It was just one of those average days roaming the aisles of Whole Foods trying to escape the blistering Texas heat. Unfortunately, the problem with going to Whole Foods with Mia is that the crazy switch that I have yet to find an off switch for flips on and she literally acts like a kid in a candy store. Usually it’s just  a verbal assault of, “ASPARAGUS! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ASPARAGUS BEFORE? OH MY GOODNESS, STRAWBERRIES! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN STRAWBERRIES BEFORE? AHHH! PEACHES?! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN PEACHES BEFORE?!” Yes, Mia. I’ve seen them. I’m looking at them right now. God I love her but sometimes she reminds me of a friend I had in college when she had one to many. This goes on throughout the whole trip so I have to make sure we go on a weekday when it’s not crowded. But of course, it was a Saturday and I had no choice but to go. The store was packed like sardines and the moment the doors open her eyes got big as mine started to wince. Her mouth opened, and the usual shy child began to speak… loudly.

“OH MY GOODNESS, CHERRIES?! CHERRIES! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN CHERRIES BEFORE? GREEN BEANS! HAVE YOU SEEN GREEN BEANS BEFORE?! CARROTS!…”

Of course, I think this is the cutest thing ever but we didn’t even make it past the berries before out of the blue she starts grabbing produce and stuffing it in her mouth. We obviously got the attention of a Whole Foods employee but instead of kicking us out, she placed a bowl in my hand full of fresh cut peaches on a bed of arugula sprinkled with feta cheese. She was making it to hand out samples and thought it might keep Mia busy for a little while. One of the reasons I love Whole Foods by the way. I handed it to Mia and she devoured it. I didn’t get a chance to get the recipe but I did replicate it and added a few touches of my own. It is now one of our most made summer salads.

Peach and Arugula Salad is the perfect blend of sweet, tangy, and peppery. The ripe peaches, against the pepper bite of arugula contrast yet blend with bright feta and nutty toasted walnuts making this a refreshing and delicious summer salad.

Peach and Arugula Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette serves 4 to 6

balsamic vinaigrette

•  1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure honey
• pinch sea salt
• pinch fresh ground black pepper

salad

• 1 cup walnut halves
• 2 ripe peaches, organic if possible
• 2 cups arugula, organic if possible
• 2 cups spinach, organic if possible
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Place all ingredients for the balsamic vinaigrette in a large bowl (big enough to hold a large salad) and whisk vigorously until combined.

Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Place arugula, spinach, toasted walnuts and feta cheese in the bowl with the vinaigrette and toss to combine.

Slice the peaches in half and reomve the pit. Next cut the peaches in 1/4 inch thick slices.

Transfer the salad to a serving bowl if desired and place the peaches on top. Sprinkle additional feta cheese on the salad for garnish.

A bright and flavorful salad perfect for summer.

Did I mention it pairs well with tomorrow’s post, Prosciutto Wrapped Cod?

If you haven’t heard of them yet, White Mountain Foods is a company that strives to make the purest whole foods possible. Their mission is simply to provide their customers with completely additive and preservative free, minimally processed, organic when possible, tasty, vegetarian foods. Their product line includes Bulgarian Yogurt, Greek Cheese, vegan Tamales, Tofu Salad, and much more. They are a family owned and operated company with years of experience based out of Texas. So, When I received a shipment from White Mountain Foods, I was more than excited to try products from a company that believes food should be as pure and fresh as possible like I do.

the review

I sampled the Organic Bulgarian Yogurt, Cottage Tofu Salad, No-Egg Tofu Salad, Tofu Onion Dip, and Chipotle-Mushroom Tamales and this is what I found:

Organic Bulgarian Yogurt – This is one of my new favorite yogurts! Brightly tangy, this yogurt’s freshness pops in your mouth. The texture is smooth and fluid and the flavor is delightfully tangy. When I used it in recipes I found it took a meal to a different level. A Bulgarian Yogurt smoothie is a must and I honestly felt energized after drinking one for breakfast. White Mountain’s Bulgarian Yogurt is a whole milk probiotic yogurt making it a fantastic immune supporting food.

My daughter Mia enjoyed it so much she asked for a smoothie every morning. We also made these amazingly good Cherry Yogurt Pops with White Mountain Bulgarian Yogurt.

Tofu products – I’ll be honest with you here. I’m not the biggest fan of tofu. I will eat it on an occasional basis but it is not a part of my everyday diet. Having that said, the Tofu Onion Dip, Cottage Tofu Salad, and No-Egg Tofu Salad were surprisingly outstanding and they are all made with Non-GMO Tofu. The Tofu Onion Dip tasted exactly like homemade onion dip and we were all shocked that it did. It was fantastic and I would certainly use it on a sandwich or as a dip again. The Cottage Tofu was fresh and bright with just a hint of lemon and was a great pairing with fresh vegetables. The No-Egg Tofu Salad tasted exactly like egg salad with the texture to match. I’m not going to lie, I am not a fan of egg salads but my husband who is a fan, liked it.

Chipotle-Mushroom Tamales – Made with whole natural ingredients, these Chipotle-Mushroom Tamales were delicious. Savory with just a touch of an earthy spiciness, theses tamales taste fresh and the unique chipotle mushroom flavor mixed with the tomato paste made a great flavor combination. I would recommend steaming to reheat them. I did find that microwaving the tamales made for a drier texture.

the verdict

I love being introduced to companies and new foods that I might not have ever found on my own. White Mountain Foods is a beautiful company just trying to provide us with real, whole, and delicious food. I highly recommend trying their products, especially the Organic Bulgarian Yogurt. Delicious!

White Mountain Foods are distributed nationally. Visit their website to find a store near you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from White Mountain Foods. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

One of my favorite things about summer is making popsicles and granitas with my daughter. Creating our own gorgeous versions is much more fun and ten times more delicious than unwrapping a store bought neon dyed one. Here’s an extremely simple recipe for Mia’s favorite popsicle, Cherry Yogurt Popsicles. Made with real fruit and not concentrated sweetened juice, these sweet and fresh popsicles are not only delicious but good for you.

Cherry Yogurt Popsicles makes 10 3oz popsicles

• 16 oz weight (1 bag) frozen cherries, defrosted*
• 1 cup plain yogurt** I used White Mountain Bulgarian Yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons pure honey

tools

• 1 popsicle mold for 10 3oz popsicles (I’m using the Norpro Ice Pop Maker)
• 10 popsicle sticks

* I find frozen defrosted organic cherries are the best for this recipe. They are already pitted and have had time to release their juices. If you prefer, fresh cherries can substituted.

** I used White Mountain Bulgarian Yogurt for this recipe as part of an upcoming product review. The taste is tart and provides a fantastic flavor combination with the cherries. I highly suggest it but any plain yogurt can be substituted.

Place defrosted cherries in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.

To the yogurt, add honey and stir to combine.

Pour about 2 tablespoons of the cherry puree into the molds. Next, pour 2 tablespoons of the yogurt honey mixture into the molds. Repeat until the molds are full and you have layers of cherry puree and yogurt.

With the end of a spoon or a chopstick, lightly stir the cherry puree and the yogurt until it just begins to have a swirled effect.

Place popsicle sticks in the molds and place in the freezer. Freeze at least 4 hours or until frozen.

To remove from the molds, pour warm water briefly over the outside of the popsicle molds and then pull on the popsicle stick. Enjoy!

The smile says it all.

I love peas and so does my daughter. “Pea” was her first word matter of fact. Unfortunately, her father pretends to be deathly allergic to them and runs straight out the door faster than green grass through a goose. That’s why when he leaves town it’s the first thing I cook.

Peas and Prosciutto is what Mia calls her special “peas” because I don’t make them this way all of the time. I do have a waist line to sometimes flicker a thought at. Brightly sweet and savory this Peas and Prosciutto side dish is a long time family (meaning Mia and I) favorite.

Peas and Prosciutto serves 4 to 6

• 1 small shallot
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 slices thick cut prosciutto (1/4 pound)*
• 1 16oz bag frozen peas or 2 cups fresh
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 Tablespoon butter, unsalted
• 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan reggiano

Peel and mince the shallot and garlic.

In a saute pan over medium-low heat, add olive oil, shallot, garlic, and salt and saute until the shallot is translucent (2 to 3 minutes).

While the shallot and garlic are cooking, cube the prosciutto in 1/2 inch cubes. Add the prosciutto to the saute pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes to release it’s flavor.

Next, add the peas, lemon juice, and butter. Stir. Bring the heat up to medium high. Saute for another 2 to 3 minutes until the peas turn bright green and are warmed through.

Add the parmesan to the peas and stir to combine.

What a month it has been! I didn’t think moving to a different city would be so exhausting and would take this long to return to normal. Although, I’m not really sure how normal one can really be if they wear sock monkey slippers and cowboy boots on a daily basis. As far as I am concerned I am never moving again. Thanks for your patience and support! As always, y’all are amazing. I am glad to be back in the kitchen and back on the blog again. And what a way to kick it off with my favorite summer side dish as a Summer Braise – BBQ and Beyond post!

Summer Braise is a summer long series created by Shari of Tickled Red, Kristen of Dine and Dish and myself to show the delicious differences of summer meals from different areas of the country. Side dishes are the topic of this month’s Summer Braise and my absolute favorite summer side is Chipolte and Lime Roasted Potatoes. This dish was created out of a need to use leftover chipolte peppers five years ago and has stuck around ever since. Smoky and spicy with a fresh hint of lime these Chipolte Lime Roasted Potatoes are the perfect side for your next meal.

Please visit Tickled Red and Dine and Dish for their favorite summer side dish recipes!

The Giveaway is now closed.

Thank you KitchenAid and to everyone who participated. All of your side dishes sound wonderful! The winner picked from InSockMonkeySlippers is, Jules P (her favorite side is cole slaw)! Jules look for an e-mail from ISMS in your inbox.

KitchenAid has generously partnered with Shari, Kristen, and I to bring you an opportunity to win either ONE of TWO 5-Speed Hand Blenders  or ONE 13-Cup Food Processor.

5-Speed Hand Blender Blend, Puree, Chop, Shred, Mince Froth/Mix and Whisk/Emulsify/Aerate – Easily blend smoothies, chop nuts, froth cappuccinos, shred vegetables or whisk egg whites with greater control. The Industry’s First Interchangeable Stainless Steel Bell Blade Assemblies and FIRST EVER Removable Pan Guards. Change easily between different types of blades with no hassles or tools. The removable pan guard attaches easily to the bells and helps prevent scratching on cookware.

13-Cup Food Processor features the first-ever externally adjustable slicing lever in a counter top food processor. It adjusts from thick to thin slicing and the optimized speeds help process soft to hard foods. The 3-in-1 Ultra Wide Mouth™ Feed Tube accommodates a variety of sizes of food.

All I can say is wow, this is a fantastic giveaway!!! Thank you KitchenAid.

RULES
(1) participant from In Sock Monkey Slippers, (1) participant from Tickled Red, & (1) participant from Dine and Dish will be randomly chosen to win one of the three KitchenAid items listed above. Once the giveaway has ended the three winners will discover which prize they have won. US residents only, please.

GIVEAWAY CLOSES 7-16-2012 at 12pm EST

TO ENTER

1. Leave a comment at the end of this post telling us what your favorite side dish is that you make for a BBQ. (Please feel free to add a link to your comment if you are a food blogger).

2. Tweet: Sharing my BBQ Side Dish w/@iamtickledred @SMonkeySlippers & @DineandDish – Enter Triple @KitchenAidUSA Giveaway! #SummerBraise #giveaway - be sure to come back and let us know that you tweeted by commenting on this post.

That’s it, two little comments! If you do the same over at Tickled Red & Dine and Dish that will be TRIPLE your chances. Good Luck!

Now on to that recipe! 

Chipolte and Lime Roasted Potatoes serves 4 to 6

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds small new potatoes
• 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 chipolte pepper from a can of chipolte peppers in adobo sauce*
• 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

While the potatoes are cooking: Remove one chipolte pepper from the can and mince (chop into small pieces). Place in a large bowl. Using the adobo sauce that the peppers are packaged in, add 2 teaspoons of sauce to the minced pepper in the bowl. Oh, how I love me a chipolte pepper. It does sinful things to my taste buds.

Peel and mince the garlic glove. Add it to the bowl as well.

Next, add the lime zest, lime juice, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil.

Whisk everything together until combined. Now, take a good whiff. The smell is intoxicating.

Once the potatoes are done and still hot, pour them into the chipolte lime dressing. Add cilantro and gently stir to combine, making sure every potato is covered.

Plate and serve. Shut the front door, these are sinfully good! This is a perfect side for grilled chicken, grilled pork chops, steak, smoked brisket or even fajitas. And if there are leftovers, cook them with some scrambled eggs in the morning for an insanely good breakfast. Enjoy!

 Disclosure: KitchenAid has provided the giveaway. A big thanks to them.