sweet miscellany

First order of business, HEIRLOOM TOMATOES!! They are in season here just in time for the start of summer and so beautifully ugly that I can’t stand it. I had plenty of hands-on time with them this past weekend as well as a ton of other beautiful produce from Tanksley Farms because I volunteered to help them at the market when they were swamped. They also had two varieties of plums that I nearly drooled over. PLUMS!! They haven’t had them the past couple of years due to late freezes, but this year the weather cooperated.

So I’m going to admit that I feel a little silly sharing this recipe with you as it’s not much of a recipe. It’s more of a guideline to slicing and placing things on bread. But, I felt the need to share it because it’s just so damn good and it would be a travesty not to. You start with a toasted slice of your favorite bread. I’ve been using Food for Life’s rice & almond bread because it’s vegan friendly and has a nice, dense texture. After toasting, I slather on a bit of vegan mayo. I’ve also been slathering on a bit of locally made herbed almond spread to take it to the next level, but do what you please. Next comes the beautiful, juicy slices of heirloom tomatoes. I typically use 2 and fit them on the bread just so. Last comes a fat pinch of fleur de sel and dried tarragon. Then, your reward for being ever so patient, is to devour your beautiful tartine. Pardon me while I go devour another…

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frozen banana bites

I’ve been in a bit of a blogging rut the past couple of weeks. I’ve lacked inspiration and desire for this little space and it was starting to worry me. I even started questioning whether I wanted to keep blogging and if it was worth it. I knew that it would be easy if I stopped, allowing more time for naps on the couch or yoga or who knows what else. But, I think this was lazy Courtney talking. It’s really easy to be lazy, you know? I’m actually not a lazy person (I have both a full time job and a small business to run), but I think it’s easy to slip into lazy tendencies when I’m feeling tired or run down.

I finally had some motivation for a post yesterday after a run/walk on the trail in the scorching heat. I was regularly running at the end of last year and at the beginning of this year but a couple of injuries sidelined that. Since I’ve established a good yoga routine (I do it everyday), I decided to add in a few days of run/walking to see if I could get back up to where I was without re-injuring myself. All of this is to say that I was craving something really cold after my run/walk yesterday. I knew I had a couple of bananas and that I should probably eat them to replenish the potassium in my system. Since I’ve been seeing several frozen chocolate covered banana concoctions recently, I decided to go that route and make what I’m sharing with you here.

These little treats are healthy enough for a post run snack, and decadent enough for a summer dessert. You can make a larger batch if you like so that you always have some at the ready. I tend to prefer eating just ripe bananas (with no brown on the skin yet) so that is what I’ve used here. I think bananas that are much riper might be a tad too sweet, but go with what you like. The toppings listed below are a combination of what I love, but that part is up to you as well. Maybe you’re a pecan & coconut kind of person, or perhaps some hemp hearts and a sprinkle of maca is your jam. Whatever route you take, just make sure to use a tasty vegan dark chocolate 🙂

frozen banana bites

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Heirloom Tomato Tartine

Frozen Chocolate Covered Banana Slices