dinner No. 3: frittata

Spinach-Ricotta Frittata with wholegrain toast and balsamic-macerated strawberries
A flute with no holes is not a flute. A donut with no hole is a danish ... And a quiche with no crust is a frittata! Sorry, couldn't help myself with the Caddyshack reference. Anyway, frittatas are versatile little numbers that can be decked out with any number of fillings, both vegetable and protein alike. Just start with a quick sauté of the "filling" and then add the egg mixture. The addition of the fresh ricotta adds a creaminess and fluffiness that elevates it from the standard egg-and-milk base typically utilized.

Spinach-Ricotta Frittata
Serves 2 adults, 2 hungry bambinos

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
Half a large onion sliced thinly into half moons
4 handfuls of baby spinach leaves, large stems removed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup grated cheese: something nutty like an aged cheddar, Parmigiano or gruyere

Accompaniment: wholegrain toast with butter and balsamic-macerated strawberries (recipe below)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Coat the bottom of a large ovenproof skillet with the olive oil. Add the onions and a generous pinch of salt and pepper to taste and sauté over medium heat until the onions are translucent and very aromatic, 5 to 7 minutes. Add spinach until wilted and tender, roughly 2-3 minutes

Meanwhile, whisk eggs until frothy; add ricotta and whisk until smooth (some elbow grease is needed for this step). Fold in cheese.

Add the egg mixture to the sautéed onions and spinach and stir to incorporate the vegetables evenly. Cook the frittata on the stovetop until the eggs start to set (1-2 minutes, then transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until firm.

Cut into wedges and serve immediately. Or let cool and serve at room temperature.


Balsamic-macerated strawberries
The Italians call sweet-and-sour agrodolce and this is a perfect treatment for California strawberries whose flavor cannot hold a candle to sun-ripened, local, in-season strawberries for which we have to wait many months to enjoy! In cooking terms, macerate means to soak in a liquid in order of soften. Just don't let these soak too long, or they'll get mushy.

Ingredients
1 pint strawberries, preferably organic, quartered
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2-3 tablespoons honey
Pinch of sea salt
2 twist of freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a small saucepan over medium heat, boil the balsamic vinegar until reduce to a syrupy liquid. Remove from heat and add honey, salt and pepper. Swirl to combine and allow to cool slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed

Place strawberries in a bowl and drizzle with the honey-vinegar mixture. Stir to coat berries and allow them to sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Happy eating, -s.

dinner No. 2: curry in (somewhat of) a hurry

Sarah's Chicken Saag Curry served with basmati rice and wholegrain flatbread
Serves 2 adults, 2 hungry bambinos with leftovers for lunches
This is my lightened-up version of Chicken Tikka Masala. While butter and heavy cream make everything taste better, your backside doesn't need it on a weeknight. I used four split chicken breasts in making this originally, but since chicken breasts come in only double-D size now, I think three should suffice.

Ingredients
3 split chicken breast
Olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper

¼ cup sliced almonds
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
A small pinch of dried chili flakes
1-28 oz. can of whole plum tomatoes with their juices
1 cup 2% Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves

2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3-4 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional, but really lovely)
1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted, to garnish (optional, but again, lovely)
3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Accompaniments:
Basmati rice
Fabulous Flats wholegrain "tandoori naan": This is not the naan you get at an Indian restaurant, but it's pretty darn good. Whole Foods carries this brand and their own version. Both work.

Directions
The night before: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place chicken breast on the baking sheet and lightly coat skin with olive oil and generous pinches of kosher salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes (depending on the size of the breasts. Let cool 15 minutes. Shred the meat into bite-size pieces and store covered in the refrigerator.

The day of: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground. With machine running, add the ginger and garlic cloves until finely minced. Add cumin, coriander, paprika, chili and tomatoes, yogurt, honey and salt and blend until smooth. Set aside.

*Start cooking your basmati rice now and preheat your oven to 400 degrees for heating the flatbread.

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and add the whole spices; cook 30 seconds to a minute. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook them until softened and lightly browned, but stir often, to avoid sticking. Raise heat to medium high and add spinach and sauté until wilted and some of its water has been released, about 3-5 minutes. Pour in the puree, and cook everything until it begins to boil and thicken slightly, about 5-10 minutes. Fold in the shredded chicken and golden raisins. Sprinkle the garam masala and salt over the mixture; stir to combine. Cover and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes, allowing all the flavors to meld and chicken to reheat. Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaves.

Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Scatter with the toasted almonds and cilantro. Spoon over mounds of fluffy basmati rice. Serve with flatbread.

*Follow the directions on the package for cooking rice, but generally it is a 2-to-1 ratio of water to rice; bring to a boil, turn to low and cook covered for 15-20 minutes. Once the rice is cooked, I place a kitchen towel over the pot, put the lid back on and let the rice sit off the heat for 5-10 minutes. This yields very fluffy rice. For the flatbread, I throw them in the oven directly on a grate and let them crisp up a bit, about 3-5 minutes. Once out of the oven, brush with melted butter or olive oil.

Happy eating, -s.

dinner No. 1: fish tacos

Panko-crusted American farm-raised tilapia tacos with avocado crema and a black-bean salad

Fish Tacos
You can pretty much use any fish you’d like for this. I love whole-wheat panko, but for some reason the crumbs are a bit more robust in size that the white panko, so I crush them ever-so-slightly for more uniformity when coating.

Serves 2 adults and 2 hungry bambinos

Ingredients
4 tilapia fillets
¼ cup flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk (preferably whole or 2%)
¾ cup whole-wheat panko (slightly pulverized with a rolling pin)
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8-10 corn tortillas (heated just before dinner in oven or microwave)
Optional (but yummy) garnishes: sliced radishes, microgreens or sprouts, cilantro leaves

Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a Ziploc bag, add flour and a generous pinch of salt. In another Ziploc bag, add panko and gently roll with a rolling pin a few times to break of the really big pieces of panko. In a flat dish, whisk the egg and milk together, season with a pinch salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Season each fillet with salt and pepper and place in the flour bag, shaking it gently to evenly coat the fillets. Dunk each fillet in the egg mixture and then one at a time shake in the panko. Place coated fillets on a plate while you coat the rest.

Preheat a large skillet. Add olive oil and when hot add two fillets. Cook 3-4 minutes, until golden brown. Flip carefully and cook an additional 3 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate and pop into the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining fillets. Serve immediately in warm corn tortillas or keep warm in the oven while you prep the other components.

Avocado crema
In our house, avocado is king. Click here for a mind-blowing list of stats on why avocado is oh-so-good for you. This creamy fruit is loaded with fiber, filled with good fat and packed with B vitamins.

Ingredients
1 avocado, ripe as hell
½ cup sour cream or Mexican crema
Zest and juice of half of a lime (zest first, juice second)
1-2 tablespoons tap water
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Few grinds of black pepper

Directions
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, add all of the ingredients. Pulse a few times to get things going and then process until smooth and creamy. Taste for seasoning; add more salt, lime juice, cumin as needed.

Black-bean salad
This recipe is great because it can be changed to what you have in the pantry and to what cuisine you are cooking. This version is great with Mexican, Latin and Tex Mex flavors. It’s simple and easy to execute. Enough said.

Ingredients
15 oz. of cooked black beans, either canned or homemade, rinsed and drained
1 small red onion, finely diced – rinsed in cold water for a few minute and drained
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon fruity olive oil
Kosher of raw vegetable of your choice: halved grape tomatoes, diced cucumber, chopped roasted red peppers, grated carrot
Cilantro, a large handful, chopped

Directions
In a large bowl, add the onion, the lime juice and a large pinch of salt. Stir to combine. This will slightly “pickle” the onion and kill some of oniony-ness. Prep everything else and then add to the bowl, stirring to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Note: if you are making this a day ahead, don’t add the cilantro until right before serving.

Happy eating, -s.

After-work dinners for adults and kids that are healthful, satisfying for all family members and easy enough to get on the table at a reasonable hour!

As you can tell by the title, making weeknight meals — healthful, palate-satisfying ones for both grown-ups and kids — is a little overwhelming. My dear friend Shannon, a mother of two darling boys as well as a full-time pediatrician, is my inspiration for the next few posts that will tackle several things:
1. Meals that can be shopped for on the weekend that will take you through Thursday of each week and that share ingredients to save money, time and space in the fridge.
2. Meals that satisfy the palates of grown-ups and youngsters.
3. Meals that can be either prepped the evening before or made once home from work or running the kids to all their activities (and on the table by 7 p.m.)
4. Healthful, balanced meals that feature seasonal or local produce

Daunting, huh?

Shannon’s boys have gotten a little bit pickier recently, but they are not afraid of flavor (which is good!). And while Shannon doesn’t want them to go to bed hungry, her mantra is “you get what you get and you don't throw a fit!” (Love it!). She has a good set of recipes in her arsenal, but these are getting a little overplayed. What she needs is inspiration. That’s where I come in!

The boys love quesadillas and other Mexican food, pasta, Indian (Tikka Masala in particular and Naan), quiche (depending upon what is in it), pizza, and their favorite, macaroni and cheese!

My goal is to spice up their current menu, while providing some alternative proteins (eggs, fish, and beans) into the mix and highlight some readily available, seasonal or local produce.

Here’s the menu:
Monday: Panko-crusted American farm-raised tilapia tacos with avocado crema and a black-bean salad
Fish. It’s so darn good for you and growing brains! Responsibly farmed US tilapia is a great choice since it's mild in flavor, not too expensive and readily available at your fishmonger or grocer. Most kids (except mine!) like crunchy textures and this definitely has some crunch with the whole-wheat panko (I use Ian's brand). The avocado crema adds some creamy coolness to the tacos and the black-bean salad provides some complexity for adventurous little palates and grown-ups, too.

Tuesday: Sarah's Chicken Saag (Spinach) curry with shredded chicken, served with basmati rice and wholegrain flatbread
This not-so-hidden vegetable curry is my riff on Tikka Masala without all the cream and butter (okay, there's a little butter). Simple roasted chicken breasts provide the protein and can be prepped the evening prior making both adults and kids happy. Wholegrain flatbread instead of buttery, white-flour naan will still hit the spot with the kids, while the grown-ups will like the more complex flavors and the easy prep.

Wednesday: Spinach Ricotta Frittata with wholegrain toast and balsamic-macerated strawberries

Shannon’s boys like quiche. I took the buttery crust out of the equation with this egg-based dish. The fresh ricotta makes the frittata light and fluffy, while providing a boost of calcium. Leftover ricotta is great on waffles with jam, on bruschetta with arugula and honey, or my favorite way, by the spoonful.

Thursday: Pizza with homemade red sauce and Genoa salami served with an apple-celery slaw
The secret is in the sauce. Grated carrot is a traditional Italian component of basic tomato sauce used to enhance its inherent sweetness, but I throw in chopped spinach or grated zucchini into mine for the hidden vegetable factor. This pizza is all about the salami that gets deliciously crispy edges while in the oven. I search out nitrate-free salami when kids are eating it. Applegate Farms is one brand I like to use. And the apple-celery slaw is dressed in a maple-sherry vinaigrette and garnished with toasted peanuts for the kids and walnuts for the adults.

So, the next several posts will feature each day's recipes and their side dishes. At the end, I'll put together a grocery list to make it easy to execute the entire menu in one go. My goal is to have you prepped, shopped and ready to roll for the week ahead.

Happy eating, -s.

art wall

Me, Pickle and my friend Katie with her sweet P enjoying the view

Friends are swell. Especially my super talented, super stylish and super sweet friend Katie of Art Wall who featured me on her new "fan favorites" post. And as I am a big fan of hers, I feel honored to be her debut feature. She makes everything look fabulous (even my answers!), so go check it out. And if you haven't visited her blog, you should! It's inspiring and lovely, just like the author.

happy friday ... happy eating, -s.

p.s. we're settled into condo de klein and the kitchen sitch isn't as bad as I thought (even with an electric stove!), so look for some new food-related postings coming soon. And thanks for your patience during my hiatus! xoxo ...