Arugula, Peach & Piquillo Pepper Salad with Goat Cheese

Arugula, Peach, Piquillo Pepper Salad
Arugula, Peach, Piquillo Pepper Salad

This time of year, just walking by the peaches at the market is enough to get my mouth watering, their sweet scent wafting yards away. Their flesh is tender -- almost too tender, you can't pack them away- and their juice is sweeter than pie. My favorite peaches are those grown on the Western Slope of Colorado. Palisade Peaches are worth every penny and the wait all summer for their peak season. 

Have you heard the saying "what grows together goes together?" This salad is further proof it's true: peppers are also a late-summer crop, and in this salad piquillo peppers are a perfect "pop" of flavor. Piquillo peppers are a little bit sweet but with a smokey, spicy edge. They match the brightness of peaches, with out overshadowing them. 

Arugula, Peach, Piquillo Pepper Salad

The combination of peaches and sweet peppers is pretty much begging for a bed of arugula. Arugula is a tad bitter, which balances out the other sweet ingredients. It keeps this salad from getting too sweet. It's delicate and leafy.

The final touch is goat cheese, which adds a streak of richness that makes this salad oh so satisfying. It's soft enough that it just barely begins to melt away as you pour the dressing in, emulsifying and cream-ify-ing the entire thing. It also cuts through the pepperiness of the arugula, and is the ingredient in this salad that brings it all together. 

Arugula, Peach, Piquillo Pepper Salad

Arugula, Peach & Piquillo Pepper Salad with Goat Cheese

Published August 24, 2015 by

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 20 minutes



Ingredients:

  • 1 pound baby arugula
  • 2 ripe peaches, sliced thin
  • 1/2 cup roasted piquillo peppers, diced (find these with the olives & pickles in the store)
  • 1/3 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
  • Creamy Balsamic Dressing (try this recipe)

  • Directions:

    1. In a large salad, bowl, combine arugula, sliced peaches, peppers, and onion. Sprinkle goat cheese over top.
    2. Just before serving, drizzle with balsamic dressing to taste.

    2 Comments

    Homemade Loose Leaf Masala Chai Tea

    Update! This recipe is one of my faves. I shot new photos in December of 2018, and updated the recipe a little bit. Watch the video below!

    My first introduction to this spicy drink was in middle school, when my mom brought home a carton of Oregon Chai concentrate. Little did I know that single discovery would take me on quite the Chai-adventure!

    I quickly learned to love plenty of other types of chai — and began to prefer spicier flavors over sweeter ones (if you’ve tried Oregon Chai, you know it’s pretty dang syrupy!). Bhakti Chai was a small start up in my home town at the time, and I fell in love with the pungent ginger in each sip. A mug of Bhakti Chai became a very special treat when I went to college — something I’d buy myself when I went to the school library during finals week.

    I visited India with my dad when I was about 15. There, chai was served out of little carts on every street corner. It was called “Masala Chai,” because the word “chai” in Hindi simply means “tea.” Each cart served up their own recipe, a proprietary blend of spices and served with raw sugar. I scribbled down one recipe from a woman in Udiapur, and have been using that as my baseline ever since. But that’s the thing with Masala Chai: everyone’s version is slightly different. Some people want it sweet and cinnamon-y. Others want the ginger to be bright and bold and in your face. Me? I’m a cardamom lover, though I don’t object to the ginger, either. I also prefer honey over sugar. Lately I’ve been digging this Lazy Bee Ranch Whipped Honey, made locally in Colorado.

    Once you’ve made Masala Chai three or four times, you’ll start to realize which camp you sit in, and you can adapt your own recipe to match exactly that.

    Making chai at home is far superior in terms of flavor than buying tea bags. It’s also far cheaper than buying pre-made concentrates. If I’m going to make a big batch of chai at home, I’ll use fresh ginger root and simmer it with spices in a soup pot. It usually doesn’t last more than a day — we drink it non-stop until it’s gone.

    This recipe, however, calls for ginger tea (not crystallized ginger, but dried ginger) instead of fresh ginger. Why? Well, sometimes a girl wants her chai and she doesn’t want to bowl a whole soup pot just to get a mug of it! 🙃Using dried ginger means you can keep this tea in your cupboard with the rest of your teas, and brew a mug at a time on demand whenever you please. It’s the best for when I need a pick me up on a work day.

    I also almost always make a hot mug of chai in my thermos when we go climbing or hiking in the spring, fall, or winter. It keeps me warm when it starts to get chilly, and I enjoy the caffeine lift in the afternoon.

    Homemade Loose Leaf Masala Chai Tea

    Published June 10, 2015 by

    Yield: 15   |    Active Time: 40 minutes



    Ingredients:

  • 12 cardamom pods
  • 4-5 whole cloves
  • 8 black peppercorns
  • 3 whole allspice berries
  • Pinch whole anise seeds
  • 1 cinnamon stick (about 2-3 inches long)
  • 3 tablespoons black Assam tea (English breakfast works too, if it’s all you can find!)
  • 2 tablespoons dried ginger tea
  • For serving: water for brewing tea, and honey and milk to taste

  • Directions:

    1. Place cardamom pods, cloves, peppercorns, allspice berries, anise seeds and cinnamon stick in a small skillet. Toast over low heat, stirring, until spices are fragrant.
    2. Scrape spices into a mortar and pestle, and roughly grind the spices.
    3. Combine Assam tea, ginger, and ground spices in a bowl or jar. Stir to combine.
    4. Tea can be stored at room temperature in an air tight jar for quick some time — it may start to loose some of it’s flavor after a few months.
    5. To brew: Heat 8 ounces of hot water. Place tea in a fine mesh tea stainer in a mug, and pour water into mug. Allow to steep for 5 minutes, then remove tea and strainer from mug. Sweeten with honey and milk to taste.
    6. You may find that the bottom of your mug had spices in it — that’s where all the flavor comes from! I avoid drinking that very last sip, just like I might avoid taking the very last sip of sludgy French press coffee. Personal preference!

    6 Comments

    Sun Dried Tomato & Sausage "Zasta"

    Note to self: When using the spiralizer, keep your your hands on the handle. In fact, keep your hands as far from the blades as possible. Especially the day before a climbing trip. 

    Some lessons, you just have to learn the hard way! This dish was actually not the dish I was making when I sliced my finger, but just thinking about the spiralizer right now has me curling my fingers. It's okay--I'm still going to force my fingers to type out this post, because this recipe is just that delicious. What is it about those long strings that make dinner so much fun?! 

    Sun Dried Tomato & Sausage Zasta

    Published July 29, 2015 by

    Serves: 2-3   |    Active Time: 20 minutes



    Ingredients:

  • 2 medium or 1 large zucchini
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 2-3 Hot Italian Sausages
  • 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
  • 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, quartered and drained
  • Sprinkle dried oregano
  • Sprinkle of red chili flakes
  • 2 sprigs fresh basil, minced
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Optional, for serving: grated parmesan

  • Directions:

    1. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the sausages and cook until done through. Remove from pan, and set aside for later.
    2. Meanwhile, spiralize the zucchini. Add the zucchini to the pan, along with oregano, red pepper flakes, and basil.
    3. Slice the sausages into bite-sized pieces, and return them to the pan. Place lid on pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the zoodles are soft.
    4. Season with salt & pepper to taste, and serve hot topped with parmesan.

    2 Comments