ARUGULA BREAKFAST SALAD WITH TOASTED PISTACHIO, RADISH & SOFT EGGS

Happy New Year! I’ve been spending my mornings trying to reboot from what is always a busy, food-and-drink-filled holiday season.  This recipe is one I eat most mornings, when I’m busy and in need quick & clean sustenance.  It is technically a salad, but I find it to be more of a quick assemblage of ingredients I already have on hand.  No matter how simple, it never fails to be exactly one I need - no more and no less - for mornings when you need something lasting, but have little brain space for meal-making. 

Arugula Breakfast Salad with Toasted Pistachio, Radish & Soft Eggs (serves 2) Gluten-free, DAIRY-FREE

This recipe gives you the foundation for pretty much any breakfast salad.  Feel free to use whatever green you have on hand - kale, tiny gem lettuces, rainbow chard, spinach, etc.  For the toppings, I always include an egg or two, something with crunch (I like a fresh crunch - radish, cucumber , fresh herbs - and a nut or seed) and whatever else you have on hand.  This is the perfect way to use leftover grains or veggies that aren’t enough for a whole meal, but need to be used somehow.  If you don’t stray from dairy, a shaved parmesan or pecorino would be amazing on this and as always, avocado makes everything better. 

• 2-4 large eggs
• 3 large handfuls wild arugula 
• 2-3 radishes or 1 small watermelon radish, sliced in matchsticks
• 1 small handful toasted pistachios, roughly chopped
• Leftover quinoa or any other grain, about 1/3 cup or a couple spoonfuls
• 1 small lemon
• Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
• Flaky sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground pepper

Fill a saucepan with water (enough to cover a couple eggs) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat slightly and slowly submerge eggs, one at a time.  (*I use 1-2 eggs per serving, depending on how hungry I am).  Cook at a roiling boil for exactly 6 1/2 minutes (less, if you like a softer egg, and more, if you like it harder).  In the meantime, prepare an ice bath.

In a medium serving bowl, add arugula, radishes, toasted pistachios and leftover quinoa (or whatever else you have on hand).  Squeeze the juice of about one lemon over top and a drizzle of olive oil.  Toss everything together until well combined.  Season with flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Once eggs are done cooking, add to ice bath for a couple minutes.  Then, shell the eggs and halve them overtop the salad.  Divide into bowls and serve immediately.

BUCKWHEAT OAT BARS WITH SPICED CRANBERRY-APPLE COMPOTE

There’s nothing more healing than holiday baking.  When the weather starts to drop & the christmas lights come up -  It’s my favorite time of year.  These oat bars are my new favorite holiday treat, easily eaten for breakfast, dessert or anything in between.  The cranberries make this extra festive for Winter weather and holidays, but you can use any kind of fruit compote (or preserve!).  For your Christmas morning, holiday gatherings and beyond…

buckwheat oat bars with spiced cranberry apple compote (gluten-free) makes 16-18 bars

• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum

• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 cup coconut oil or butter, melted and cooled

• 1/2 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Cranberry Apple Compote:

• 12 oz. cranberries

• 1 green apple, peeled and diced

• 2 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced

• 1 vanilla bean, de-seeded

• 3/4 cup filtered water

• 1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

• 2 teaspoons orange zest

• Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Make cranberry compote: add all ingredients to a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then lower to medium heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or cranberries have broken down and mixture is thick.  Remove from heat to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oats, flours, baking powder, salt, xanthum gum and spices. 

In another small mixing bowl, whisk together egg, coconut oil or butter, sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. 

Mix wet ingredients into dry, mixing well until dough looks like oatmeal cookie dough. 

Add 3/4 of oat mixture to a greased 8x8 or round tart pan, using your hand to press batter evenly.  Add about 1 heaping cup of cranberry compote over top, using a silicon spatula to evenly disperse.  Then sprinkle the top with the last amount of oat mixture.  

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until oat topping is browned.  Set aside to cool, then serve warm or chill before cutting into squares.

BLACK RICE SORREL BOWL

It’s not very often where I dine somewhere and feel so emotionally connected to the food.  At Sqirl, the food doesn’t just remind me of my home (California) with it’s slight hippie sensibility, but feels like food you’ve been dreaming of and didn’t know you were missing.  

I can’t remember the last time I was this excited for a cookbook - not just for inspiration, visually or otherwise - but for once, to actually cook from it.   Crispy rice, sorrel pesto rice bowl, buckwheat financiers - I cannot get enough of Jessica’s food.  It was shocking to realize the simplicity of some of these recipes.  Specifically the famous sorrel pesto, which includes almost exclusively - lemon, olive oil and sorrel.   Most of the recipes are remarkably uncomplicated in a way that can only be described as everything I want to eat…and cook, too.   

SQIRL SORREL PESTO BLACK RICE BOWL (Gluten-free)  Serves 2

• 1 cup black rice
• 2 watermelon radishes, thinly sliced (on mandolin)
• 1 lemon, divided 
• Extra Virgin Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill, parsley, chives
• 1/2 preserved lemon, peel finely diced
• 1 teaspoon preserved lemon juice
• 1-2 oz feta cheese, crumbled (opt)
• 2 large eggs
• Hot sauce, to serve

Sorrel Pesto:

• 1 cup chopped sorrel, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup chopped kale leaves, lightly packed 
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Sea salt, to taste

In a large saucepan, add rice, two cups of water and a generous pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 25-30 minutes until rice is tender and water is absorbed.  Fluff with a fork and set aside.

In a small bowl, add sliced radish, about 1/2 lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Leave aside to marinate while you prepare the pesto.

To make pesto: in a blender or food processor, add sorrel, kale, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice and salt to taste.  Blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, toss the rice with herbs, preserved lemon, about a teaspoon of preserved lemon juice and prepared pesto.  Season with salt.  

To poach eggs:

Fill a large saucepan with water and a good splash of white vinegar.  Over med-high heat, let the temperature come up until you begin to see tiny bubbles around the rim.

Crack your eggs into tiny ramekins.  Then gently whirlpool the water and slide in your eggs (one at a time, if you’re nervous)  into the center of the whirlpool.  Let the eggs sit for about 30 seconds, then slowly stir in a circle making sure the egg white wraps around the yolk.  *If you are poaching two at a time, now add your second egg, repeating the process (and steering clear of your other egg)/  If your egg gets stuck on the bottom of the pan, don’t fret, use a silicon spatula to carefully remove it.   If your water gets close to boiling or simmering, reduce heat.  You want a still, steady heat to poach them in.  Let cook, gently stirring in a circular motion, until egg whites just begin to firm (or set, gently touch the egg white to judge doneness), and aren’t translucent.    Remove with a slotted spoon, draining the water, then top an egg on each serving. 

Assemble your bowls:   Divide rice among bowls with hot sauce, crumbled feta, marinated radish and top with a poached egg (see above). Garnish with more herbs, flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Serve immediately!