Midsummer Recipe Roundup

I hope you are finding ways to embrace and enjoy the summer season! 🌞 🙏🏾 🌻 The time of year where the sun shines upon us most intensely, our peak season of light. The long days provide us with more time to engage with the outside world, which makes it an amazing time for connecting with nature, friends, family, and epic adventures. Long days also allow us more time to take a step back with a slower, more methodical pace and create. On the other hand, the long hot days, and short warm nights can make sleeping difficult and instigate feelings of agitation, lethargy, and apathy.

Yet another reason why it is important to adjust your rituals and routine with the seasons. As someone who already tends to run hot. I prefer cooling foods and activities this time of year. As you can imagine, cooking in our household looks a little different in the summer. Most other seasons I enjoy baking, braising, steaming, simmering, slow cooking, pressure cooking, you name it! But when summertime comes around and the true summer heat kicks in, I do my best to step away from the oven and move on to the grill. Of course, you will sometimes still find me sauteing veggies, but I take advantage of the grill as much as I can. Meats, fish, peppers, broccoli, asparagus, potatoes, portabellos, peaches, and pizza are all FABULOUS on the grill, which not only keeps the temperatures down in the house but is surprisingly easy and quick to clean!

This recipe roundup features my favorite summer condiment, pesto, with a nutritional twist. Not only is it great on a grilled cauliflower pizza, but it is an excellent addition to fish, vegetables, potatoes, and eggs. It can be used as a dip for crudités or tossed with grilled vegetables to boost flavor and nutrition. Pairing herbs with grilled foods is particularly advantageous nutritionally because certain herbs have been shown to contain antioxidants that can neutralize prooxidant and carcinogenic compounds that are created when char forms, which is common in grilling.

Of course, in my mind a summer recipe roundup wouldn’t be complete without a refreshing fruity frozen dessert. The frozen yogurt ice cream recipe below highlights the natural sweetness of summer fruits with the benefits of probiotics to support digestion and resilience.

Wild Weed Pesto

Mallow pesto was one of my first introductions to eating wild-harvested foods at a summer internship at Heartwood farms. As a part of growing biodynamic vegetables, we also learned about the companion plants and native weeds in the area. This day, the focus was on sweet, mild, mallow, which is often viewed as a pesky garden weed and can be found thriving even in compacted and arid soils. This edible plant has been used traditionally for hundreds of years for conditions ranging from cold and upset stomach to low libido, and recent research has shown that it has antimicrobial activity and it may improve hypertension.

Years, later, I still encounter this resilient plant in my own lawn and garden. But rather than eradicating weeds with chemicals, the biodynamic approach invites us to outcompete them with other species, while still allowing them some space to grow. Not only are they good for the soil, but many ‘weeds’ are actually more nutritious than cultivated plants.

If you can, I encourage you to try forage for some wild greens to add to your pesto. What is available will vary by area and season and different plants have unique nutritional and healing properties, but all wild foods offer vitality and resiliency than cultivated foods do not. In general, leaves from younger growth tend to be sweeter, whereas more mature plants tend to be more bitter, but this will vary significantly plant to plant. Of course, if you are not sure about the identification of a plant, it is best to stick with the side of caution and let it be. 

If possible, harvest these greens from an area in your garden that isn’t treated with chemicals. If you are foraging outside your yard, you want to be sure that the area you are harvesting is free from noxious chemicals, roadways, and other high traffic areas. Before harvesting, make sure the plant is large or bountiful and harvest only a small portion of each plant. 

Aside from the antioxidants from the foraged greens, this pesto is rich in vitamin E from olive oil and almonds, and phytochemicals and antioxidants from basil and garlic. These layers of antioxidant nutrients work together to make an anti-inflammatory powerhouse food that adds flavor and depth to the bounty of flavorful foods available in summertime.

If you do not plan to eat your pesto within a week, you can freeze it and save for later. I like to freeze mine in an ice cube tray overnight. Once it is frozen into individual serving size cubes, I empty the tray and seal the cubes up in an airtight container to use as needed. The pesto will keep for 2-3 months in the freezer.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Wild Greens such as Amaranth, Lambsquarter, Dandelion, Mallow, or other edible ‘weeds’
• 1 cup packed Basil
• ⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ⅓ cup Almonds or Hemp seeds for a higher protein version
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 tsp Lemon Juice
• 2 tsp Lemon Zest
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Wash your weeds and basil thoroughly with cool water and spin or set out to dry. Scrub exterior of lemon and wash thoroughly before zesting.

Combine nuts and oil in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Roughly chop leaves and add to a food processor with lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Pulse for several seconds to mix ingredients and chop nuts. Continue pulsing until the pesto is smooth. Depending on your food processor, you may need to add more olive oil. 

Sample the pesto and adjust seasoning to taste

Grilled Mushroom Pesto Pizza

This veggie-dense pizza is beautiful and each layer is dripping with flavor and nutrient density. Making the crust is a bit of a labor of love, but the reward is savory, delicious, and high in fiber from the cauliflower and coconut fiber and the cauliflower which is also a good source of vitamin C and together the cauliflower and eggs offer an array of B vitamins.

I am partial to this grilled crust which was adapted from Tasty Yummies. Not only does it taste great on the grill, but there’s no heating up the house! However, if making the crust is not your cup of tea, or you want to make this a quick weeknight meal, you could certainly opt for a premade frozen cauliflower crust to bolster nutrient density, there are even ready to go dairy-free cauliflower crusts available now.

Pesto provides a high concentration of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, Wild Weed pesto, but if you don’t have the time or ingredients to make your own any high quality premade pesto is a good choice. If choosing a premade pesto look for one that is olive oil-based rather than canola or other oils, you may need to check the ingredients. Finally, top your tart with fresh produce, local is even better. Most toppings can be layered on raw and then baked in the oven, but if you use mushrooms, I do recommend sauteeing them in a covered pan with a bit of butter or olive oil first as they take a bit longer to cook. The mushroom’s most prized immune-boosting nutrients, beta-glucans, can only be extracted from mushrooms cooked in a moist environment. I love the complementary pairing of fresh tomatoes with pesto, but feel free to get creative and change up the veggie toppings to suit your tastes.

If you tolerate cheese, it can be a healthy addition as long as it is from a grass-fed source. It is a good source of bioactive vitamin A and zinc, both of which are commonly deficient in the modern diet. If not, an extra drizzle of a bold extra virgin olive oil just before serving adds a serving of healthy fats and a taste of decadence. 

Ingredients

2 servings

Cauliflower Crust

• 3 cups riced Cauliflower, ⅓ of a medium head or 1 bag frozen pre-riced
• 2 large Eggs, whisked
• 3 tbsp Coconut Flour
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

Toppings

• ¼ cup Wild Weed Pesto, or other pesto
• 4 oz sliced Mushrooms, shiitake, morel, oyster or other available varieties
• 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 small Shallot, or a few thin slices of Red Onion
• 6-8 Cherry Tomatoes or 1 small Tomato, thinly sliced
• ½ small Zucchini, thinly sliced
• optional cheese: ½ cup Parmesan, Pecorino, Goat, or Vegan Cheese

Instructions

Preheat the grill or the oven to about 400F. Preheat a pizza stone or cast iron pan if using.

Cook riced cauliflower in a covered saucepan until al dente. 

Using a cheesecloth, or fine mesh strainer, squeeze all excess water out of the steamed cauliflower. Getting out the excess water is essential to avoid a soggy, sloppy crust.

Combine cauliflower with eggs, coconut flour, and seasonings.

Lay out a piece of parchment paper and spread the dough into a round or square crust, using a silicone spatula until it is about ⅓” thick. Smooth the edges and make sure there aren’t any holes in the crust. If using a cast-iron pan, I will draw a circle on the backside of the parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan so I know how big to make my crust

Grabbing opposing corners of the parchment paper, transfer the paper and pizza to the pizza stone, cast iron pan or baking sheet and grill the crust without toppings for 10-15 minutes. Once done, it should start to appear golden around the edges.

Meanwhile prepare pizza toppings. Slice and saute mushrooms in olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper. Prepare pesto if needed. Thinly slice tomatoes and zucchini. Grate or thinly sliced cheese, if using. 

Spread a layer of pesto onto the crust then top with onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and zucchini and finish with a sprinkle of cheese.

Return to the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes more to cook the toppings and melt the cheese if using. If you decide to skip the cheese, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil is a nice finishing touch that bolsters healthy fats, and vitamin E. 

Simple Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

I love this sweet summer snack to help beat the heat midday in the summer. It is quick and easy to throw together with frozen fruit and is just the right balance of sweet and tangy. This recipe combines probiotics from the yogurt with prebiotics from the fruit plus vitamin C from the strawberries and potassium from the banana. If you don’t have yogurt, an even simpler sorbet version of this sorbet can be made with just frozen berries and banana, a splash of vanilla, and a bit of water or nut milk as needed to blend.

Ingredients

2 servings

• 1 cup frozen Strawberries or other frozen berries
• 1 frozen Banana, chopped into rounds
• 1 cup Almond Milk Yogurt or Yogurt of Choice
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Add ingredients to a high powered blender and blend on high for about 30 seconds, or until smooth. Depending on your blender you may need to start by pulsing the ingredients for several seconds at a time. It can be served immediately, but it will be very soft. For a scoopable texture, allow the mixture to firm up in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

I hope you love these recipes and they become a nourishing part of your summer meal routine! As always, please leave a comment below and let us know how things turn out or if you make any adaptations.