Healthy and Easy Dinner: Sweet Potato Frittata

Do you find yourself relying on takeout or a pre-made entree (you know, the salad bar at Whole Foods... ) on weeknights?

Cooking dinner for one (or two) at home doesn't have to take more than 30 minutes. Plus, when you make dinner at home, the meal is often more nutritious (read: lower in calories) than something you might pickup or have delivered.

This is one of my favorite go-to weeknight meals when I'm pressed for time and looking for something that will satisfy me -- and that is relatively healthy.

A frittata is an easy dish that is perfect for breakfast, or even dinner when served with a side salad. Inspired by my favorite combination of sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, and pungent blue cheese, this combination of eggs with roasted sweet potatoes and creamy Fontina cheese is surprisingly delicious and incredibly easy to make.

Sweet Potato Frittata

As published by The Daily Meal

3 sweet potatoes, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes

Olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

3 eggs

3 tablespoons heavy cream

3 ounces Fontina cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until tender, about 40 minutes.

While the potatoes roast, crack the eggs and mix well. Add the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper.

Once the potatoes are done, remove them and preheat the broiler to high.

In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the roasted potatoes and toss quickly. Pour in the egg mixture and stir so that the eggs begin to coat the potatoes. Add the cheese.

Turn up the heat to medium and cook until 2/3 of the frittata is set. Broil in the oven until the top is set, and the edges begin to puff. Serve immediately.

Serves 2

Where to Eat in Northern Manhattan

Photo by Paul Lomax via DNAInfo.com

Last weekend, I brunched with a couple of good friends after running in a 5k race in Northern Manhattan. As the race started at 168th Street and progressed up through Fort Tryon Park, I knew exactly where to enjoy a wonderful meal (featuring lots of fresh produce and hand-crafted treats and cocktails) afterwards: New Leaf Restaurant & Bar.

I love how all proceeds benefit New York Restoration Project, a non-profit organization founded by Bette Midler that has saved over 50 community gardens from development since it's founding over 15 years ago. The stone cottage-like building is also located in the most magical spot: under the tall trees adjacent to the Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park.

To learn more about what we ate -- and New Leaf -- check out my friend Amanda's post. I can't wait to go back and try their Blackberry Margarita (and enjoy another Sour Cherry Scone. Oh my goodness, heavenly...).

Love wine? Check out Plonk!

My latest obsession? Plonk Wine Merchants!

For all you wine-lovers out there, they specialize in high-quality, low-production wines that are also reasonably-priced!

I'm lusting after their Malbecs and Zinfandels. You?

Simply French: Spinach and Gruyère Soufflé

For even the most experienced cooks, making a soufflé can be intimidating. I’ve begun to play around with soufflé recipes, each time remembering a couple of tricks to ensure my soufflé always rises.

To begin, you make a white roux, cooking melted butter with flour until the raw scent of the flour is gone. As long as you keep your heat on medium or medium-high, and watch and stir your roux, it won’t burn. To the roux, you add seasonings and milk to create the béchamel. The key here is to essentially bring this mixture to a boil, constantly stirring the bottom so the roux dissolves into the milk, which will cause the mixture to thicken. How thick is thick? You want the mixture to stop moving clockwise when you stop stirring it clockwise.

I also don’t use cream of tartar when whipping my egg whites. Instead, I always make sure there are no traces of egg yolk in my whites, and that I whip them to stiff peaks (I still raise the bowl upside down with a little shake to test this). Once I fold the whites together with the cheese, I’m very gentle, taking care to not deflate my whites, or the soufflé won’t rise.

This is a simple soufflé recipe that you can put on the table within an hour. Serve with a hearty green salad with beets, or simply alone for a light appetizer. Just remember to serve it immediately, before it begins to fall as it cools.

Spinach and Gruyère Soufflé
As published on The Daily Meal

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing molds

2 tablespoons flour, plus more for dusting in molds

1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground pepper

A couple pinches of cayenne

A couple pinches of nutmeg

6 egg yolks

8 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated

1 cup frozen and defrosted spinach

6 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter the insides of four 2-cup soufflé dishes and dust with flour to coat.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Cook until the raw flour smell is gone. Off the heat, add the milk, salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg and whisk well, making sure to get all the flour off the bottom of the pan. Bring back to the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is nicely thick and smooth. 

Remove from heat and add in egg yolks, spinach, and cheese and combine well.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.

Whisk 1/4 of the whites into the cheese mixture to lighten, and then add the rest of the cheese mixture to the whites and gently fold in the cheese mixture (it will not be fully homogenous; don’t deflate your whites, as your soufflé won’t rise). Pour into soufflé dishes and place in the oven, turning the temperature down to 375 degrees. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the soufflés have risen and the tops are no longer wobbly (if you’re using a 4-cup dish, your soufflé will need about 30 minutes).

Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Quick Dinner: Pork Chop Milanese

One of my favorite dishes to order when dining out at an Italian restaurant, in addition to pasta, is veal milanese. Okay, it's not so good for you, but it's full of protein and is delightfully topped with an arugula and tomato salad (aka, healthy). So, when I'm craving something comforting, it's a lot better than any slice of bread with olive oil or ice cream. I can still remember the one Cava Wine Bar and Restaurant in New Canaan, CT serves. Sole Ristorante also makes a good one. Sadly, the chop Sant Ambroeus in New York City serves up was good, but just wasn't quite the same as the ones in Fairfield County. Il Cantinori, however? Cava and Sole, watch out. Frank and his team make something amazing!

Whether you're cooking for your kids, or just yourself, this versatile dish can be dressed up or down, depending on your needs. For picky kids, choose pork cutlets, or butterfly a boneless chop and serve with warm applesauce. For a dressier version, possibly for a dinner party, pound a bone-in chop to about 1/2-inch thickness and serve with a simple spinach and sun-dried tomato salad, tossed with a Champagne vinaigrette.

Pork Chop Milanese
As published on The Daily Meal

4 boneless pork chops, about 1 1/2 pounds, trimmed and butterflied

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup breadcrumbs, preferably panko

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1 egg, beaten

4 tablespoons canola oil

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. 

In a small bowl (that will fit a pork chop), combine breadcrumbs, cayenne pepper, and onion powder. Season well with salt and pepper and mix well.

Place beaten egg in another bowl of the same size.

Starting with the egg, dip each chop, making sure to fully coat it in egg and then let the excess drip off. Then dip the chop in the breadcrumbs, pressing down on both sides to fully coat the chop. Place chop on a clean plate and repeat until all chops are dredged.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of the oil and heat until shimmering. Add two chops and cook until the crumbs are golden, about 3-4 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining two chops.

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes

Healthy Breakfast: Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oats

My typical Saturday morning routine usually involves sleeping in 'til 9, a big wet cappuccino in my Austrian Gmunder Keramik mug, and then off to a gym class downstairs or a run outside.

Rolling out of bed this morning, that was the "plan," yet, I wasn't feeling either...

With a full schedule ahead (cleaning, a work event at Columbus Circle, errands, a big party to get ready for), I wasn't sure what to do. But, feeling foggy and lightheaded, breakfast would certainly have to come first.

I love oatmeal, especially on the weekends, made with coconut oil, cinnamon, dried fruit, and a hit of maple syrup. Yet, for some reason unbeknownst to me (um, bad timing?), my local Whole Foods -- and yes, I live in N.Y.C. and there are Whole Foods all over -- seemed to be out of organic rolled oats. So, two weekends ago, I decided to jump off the deep end -- we're trying steel-cut oats!

I'd heard many wonderful things about them and was especially interested in their nutty texture. But, I wasn't sure if I wanted to wait 30-40 minutes for my oatmeal fix when hungry.

Though I was very sleepy Saturday morning, I had an ah-ha moment when waiting for my espresso machine's steam wand to warm up -- why not start the oatmeal now and by the time I'd want it in 45 minutes, it'd be ready. So, I did just that. Smart girl!

While I usually make oatmeal with half milk and half water, I upped the coconut oil content when toasting my steel-cut oats and used only water when cooking them, later supplementing the grains with the soaking water that my dried plums and figs were plumping in. Add a bunch of cinnamon, unsweetened coconut flakes, and pure Vermont maple syrup, and voila. I am a happy girl. Enjoy!

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup steel-cut oats
1 cup water
6 pieces dried fruit (I used 4 plums and 2 figs)
1/3 cup boiling water
Salt, to taste
Vanilla, to taste
Banana, for serving
Unsweetened coconut flakes, for serving
Nuts, for garnish
Cinnamon, for garnish
Maple syrup, to taste

Add coconut oil to a small saucepan. Add the oats and toast over medium-high heat until nutty-scented and very aromatic. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stir well, then re-cover and cook 10 minutes longer or until the water has been mostly absorbed but the grains don't stick to the pot (ah, the secret of coconut oil).

While the oats cook, add the boiled water to your dried fruit and let it sit. Once the oats have cooked, add the fruit and the soaking liquid. Bring to a boil and season with salt and vanilla. Reduce to medium-low and cook, covered, until the rest of the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes longer (be sure to stir every couple of minutes so your oats are creamy).

Cut up banana and place in your serving bowl. Once the oatmeal is ready, add the oatmeal to the bowl and garnish with coconut, nuts, lots of cinnamon, and a tablespoon or two of maple syrup. Then it's time to combine it all together -- and eat!

Serves 1

News from The New York Times

Many of you know I have a real love for coconut oil when cooking. I use it to make my oatmeal, cook my brown rice, saute my vegetables, in green smoothies -- AND in delicious chocolate brownies. My mom introduced me to this wonderful oil (which is also good for your skin and thought to boost your metabolism) over 10 years ago with Thomas Keller's recipe for almond sables with chocolate crunch, and I later became obsessed with serving it, topped with pumpkin butter, on toast. The rest is history...

Melissa Clark of The New York Times recently interviewed me for an article on coconut oil, and it debuted yesterday!
Read on and learn something new about this healthy (yes, contrary to popular thought) oil here.