It’s no secret that I love eggs for dinner, whether a “proper” meal like my quickest curried eggs, a poached egg to complete a bowl of soup, or an egg salad sammy to save us from take out. So, the first thing I thought of to make my meal of french lentils over wilted spinach heartier was, you guessed it, an egg.
This rustic salad comes together effortlessly. The greens are dressed in the simplest vinaigrette (I used olive oil, white wine vinegar, dijon, salt and pepper; a bit of finely chopped shallot would be nice, too). The lentils quick cooked and finished with creamy dijon. And the eggs fried in a flash. Layer one over the other—spinach, lentils, eggs—break the yolks, and take a big bite. Serve with crusty bread and wine (for mama and papa), and you’ll be transported to the French countryside. Perfection. In no time flat.
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My littlest ChowBaby is already 5 months old. I can hardly believe it! Time is flying and, relatively speaking, it’s been a smooth ride. But, all that said, my big guy is missing me. Lots. And so I’ve decided to carve out even more one-on-one time with him. We’re having tons of fun, but our new Monday afternoon excursions are putting a cramp in my dinner style. By the time we’re back home and settled in, it’s about 30 minutes to eatin’ time. And, when trying to coordinate dinner, 2 baths (ha!) and 2 bedtimes, there isn’t much flexibility.
So the new challenge: come up with even more healthy and SUPER quick recipes. This one was inspired by the Martha Stewart app, my new source for perusing recipes (on the go!). This recipe couldn’t be easier. And in the 30 minutes that it takes from start to finish, you can also make rice (cook in rice cooker or on the stove top according to package directions) or quinoa pilaf (cook on the stove top according to directions then toss with olive oil, white wine vinegar, dried cranberries, slivered almonds and green onion) and roast some asparagus (clean, trim, toss with olive oil and salt on a rimmed baking sheet; as soon as salmon is done, heat oven to 350 degrees and roast asparagus until cooked through, time will depend on how thick your asparagus is).
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I love this meal. It’s simple. It’s quick. It’s hearty and affordable. You’ll spend about $15 and get a huge pasta meal that, unless you have 4 ravenous or 6 people total, will give you leftovers (yummy even cold). And, if you want to save a few bucks or keep it vegetarian, just skip the sausage. It’s still delicious.
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We recently had friends over for brunch. They don’t have kids (yet!), so we made a plan for 12:30 pm (a “morning” plan for after noon, imagine that!). That would have normally taken the pressure off of cooking the day-of, except for the fact that we had other friends over the night before, friends for whom I cooked dinner, friends who also have no children and stay up later than we usually do. I needed a plan. A plan that would make back-to-back entertaining possible. Even with two little kids.
And it did. My plan—it worked!
If you ask me, every brunch needs a) coffee, b) savory eggs, c) something sweet and d) something light and healthy to balance out the eggs and sweet. My brunch menu was complete with all of these essential elements and all I had to do the day-of was put eggs in the oven and toss together a salad. THAT’S ALL.
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Photo: Tofutti Break

Last week I left you with a taste of Canada while I was tasting New Orleans. Now that I’m back, you’re probably expecting a post about beignets (our first food stop was Cafe Du Monde!), gumbo (I enjoyed a version made with duck), boudin (I had some at Green Goddess, a wonderful off-the-beaten-path cafe) or some other delicious NOLA specialty. But, instead, I’ve come back with a Mediterranean-inspired quick dinner idea!

My sister and I had big plans to go shopping and out to dinner one night, but were thwarted by uncooperative children who kept me at the hotel way longer than expected. So, instead, she took me to a favorite local spot for a late dinner, some wine and catch up conversation. She did the ordering—I was just happy to be out with her!—and then out came our appetizer, a deliciously loaded hummus platter.

I didn’t think much of it until I started digging in. Creamy hummus topped with chopped cukes, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta, roasted garlic (chunky whole cloves!) and shredded rotisserie chicken. Served with warm high-quality pita, the dish was hearty enough to be our main meal. And then it came to me—what a wonderful, healthy, QUICK family dinner (for everyone 8+ months). Why hadn’t I thought of this before?!

So there you have it. I come back to you from New Orleans not with a cajun treat, but with a Mediterranean dinner inspiration. Go figure! With beans, animal protein (optional!) and salad all rolled into one, it’s just too good an idea not to pass along to y’all. Have you made something like this before? Think you’ll try it? I’m going to this week. It’s a perfect just-back-from-vacation-there’s-nothing-in-the fridge meal!

Photo: Roboppy

I’ve been working hard to eat less meat without substituting pasta and other carb-centric mains. And, because of this, cauliflower has become my best friend. It’s not only delicious and good for you, but also filling. Cauliflower makes a hearty curry and satisfying mash, and generally bulks up a meal while making it healthier, too. But, even so, I’ve never just all out made it the main entree. Didn’t even think of it until I saw “Cauliflower Steak” on the menu at famed farm-centric eatery Blue Hill. If Dan Barber could serve cauliflower as a main (at a pretty penny, I might add!), then I could too. As dinner. As all of dinner.
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