and so on, and then there is the margin - the unplanned time. I don't know many people who have a lot of it, but it exists, and it is ours to fill. To fill with yet more busyness or leave open for small pleasures. I fall default to the former. I pack it full in attempt to make that margin productive and efficient. I fill it to manipulate the most out of that time, which I realized is completely defeating of the entire idea, and make work of it instead. Enjoyable work, but not really the "no schedule" type of time that I really love when I do surrender to it.

That message sunk in. I've since found myself on multiple jogs with Hugh, dual headsets in the ipod, listening to a zombie apocolypse running motivational app. That wasn't on my to do list, but may be one of the most humorous memories I have with my husband to date. We had a family bbq to celebrate our new niece on Sunday and I stopped a few times to recognize the simple things - how comfortable I am with my inlaws, the charm of quirky personalities, my niece who gives THEE best face squishy snuggles on the planet, that my mom will drop off extra flowers for the table in a moments notice, how helpful Hugh is, and chatting with my sister in law, a now great friend of mine, over a kitchen full of dishes...a sign of a good party. The busy gets done, but the margin is where the good stuff is.

I made this salad to share with all that summer produce that's blazing forth into my kitchen. It is super easy to throw together, and can be made in advance (a perfect bbq dish). The vegetables here are sturdy to hold their shape in the sea of grains, each cooked seperately to retain their flavors. I cooked them in a cast iron pan as our charcoal grill is somewhat of a project for a few veggies, but if you're grill is on, they'd be great cooked there too. Keep it easy, that's the best thing about this salad.

RATATOUILLE BARLEY SALAD // Serves 8

I used pearled barley because I had a loose bag that I wanted to use up. You could use quinoa, farro, bulgar, rice etc., you just need about 2 1/2-3 cups cooked of whichever you choose. If you like some kick, a few pinches of red pepper flakes would work nicely here.

1 cup pearled barley

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. agave nectar

1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2'' slices

about 6 zucchini, 1/2'' coins

olive oil + lemon pepper for cooking

2 cups baby tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup finely chopped basil

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

grated parmesan, as desired

sea salt, as needed

Rinse the barley. Put it in a pot with about 3 cups of water. Bring it to a boil then down to a simmer, add a few pinches of salt and cook for about 25-30 minutes until tender. Drain any excess water and transfer the grains to a big mixing bowl. Add the minced garlic and a pinch of salt while the grains are still hot, and stir. Add the oil, vinegar and agave and stir to coat. Set aside.

Heat a hearty drizzle of olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat (you can alternatively grill the eggplant and zucchini). Add the zucchini and a generous sprinkle of lemon pepper and saute until well charred and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the barley bowl. Rub lemon pepper or similar seasoning on all sides of the eggplant. Sear the eggplants in the pan, this will have to be done in two batches. I like to cook both sides with a bunch of seasonings until the eggplant starts to soften and then add a drizzle of oil. Turns out a bit less greasy this way. Let the eggplant cool slightly. Chop it into 2'' chunks and add it to the barley bowl. Add the halved tomatoes, basil, parsley and toss everything to mix. Taste for salt (remember you're adding parm so go easy) and pepper and maybe a bit more vinegar if you prefer.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Generously sprinkle the grated parmesan on top and another pinch of fresh herbs and fresh pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Keeps well in the fridge for about five days.