Summer Love's Summer of Love Feast

One of my favorite places to visit is the Hadley household in Pacific Beach where my lifelong friend and yoga momma Summer Love resides with her sustainable surfer and land planning husband Neil. I often spend weekends there in their cute beachside bungalow for some R&R and good eats. Summer is a master cook of the healthy variety and has inspired me to make good, wholesome food that tastes great on a regular basis.

The last time I visited, we had the most delectable meal inspired by the fresh bounty of BeWise veggies Summer had purchased that afternoon. Be Wise is a Ranch in the San Diego area that allows people to show up at various locations and purchase boxes of whatever fresh fare is currently available. Summer's box of the moment contained wild purple beets, crisp carrots and some citrus.

 

Roasted roots and a phenomenal summer salad ensued in the kitchen as I watched her handy craftsmanship over some glasses of chardonnay.

This was followed by my own private cooking class to learn how to make her heavenly stuffed organic chicken breasts.

The recipes below encompass the entire meal. Served with fine wine, beach air, and good friends with their eye on the tides patterns, made the meal everso more dear.

SUMMER LOVE'S SUMMER OF LOVE FEAST
Serves 4

Roasted Beets

Take two fresh purple skinned beets and chop into one inch cubes. Place on a metal sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in a toaster over at 400 degrees for 30 minutes until caramelized.

Heavenly Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Take four chicken breasts and slit three fourths of the way into the breasts sideways. Combine two diced shallots, one small chopped white onion, half a cup of diced gouda cheese, two tablespoons of Trader Joe's roasted red pepper tampenade, a dollop of crushed garlic, and two tablespoons of parmesan cheese into a mixture and stuff each breast's middle with equal amounts. Place a toothpick in the chicken breasts to hold the mixture in and back at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.

Summer Salad

Combine desired amounts of raddichio lettuce, chopped red pepper, sunflower seeds, feta cheese crumbles, chopped avocado, sprouts and beet greens. Serve tossed with desired amounts of Summer of Love dressing.

Summer of Love Dressing

Crush one small onion, one big shallot, and a clove of garlic together. Mix with half cup of balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon of maple syrup, two tablespoons of tahini, a heavy dash of coriander, a dash of thyme and salt and pepper to taste.