I’ve been on a bit of a health kick lately, which makes the fact that I’m posting two dessert recipes this week a little strange. Fortunately these two desserts are slightly more better-for-you alternatives to the usual suspects, so we can drink our kale smoothies and eat dessert, too!
Apart from the salads, the best meal I had in France was…an Italian pasta dish.
I know, I’m the worst.
While hiking around Biarritz one day, Ryan and I both got hit with an intense pasta craving. A quick Google search brought us to a cute little Italian restaurant near our hotel, where we both devoured huge plates of fresh pasta. My dish included wide, flat noodles that were similar to pappardelle, but with wavy edges like lasagna noodles, coated in the freshest pesto I’ve ever tasted. Even Ryan, who often scoffs at the basil used in restaurants, took a bite of the basil leaf that garnished my plate and said, “Now that’s some good basil.” When the picky basil farmer approves, you know you’re in for a treat.
I’m full-swing into my summer spirit – Ryan and I have been sitting out on the patio nearly every night, taking Teia on long sun-soaked walks, and we even went out paddle boarding earlier this week (truth: he paddled – I sat and drank beer).
I’ve been seriously digging the longer summer days; with a full-time job and a long commute home everyday, the dark winters take a toll on my food blogging frequency. These days I can come home, walk the dog, AND shoot a recipe. The early-evening light also makes for some swoonable food photos…see that light hitting the honey on the cornbread? Day-um. Sexy stuff.
You know when people are grilling out in the summer, and you’re a vegetarian so you’re like, “Sure, I guess I’ll have the hockey-puck frozen veggie burger so I can partake in the grilling too,” which makes you feel all whomp whomp? Or when you have a delicious homemade veggie burger ready to go, but you need to turn on the oven in your hotter-than-hell apartment because your patties won’t hold up on the grill?
It’s a decadent, fully-loaded salad that reminds me of sitting by the Seine with Ryan and a glass of chilled white wine.
Ryan and I have been back from Paris for less than two weeks, but while looking through my pictures for this post I realized it feels like a dream. The best kind of whirlwind, but one that I feel more removed from than I expected so quickly. I want it back!
Before we get to the aforementioned salad, I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures and experiences of the trip. If you’re here for the recipe, feel free to scroll on down to the bottom of this post :)
