Petrale Sole with homemade chimichurri sauce...

...butter mashed potatoes, baked kale & onions, and Michael's glutinous garlic bread 💖

Three part perfect Brunch party lineup... Gluten free, healthy, delicious

Seasonal Vegetable Frittata:
For a 9-inch skillet (either cast iron, or a regular caserole dish)
Preheat oven to 400
4 or 5 medium russet potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped asperagus
fresh dill
3 oz fresh goat cheese
1 cup shitake mushrooms, or other mushroom you like
1 dozen eggs
1/2 cup milk, any kind

Spray or oil your skillet and put all the potatoes and onions evenly around the bottom. Then place the mushrooms and dabs of goat cheese evenly on top. Next comes the eggs... Separate the egg whites and yolks and beat the whites for about 5 minutes so they become a little fluffy. Its not necessary to whip them completely, but if you are short on eggs, whipping the whites is a great way to create more volume. Also, if this step seems too arduous, you dont have to separate and whip the eggs at all, you can just beat them in a bowl. Fold yolks into whites and add milk. Pour the eggs into your dish, then put the asperagus and dill on top...It will all sort of blend together, and thats OK, its just important to have the potatoes at the bottom so they cook.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes, then check -- the middle should still be jiggly but the edges should be cooked. Now remove the foil and cook another 15 minutes until the entire frittata is cooked through. Test with a fork in the middle -- it should come out clean.

I served this with homemade pesto, which is super simple as well! Just blend 1 cup (or more) fresh basil, 1/2 cup pine nuts, 1/2 cup olive oil, 5 cloves of garlic and 3 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese. Pesto is super easy, and there are a million ways to make it. Sometimes I add jalapeños when I have spicy guests at my table.

Also, the above recipe includes seasonal vegetables, but you can use anything you like. I often do this with leeks and carrots as well, or broccoli and gruyere cheese... basically anything will work as long as you cut everything into same-size pieces. Don't be afraid toe experiment, and tell me all about it!


Baked Apple Quinoa or Oatmeal:
1 cup dry quinoa or oats
2-4 cups vanilla almond milk
2 or 3 apples, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon agave
chopped nuts and coconut for garnish
steamed milk for garnish

Mix quinoa or rolled oats with 2 cups almond milk, cinnamon, salt and chopped apples and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add agave, stir. Keep stirring and adding milk as needed until the quinoa sprouts and becomes the consistency of porridge. Undercooked quinoa is a big tred, it seems -- restaurants dont wait until it sprouts enough, in my humble opinion. Its pretty hard to overcook it, so when in doubt, wait a few minutes more. The apples should get nice and soft. Serve warm with freshly steamed milk, chopped nuts, coconut or other fresh fruit.


Shaved Fennel & Pear Salad:
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly shredded.
2 anjou or other soft pears, thinly sliced
3 cups arugula
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup organic olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon agave
fresh dill or thyme

I use a mandolin slicer for most of my dishes -- it allows me to quickly and evenly slice potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, fennel, pears, apples, etc. I have the handheld Zyliss one for the road, and a bigger stainless steal one at home. Both are available at William Sonoma. Start with the Zyliss or other easy handheld mandolin slicer.


With your mandolin slicer, shred the fennel and pear into a large bowl. Add the arugula and pom seeds and mix. In a recycled jar, combine olive oil, vinegar, mustard, agave, dill and salt & pepper, and shake until blended. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss. You can save any leftover dressing for several weeks in the fridge. Enjoy!