My roommate, Helen, doesn’t much like mushy peas. In fact, there is this lovely pub in our neighborhood that offers them as a side, and she regularly tells me what a terrible choice ordering them is.

But I love them. I don’t know if it is the severe lack of mushy peas that I had growing up, or the fact that they have a distinct flavor of summer, but it was love at first bite.

And then I put them on toast. It might have been life changing.

Yes. Peas. Life change.

(I know, I know, it’s no buttercream on toast or cream cheese and jelly sandwich, but it is good. Really, really good.)

I read one too many recipes involving mint and peas and then saw one too many photos of avocado toast. It was bound to happen.

Peas are sweet and taste like summer. Mint is sharp, cooling and lightly sweet. It’s all that is good about summer produce (or a bag of veg that you keep in your freezer but are never really excited about and a bunch of fresh herbs that you grab at the grocery store).

A couple minutes of cooking. Thirty seconds of blending. Maybe throw in a side of chicken sausage and call it dinner.

If you are going to eat them on toast, please buy good bread. The Udi’s Millet Chia bread is pretty stellar. So is Turano’s rye-style gluten-free bread (although I can’t seem to find a link to it…it is a local Chicago company, and I’ve gotten it a few times…)

You can also just put a dollop on your plate like mashed potatoes. But green. And summery.

They made a reality show about summer in Chicago for Bravo last year. The show might have been so terrible that even I couldn’t watch it. Just about the only part they got right was that summer is magic. And that we really only get 100 days of it.

I moved into the city proper just as the city was coming alive for the season, and I have already seen just how bonkers fun it is going to be.

Because in just 10 days I have made more than one trip to 2 different farmers markets (I actually have to walk through one to get home on Wednesday nights).  Every day has started with a green smoothie because I can pick up produce that I know I am going to use within 48 hours.

This week, I had my first rainy commute and first jerk on the bus. I cured it with a dirty chai.

My roommate picked a photo for our fridge (probably the most ridiculous picture that I have taken in a while), You know, because who wouldn’t want to hang up a photo of two friends and a blue wig?

I’ve made #singleladysupper a few times.

And I went to a neighborhood festival. My neighborhood’s festival to be more precise. I went twice. Once for an 80’s cover band on Friday night and once to go see my cousin play with Xoe Wise.

Summer has had quite the start.

So, to make sure that I have time to go to as many summer happenings as possible, I need meals that are easy to make, filling and delicious. And chickpea salad is one of my go-to moves for a meal in minutes that can last for a couple of days or that can be a side dish perfect for bringing to the next barbecue  on my calendar.

And if we’re being honest here, I make this when I run out of meat and can’t fathom dragging my butt to the grocery store. Or when turning on the oven or cooking something for more than a couple minutes on the stove means that I’ll melt. It is even perfect for mornings when right before you leave for the day you realize that there is a 1pm meeting on your calendar and have to cancel your lunch plans with friends.

Hashtag tastes like summer, hashtag single lady supper

Sure, the base is a pantry staple, but the herbs are all fresh. This time of year, tiny tomatoes are in season, so you can taste the sunshine when you bite into them and they pop with that subtle sweetness. Herbs by the bunch are some of the first produce to make it to the summer markets here in Chicago, and they might just be the secret to better savory cooking.

This makes a great entree for dinner and leftover lunch for one, or a perfect side for four.

This is a guest post from Jane Bonacci, The Heritage Cook to keep things here interesting while I await the arrival of my kitchen utensils in my new apartment.

When my friend Mary Fran put out the word that she needed some help with guest posts for her blog, I immediately raised my hand. Mary Fran and I met last year in Austin during BlogHer Food. Always upbeat with a smile on her face, I had an immediate feeling that we would become friends – and I was right!

Since we both have to eat gluten-free, we gathered a few other friends who also have dietary restrictions and went off to find a beautiful lunch. When you are in the middle of the frenzy of a conference, it is nice to step away for a few minutes and enjoy getting to know people a little better. We had a fabulous Mexican meal, shared a lot of laughs, and made new friends. This is what I love best about going to conferences!

Today’s recipe is full of the flavors of spring and summer and perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner on hot summer days. And best of all it is naturally gluten-free!

I love Caprese Salad, an Italian classic with heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. These three ingredients represent the colors of the Italian flag and are often found in a variety of dishes, most notably this salad and Margherita pizza.

If tomatoes aren’t at their peak, it’s OK because marinating them for a few minutes in the vinaigrette gives them a huge bump in flavor. You can use any variety you like, but heirlooms are my personal favorite. When they aren’t in season, I usually buy Roma tomatoes (pear-shaped) because they have a lot of meat, few seeds and less moisture. That makes them perfect for most salads.

If you are making this later in the year and can’t find asparagus in the grocery store or farmer’s market, you can substitute zucchini, cucumber, summer squash, potatoes, or other vegetables you like for an equally delightful dish.

You can throw this salad together in just a few minutes and have it on the table in less than an hour.

The Artist and I really enjoyed this salad. I had planned on it being our whole meal, but he had a long bike ride to recuperate from and needed more protein. So we added a rotisserie chicken to round out the meal. It was absolutely perfect for this balmy evening.

Enjoy this salad when you can and thank you Mary Fran for this opportunity to share this recipe on your beautiful blog. It is an honor!

Gluten-Free Tips:

This salad is naturally gluten-free. If you choose to use a store bought dressing, make sure you read the label and be certain it doesn’t have any gluten in it. Dressing are one place where gluten likes to hide!

Kitchen Skill: How to Trim Asparagus

The best way to know where to cut asparagus (part of the stalk is tough and woody) is to hold one stalk at both ends and bend it until it snaps in two. Set the tender stalk next to the rest of the bunch and cut them all to that length.

This is a guest post from Dr. Jean Layton, GFDoctor to keep things here interesting while I await the arrival of my kitchen utensils in my new apartment.

It is still too early for local fruit where I live up in Washington. Our strawberries are still occasional tiny green nubs surrounded by brilliant white blossoms. The gooseberries are green pea sized not anything close to beautiful big grape sized fruits that add so much to my summer tarts.

Tarts are my favorite quick to bake dessert when I’ve invited friends over, crispy crust with sweet centers.

This tart goes together without much fuss.

The crust is stirred together, then pressed in place, no need to roll.

It bakes for 15 minutes with the hazelnuts from the filling inside, so no pie weights are needed. Best of all, the caramel topping melds and cooks in the same amount of time. Which means that the hardest part of enjoying this tart is the wait for it to cool.

Using hazelnut flour in combination with sweet rice flour gives a tender, short crust.  If you need to avoid dairy, the crust can be made with coconut oil instead.