Spicy Roasted Broccoli Romanesco, Chickpeas

I served this with yogurt, and it was one of the best lunches I've had in a long time.

Tuna with Lemon and Caramelized Red Onions, Arugula

Sour Cherry Pie

For my dad's birthday.

Roasted Broccolini, Millet, Fried Egg

Smashed Chickpeas on Toast with Sauteed Kale

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

I went strawberry picking yesterday and came home to discover half a chocolate bar in my pantry just waiting to be melted down and used for dipping berries. Yum!!!!

Cranberry Beans, Millet, Roasted Broccolini, Fried Egg

This is the sort of meal that comes from having a bunch of good ingredients on hand but no clear plan of what to do with them. I soaked some millet and beans overnight, and then went to the store the next day to see what looked good, opting for more of this beautiful broccolini from Borba Farm that I've been eating a lot of lately. I had some diced red onion (from my knife skills class), so I caramelized that and added it to the beans once they were cooked. I cooked the millet and tossed it with just a little ghee to add some richness (I swear, soft-cooked millet with ghee and sea salt is as good as, if not better than, mashed potatoes any day), roasted the broccolini with garlic, and put it all together with an egg on top. Delicious, if a little scattered...

Fried Chicken

On Mother's Day our plans to go to The Beast and the Hare for fried chicken were foiled. In a pinch, I offered to pick up a chicken and fry it up at my parents' house instead, and it ended up being a wonderful brunch. Having just taken a class at 4505 Meats last week, I am now an expert on breaking down poultry, so I portioned out the chicken, seasoned it, and let it marinate in buttermilk for about a half hour. While that was going on, I threw together some biscuit dough, using this recipe but substituting buttermilk for creme fraiche and omitting the sugar. After I'd cut the biscuits and put them in the freezer to chill, I started dredging the chicken in a mixture of flour, rosemary, cayenne, salt and pepper, and frying it in batches in a cast iron skillet. This always takes longer than I remember, since each piece needs about 10 minutes on each side, and in this case one small chicken required 3 batches of cooking totalling about an hour. Just before the last batch was ready, I stuck the biscuits in the oven and served them hot with butter. Hooray for spontaneous fried chicken!

Scrambled Eggs with Arugula, Green Garlic, Herbs and Chevre

made with beautiful eggs from my fried piper's chickens!

Roasted Baby Broccoli, Chickpeas with Harissa, Yogurt

Spicy Chickpeas with Preserved Lemon and Arugula

Broccolini and Tofu, Brown Rice

I sauteed the broccolini and tofu with a bit of tamari, miso, garlic and ginger, and added a little mirren and black sesame seeds to the rice.

Roasted Cauliflower, Black Eyed Peas, Walnuts, Goat Cheese

Loosely based on this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, and on the ingredients I had at hand. I forgot to take a picture after I added the goat cheese, but you get the idea: I roasted the cauliflower with some garlic and rosemary, and added the walnuts for the last couple minutes just to toast them. Then tossed everything with the beans in a vinaigrette made with shallots, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar.

Salmon with Miso-Ginger Glaze and Kale with Caramelized Shallots

Trying to eat more fish...

Shaved Asparagus, Beet, Blood Orange and Olive Salad with Seared Scallops and Avocado

This was a total mash-up based on what was in my refrigerator and what I was craving. I cooked the scallops for almost no time in some ghee, dressed the asparagus (and arugula) with shallots, blood orange, lemon juice, and chopped olives, and roasted the beets until tender.

Couscous with Asparagus, Arugula, Herbs and a Fried Egg

I dressed the veggies with red wine vinegar, finely chopped shallots, and lots of black pepper, and added in some mint and parsley. I also shaved a little Parmesan on top at the end (post photo), which was delish.

Black Eyed Peas, Rainbow Chard, Feta Cheese

Roasted Root Vegetables, Lentils, Hazelnuts, Goat Cheese

Sort of a mish-mosh of a few favorite dishes, on a day where I was in need of some protein. The light also happened to be perfect just as we were sitting down to eat.

Asparagus, Arugula, and Goat Cheese on Millet Toast

It's spring! I dressed the asparagus and arugula with some shallots, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Sweet and Brown Rice, Bok Choy with Garlic, Ginger, Chili and Miso