How I Have Been Nourishing Myself Lately – Installment Three

Friend!

Hello!

Ok, I am usually pretty excited to write these posts. This is because for me, when food is good, it is REALLY good. I am not really the type who can sit down and eat a meal composed of mediocre fruits and walk away feeling satisfied. I have fought the idea that I am a pretty picky eater for a long time, but the truth is the truth. I am.

I have deduced that this simply means that I have a heightened ability to appreciate fruit when it is great, to balance out my inability to tolerate sub par fruits.

Even though we are currently in the middle of a seasonal transition - which usually means that amazing fruit is sparse - I have managed to find some pretty awesome stuff over the last few weeks. So I am even more excited to share this post with you than normal, because food has been even more amazing than I thought it would be!

With that, let us allow the food porn to commence:

This beautiful plate of mangoes actually came to me courtesy of the Woodstock Fruit Festival. Before you judge me for being gross and hoarding fruit, hear me out.

They did not serve mangoes in their whole state very many nights of the festival (generally they were blended into sauces), because when we got them delivered at the beginning of the week they were quite un-ripe. So the night they did serve them they were still not yet at the pretty much on the edge of rotten perfect state of ripeness that I like. So I took a few to my room. Then I found out the Marcus had also taken a few to set aside for me. Then, because there was so much amazing fruit to choose from for the rest of the week, I just kept these little babies in my room. Then I took them on the plane and brought them home. Then I ate them. And they were amazing. I realize that story was pretty anti-climactic. Oh well.

China town in San Francisco was bursting with longans for about a week - and they were the BEST longans I have ever tasted in my life. Super sweet, super crunchy and they even had notes of caramel too them. I had no idea that longans could be so amazing.

After Woodstock I was also really craving lychee, so I decided to splurge on a case:

And I enjoyed them immensely:

I always take the time to peel all of them before I eat them. Do you do that or do you eat as you go?

I also enjoyed a few good melons:

Melons are one of those fruits for me that are either AMAZING or TERRIBLE. This one was really, really good.

Woodstock also got us re-addicted to coconut water. We weaned ourselves off of it after Thailand, but now there seems to be no stopping the craving. So I have been practicing my hacking skills:

I clearly have an amazing technique going here.

There have been many fruit salads around my house lately:

Asian pears are great right now, and they are really really good with pomegranate.

Then, even though we are in between mango seasons, I got a really bad craving for mangoes.

I fought it.

I did.

I tried to be responsible and practical with my money.

But then, I went to Whole foods.

And they had mangoes.

For a million dollars each.

And I got 4.

I hung my head in shame. Then I ate them.

Even though they cost me an arm and a leg, I decided they were worth it in the end. I mixed them with grapes, pomegranate, and vanilla. Then I died from how amazing it was.

I also enjoyed the classic grape/pomegranate combo that I first invented in Montreal last year. Always a winner.

Speaking of melons, I ended up getting one of those watermelons that have a great, sweet flavour, but yucky, jello-y texture. So I froze it, then blended it with vanilla and mint. It was so much tastier than I thought it was going to be! That night Marcus enjoyed some durian ice cream:

In farmers market news, last weekend I decide to get a few different kinds of grapes from the Fort Mason Market, and I was blown away by how the individual verities tasted so unique and so delicious. I got myself some Princess, some Muscat and some Concord:

I enjoyed them on their own, and with the last of the amazing longans:

I also decided to try my hand at the amazing Apple Strusle Chef Alicea made for us at the Woodstock Fruit fest:

Basically it is just dates, asian pears, cinnamon, vanilla, and orange zest ad juice. I soaked my dates so that they would mash easily into a caramel like sauce. It was really, really good.

In other irresponsible spending news, we have treated ourselves to Durian a few times in the last month as well. Always so expensive. Always so worth it.

Zucchini pasta has been playing a starring roll in many of my meals lately as well. I never used to be that much of a fan of the zucchini pasta, but lately I have been inspired to create fun sauces so have been going with that 🙂

You remember this Peach/Tomato/Mint pasta:

I had that while I was visiting Sammi in Vancouver, and decided to recreate the amazingness when I got home due to the fact that there were such amazing tomatos and zucchinis at the farmers markets.

I got these pretty babies:

And two pints cherry tomatoes. This here is about 1.3 pints because I kept on eating them.

I gathered my sauce ingredients:

Which were:

• 4 large peaches
• 2 small plums
• 1.3 pints cherry tomatoes
• 1 small handful basil
• 1 small handful mint
• 2 inch piece ginger
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 lime, juiced

And blended them up in my vitamix.

I sliced my noodles using my handy dandy hand noodle peeler:

Then Slurped and enjoyed!

I also made myself a mint/dill/mango/orange sauce to go with some fettuchini style pasta noodles when I was at my parents place in Calgary:

Pasta kicks. Whadda ya gunna do?

Lastly, I am so excited to tell you that Persimmons are on their way back in!

Last winter in Montreal I pretty much subsisted solely on Persimmons for about a month and a half straight. I think they are up there with rambutan competing for a spot as my favourite fruit.

These were the Fuyu kind, and the first I have been able to find ripe in the city so far. I got them at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market - on a TUESDAY. I never go to the market on Tuesdays, so I feel like it was Divine guidance. Obviously.

They were heaven:

What have you been enjoying lately? Do you like these posts?

Sending all my love!

<3