I’ve been a pretty serious fan of the Golubka blog for a while. Their raw food creations always hit me with an immediate appeal to taste, and then slowly as I read, they would surprise me with their intricacy. Their style of cuisine spoke to me with its naturally healthy virtues and they managed to make it look so ethereally beautiful as well.
So when they sent me their book and I saw that it was a fully realized, but also expanded-upon, version of the creative work that they share on the site, I was immediately inspired. When a book or an entity of any kind makes your mind tick with possibility–for your health, your family table and your whole life–it’s a good one. Also, there’s a lot to be said about a cookbook that can convey a sense of time and place in the world–a trait I find most appealing in any food related publication actually.
Almost all of the recipes are vegan and a nice selection of them are raw–all gluten free and seasonal in theme as well. When the really balmy hot days start to take over here, this is the kind of inspiration I crave most. Abundant, colourful, and satisfying for these days that we spend predominantly outdoors
I was debating between making this zucchini spaghetti dish or the berry and chocolate crisp for today. Mark really wanted the dessert, but I wanted a light summer dinner on our porch at dusk (and apparently Shanna and Tim did too!). (I’m confident that the crisp will be happening next week, what with the impending glut of berries coming on). I use a julienne peeler for this, but a spiralizer would be awesome too for making the delicious vegetable “spaghetti.” This will be the first of many from Anya’s table to ours. Some other bits that look so, so good: kale + mustard muffins, cacao buckwheat granola, fava bean quinoa cakes, fig bars, and spinach quinoa crepes. You can get a copy here, and I really think you should.
Hope you’re enjoying that sunshine, and maybe a few magical summer storms too :)
Zucchini Spaghetti with Pumpkin Seed Pesto & Peaches
Ingredients
Pesto
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- splash of water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, peeled & crushed
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Zucchini Spaghetti & Assembly
- 4-5 medium zucchini
- 2 peaches
- handful of chopped basil
Equipment
Notes
- From The Vibrant Table: Recipes from My Always Vegetarian, Mostly Vegan & Sometimes Raw Kitchen
- I toasted the pumpkin seeds with a bit of salt before grinding them into the pesto, but if you prefer to keep this raw, just skip that step.
- I use a julienne peeler for the zucchini, but if you have a spiralizer, you can probably get away with 3 zucchinis since it better utilizes the seedier inner part of the vegetable.
Instructions
- Place the toasted pumpkin seeds in the bowl of a food processor with the “S” bade in place. Pulse the seeds until they are the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. From here, add the basil, olive oil, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Turn the food processor onto high until you have a smooth paste. Set the pesto aside.
- With a julienne peeler, make long lengthwise strands of zucchini, avoiding peeling the centers if they’re a bit seedy. Place zucchini “spaghetti” in a large bowl and toss with a heavy pinch of salt. Let the zucchini sit for about 5 minutes so that the salt can soften the noodles ever so slightly. Pit and slice your peaches while you wait.
- Toss the zucchini spaghetti with most of the pesto until strands are evenly coated. Arrange the peaches on top and tear pieces of basil to finish it off. Garnish with some extra bits of pesto if you like. Serve immediately.
What a beautifully simple but healthy looking dish. I will have to bookmark this one for summer when it comes along.
Right now I’m loving corn and cherries! Corn grilled and sliced off the cobb into chipotle-spiced salads; cherries on top of my morning granola.
My favorite is rhubarb! As Summer approaches, I can’t wait to get my hands on it to make rhubarb pie, rhubarb tea, rhubarb compote! My absolute favorite is your rhubarb fool and coconut cream. It is, without a doubt, one of my all time favorite desserts!
Just stunning! My favorite is cucumbers – I’ll eat them plain like an apple, or in a cucumber salad :)
lately it’s been cucumber and radish for me
I love all things summer: berries, cherries, lettuces, corn, peaches. Figs! But year round, I long for juicy, ripe Jersey tomatoes! Served simply, sliced, drizzled with good olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt. Mmmmmmm.
Favorite summer food: Blueberries, straight up. Actually, they are my favorite food – period!
This meal looks delicious! Raw and fresh is definitely appealing in the warmth of the summer. This summer I plan to have my breakfast at the top of one of my favourite local hikes (Signal Hill, St. John’s, NL), perched on the mountain overlooking the Atlantic ocean in those early morning dawn hours when it’s often just you and the birds awake. As for summer fruit, I am in love with fresh figs. And biting into a juicy fig just as it is is my favourite way to enjoy it!
Love this! Although very new to me, I too am a fan of the Golubka blog!
This summer I also hope to make a picnic on the beach, and prepare an entire meal using the heat and flame of an outdoor fire. My favourite summer fruit is the tomato –> and I love a quick panzanella style salad. I am also obsessed with Ontario peaches –> grilled and drizzles with honey over some yogurt and granola –> the best day to welcome another sunny summer day.
Cheers!
I love cherries in the summer! I really just love to eat them as is – such a great treat.
This is gorgeous! I love the way it looks with the grass all around it…like we’re on a picnic with you :) Great recipe!
I plan to cross zip lining and attending the beach fest off my list this summer!
It’s hard to pick favorites when it comes to summer fruits and vegetables, but wild blackberries are up there in my top 10, for sure. Preferably eaten in a warm cobbler with unsweetened whipped cream :)
Favorit summery food: peaches
Favorite way to eat peaches you ask? In a cobbler with some ice cream wrapped up on the couch with my fiancé OR simply sliced open fresh in the morning with a bowl of oats and a cup of coffee.
Summer! Seriously, I just want to find the time to sit in the backyard sunshine and read a good book. It hasn’t happened yet…but I’ll make sure it does!
Tomato – still warm from the garden, eaten like an apple :)
i love allll the fresh fruit! especially blueberries and peaches!
We are planning a trip to our local sandbar this weekend. It will be my sons first boat trip and first time in a lake!
My favourite summer food is strawberries. To be honest I love them warm right off the bush while picking them! I also love them in cupcakes and sprinkled on my morning cereal.
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
This summer, I’m gutting and re-doing my guest bath. I know, sounds like a blast, right? Oh yeah, and I’m scraping, sanding, and painting my wrap-around porch!
I am finally going to visit the Outer Banks and see a lighthouse!
My favorites are sugar peas, love eating them straight out of the pod on the field.
Will have a little get-together for our 1st wedding anniversary with all of our guests from last year, best food and music :)
I love how beautiful this dish looks. So vibrant and refreshing.
1. Go camping and hike some nice trails.
2. Fruit tarts! Or any baked dessert with stone fruit toppings.
For sure my favorite summer meal is caprese salad with fresh picked tomatoes from the garden. I wait all year, skipping over the store bought tomatoes, waiting waiting for my own to finally ripen then I eat caprese salad over and over until they are all gone. Reminds me of summer and Italy all in one.
Such a gorgeous dish full of colors! This is the perfect summer meal!
The way you said this is just right, about Anya’s book being a fully realized version of her blog, about how mutual admiration is surprising (especially with someone like this), about light foods being so welcome this time of year. Also, Laura, I will probably be saying this to you til kingdom come — YOUR PHOTOS. So good.
I am looking forward to trying stand up paddle boarding for the first time ever! Beyond excited for that adventure.
I’m constantly gravitating toward homemade iced tea. It’s simple, but I love to use genmaicha and a bit of stevia. Earthy, slightly sweet, and ice cold for the heat!
That book, swoon! Ok here are mine!
1. Stand up paddleboarding, looks hard as shit, but I want to try it!
2. Watermelon..alll the watermelon!
What a gorgeous post and recipe. I too am in love with Anya’s work and with The Vibrant Table, a cookbook full of inspiration. Haven’t made this zucchini spaghetti yet but am so so eager to try!
FAVE SUMMER JAM:
Nothing in this whole wide world beats a ripe, fresh picked southern peach – close second to immediate devouring is old fashioned peach shortcake with basil garnish. Summer in a dish!
Looks lovely! There is nothing better than a fresh tomato from the vine, chopped up with salt and pepper- preferably eaten on my parent’s back deck, watching the sun rise up to mid morning.
Looks wonderful – I’m definitely interested in this cookbook! To answer your questions: 1) My goal is to grill ALL of the fruits/veggies this year. There are certain veggies/fruits that I tend to ear raw or cook on the stove (shelling peas, raspberries), but I’d like to develop some grilling techniques for them instead. 2) My favorite summer food? A tie between a good tomato/corn salad (corn, tomatoes, avo, herbs) and eating golden raspberries straight out of hand.
I would LOVE a copy of The Vibrant Table!
1) I can’t wait to have a picnic in the park, get cinnamon buns at the bakery at my cottage, and hopefully catch a movie at the drive-in
2) Right now I’m really feeling peaches. Particularly grilled peaches drilled with maple syrup over vanilla yogurt.
My favorite summer fruit are peaches! I love the super sweet, oozing with juicy goodness with each bite. My mouth is watering! I love the looks of that cookbook and I’d love to get my hands on it.
My #1 thing to check off of my summer bucketlist (which is revamped every year) is to learn how to can! I would like to can homemade marinara sauce, jams, etc. for the cold months to come.
My favorite summer fruit it’s strawberries! I love them any way I can get them…salads, smoothies, in desserts, or by themselves.
Sigh…summmmmmmmmerrrrrrr. On my summer to-do list: picnic and lazy afternoon in central park and a day at Coney Island. Also: making our way to Red Hook to enjoy the libations at Fort Defiance. And I’m feeling you on open tomato sandwiches…with a somewhat heavy-handed sprinkle of flaky sea salt. x
These photos are absolutely, completely, amaaaaazing. I cannot wait for Colorado peaches to be fully in season. They are my absolute favorite and usually just get eaten over the sink. :) Bucket list: gotta get out for some camping this summer!
What I’m looking forward to most this summer is all happening in August- our family beach trip and a large group camping trip by the river with friends for my 40th birthday!
Also, I’ve been obsessed with tomato, cuke, and feta dressed with EVOO, balsamic and salt & pepper. I eat it almost every day!
This looks incredible! :)
This summer, we really want to stain/refinish the deck and eat lots of summer cherries – I usually just eat them as-is. One of my all time favorite things about summer! :)
I love seeing the grass in your pictures. It makes me feel like I’m sitting with you on your porch and enjoying that beautiful dish. My favourite summer fruit of all time after cherries and peaches are figs. I spent so many blissful summers at my grandmothers picking them directly from her tree and marvelling in their honey-like sweetness.A ripe fig is incomparable!As far as summer is concerned, staying outdoors as much as possible and sipping on anything refreshing is essential!
Recently discovered your blog when my SIL made the roasted carrots on a bed of spiced yogurt (except she had to grill them because her oven doesn’t work in the house they just bought. Still she had the grace and generosity to make some astounding meals over last weekend–food = love.)
This summer, I really want to learn to do some food fermenting. I’ve had some amazing slaws and pickles over the past couple of growing seasons and everyone in my family loves this.
Thanks,
Christy
Favourite seasonal vegetable: zucchini. I have many plans for the kilograms I will eat, cook, and (fresh)freeze for winter. My favourite seasonal way to eat it is to make raw zucchini sticks and drizzle with tahini and Sriracha. Bliss.
I plan on going to the beach at least once, and I like to enjoy lots of berries this time of year. Straight up berries in a bowl, nothing fancy.
Oh my gosh, that dish is so beautiful! During the summer, all I want to eat is watermelon. It is just so good.
This weekend I can’t wait to go kayaking and canoeing with friends. We’ll slither through passages to a few different lakes and then it’s picnic time!
Figs my favorite part of summer. Although they’re delicious raw, if I’m feeling fancy I cut them halfway down in quarters so they fan out like flowers. Then I add on a little fresh goat cheese, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and honey or maple syrup (with a dash of salt and pepper). Grilling these confections under the broiler until the goat cheese starts to melt and the sugars caramelize makes an incredible starter.
My favorite summer vegetable is zucchini, and although I love it fried, my go-to much healthier way of preparing it is to dip in flour, then almond milk, then seasoned bread crumbs, bake, and serve with a vegan aioli.
And this summer I plan to take a series of relaxing weekend trips with the hubby, almost all involving a cabin/B&B and a Major League baseball game!
The best way to consume summer fruit is a watermelon soaked in basil gin and bitters, eaten with a spoon straight out of the shell. You’re welcome.
My favorite summer fruit and vegetable – I really can’t pick just one, but I love zucchini and I love berries! I love any and all grilled vegetables – and I’ve been seeing a lot of people grilling fruit lately, which I really want to try. Mmmm!!
xo
maria
I’m a big fan of Anya’s blog – as well as yours! One of my favorite summer memories is sitting in the garden patch as a kid, knees in the dirt, picking sun hot tomatoes off the vine with salt shaker in hand – bite, sprinkle, bite, sprinkle.
What a gorgeous looking recipe! I especially love your photo of the Thai Basil flowers — when mine first sprouted this year, I couldn’t believe how lovely they looked!
One of my favourite summer dishes is strawberries tossed in a couple tablespoons of sugar and balsamic vinegar, then cooked until they become thick and jammy. Eaten on ice cream, of course!
1. canoeing with friends!
2. watermelon!!!
For my summer bucket list, I plan to cross off kayaking in the San Juan islands off the coast of Washington when the resident orca pods are in town
i have been ALLLLL about the cucumber noodles lately, but it’s zucchini noodles that i have to try! and i love the look of this pumpkin pesto.
I love fresh peaches with plain yogurt, granola, and mixed spice for breakfast on a summer morning.
I’m hoping to take a road trip to see Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty this summer. Maybe I’ll pack some watermelon for my trip. It’s by far my favorite summer fruit. This zucchini spaghetti looks amazing. I can’t wait to make it!
Whoaaa! I’ll be making this salad for sure!!! I’ve been loving the cherries this summer!! They are so juicy and full of flavor!!!
I’m looking forward to putting together seasonal dishes and cocktails for a housewarming party later this summer and I always love grilled peaches as a go-to summer fruit!
This summer, I plan to spot as many fireflies as possible…I didn’t see my first one until I was in my 20s, so I’m making up for lost time!!! They are nothing short of magic.
My favourite summer fruit is watermelon – cold, scooped,sliced, diced, cubed…in salads with olives and/or mint, on its own, or pureed in tasty beverages…it really doesn’t matter as long as I can shove heaping helpings of it into my face!
My favorite summer fruit hands down – peaches. There is nothing better than biting into a ripe peach on a lazy summer afternoon outside. But, they are also very taste in peach crisps, peach cobbler and grilled over charcoal and drizzled with some maple syrup.
So yum! This summer I plan to restain the deck and go camping. My favorite summer food are Jersey tomatoes in any kind of salad!
i plan on making some roasted tomatillo salsa from my CSA. LOVE that they are grown organically in Ontario and yet feel kind exotic
I plan to do some major summer hiking in the Rocky Mountains.
As usual, beautiful presentation and photography!
Favorite summer produce: Has to be a tie between fresh-picked blueberries (on top of homemade granola) and basil from the garden (pesto, pesto, pesto).
Laura: Your counter tops turned out beautifully. You inspired us to use Helmsman spar urethane on our butcher block island from IKEA and we are so pleased with the results. Just curious – How many coats did you apply?
This zucchini spaghetti sounds amazing! Peaches? What?? :) I have already accomplished my main summer goal — to go to the dog beach in Santa Cruz and spend a few hours watching all the dogs frolic in the waves! And my favorite summer food is, hands down, the tomato, sliced and with a pinch of salt. No need for anything more. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
This looks so lovely! My big summer project is starting my garden now that we OWN a house. I’ve always had a makeshift garden at my previous rentals but am so excited to go totally all in! I’ll be taking breaks with thick slices of heirloom tomatoes from the Farmer Market with a sprinkling of sea salt and some torn basil :)
Nothing will beat fresh local peaches for me! Plain and simple and soooo delicious.
My husband and I are hoping to have a day at the beach: crepes in the morning, chowder in the afternoon and plenty of walking up and down the beach in between!
Fresh berries (any kind) with a little cream are my favorite summer food.
On my summer to do list, was to plant a raised vegetable bed and to tend and harvest it with my two young girls. It is doing really well, and the giant cucumbers are coming up next for harvest. I’ve met a lot of great neighbours, who are enthusiastic about seeing food grown in suburbia.
Beautiful recipe; I just so happened to buy a julienne peeler the other day! Living in the southern U.S., summer nights are balmy and breezy…for the next full moon I wanna strap on my roller skates with their rainbow laces and glow-in-the-dark stickers and soak up the night. The peaches we have down here are amazing (Georgia peaches!) and I loved blending them up and pouring them into Popsicle molds, topped off with some coconut cream. A sweet treat for a hot afternoon, sitting on the stoop in the sunshine.
Oh, what a simple and delicious looking dish! Can’t wait to make it myself. I’m looking forward to mint juleps on the porch with the abundance of mint taking over my flower beds. My fav summer fruits are all the berries and peaches, straight up and cobbler or crisp style:)
Peaches and zucchini, great combination
My book club plans to have their next two meetings on the beach with some good food and wine.
Caprese salad made with tomatoes still warm from the garden…this year I planted Brandywine, Russian Black and Berkeley Pink Tie-dye. Sliced with locally made Vancouver Island buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil. Salt and cold-pressed olive oil.
Swimming in the ocean in the evening means it’s really summer…
Summer food is a toss up between a simple cucumber+tomato salad with lots of s&p plus a hit of vinegar or eating a whole melon (doesn’t matter which) for breakfast! I DEVOURED the first cantaloupe I got my hands on this season. So good!
This recipe looks delicious!
My favourite summer food: watermelon popsicles!
seasonal activity which must be crossed off the to-do list: a weekend camping getaway with friends complete with evening bonfires and midnight swims!
My favorite summer vegetable is summer squash. I love it grilled on a charcoal grill with a olive oil-balsamic coating on it and eating it on my deck with the scenery of the trees in my backyard. It is such a treat.
I’m loving summer squashes at the moment, and I have to admit my favourite way to eat them is spirilaized with pesto, just like your amazing dish here! So, in the interest of being original, I’ll share something seasonal I’m planning to do this summer. I’m going to gather together all of my friends with little ones, and head to the PYO blueberry farm and pick a years worth of berries for our freezers. Also make flower-crowns in the field next door and adorn all of our babies with petal-head dresses : ) And I don’t live in the US or Canada, so this was just for fun! Though I’d happily donate the beautiful book to some friends in Canada if I were to win! Hehe. Beautiful pics as always Laura. Happy summer, I’m totally with you an all of your plans and summery snacks! xx
1. I want to host an outdoor brunch by the pond at my house. Everyone would wear pajamas and sit on quilts while eating elegant pastries and such. :)
I can’t wait to climb to the top of an 11,000 foot peak in the Rockies and see nothing but mountain upon mountains from the top. As far from a city as possible.
I am living cherries in everything from salads to raw porridge right now. New fave, cherry mole sauce!
My summer list includes: perfecting pasta from scratch without a machine – just simple hand cut shapes and purchasing a tiny chest freezer that will fit down my tiny basement stairs built in 1903 – to fill for the long winter months.
My favorite summer goods: sun ripe tomato, fresh torn basil, avocado, olive oil salad.
So simple so satisfying.
Happy summer to you.
My favorite summer food are nectarines. I love to eat them with plain Greek yogurt, raw steel cut oats, and hemp hearts.
Oh Summer how I love thee! Two things that scream summer are Strawberries and Cukes!! I absolutely love both yours and Anya’s blogs. Definitely get so much summer inspiration from them! Thank you!
S’mores on our newly-completed patio!
My favorite summer food is corn, cooked on the grill. I also like to make pickles!
How do I even choose??? Corn, zucchini, tomatoes, and peaches top the list. A fave corn prep: saute diced zucchini and red pepper in a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper; add one ear’s worth of corn fresh from the cob; saute for 1-2 mins, just enough to warm. Butter on top to get all melty, a bit more sea salt and pepper, and spoon into my face. :)
Looks yummy! One summery thing I’d love to cross off my list this summer would be to go camping or go on a nice picnic. My favourite summer fruit would probably be nectarines and I eat them with any kind of cheese and maybe honey.
I love using raw zucchini in every possible way !! Thanks for sharing this wonderful dish and lovely vibrant pictures !!
I can’t live without watermelon!
YUM. I can’t wait to make this! My it’s-really-summer food is watermelon. My go-to way to eat it is in a HUGE slice on a plate. Sometimes it doesn’t make it that far though, and I crack it open and just dig the spoon in! :)
I’m planning to do some hiking this summer. Hopefully near the beach!
I’ve been dreaming of this book before it hit the shelves, and have been collecting the recipes from other bloggers like yourself, ever since. It’s ironic that I am so fond of The First Mess in all the exact same ways that you love Anya. Likewise, you recreated her recipe beautifully. And what a recipe it is! I do love zucchini in the summer, but my favorite would have to be a fat and sloppy Texas peach, eaten hot and sultry in the sun. And as for my summer adventures, I am hoping to finally catch one of these gnarly storms that have been ripping through town, and chase lightning! It was my childhood dream, and now, my summer reality.
Thanks Laura!
My favorite is heirloom tomatoes! I live for the moment they start appearing in the farmers’ markets. I like to eat them raw on crusty brown bread crostini with homemade ricotta and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
I’d love to check out a new swimming hole south of Austin!
I love fresh tomatoes, cut up and sprinkled with a (generous) bit of sea salt. So good!
1. Something seasonal you plan to cross off your list this summer (mine: have a beach picnic, paint my porch, come up with a high-vibe campfire recipe that doesn’t involve beans or oats). — build a mega sand castle
2. Your favourite summer fruit or vegetable and your go-to way to eat it (mine: tomatoes on toasted sourdough with salt, preferably on the steps of my porch as my mid-morning meal, aka second breakfast) — figs… from branch to mouth, warm and slightly gooey from the sun (like me) :)
My favorite summer fruit, by far, is watermelon. I love to eat it cubed with just a little sprinkle of salt with breakfast in the morning or as a mid-afternoon snack.
My grandfather taught me how to salt watermelon. We used to eat it on an old picnic table at his house in Kentucky, right by his small garden where he grew tomatoes, watermelon, and a few other summer crops!
This weekend I will be visiting a camp in the woods on Cape Cod where I had my first nursing job several summers ago. Friends who live there year-round and a visiting friend will meet there for bonfires, pond-swimming, and cocktails on the dock (“docktails”). I have been waiting all winter for this summer treat. I love your blog and Golubka!
I live in Calgary, Canada, where winters start in October and end in late May. There is never enough summer. I have a pretty big balcony I have not been able to enjoy. Its concrete pad was in a pretty bad condition and it’s really windy on the 9th floor where I live. This year, my dad helped me resurface the concrete and we put acrylic sheets on the railing to make it less windy. It’s perfect. I bought a nice outdoor rug and some planters and have been having my morning coffee out there every day. I plan to continue for the rest of the summer. Next, barbeque!
Hi, I was about to buy this book but I will wait until this giveaway!
1) I would like to have picnics at the park, I never do and I always fantasize of doing them. My favorite fruit is peaches! I can’t get enough of them, and blueberries and plums and all the berries, oh gosh, I love summer season!
2) quesadillas with avocado and of course Gazpacho!
Thank you for your generosity!
One summery thing I hope to do is take my daughter to the fair for the first time! And my favorite summer fruit has always been mangos. I eat them plain, when they’re perfect and ripe :)
First, by the end of summer, I want to finally achieve a headstand!
Second, PEACHES!! I have two simple favorites – sliced fresh, atop a crispy polenta cake, topped with gorgonzola/feta/goat cheese and some honey, or a salad of sliced peaches, red onion, feta and mint, drizzled with olive oil, salt & pepper.
With the abundance of fruits and vegetables available in California’s central valley during the summer it is difficult to pick just one, but one all-time favorite is the Kingsburg sweet 100 tomatoes. I like to eat them in a salad or on pasta if any make it home from the farmer’s market — I’ll eat them out of the basket!
This summer I am looking forward to planting my “verticle” gardens to hang from my fence!
My favorite summer food is (hands down) watermelon! This season has brought so many scrumptious, sweet and mouth watering melons to my table,its an endless amount of pure bliss!
My favourite summer fruit is local strawberries. And my favourite way to eat them is right out of the box after I buy them, walking around the farmers market.
Looks great! This summer I’m looking forward to mastering the art of great, healthy ‘travel snacks’ and there is nothing better than basil being used for fresh pesto :)
I have been a longtime fan of Golubka and this cookbook looks like a glorious continuation on paper. This coming weekend I am crossing off my summer list, wine tasting and camping along the Oregon coast. My favorite summer vegetable would have to be sun-ripened tomatoes consumed with burrata and sea salt because it reminds me of my honeymoon in Big Sur, CA.
Berries! As many different ones as I can get my hands on!! Hopefully I will get to fit in a day on a picking farm in, before the season is over.
Laura, I am so, so honored! Thank you for such a kind, thoughtful review – you saw in the book exactly what I hoped readers would see. Hope you get to try the crumble soon :)
My favorite is fresh corn from the farmers market- grilled with cilantro lime butter, or roasted, cut off the cob, and in a salad with cherry tomatoes, avocado, crab meat, and a honey lime vinaigrette. Yummmmm!
Summer to do list? Books- reading as many as I can out in the sunshine!
This recipe looks outrageously good.
My favourite summer fruit are cherries, eaten by the handful directly from the tree. Preferably after biking to the orchard!
Stunning photos as always!!
I would love to have an outdoor picnic this summer complete with a fancy picnic basket.
My favorite summer fruit is peaches and I love a good peach cobbler :)
Grilled peaches with homemade ricotta, honey, and a pinch of salt is a summer favorite and I’m hoping to go blueberry picking in Mississippi!
I was introduced to your blog recently and find myself browsing it often for inspiration and recipes! It truly is a beautiful place to visit! Myself and my family are gluten, dairy and meat free. Anya’s cookbook sounds like a wonderful fit for us! Her recipes that you mentioned have piqued my interest. I would love a copy of her book! To answer question number two, my favourite summertime veg is snap peas. I love their sweetness, and the warmth of the sun soaked pods juxtaposed with the cool crunch of the peas inside. I like them best straight from the plant still standing in my garden. I especially like when my kids are by my side sharing them with me!
The flavours here are so intriguing! I can’t wait to visit my dad who lives far away, as is summer tradition. I just moved to Minneapolis from Winnipeg, Canada and I really look forward to exploring Minnesota on camping trips during these brief but beautiful warm months. Juicy nectarines, peaches, strawberries and cherries are my favourite summer foods. I’m going to make a tart with fresh strawberries so very soon!
Strawberries mixed in with vegan yogurt!
My favorite summer fruit = fresh bing cherries. I eat them with raw walnuts or on top of coconut milk ice cream.
Salads! Soft butter lettuce from Josh and Melissa’s farm and Tokyo turnips, purple radishes, green onions and hemp seeds sprinkled all over, dressed with a yummy maple syrup, lemon juice, garlic and balsamic dressing! Oooh! So good that we dream about it and celebrate the start of the Farmers’ Market season by taking the day off so we can take the time to catch up with everyone, and check out new vendors. Love Summer and all the salad possibilities that lie ahead!
My favorite summer produce is rhubarb – I love to eat it in strawberry-rhubarb pie! It makes me think of my grandparents and how they always grew rhubarb specifically for strawberry-rhubarb pie :D
I love making paletas, it is a wonderful contrast to the suffocating humidity of New York City in the summer. My favourite to date is jalapeño and pinapple. I can’t have a weekend in the city without a picnic in the park, people watching – two essentials… portable speakers and cheese!
1) We crossed off setting up a hammock chair in the backyard to cozy up and read with my four year old.
2) We really love our arugula, cilantro and mint straight out of the garden. Otherwise, making your Vanilla-Stewed Rhubarb is always a favourite, and we never go without watermelon mint popsicles in the freezer!
Your blog is awesome.
Tomatoes, hands down. Roughly cut and topped with sea salt, basil and a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil. Stir and let sit until the juices start running then eat and sop it all up with a fresh baguette.
1. i am making the forest hike a regular weekend trip
2. tomatoes on toast with basil and honey – tastes like summer every time
your blog is beautiful and makes me excited to cook. couldn’t ask for more :)
This past week I crossed off my must-have summer adventure: overnight camping on a mountaintop in the Smoky Mountains. After quite a wild thunderstorm in the evening, we were treated to a lovely foggy morning hike through the forest.
Tomatoes and corn on the cob win the fruit/veg of summer contest for me. I like thick slices of tomato, topped with plain yogurt, fresh basil, and s+p. And I like my corn grilled and topped with a chili-butter.
I am obsessed with zucchini spaghetti! I just made some with pesto last night. I finally purchased a spiralizer and I highly recommend it. The Vibrant Table sounds like my kinda book! I would love to have a copy. This summer I want to:
Host a candlelight dinner for 20 in my backyard – we did it two years ago and it was magical. Something about a balmy night and the sound of many friends enjoying it together.
Make a dessert with sweet, sweet pluots. Maybe a cobbler – I like crisps, but I’m craving that cake-y batter with the intense juice from the fruit.
1. Take a day trip on my bike, outside of NYC.
2. Grilled peaches and halloumi cheese. As an appetizer, while preparing a gourmet meal for friends and family.
Oh my, lovely.
Definitely blueberries, eaten right off the bush. My favorite PIYO place just opened today, and I’m going Wednesday. Can’t wait!
Love the recipe! I discovered kohlrabi this summer, and love it in a simple vinegar-based coleslaw.
This looks DIVINE! I’ve had CRAZY cravings for zucchini pasta and pesto lately (what can I say–summer = basil = ALL THE PESTO!!) so this is definitely happening soon. The peaches are an unexpected addition but, no doubt, delicous.
I’d have to say my favourite thing about summer is going for a nice relaxing run or walk in the evening, just as the sun is going down and the breeze is cooling off.
Happy summer!
It’s too hard for me to choose one blanket summer favorite, but right now having just come back from a trip to Brazil, where they’re really not about the vegetable or good fresh bread, I’m obsessed with: a perfectly CREAMY AVOCADO spread extra thick on a slice of SPROUTED MICHE, topped with a WHITE ANCHOVY and a good squeeze of LEMON. Ooooh and fresh, crunchy, spicy RADISHES dipped in whipped BUTTER topped with SALT.Omg my stomach is rumbling I need to go……….
1. Something seasonal you plan to cross off your list this summer: seeing the sun for as many of the next weekends as I can (i.e. escaping the San Francisco summer fog).
2. Your favourite summer fruit or vegetable and your go-to way to eat it: Current favorites, heirloom tomato sliced and garnished with crumbled feta cheese, oregano, and nice olive oil (great accompaniment to a homemade herb and fennel spanikopita w/ spelt dough) OR any berries or watermelon I can get my hands on. I’m particularly into making ‘fresca’ (w/o extra sugar)…water, ice, and a few strawberries or pieces of watermelon into the blender. Verrry refreshing!
I am going to build myself an outdoor sleeping area, covered and screen, cool and breezy
my summer goal is to go on a road trip up north, and enjoy and revel in the beauty of summer minus the crazy heat waves. preferably with my dog :)
Asparagus!!!! We love to put a little olive oil, lemon and a secret seasoning mix that has a little kick to it then put them on the grill. Delicious!
This summer I’m learning how to grill! I finally bought a grill after 2 years so I’m hoping to find some good recipes and not burn everything :). I love zucchini pasta and this recipe looks amazing. Thanks for sharing!
I have been loving seeing all these zucchini noodles! I’ve only recently started making them, and am totally hooked. Thea edition of peaches and pesto?? Just. Brilliant. xo
I’ve been wanting to try the zucchini spaghetti ever since I got my hands on the book – but the last time I ate raw zucchini I was bed ridden for two days with what I still swear is the worst stomach bug I’ve ever had. It probably wasn’t the zucchini, but every time I look at zucchini noodles I’m taken back to that terribly miserable day. However, that pesto is another story. I’m gonna smother some brown rice noodles in it later tonight and *maybe* shred some zucchini on top. BABY STEPS, YO.
PS – Your photos always make me swoon. And I think I tell you that every time.
I can’t remember if I posted on this or not… the recipe seems somewhat familiar but I just can’t recall if I ever told you how beautiful it is. I’m kind of obsessed with everything in this dish. Especially the pesto. I could eat pesto every day and be a happy camper.
Laura, gorgeous photos, as always. Anya’s book is lovely. It’s so fun to see others’ visual interpretations of recipes. Your kitchen! I love it. Can we talk sometime about how you sealed those counters? I got a kitchen island from Ikea with a similar top and it doesn’t look so good.
Thank you for the inspiration. This is my favorite summer lunch. Pumpkin seeds are a perfect replacement for pine nuts-I’m allergic to tree nuts.
You’re my new favorite blog!!! I am making this for lunch and couldn’t be more excited! xoxo, Kelly
Just a question from someone who’s wondering about starting a cooking blog, do you get permission from the cookbooks you post recipes from? Or is it enough that you source/mention where you got them and aren’t claiming they are your own ideas.
Hi Tess,
For this particular recipe, I was promoting my friend Anya’s book on her + her publisher’s request, so I did have very explicit permission to re-print her recipe. Here’s a great article on recipe attribution for future reference though.
-L
This is delicious! I added some asparagus for fun but otherwise followed this exactly. Loved it!
This dish looks absolutely gorgeous! Definitely should try it out. Thanks for inspiring me for dinner tomorrow! :)
Just made this tonight, it was delicious! Adding it to the regular summer rotation. Thank you!