Zucchini & Avocado Farro Salad

& an Alaska recap!

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more on Fridays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!

CATCH UP!

I’m FINALLY feeling caught up after getting back from Alaska last Friday! I like to think I’m a flexible and spontaneous person, but I also really love my structure and routine. I thrive when I get to go to my morning workout, make an iced matcha, craft a to-do list while listening to a podcast to ease myself into the day.

But okay, back to the good stuff! Alaska! Oh my god, what a trip! Where do I even begin?

I guess I should start with why I went. You’ve probably seen influencer trips before, but basically, a brand or a marketing association will invite a few influencers to go somewhere, usually to promote the brand or to have them learn more about a product. A few years back, I went to Napa with California Walnuts to see a walnut orchard, and I went to Ecuador with the Mango Board and to visit a mango farm!

This trip, I was invited by Copper River Salmon to visit Cordova, Alaska, a tiny, remote fishing town. Commercial fishing is the heart of their economy, and I got the pleasure of learning all about salmon fishing (all while spending time in gorgeous rural Alaska). I got to speak to fishermen, biologists, local residents, etc., and it was so incredible to get to see a true slice of life.

I said this on the trip, but I will never look at salmon the same way! I have such an appreciation for all that goes into it: the families that have been fishing for decades, the care and attention the local government puts into making sure the salmon population is preserved, the gutting and cleaning and filleting, all the labor that goes into getting the fish ready to be sent off to the consumer. It feels important to be connected to your food and understand where it comes from.

And then of course, the fish itself. Wild-caught, delicious salmon, as fresh as can be. There’s nothing like it. Copper River Salmon is well-known for its taste, since it is so fresh and buttery, thanks to its high omega-3 content, which makes it rich and healthy!

And the scenery of Alaska… absolutely breathtaking. We had a moment of silence by a glacier we hiked to, and I just couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be there. What an amazing, amazing experience, and I hope to go back again someday.

I will be cooking some salmon recipes in the next few weeks, but if you’re wondering where you can find Copper River Salmon by you, I recommend using this store locator!

THINGS I’M LOVING!

You guys, the Oat Haus Cherry Pie Granola Butter is out of this world! I am eating it by the spoonful. I have been on such a cherry kick lately, so seeing this collaboration with Ambitious Kitchen come out for the summer got me so excited. It looks like they’re doing 25% off site wide right now also!

This summer has been my best summer in terms of finding lightweight dresses made of natural fiber that are comfortable and fit my body! I would love in dresses all year round, if I could. My latest find is this Cotton A-Line Dress from Mango that is so chic and comfy! I love the fit, and it’s definitely one you can dress up or down. And it’s only $50!

I just finished reading Real Americans, and although I would rate it a 4/5, I still think it’s worth reading. There were parts of the plot points that irked me a little, but overall, the story was captivating. The book is actually split into a few different stories, each from a different family member’s point of view, starting with Lily in the year 2000, her son Nick in modern day, and her mother Mei in 1966’s Beijing (which I found the most compelling). It was also one of those books that made me feel a lot, and for that, I think it’s worth recommending.

ACTIVE CODES!

****NEW CODE(S) ALERT!***

• KALEMEMAYBE25 gets you 25% off your first order with Ritual!

• KALEMEMAYBE gets you 10% off Fishwife products!

• CARINA10 gets you 10% off Starter Kits from Branch Basics!

• CW15 for 15% off Bon Charge Red Light Therapy

• KMM10 gets you 10% off your first purchase with Ground Up Nut Butters

• Use my link to get up to 45% off Grüns gummy vitamins!

RECIPE!

Lately, I’ve been finding that when I just cook for myself and not for social media, the meals feel more inspiring, so I’ve been trying to lean into what I crave and not just think about perfect flavor pairings or aesthetics.

A version of this salad has been floating in my head for a while — I really wanted to pair chopped avocado and basil and shower it in herbs. While I was beginning to prepare it, it was starting to feel sparse, so I thought to myself, “What would I do if I wasn't filming?” I would add a grain! So I cooked up some farro, and the recipe was immediately elevated.

This recipe is the definition of fresh and filling. It’s loaded with herbs and veggies, chickpeas and farro, but the dressing is light and lemony and the cotija adds a little sprinkle of salt. It would be great to bring to a barbecue or picnic or pack for lunch!

Zucchini & Avocado Farro Salad

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

Salad

• 2 cups cooked farro (about 1 cup uncooked)

• 3 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise

• 1 avocado, diced

• 2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• 1 jalapeño, finely chopped

• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp thinly sliced basil

• 2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley

• 2 tbsp dill

• 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese (plus a little for finishing!)

Lemon Vinaigrette

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1/2 tsp honey

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Prepare your farro according to package. Set aside to let cool.

2. Add zucchini to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and toss in olive oil and salt. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping zucchini halfway through. Set aside to let cool before chopping into bite-sized pieces.

3. Prepare dressing by adding ingredients to a small bowl or jar, and whisking together with a fork until smooth.

4. Add cooled farro to a large bowl along with zucchini, avocado, chickpeas, jalapeño, red onion, basil, parsley, dill, and cotija cheese. Toss in the dressing, and finish off with a little sprinkling of cotija cheese.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

We have two posts this time that you may have missed (though, hopefully not)! The first was last week’s 30-minute budget meal, a highly-requested recipe of mine: a Savory Oatmeal Bowl! The second was a bit of a different post this time around, but I recorded our third IUI from start to finish, including when we took a pregnancy test!