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the main event

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4 1/2 cups cooked red quinoa (1 1/2 cups uncooked; can use a blend of red and white quinoa)
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 hearts of romaine
2 tsp olive oil
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Juice of 2 limes

1. Preheat a grill pan over high heat.
2. Cut the romaine hearts in half lengthwise, keeping the end intact to hold the leaves together. Brush with 1 tsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Place the romaine on the grill and cook until nice grill marks are achieved. Remove and cool.
4. Roughly chop the romaine and add to the cooked quinoa.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and the remaining 1 tsp of olive oil and stir to combine (do not over stir because it will make the quinoa gummy).

Future considerations: cumin, fresh herb?

1 pork tenderloin
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil

1. Trim the tenderloin of fat if necessary (there should be very little as pork tenderloin is a lean cut of meat). Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and then spread all over the meat. Marinate in the refrigerator for four hours or overnight.
2. One hour before cooking, remove the pork from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. Wipe off excess marinade from the meat. Heat the oil in a pan and once you see the first whisp of smoke, add the pork to the pan. Sear on all four sides, about 1-2 minutes each.
4. Place pork on a sheet tray. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a thermometer reaches 145 degrees at the thickest part of the tenderloin.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve.

Enjoy the pork tenderloin alongside couscous with peas, arugula, and lemon zest. A light yet satisfying spring dinner, best enjoyed al fresco with a glass bottle of crisp white wine.

I did not make a sauce for this dish because I was a) lazy, and b) wanted to serve a dish that showcased the meat.

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1 lb carrots, peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup dry lentils
1 hothouse cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeds removed if they are visible
4 oz feta cheese, medium dice
1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped
Juice from 1/2 large lemon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the carrots into 3/4 inch slices on a bias, and then cut each slice in half lengthwise. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast on a sheet pan for 10-15 minutes, or until dark golden brown, flipping halfway. Cool.

While the carrots are roasting, prepare the lentils per the package’s directions. Season with salt toward the end of cooking. Cool.

And while that’s all going down, cut the cucumber halves into half-moon slices and combine with the feta and parsley. Add the cooled carrots and lentils to the mixture and gently stir. Add lemon juice and a glug of olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

I’d say this is nice as a snack, but can also be a satisfying vegetarian main entree for the spring and summer seasons.

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My boss recently made a savory, Tunisian-inspired oatmeal from our company’s upcoming new cookbook, and I’m obsessed. Unable to wait until we feature it as a special on our restaurants’ menus, I made my own version perfect for spring. This one’s not only an easy, vegan (you heard me) dish, but it is an exciting dish to add to your breakfast rotation.

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This one’s just a rough outline:

Prepare steel-cut oats according to the directions on the package. Top the oats with thinly sliced raw asparagus, sweet peas (if using frozen, thaw and reheat in the microwave, or blanch in boiling water from frozen; if using fresh, blanch in boiling water), thinly sliced scallion, lemon zest, harissa oil (simply harissa combined with extra-virgin olive oil).

Garnish with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Enjoy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

photo(7)Well, kind of. Because I was lazy and not in the mood to, well, F#$% something up, I didn’t invert the thing on a plate and return it to the pan. I instead finished it in the oven, just like I would a frittata. No one knew the difference, and it was The Bomb (I just went there) either way.

Serves 4 (goes especially well after a citrus and avocado salad)

1 cup olive oil
2 russet potatoes
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 small onion, medium dice
Salt and pepper
1 large garlic clove, minced
8 eggs

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-low heat.
3. Peel and slice the potatoes 1/4-inch thick and add them to the pot of oil.
4. Cook the potatoes gently until lightly browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes.
5. In a medium pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the onion, stirring occasionally and taking care not to develop too much color. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, or until translucent.
6. While the onions are cooking, whisk the eggs with salt and pepper.
7. Add the garlic to the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute.
8. Remove the potatoes from the pot with a slotted spoon, draining off the oil, and add to the onion garlic mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Pour the eggs over the potatoes and let them cook for about a minute without stirring.
10. Then, stir the mixture, folding the bottom, cooked part on top of the raw part.
11. Continue to stir this way until the mixture appears to be setting. The idea is to stir it frequently enough to promote even cooking, but not to over-stir (we’re not looking for an egg scramble–we want the mixture to stay together).
12. Finish cooking the top of the tortilla espanola in the broiler.
13. Remove, allow to sit for 5 minutes, and cut into slices.