Thank you to everyone who came out this past Saturday to have brunch with us! Glad to know that everyone enjoyed themselves along with Chef Joni Sare’s amazing three course brunch. Here’s a recap of what the beautiful sunny Saturday morning was like.

If you’re interested in how to recreate meals from Saturday’s brunch, Chef Joni Sare shared with us just how to do that. Take a look below!

Prickly Pear Chutney

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients (see substitutions, below)

3 Prickly Pears, peeled and seeded

1 cup thinly sliced Japanese green onion (1/8 – 1/4-inch wide slices)

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup small-chopped jellied quince

Directions

1. Peel and seed 1 prickly pear, puree the fruit and put in small mixing bowl. (See below for tips on how to use the seeds.)

2. Peel and seed 2 prickly pear, slice into small pieces, add to the puree along with the green onion slices, vinegar and sweetener; stir well.

Serving ideas:

1. This chutney will go well with any fatty/oily savory dish as the sweet sour will help disperse the fat in your mouth as you are chewing. I served it on the Home Fries recipe, below. Other ideas: any egg plate, frittatas, quiche; or with sliced meats; or top your favorite stews, chili; or sandwiches, cheese plates; or a dip for chips, crackers.

Tips

​1. In place of Japanese green onion use: scallion, or diced red onion, or diced shallots

2. In place of balsamic vinegar use: any source of sour such as other vinegars, lemons or use reduced red wine; add a touch more sweetener if need be

3. In place of jellied quince use: any source of sweet or combination of:

- any syrups such as: honey, maple syrup, pomegranate syrup

- stevia, xylitol or other alternative sugar substitute

​4. The seeds in prickly pear fruit have quite a bit of pulp clinging to them. This pulp can be extracted by soaking the seeds in a liquid and then straining it. The liquid can be water, juice, broth. You can heat the liquid if you desire and then strain it. Put the seeds in soup broth, along with all other veggie parts that are too woody, too fibrous, or too blemished to use otherwise, and then strain as usual.

 

 

​Home Fries (breakfast potatoes)

​Makes 10 cups​

​Ingredients

1 Tbls high-heat oil (such as filtered olive oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil)

5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced to 1/2-inch cubes

1 onion, sliced vertically

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 tsp ground dried herbs

1 tsp paprika

Sea salt and black pepper to taste​

1 Tbls minced fresh rosemary

​Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Spread the oil evenly on a baking sheet.

3. Put the potatoes, onion, bell pepper on the baking sheet, toss well with the oil.

​4. S

prinkle the dried herbs, paprika, salt and pepper, toss the mixture as you sprinkle in order to cover all sides of the

veggies.​

​5

. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan.

6. Sprinkle the fresh rosemary evenly on top of the potato mixture.

​7. Cover tightly with foil and bake on the center rack for 40 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes -without removing the foil (see tips, below).

9. Remove the foil, stir well. If you are serving right away, toss the mixture with a bit of butter and put back into the oven uncovered for 10 minutes, stir at 5 minutes. Or fry with a bit of butter in a skillet. If serving the next day then let cool and refrigerate, and then fry with a bit of butter in a skillet just before serving.

Tips

1. This dish is always better when you make it one day ahead and then reheat the Home Fries in a skillet with a bit of butter. 

2. I enjoy any type of potato – and most people use either Russet (baking potatoes) or Red Potatoes. Any of the other potatoes will do: blue/purple, yellow, white, fingerling and petites. 

3. Peeling the potato is optional.​

4. Herbs and spices can be any combination of herbs, fresh and or dried. I used a mixture of fresh rosemary, and Bells Seasoning mix, which is powdered dried herbs: rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, marjoram, thyme and pepper. 

​5. The reason to let the Home Fries sit 10 minutes after removing them from the oven –with the foil tightly in place– is because the steam that is captured will help the fond (the stuck-on goodies) on the bottom of the pan to lift right up. This trick works for rice, oatmeal, sauteed veggies, anything. Food will stick to the bottom of a dry pan and chefs use a liquid (wine, broth, milk, butter) to deglaze the fond. Or use steam: just tightly cover and let the steam accumulate to release the bits. Do not use this method when cooking greens as they will turn brown; and do not use this method if you want dry crispy-fried like potatoes, unless you want it soft.

6. I use a jelly roll pan that has about 1-inch tall sides and a good-sized rolled lip. This is best so that I can tuck the foil over and underneath the lip for a very tight seal.

Red Quinoa Savory Pancakes topped with Herbed Turkey Patties and Garlic Aioli

Red Quinoa Savory Pancakes 

Makes 16 pancakes (3-inch diameter)

Ingredients

3 cups cooked red quinoa

1 onion, diced small

1 bell pepper, diced small

1 Tbls garlic powder or garlic granules

4 eggs

1/2 cup almond milk​

1/4 cup acorn flour

1 Tbls baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

 

Directions

1. Cook the quinoa according to the package directions, let cool.

2. Meanwhile, cook the onion and bell pepper in a skillet on medium heat until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. When cooked, sprinkle with the garlic granules, stir well, and let cool.

3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

5. In a food processor, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, mix all ingredients well. 

6. Spoon a 1/2 cup mixture onto a baking sheet, flatten out to 3-inch diameter and 1/2-inch thick, not too thin. Repeat until the baking sheet is full. Bake for 8 minutes and transfer to plate or cooking rack. Repeat until all is cooked.

​ ​

7. Serve in a stack with Herbed Turkey Patties, topped with Garlic Aioli (see patty recipe, below). 

Tips

​1. Use cooked onions and bell peppers as cooking them will release moisture and give a soft texture to match that of the cooked quinoa and acorn flour.

2. Use any milk in place of almond milk, just know that low-fat milks will make a thinner pancake and offer less flavor than full-fat milk.

3. I make my own ‘heavy’ almond milk: Blend 1 cup almonds​ and 2 cups water, and strain. Save the rest of the milk and pulp to make smoothies, almond cheese, crackers, bread or other.

4. ​This is a great make-ahead item, transfer the cooked pancakes from the baking pan to a cooling rack, let cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a 4-5 days.

5. Freeze in a freezer zip-top baggie with alternating layers of waxed paper or parchment paper.

​Herbed Turkey Patties with Garlic Aioli

Makes 20 patties (2-inch diameter)

Ingredients​

2 carrots, diced small

1 onion​, diced small

1 Tbls ground herbs

Sea salt to taste

​2 lbs ground turkey

​Garnish: Garlic Aioli​

​Directions

1. Cook the carrots and onion in a skillet on medium heat, stir occasionally and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add a bit of water if it sticks to the bottom of the pan.

2. Sprinkle the herbs on the veggies, toss the veggies as you sprinkle in order to cover all sides of the

veggies.​

3. Transfer the veggies to a plate, let cool.

4. When cool, put the veggies and turkey in a large bowl and mix well.

5. Form into patties and cook in a skillet on medium heat, about 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

6. To serve: place the Herbed Turkey Patty on top of a cooked Red Quinoa Savory Pancake and top with a dollop of Garlic Aioli.

Tips​

​1. Bake the patties on a baking pan at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, or until cooked through (no need to flip them). Put them in at the same time as the Red Quinoa Pancakes, above.

2. Freeze the patties by putting the raw patties on a baking pan, then put in freezer for 3 – 4 hours. When frozen, transfer them to a freezer zip-top baggie. To cook: remove one, two or as many as you need and place the frozen patties in a small saute pan with 1/4 cup water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook/steam on medium heat for 10 minutes, flip at 5 minutes.

3. The “Garlic Aioli” is a pre-made “Lebanese Garlic Sauce” that I found at Whole Foods Market near me. Check Whole Foods or Persian markets near you, or purchase online.

Easy Eggs over Sauteed Greens with Mustard and Lemongrass

​Makes ​4 servings

Ingredients

1 Tbls minced lemongrass

1 Tbls tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)

1 Tbls prepared mustard

2 bunch collard greens, sliced to bite-size pieces

4 eggs

Fresh-cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Fry 4 eggs in a skillet on medium-low heat, with 1 tablespoon water, cover with a tight-fitting lid. Let cook for 6 minutes, or until the whites are set and the yolk is warmed and still soft. Remove from heat immediately and set aside, best to uncover so that the eggs do not cook much more.

2. Meanwhile, in large pot, heat the tamari, mustard and lemongrass on medium heat until hot, about a minute.

3. Add the greens, stir well to coat and cook until wilted, about 4 – 6 minutes. Stir frequently.

4. Place the cooked greens on a plate and top with an egg, then fresh-cracked black pepper.

Tips

1. Use any leafy greens or combination of: collards, kale, chard, spinach, bok choy, arugula. If using other super greens such as broccoli or asparagus, then slice them to small bite-size pieces and cook until al dente, about 4 – 6 minutes, stir occasionally. Add leafy greens when the broccoli, asparagus is crisp tender (al dente), and cook until the greens are wilted, about 4 – 6 minutes, stir often.

2. In place of the tamari use: regular soy sauce, or 1 tsp miso with 1 Tbls water, or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, or Coconut Aminos; or other similar salty-sour condiment.

3. Any type of mustard will do, I’ve used them all.

4. Best to serve the greens with eggs that still have runny yolks as this will be the fat that is used to coat the greens -a very yummy combination with the salty-sour greens. (Make your eggs: sunny-side up, easy over or poached eggs.)