BREAKFAST - Spread

we had a cool photo shoot at the house the other week, and we served breakfast for all that worked it. Here's the spread we came up with, which was simple, which was nice because we had many other things to do.

• Yogurt and berries and granola.
• lox and cream cheese and mini bagels with red onion and capers on top.
• coffee
• juice.

Thanks Mr. Larson for the photo.

MEAT - Chicken Satay

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup miso tamari sauce, or coconut aminos, or soy sauce
1/3 cup water
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon raw agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons sesame oil or olive oil

Butterfly the chicken breast halves and cut into thin strips. Place in resealable bag.

Puree the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pour the marinade over the chicken and chill for at least one hour, or up to 6 hours. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 2 or 3 hours so they won’t burn on the grill.

Set up a grill for direct cooking around 400F. Thread chicken onto skewers. Grill chicken for 3-4 minutes per side.

MAIN - Stuffed Swiss Chard

it's swiss chard, and it's stuffed. it's stuffed with beef, lamb, tomatoes, rice, and parsley. it feels all very healthy and hearty, because it is.

Here's how you do it, illustrated in photos.

* first make your filling. in a bowl combine 1 lb of beef, 1 lb of lamb, a can of whole tomatoes, a cup of rice, and a handful of chopped parsley, plus salt and pepper. now roll up your sleeves and get in there with your bare hands like your grandma would. squish and mix and masticate and articulate until it's all nice and consistent.

* second make some chicken broth. get it hot on the stove. you don't need much.

* then prep the swiss chard. remove the stems, but you don't need to remove the whole rib. your ingredients are done.

* now get the roll on. put a little of the filling in the chard, and roll and tuck the sides like you're making mini-burritos or eggrolls. it's important to get a good seal... make sure there are no gaps for the filling to fall out.

* as you work, stack the stuffed chard in a pot. when you've done them all, put a few slices of lemon on top. that's just good flavor.

* pour over some of the broth (just maybe an inch worth to cover the bottom), and put the covered pot over a simmer heat for about 45 minutes or longer. the longer the better... just don't overdo it otherwise the chard will fall apart and it'll be a mess. check the broth periodically, add more if needed.

serve with lots of bread.

MAIN - LAMAJOON

when i was a little kid it was so special to get these made for me. it's an Armenian recipe, well, i think it is because my mom was taught it by her Armenian babysitter. they're fun to make and a little messy, but well worth any effort.

first make your dough (See the recipe in the scan above). if you're lazy, you can use pre-made pizza dough from trader joes (just roll it out as think as you can). if you're lazier than lazy, you can also use tortillas or pitas.

roll out the dough into tortilla size rounds. or pancake size. or 6" size.

put a spoonful of the mean mixture (recipe above in scan) on each dough round. the mixture should be spread really really thin. arrange as many as you can on a baking sheet, and put in a 450* oven for 15 minutes. serve with lemon wedges and salt to sprinkle. these are pretty amazing: light and fresh and crisp.

make extras--they freeze really well. Reheat by wrapping in foil and popping in the oven.

SALAD - Easiest Summer Tomato Salad Ever

it's summer, it's back to basics. this tomato salad is absolutely nothing fancy, which is what makes it so good. in a bowl, simply combined some quartered fresh fresh tomatoes, some thin sliced red onion, a handful of torn parsley, maybe some basil, and maybe some sliced cucumbers. toss all this with a glug of olive oil, a glug of red wine vinegar, and some salt and pepper. let this marinate in the fridge for a half hour, and stir again. ow!

PASTA - Rigatoni with Zuchini, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Ricotta

as a kid we used to go to mangia mangia restaurant in HB, CA very often. it was the best italian place imaginable in the worst strip mall imaginable. after much begging, the chef finally gave my mom this recipe.now here it is from mangia mangia to mom to me to you.

it's so good when summer vegetables start kicking off. i'm proud to say all the veggies in this pasta plate came from our garden. we rule.


first, saute a chopped onion, a pinch of red pepper flakes, a handfull of sun dried tomatoes, a couple chopped cloves of garlic, and salt / pepper in a few glugs of olive oil. just like in this photo:


once soft, put in a bunch of sliced zucchini and some yellow squash (or whatever is available). maybe throw in some swish chard if you're into that sort of thing. add in about a cup of fresh tomatoes. cook until the squash is softer but still firm to the bite. don't overcook it. while all this is happening, cook pasta like you know how.

finish the pasta dish. put the pasta on a big platter, spoon over the zuch sauce, tear some basil leaves on top, and scatter a bunch of ricotta all over the top. done!