Warm Tomato Zucchini Salad with Spinach

This was inspired by my recent Sunday trip to a local farmer’s market. This is my little Disney! The rainbow of peppers, tomatoes, potatoes – from white to purple and everything in between.

Luckily I forgot to bring enough cash, so I was forced to stop at a certain point. Later that day my family was treated to a warm tomato-zucchini salad with wilted spinach and here is the recipe:



Warm Tomato Zucchini Salad with Spinach



2 yellow zucchini squashes, sliced

3 cups of baby spinach

3 garlic cloves – sliced

4 medium tomatoes, halved and sliced

Olive oil

White wine

Salt and pepper to taste

Balsamic Vinegar – optional



Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and cook garlic for about a minute, then add zucchini and sauté for a couple of minutes, add white wine, salt and pepper and sauté another minute or so. Transfer into a salad bowl with a slotted spoon. Place spinach into the pan that still has the liquid. Cook until barely wilted and drain. Transfer to the salad bowl. Add tomatoes, balsamic vinegar if using. Adjust seasoning and enjoy!

RIP Stuart Corn

My dearest teacher, I want to thank you for all the support and love you have given me over the years. I wouldn't be what I am now without your continuous encouragement, which came in so many forms. You praised and scolded me. I could be a "frog" one day and "your brightest star" the other. I remember working on my headstands at your beautiful house on the lake. I remember how you drove 25 miles through the snow to support me when I taught my first yoga class. You were there for me when I opened the studio too. You shared your wisdom through the words you spoke, books you gave me and, most importantly, through the way you lived. You'll always hold a very special place in my heart. Rest in peace, Stuart. I will never forget you.

European Apple Pie

I am blessed with 2 kids who enjoy eating things like Brussels' sprouts, red cabbage, quinoa and farro. We cook with whole grains a lot and they love it... with one exception. For some strange reason my children are not particularly fond of buckwheat. Why, oh why? I grew up eating buckwheat and love it.

Buckwheat is a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel. Whole buckwheat is a very nutritious food. The protein in buckwheat contains the eight essential amino acids and is also high in lysine. Buckwheat is also rich in many B vitamins as well as phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese. Buckwheat is also a good oil source of Alpha-Linolenic Acid, which is one of the two essential fatty acids we must have to be healthy.

I truly believe it deserves a lot more attention in this country. My solution to painlessly add buckwheat into our diet was to use buckwheat flour in a dessert that I knew they wouldn't refuse. How about an Apple Pie? Plus I got to squeeze in walnuts - another power food that my older one dislikes for some strange reason. Feel free to experiment with other flours. I used spelt, teff and oat and it came out great.

European Apple Pie with Buckwheat Flour

1/2 cups of raw sugar
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup of buckwheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 small eggs
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tart apples, chopped
3/4 cups of walnuts or pecans

Preheat your oven to 350. Mix the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.Beat eggs and vanilla in a small bowl, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in apples and nut and pour into a greased 9 inch pie dish. Bake for about 1/2 hour or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm. May be with your favorite ice cream! Here is my absolute favorite for today... in caramel flavor...

PS: Did I mention that buckwheat is gluten free? :)