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1 tablespoon canola oil
1 leek (or 1 small onion, or 2-3 shallots), thinly sliced
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 heart of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
1 cup brown rice, prepared according to package directions
1 bag kimchi
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (omit to make it vegan)
1 teaspoon soy sauce (or Tamari, to make it gluten-free)

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute leeks and celery until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add romaine lettuce and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until just wilted.
3. Add brown rice, kimchi, frozen peas and cook until heated through, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in fish sauce and soy sauce and serve alongside fish, or alone as an entree. (I served it with tuna, which I encrusted with homemade gomasio–a seasoning of ground sesame seeds and salt–and seared.) Alternately you can top with a fried or poached egg for a savory, umami-rich breakfast or brunch (this is what I did with the leftovers).

Notes: YUM. Maybe add edamame, or garnish with sesame seeds.

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I know, I know: another kale salad, but I just had to do it! I made this, along with hard-boiled eggs and fresh fruit, as part of a healthy brunch spread. Did I mention, there were also lots and lots of mixed berry mimosas. Not the most traditional brunch, but paired with good company and conversation, it was perfect.

1 bunch red kale, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
Juice of 2 limes (or 1 large lime)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 avocado, diced
3/4 cup cooked hull-less barley

1. In a large bowl, massage kale leaves with lime juice, oil, salt, and black pepper until they become wilted and tender.
2. Add avocado and barley and toss to combine.

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One of my favorite breakfast spreads that my mom puts out when we visit: bagels with cream cheese, chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced scallions and crumbled bacon. It’s a delicious start to the (weekend) day and lets you play with your food.

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We decided soon after this meal that no, we were not going to go for that run. No we were not. This is my warning to you, that when you eat something like this, you’ll likely be ready to stay inside and drink coffee all day until it is appropriate to then transition to beer.

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.

It’s only during the past few years that I’ve developed an affinity for bitterness. Now it’s a taste that I crave, namely in the form of alcohol–IPAs, Campari and sodas, Negronis–but also in grapefruit. Since winter is the time for citrus, I suppose I’m pushing it by posting this during the first days of spring. But, what the hell:

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Serves 4, as a starter for brunch (serves 2 as a main course for breakfast)

2 grapefruits
2 oranges
1 small jicama
3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1 lime
Pinch salt
Pinch sugar (a drizzle of agave also works very nicely here)
1 avocado

1. Supreme 1 of the grapefruits and 1 of the oranges: cut off the tops and bottoms of the fruit. Cut off the skin, making sure to remove all of the white. Cut in between the membrane to create “wedges” of fruit.
2. Slice the remaining grapefruit and orange: cut off the tops and bottoms of the fruit. Cut off the skin, making sure to remove all of the white. Cut the fruit into slices.
3. Julienne the jicama: peel, thinly slice, and cut into matchsticks.
4. Gently toss the citrus fruits with the jicama, juice of 1/2 a lime, salt and sugar.
5. Slice the avocado: Cut into quarters, remove the pit, peel away the skin and slice into 1/4-inch pieces. Squeeze juice of the other 1/2 of the lime over the slices to prevent browning.
6. Serve the avocado slices on the side. You can arrange the slices on the top of the salad, which would make for a beautiful presentation, but I like the bit of interaction your guests have by finishing their own plates.