We spent Tuesday through Friday morning in Healdsburg, which turns out to be one of the dreamiest places in California. We stayed in an amazing loft above the square and most of our time was spent working on La Crema Farm to Table at Home, a really fun series that I can't wait to start sharing with you all this month. Even though we were busy, we still managed to go out for a really nice meal every night, and of course there was coffee every morning!

Here are some of the places we went:

• Coffee at the Healdsburg Flying Goat location, conveniently across the street from our loft.
• Best burgers ever at Healdsburg Bar & Grill.
• Wine at the La Crema Tasting Room, obviously.
• More coffee at The Healdsburg Shed. So good. That place is gorgeous.
• Fantastic tapas at Bravas. If you go, get the goat cheese toast and some mushrooms (although the paella looked phenomenal as well--everything was good).

We headed back to San Francisco on Friday morning and I had lunch with my friend and colleague from Minted before spending the weekend with some friends from home. San Francisco is so wonderful anytime, but especially when you're escaping the heat of wine country and/or North Carolina in late July.

More food/drink/things we saw:

• Lunch before a tour of the Minted offices at Cotogna.
• A fantastic dinner at Aliment--the Brussels sprouts are out of control.
• A walk around Hayes Valley and some iced coffees from Blue Bottle.
• Took a ferry ride to Sausalito where we ate lunch and then had drinks on the beach at Bar Bocce.
• Back to the city for takeout from Tony's and a park picnic.

See the rest of my California travel posts: here and here.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not usually a big fan of Paleo treats, but dammit if this Paleo chocolate mousse isn't downright decadent. The secret to the texture is avocado, if you can believe it, and it's sweetened with some agave syrup and topped off with a pinch of salt to balance it in a truly delicious way.

My current favorite way to enjoy this is with a sliced banana on top and a cup of coffee on the side--talk about a nice change of pace from scrambled eggs. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Paleo Salted Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup raw agave syrup (plus or minus a tablespoon, depending on your preference)
• a pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor.
2. Combine until smooth (about two minutes or less).
3. Place the mousse into a piping bag (if you don't have one of these you can just use a plastic bag and cut a corner off) and pipe into individual dishes.
4. Serve immediately or place into the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy!

I don't know about you, but when it's hot outside, I usually don't feel like spending any more time than I have to in the kitchen, which makes a big, easy salad the perfect lunch or dinner. The other day I made a really delicious and bright salad with grilled shrimp and fresh fruit that is just perfect for summer, and I'm sharing it today over on the La Crema blog! 

But before you head over there for salad (and candied walnuts!), I thought I'd leave you with a really easy and delicious balsamic vinaigrette recipe. I like to make a big jar of it so I'm always ready to dress a salad, but it's quick enough to whip up anytime you need it

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine Dijon, garlic, and balsamic vinegar.
2. Stream in the olive oil while continuously stirring.
3. Store in a container with a spill-proof lid so you can give it a quick shake before serving.

This post is brought to you in partnership with La Crema Winery. Visit their blog for my summer salad recipe today! And thanks as always for your support as I work with sponsors.

Photos by Sarah Gatrell for Freckled Italian.

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