The rest of yesterday involved lots of locally grown freshness. Lunch, of course, had to incorporate my CSA goodies!
I put together a salad in three layers: (1) fresh arugula and pea shoots; (2) mix of CSA radishes, garlic chives, asparagus, dill, and (non-CSA) cucumber, cherries, red wine vinegar, my mom’s herb-infused olive oil, and sea salt; and (3) thawed and re-seared tuna from this event ages ago, homemade parmesan, and freshly ground black pepper.
I had a pretty much identical salad for dinner (followed by my very last slice of healthy cheesecake with rhubarb sauce, fruit salad, and a Newman’s chocolate chocolate O).
The salad was delicious, but the highlight of lunch came on the side! I toasted the piece of naan I had left over from Indian food Friday night and spread it with homemade three-leaf pesto. To make the pesto, I mixed CSA radish leaves, CSA pea shoots, and homegrown basil:
And used an immersion-blender to “puree” the leaves with mom’s herby olive oil, south-of-the-border pistachios, CSA garlic chives, and homemade parmesan.
Mmmmm, pesto has to be one of my all-time favorite foods.
Dessert was just as blogworthy as — or perhaps more so than — the pesto because it nearly gave me a stroke from its tastiness. I pulled out a hunk of frozen coconut (from the ones Jessica gave me at work a couple weeks ago), slathered it with homemade peanut butter, and topped it with a chopped square of Newman’s Own Organics espresso dark chocolate:
Ooooooh, I could eat this allllll day long. (To be clear, I could not eat this exact piece all day long because it only took me about 30 seconds to devour, but I could eat about 80 of these all day long and be very happy.)
I’m so happy to have warm weather and all the freshness that comes with it. (I feel like it was just snowing yesterday! Soooo glad that’s over with.) All my summer CSA goodies are reminding me of how much I wish I lived right where they were grown. Have you ever lived (or would you ever live) on a farm?
Tales of Expansion: Baby Butternut Edition 
Oh my gosh, I seriously almost peed my pants when your page came up! That salad looks A-MAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! (“a-mazing” must be sung to get the full effect)
I have never lived on a farm. I’d like to say I would, but to be honest, it would depend on the farm. I can’t deal with the animal/poop-y smells. I’m a city girl. It’s just a fact. The fresh produce makes it sooo tempting, though.
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That salad is something I could eat often. What an amazing combo!
And dessert?! After your description and wanting 80 of them, I would like one also please. 🙂
I have never lived on a farm and I don’t think I could. Well maybe if it was close to the city… 🙂
Have a great Monday!
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My mom grew up on a farm, but they surely didn’t grow all of the great vegetables that you’ve posted about. They raised chicken (I think) and I believe they grew tomatoes and a few other things (wow, I am realizing I really know very little about their farm!). I think it would be fun to live on a farm and just grow all of the fruits/vegetables you want, and not have to worry about what other people put in your food!
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That salad looks amazing. I don’t think I could live on a farm though, too smelly! I’ll stick to my miniature garden 🙂
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I actually live on a cattle farm…however, it is a neighborhood and all the home-owners are not involved in the farm. We just have pretty (and stinky) cows as our next door neighbors. It is pretty cool!
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that coconut dessert looks amazing!
i’ve never lived on a farm, but I think it would be fun.
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Yum, that lunch looks so amazingly fresh! I love it 😀 The pesto looks delicious, too. And what a creative dessert! It looks divine. I bet I could eat that all day, too 😀
I think living on a farm would be cool cause of all the animals and fresh food, but it’d be a ton of work. And I couldn’t deal with killing the animals for meat! So I’d have a veg farm 🙂
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That dessert looks amazing! My grandparents live on a ranch and it used to be like my second home.. I love it but I think I would also miss the city!
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salad looks great- I LOVE arugula (if it’s the same thing I am thinking of- we call it ‘rocket’ in the UK!). Pesto is one of my all-time favourites too. So versatile!
I’ve never lived on a farm but used to live in a tiny village surrounded by farms. I am definitely a city person!
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Lovely eats! 🙂
I grew up on a farm until I was 11 and definitely hope to live on one again someday! Maybe when I’m retired.
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What a great salad! I’ve never lived on a farm – it would be fun for awhile but I am a city girl at heart.
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I’d never be a good farm person. But I love the proximity to fresh vegetables. A CSA would be good for me.
That pesto looks great.
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That salad looks lush.
I don’t live on a farm, and never have, but I live in the middle of nowhere in the english countryside, right opposite a large group of rather evil sheep! I’m a total country girl, and while I love cities, I just couldn’t live there full time. 🙂
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Oh yum, EVERYTHING looks amazing. I would love to live on a farm. I live in Texas right now and I definitely think it would be more charming to live here if I lived on a farm.
Take care,
Karina
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LOL ok the image of you having a stroke from deliciousness totally tickled my funny bone just now. I am glad I read your blog before attempting my own balls because to be honest I wasn’t sure how to go about it! Just some boiling I guess? Hmm… I am unschooled in the ways of balls when they are not in the granulated form. That sounds weird.
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Hey! I just stumbled across your blog and just had to comment on that dessert…HOLY YUM!!! That looks incredible! I wish I could get my hands on some coconuts!
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Both the pesto and your coconut creation look delish!
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How amazing does that salad look?! And that coconut dessert! Droooool!
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pesto? espresso dark chocolate? are you trying to torture me through the monitor?! looks so good. ive honestly never just eaten a chunk of coconut. i bet i would love it! i have never lived on a farm but i think i could for sure hang!
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homemade parmesan? You made your own parmesan?
And the coconut/pb/ESPRESSO chocolate combo looks amazing!
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Thanks, Maya 🙂 And yes — here’s the post about it https://talesofexpansion.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/the-big-cheese/
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I got my pb fix off this post I think! Now i definitely need to get some in to my diet today – maybe as a side for dinner!
I blog while watching a dvd on my laptop and snuggled at the end of my bed. Probably not good for my posture but good for comfort!
love the ‘random’ chair! class!
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