Huevos Rancheros

A delicious and filling breakfast, this satisfying meal is great for weekend brunches. It is, of course, super versatile and can be adjusted greatly.

Serves 2

3 eggs
1 t. olive oil
2 tortillas

½ cup refried or black beans (~½ a can)

1 c. baby spinach leaves, packed

several slices cheese, or ½ c. grated cheese (cheddar, Monterey or pepper jack, or whatever you like/have)

salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro (optional, for serving)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a pan. Crack and scramble eggs in a bowl and add to pan, cooking until slightly less than fully cooked. (They'll finish cooking in the oven.)

2. Spread beans evenly on each tortilla and place on a baking sheet. Top with spinach and mostly-cooked scrambled eggs. Top evenly with cheese.

3. Place in oven until cheese is melted and starts bubbling. If you're impatient, you could alternatively broil this, but watch carefully so it doesn't burn! Serve with salsa, sour cream, guacamole and/or cilantro, if desired.

Dandelion Salad

Don't be turned off by the name! This salad is crazy healthy and truly tastes quite wonderful. Inspired by a salad my host mother in France made (salade de pissenlit in French), this is a fabulous change from typical salads and has great, unique flavors. It features a very neat, interesting way of taming dandelion's often bitter flavor. Dandelion greens are available at many farmers markets and at larger, "greener" and "healthier" groceries. 
Serves 4

1 T olive oil
1 onion
2 eggs
1 big bunch or bag dandelion greens
1/4 c. cream or olive oil
1 T vinegar (balsamic, red wine, white wine, etc.)
salt and pepper

1. Heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat. Slice onion into rings or half moons and add to oil. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to avoid burning, for about 30 minutes. (The longer the better though!)

2. Meanwhile, hard boil the eggs: put eggs in a small sauce pan, cover with cold water, and put over medium-high heat. When water boils, remove pot from heat and let sit, covered for 10 minutes. Then immediately submerse eggs in cold water to stop the cooking. Peel off shell.

3. Wash the dandelion very well. (It tends to be quite dirty since it's not usually produced industrially or in large-scale.) Trim off the ends and put in a salad bowl.

4. Cut hard boiled egg into small cubes. Add egg and caramelized onions to dandelion.

Dandelion and onions patiently awaiting the egg and their dressing

5. Heat cream or olive oil over med-high heat until very hot and nearly boiling or smoking. Pour over the dandelion. This flash-cooks the dandelion and softens its bitter flavor. Add vinegar and salt and pepper and toss well. Bon App Y'all!

Mediterranean Fried Rice

This is a great way to use leftovers. It's super healthy, incredibly quick, and basically any veggie or ingredient could be put in it! Let me know what you put in yours and how it turns out! 
Serves 2
2 T olive oil
1 onion
Couple cloves garlic, minced
2 c. leftover rice
2 eggs
1/4 c. crumbled feta cheese
Any amount and combination of veggies or meat (leftovers are easiest!)

1. Heat oil over med-high heat in a pan. Add onion and cook for 5 min. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
2. Add veggies and/or meat and cook until cooked through or until heated (if leftover and already cooked).
3. Add rice and cook 5 minutes. Add eggs and scramble them in the pan and mix well until cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in a little red wine or balsamic vinegar, too, if desired.
4. Top with feta cheese.

My version below has beet greens, carrot, onion, feta and garlic.

Polenta with Baby Bok Choy

Polenta with Baby Bok Choy
This is a perfect one-dish dinner to prepare for one person. It’s nutritious and comforting and takes less than 20 minutes start to finish!
Serves 1 a large and filling meal

2 heads baby bok choy
½ c. cornmeal or polenta
1½ c. milk
1/8 c. grated parmesan (the higher the quality, the better the end result, obviously!)
1 t. soy sauce
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 egg
salt and pepper

1. Heat some olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Wash and cut the end off the bok choy so each stem/leaf is separate. Add bok choy and a tablespoon or so of water to pan. Cover and cook for ~5 minutes or until almost tender.

2. Meanwhile, bring milk to a boil in small saucepan. Whisking vigorously (to avoid having lumps), slowly add cornmeal in a steady stream. Cover and cook 2-3 minutes or until an oatmeal-like consistency.

3. Remove lid from bok choy and add soy sauce, vinegar and pepper. Once liquid has mostly evaporated, mix parmesan and pepper into the polenta. Make a bed of polenta on a plate, and top with baby bok choy.

4. Return bok choy pan to heat and crack egg into the pan, cooking until the white is cooked but yolk is still runny (or cook it longer if you prefer the yolk hard). Top bok choy with fried egg, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Notes: Flavorings can be greatly altered here. You could make it entirely Asian and omit the balsamic vinegar and use sesame oil and/or rice vinegar, or add any herbs and/or spices to the bok choy and/or polenta. Plenty of room for experimentation! This would be equally great with any other leafy green, or any veggie for that matter!