Vegetable Frittata with Red Chard, Cherry Tomatoes & Goat Cheese

Sorry it's been a little while since I've posted a new recipe.

I blame it mostly on my traveling. Forgive me. A few short weeks ago, I attended the 2014 Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy, where I studied with Meg Wolitzer (one of my favorite authors!). It was an unforgettable experience—the location, the food, the company, and yes, the workshop. You can read my nifty little article about the experience on Shelf Pleasure:

Click here for the link to my post on Shelf Pleasure

Me with Gina Fattore in front of the Positano View!

I had many lovely meals abroad, but I'm happy to be back home and cooking in California. I made this frittata before I left and got so many requests via FaceBook to share the recipe that I thought I should post it here. Frittatas and homemade muffins are my staple brunch items. Is there anything better? I tend to make my frittatas loaded with lots of farmers market veggies.

In this case, I used some gorgeous, deep green and red leafy chard and delicate yellow cherry tomatoes. I finished it with crumbled goat cheese and fresh thyme. I always make my frittatas in my prized cast iron skillet (bought years ago at Target for 20 bucks).

This recipe is a great base. Though I used chard and cherry tomatoes in this case, feel free to substitute any vegetable combination. I always let my ingredients dictate the dish.

Want to make the whole meal? These tasty little muffins complete the picture:

Click here for my Raspberry Walnut Kefir Muffin recipe

Vegetable Frittata with Red Chard, Cherry Tomatoes & Goat Cheese
Serves 4-6 people
Cooking time: about 20 minutes
Gluten-free

Ingredients
8 eggs
2 heaping cups chard, thinly chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 shallot or small onion, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots or onion and saute for a few minutes, until softened and translucent (about four minutes). Add the chard and continue to cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl and beat until the yolks and whites are mixed together and the entire mixture is slightly frothy. Season with a little salt and pepper.

3. Pour the egg mixture into the cast iron skillet over the vegetables. Place the halved cherry tomatoes cut side up on top of the egg mixture, gently pressing them down. Top with the crumbled goat cheese, fresh thyme, a little salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.

4. Continue cooking stove top for a few minutes until the frittata begins to set. Finish the frittata under the broiler until cooked through. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Archive: 'Brûléed' Delicata Squash

Happy Thursday!

A slow start to my day due to hosting my book club last night. I made Braised White Bean Cassoulet with chicken sausage, one of my favorite comfort food recipes. Much vino was drunk and gossip was exchanged. The night crept later than anticipated, but time with girlfriends is priceless.

Meanwhile, my husband is off in NYC on business. So the Adorable Monster and I have the house to ourselves. We're taking it easy on this cloudy day. Well, he always takes it easy, but I'm joining him this time.

With only two weeks to go until Thanksgiving, here's another one of my favorite holiday recipes. This one combines delicata squash, which is braised in the oven, with pepitos, basil, and goat cheese. The special touch is that I brûlée the squash with brown sugar under the broiler to finish it off.

The resulting dish is sweet and creamy and everything in between, making it perfect for your Thanksgiving feast.

'Brûléed' Delicata Squash 
Serves 6-8 people
Cooking time: about 50 minutes
Vegetarian; gluten-free
Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 delicata squash, halved and seeded
• 2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons basil, cut into long, thin strips (chiffonade)
• 1/4 cup pepitos (pumpkin seeds), roasted and salted
• 1/4 cup chevre (goat cheese)
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. To make the squash, cut the halves into slices (they'll be semi-circles) and place in a single layer on a oven proof dish. Brush the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  
3. Fill the dishes with about 1/4 inch of water (shouldn't cover the squash). Place in the oven and roast for about 30-40 minutes, or until the squash are tender.
4. To brûlée them, remove the squash from the oven and set the oven to broil. Sprinkle the tops of the squash slices with the brown sugar.  
5. Place the squash under the broiler until the sugar melts and caramelizes.
6. To plate, layer the squash in a serving dish and top with the pepitos. Then, crumble the goat cheese on top (hint: place in the freezer for a few minutes first for easy crumbling). Finish the dish with the basil and some freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Rainbow Chard Omelet

Rainbow Chard Omelet

Is there anything better than coming home?

Your dog greeting you at the door, bursting with profound joy. Sleeping deeply in your own bed. I never sleep well when I'm traveling, let alone smashed into a bunk bed in a cabin more suited to eight-year-old's. Not feeling guilty about parading around in dirty sweats all day long. The warm embrace of loved ones, and that moment after having been apart, where you simply want to be together. Not worry, not bicker, not banter, not disappear into the man cave, not even talk...

Did I mention my dog? He's on my porch, rolling around on the futon, looking like a big mess of fluffiness. If that isn't happiness, then I don't know what is...

And then there's breakfast. It's my favorite meal of the day. Cooking it for myself -- just me, myself, and I -- feels like an act of extreme self-love. Eating it while perusing the New York Times (a lot of radiant news this morning) and sipping green tea. Still in my dirty sweats with my unwashed hair. Is there anything better? I challenge you to prove me wrong. Is there? Is there?

Meatless Monday has found it in their little veggie hearts to feature another of my recipes (I publish them every Monday). This little gem is a favorite of mine -- Rainbow Chard Omelet. Isn't is lovely? Try it out. I swear you'll love it.

Click here for the Rainbow Chard Omelet recipe on Meatless Monday

Meatless Monday "Mac N Goat Cheese" With Cherry Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, And Walnuts

Happy Meatless Monday!

I'm back with more great meatless recipe ideas.  This is my healthy take on the quintessential Mac N  Cheese.  Instead of elbow pasta made from wheat, I use a gluten-free brown rice rotini (the ridges are great for catching cheese).  I also use fresh goat cheese (chevre) to make a creamy sauce and load the pasta up with fresh vegetables including spring onions, cherry tomatoes and peppers.  I finish it with toasted walnuts (healthy fats and protein) and fresh basil.  I promise that even the pickiest eater will fall in love with this dish!

"Mac N Goat Cheese" With Cherry Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, And Walnuts
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients
1 pound brown rice rotini (or other whole grain pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
1/2 cup green onions, white and tender green parts chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup fresh goat cheese (chevre)
1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
salt and pepper

Directions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a saute pan.  Add the onions and cook until beginning to soften.  Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.  Then, add the cheery tomatoes and the bell pepper.  Saute until all the vegetables are cooked.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook per package instructions until al dente (about 8 minutes).  Drain the pasta, reserving at least one cup of the cooking liquid.  Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixture.  Add the goat cheese and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.  Toss until the goat cheese melts and forms a creamy sauce, adding more cooking liquid as needed.  Check seasoning (salt and pepper).

To serve, put the pasta in a bowl and top with the walnuts and the basil.  Drizzle with a little good olive oil and sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper.  Enjoy!

Source For Ingredients
organic brown rice pasta, organic heirloom cherry tomatoes, organic bell pepper, green onions, organic garlic, walnuts and goat cheese from Trader Joe's

organic basil from my garden

Wine Pairing
With this meal, we drank a wonderful Roar 2005 Pinot Noir, Pisoni Vineyard.  Roar makes great pinot noir with grapes from some of the best vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands (California Central Coast), and the Pisoni may be their best - spicy and fruity with great structure.  Also, the 2005's are drinking fabulously right now.  We devoured this bottle.

Meatless Monday: Spring Vegetable Risotto With Asparagus, Savoy Spinach And Fresh Goat Cheese! Plus, New Cooking Video--Watch Me Make Risotto!

This is the best risotto I've made in the history of my culinary career.

And I make a ton of risotto, so that's saying a lot.

The inspiration for the dish came from my Top Chef Brother's restaurant, Picco, where they make risotto fresh on the half hour.  I loved the combination of leeks, asparagus and savoy spinach, all of which are in season right now.  It tasted like the very essence of spring.  Further inspiration came in the form of the fresh goat cheese from Soledad Farms that I scooped up at the farmers market.  I felt the tangy, smooth cheese would really compliment the delicate vegetable flavors. 

And finally, I decided to un-meat the dish for Meatless Monday.  You see, risotto is traditionally made using chicken stock.  But instead, I made a vegetable stock from scratch, and I believe that it transformed the dish, gently coaxing out the sweet vegetable flavors.  This made sound challenging, but it's quite simple.  I just tossed a mixture of roughly chopped vegetables from my fridge along with a few herbs into the pan (a bunch of celery tops, onions, carrots, leeks, black peppercorns, a bay leaf and a bunch of thyme), and then gently simmered it for about an hour.  Presto, Chango!  Great stock!

Now the plating also played a role in the awesomeness of this dish!  Further inspired by my brother's food (he served a fresh penne family style with a scoop of ricotta in the middle), I plated this risotto into a huge bowl and placed a scoop of fresh goat cheese into the center.  Not only was it beautiful, but it slowly melted into the dish, and was fun to scoop out and into your bowl.

And check out my new cooking video for GeekWeek's channel on Justin.TV!  You can watch me make this risotto!  Click play below to watch:


Watch live video from geekweek on Justin.tv
Spring Vegetable Risotto With Asparagus, Savoy Spinach And Fresh Goat Cheese
Serves 4 people
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
3 leeks, tender white and green parts chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups savoy spinach, julinned
1 cup asparagus, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup fresh goat cheese (chevre)
salt and pepper

Directions
To make homemade vegetable stock roughly chop two celery stalks, two carrots, two small onions, one leek.  Also, add a few peppercorns, a bay leaf and a few sprigs of thyme.  Cover with filtered water and simmer for at least one hour.  Strain and keep warm for risottos (can be made a few days in advance - also, keeps in the freezer for up to six months).

To make the risotto, heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Then, stir in the rice, coating it with the oil, and cook for another two minutes. Pour in the white wine and stir until absorbed. Once the wine has been absorbed, slowly add the vegetable stock 1/2 at cup at a time, stirring until absorbed before adding more stock.

Once the rice is almost cooked, stir in the asparagus and the spinach. Continue adding stock and cooking until the rice is al dente and the greens are tender (note: you may not use all of the stock).  Once it's cooked, season the ristotto to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate, spoon the risotto into a large bowl to serve family style.  Place the goat cheese in the center of the dish.  Top with a little fresh cracked pepper and drizzle with a little good olive oil.  Enjoy!

Source For Ingredients
fresh goat cheese from Soledad Farms (Hollywood Farmers Market)

organic savoy spinach, asparagus, garlic and leeks from Hollywood Farmers Market

arborio rice and white wine from Trader Joe's

Wine Pairing
Vegetables are notoriously difficult to pair with wine, so a great trick when pairing with a dish is to pair to another ingredient that is wine friendly.  In this case, that would be the fresh goat cheese.  Traditionally, Sauvignon Blanc is paired with chevre (like from the Loire Valley in France).  Other good choices would be sparkling wine or a non-oaky Chardonnay, which is what I selected to pair with this dish.

We drank The Ojai Vineyard's 2005 Chardonnay, Clos Pepe Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills.  I've been in love with their Pinot Noir for some time, but this is the first white wine I'd tasted from them, and wow, it was stunning!  Full of great acidity and citrus flavors, this wine could almost pass for a Chablis.  It paired beautifully with the delicate risotto, not overpowering it, rather enhancing its flavor.  Robert Parker rated this wine a stellar 93 points and considers it mature and ready to drink.  I love this winery--it's worth checking out!