This week we'll explore pineapple and a unique matcha avocado toast recipe. We'll also delve into a fun way to see birds (hint: bring a beverage and a snack) and a great book with strong female leads.

Eat Colorfully

Seasonal Ingredient Spotlight: PINEAPPLE

As we enter into summer, I'm beyond excited to celebrate a superstar tropical ingredient: pineapples! These sweet, juicy, beautiful fruits are a summer delight that can be used in many different ways.

It may surprise you to learn that pineapple is fabulous in savory dishes. The sweetness contrasts perfectly with salty flavors and especially with a bit of heat. If you're excited to try pineapple in a savory way, this brand new Hawaiian Pineapple Guacamole is easy and feels perfect for a summer party. Speaking of dips, pineapple is a great salsa ingredient alongside grilled red onions, jalapenos, and fresh herbs; there are lots of ideas in my fruit salsa guide. Or, if you're really looking for a winning appetizer, try this Pineapple Seven Layer Dip.

Feeling adventurous? I think you'll love this unique Vegan Pineapple Poke Bowl. In this highly non-traditional plant-based take on poke, savory marinated pineapple takes the place of the usual raw fish. It has a seductive balance of salty, savory, spicy, and sweet flavors, which makes for a fun and fresh summer meal.

Special Recipe: MATCHA AVOCADO TOAST

If you're looking for a show-stopping summer brunch or breakfast, you have to try this Matcha Avocado Toast. I'm excited to share this recipe with you in collaboration with my inspiring friend Samm of Matcha Nude; you can thank her creative mind for the idea (I did the photography!).

Yes indeed, we're adding matcha to avocado toast and it's divine. You'll just add some matcha into the avocado mash, then top it however you like (although I'm biased to the specific suggestions below, the combination is incredible).

My biggest tip for making this unique avocado toast: make sure you have really good matcha. Not all matcha is created equal; in fact, there are several different grades. A high-quality matcha is delicate, bright green, subtly floral, and fresh, whereas lower-quality matcha can be bitter, assertively grassy, and off-putting. My go-to is Matcha Nude (use the code ROGUE to get 15% off).

Ingredients:

• Slice of whichever bread you like
• Small ripe avocado
• 0.5-1 tsp matcha
• 0.5-1 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• Few generous pinches of flaky sea salt
• 1-2 tbsp crumbled feta (vegan if desired)
• Small handful of microgreens (and/or a few leaves of fresh basil)
• Drizzle of honey (or use maple syrup for a vegan version)
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Toast the bread as desired.
2. While the bread toasts, mash together the avocado, matcha, lemon juice, and salt, adjusting to your own tastes.
3. Spread the avocado mash onto the toast.
4. Top the avocado mash with crumbled feta and microgreens.
5. Finish it off with a drizzle of honey, red pepper flakes, and additional flaky sea salt.

Live Colorfully

In the Natural World: BIRDING HAPPY HOUR

Now that we're into summer, I'm excited to introduce you to a silly and fun (but great!) way to observe the natural world. A favorite in our house for years, we call it "Birding Happy Hour". It's a nice way to turn birding into a game.

Here's the idea. You allot a specific amount of time (say, two hours) to sit outside in the same place and see how many bird species you can spot. If you have a deck, a balcony, or a yard, that will be a great location, but it can also work on a picnic. Bring a notebook to record what birds you spot, and ideally binoculars (if you have them) and a birding book or app to help (we love the Merlin app). As the name implies, bring your beverage of choice and ideally some snacks.

Even if you've never paid attention to birds before, making it into a fun evening activity can really help encourage yourself to learn. It's this exact ritual that started teaching me to appreciate birds years ago. I love that it facilitates appreciating the natural world right around where you live.

The best part? You can do it again and again! We keep a "birding happy hour" notebook in which we record the date, time, weather conditions, species we see, and any other interesting things that happen. If you keep notes, you can then try to beat your previous record of sightings.

A Book to Explore: KATE QUINN, THE HUNTRESS

I just finished a great book that I can't wait to share with you: Kate Quinn's novel The Huntress. If you've been around this community for a while, you may remember that I've shared a couple others of her books here as well. I talked about The Rose Code in this issue from last June and The Briar Club in this issue from February, plus I've also read The Alice Network and Diamond Eye.

I loved The Huntress and definitely recommend it. It takes place after WWII and follows the story of a female Russian pilot (yes, women were in the Russian military, including as pilots) who is helping to track down a female war criminal. Like all of her books, the character development is compelling and the plot is great.

Remember that you can always browse my favorite book list if you need some ideas.

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Thanks for joining me for this issue of Eat Colorfully, Live Colorfully! I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to reply with questions, thoughts, or requests. If you missed a previous issue, you can view all my newsletters here. Have a great week!