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Food for Thought Friday: why are we here? + a daiquiri recipe
 


Hello friend!

I recently decided to give myself a new job title. I can do that because I am my own boss(!), which is pretty cool. The new, nerdy title I have chosen is: *practical* food philosopher. Let me explain…

If you’ve been reading for a while, you know that this weekly email is not the usual cooking content. It’s definitely “Food for Thought” - sometimes it’s more about the food, sometimes it’s more about the thought, usually it’s about both.

I love cooking, but I also love thinking and writing. And I care about the day-to-day details of your cooking as much as I care about big questions about the food system and how we improve it to make healthy, delicious, regeneratively-grown food accessible and affordable for all.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why you read this email week after week, and how you might explain it to a friend who would also be interested. If I was trying to describe what I really do… practical food philosophy seems more accurate than cooking tips. (I would love to hear whether you agree!)

Whereas most cooking content I see is all about the how and what to make, I like to write, teach, and think about the WHY behind the cooking in addition to the HOW and WHAT to cook.

SO! Practical food philosophy! Here’s your dose for the day:

Last week I wrote about: what’s the point?! This week I’ve been contemplating a step further: why are we here?! What are we really living for?!

And for me, the answer to that is: love and connection. That’s it. At the end of the day, that’s all I really want. I think these two things can be found in many forms, and I am finding lately that an expansive view of these two things is helpful, especially in these pandemic times.

Love might look like the traditional notions of romance, friendship, and family, but it might also look like loving the world by using your unique gifts to help people in need.

Connection might look like a conversation that makes you feel deeply seen. It might look like someone making you a cup of tea when you’re sad. Or it might look like swimming in the Bay and having a seal pup try to play with you by nuzzling your foot multiple times with its head (that happened to me yesterday and was TERRIFYING in the moment but really cool in retrospect)!

Love and connection, to me, are deeply related to food and cooking. Food is a form of connection with nature, and I believe cooking is an act of love.

I believe that pursuing deeper connections makes life more meaningful, but even a small, brief connection (like mine with the seal!) can make your day if you let it.

With food, deepening your connection might mean simply taking the time to really taste and appreciate your coffee in the morning instead of gulping it down on autopilot, or it might mean shopping at the farmers market so you can get to know the person who grows the food.

More love might look like putting a little more effort in to make your food just a tad more delicious, or adding an extra veggie to make a meal just little bit healthier because you are worthy and deserve to take good care of yourself.

When the future feels wildly unpredictable and fraught, I’m finding some solace in expanding my views of what love looks like, and deepening my connections with people and nature - and as you'd expect, food is often my very favorite vehicle for that :).

It also happens to be time for my monthly recipe share. Today’s is ridiculously simple and a hair late… I’m not sure if peaches are still in season where you are. But this is one of the most delicious and simplest things I made all summer, so wanted to squeeze it in before we get to full-on Fall Food! If there are no more peaches where you are, berries would also be great, or frozen peaches of course!

Hope you enjoy! Happy weekend!

Love,
Jess


Blended Peach Daiquiri
Takes 5 minutes, makes about 2 drinks

Lots of lime juice combined with sweet peaches and blended with ice makes for a refreshing smoothie treat (without alcohol) or beachy cocktail. Frozen or refrigerated fruit works well here. If using, you can add the alcohol either during or after blending if you prefer so that it's easier to taste and adjust by the glass - also a great method if you are serving both kids and adults!

Ingredients:
  • 3 peaches or nectarines (I love white but yellow are also great)
  • juice of 1-2 limes
  • 8 ice cubes
  • pinch of salt
  • (optional) tequila or rum to taste
  • (optional) dash of maple syrup
  • (optional) 1/2 frozen banana for creaminess/sweetness

    Instructions:
    1. Squeeze juice of 1 lime into the blender. Wash peaches, cut in half to remove pits, add to blender (I leave the skin on).
    2. Add pinch of salt, ice cubes, and other optional ingredients to the blender and blend on high until smooth. Taste and adjust salt/sweetener/lime. Serve in glasses with 1-2 more ice cubes if you like it extra cold. Add alcohol by the glass and if using and stir to combine.
    3. BONUS PRO-TIP: After pouring daiquiri into a glass, immediately add water to the blender, just enough to rinse off the sides/get all the peachy residue out. Pour this water into a jar/glass and refrigerate. Now you have peachy-lime flavored water for later and it's DELICIOUS!
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      Hi, I'm Jess! I help health-conscious, busy people transform their cooking from "chore" to "whippin it up!" through intuitive cooking, which I teach through online classes, free content, coaching and more. This is my newsletter, Food for Thought Fridays, where I share highly actionable tips and inspiration to help you cook more intuitively (which makes cooking feel easier and SO much more fun!). Once a month, I share a recipe that's really worth making, and I only share those with my email subscribers.

        I currently work + live on land that is the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone. And I can't wait to eat at Cafe Ohlone when they reopen someday! Check out this article about them.


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