Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. What I like about it so much is that it can venture far and beyond the standard eggs and toast (although that simple combination is one of the most satisfying). You can incorporate leftovers, for example, a hash of that bit of steak and roasted potatoes you served last night. It’s also the only meal where sweet and salty are fully incorporated.

These are eggs scrambled with smoky and garlicky Spanish-style chorizo, scallions, and ricotta cheese fresh from the greenmarket. Alongside are pickled red onions, which I always have in my fridge (recipe forthcoming) and use to add vinegary tang and crunch to everything from gooey omelets to grilled chicken. The pickled jalapeños are canned, but I do have them on hand all the time: they’re really not that spicy, but the pickling brine is bright, sweet, and sour and balances dishes that need a kick.

Tortillas? I prefer those charred, as the corn flavor deepens and the fire adds crunch. If you don’t have a gas stove, try a quick run under the broiler.

CHORIZO, SCALLION, AND CHEESE SCRAMBLE

Serves 2

1 fresh Spanish chorizo sausage
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cotija or ricotta cheese, crumbled
Chopped cilantro (optional)

- Squeeze the sausage out of the casing and crumble it into a nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until it begins to lose it’s orange-pink color. Add the scallions and continue cooking and stirring until they begin to soften.

- Crack the eggs directly into the pan, fishing out any shell pieces with a larger piece of shell. (Growing up, I never saw an egg beaten before being scrambled in the skillet!)Season with salt and pepper and reduce the heat to medium. Scramble continuously until the eggs are cooked through.

- Divide the eggs among 2 plates and top with cheese and cilantro if using. Serve with pickled onions, pickled jalapeños, and warm charred tortillas.

Once a week I go out for a burger. I’m a carnivore to the core, and, if I don’t eat meat (medium-rare, very bloody, please) at least once every seven days, the craving begins to gnaw at my stomach and my brain, plaguing my dreams. 

With that glimpse into my penchant for red meat, you’ll wonder about my take on a veggie burger. It’s simple, and, should be used by everyone, whatever dietary creed they subscribe to: a veggie burger should have texture and heft, and not be a wad of mushy vegetables, as they so often are.

This burger combines a number of textures and flavors, with earthy, sweet, and and salty components like sweet potatoes, mushrooms, walnuts, herbs, and soy sauce. And bonus: it’s high in protein, thanks to quinoa. It’s a must-try, even for the red meat fanatics.

QUINOA, SWEET POTATO, AND WALNUT VEGGIE BURGERS
adapted from my book, The Quinoa [Keen-Wah] Cookbook Yields 4 (6 ounce patties) 

For the Veggie Burgers
2 sweet potatoes (8 to 10 ounces / 225 to 300 grams each), peeled and cut into 1 inch / 2.5 centimeter dice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
8 ounces / 225 grams cremini or shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and coarsely chopped
½ cup (2 ounces / 60 grams) walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 large shallots, finely chopped
2 teaspoons soy sauce, plus more to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, plus more to taste
1 cup (6 ounces / 180 grams) Cooked Quinoa
¼ cup cilantro and flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 

• Place sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water. Add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and weigh out 10 ounces (to yield 1 cup, mashed) and reserve.
  
•  In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushroom, walnuts, shallot, and 2 teaspoons soy sauce and cook, stirring, until mushrooms are golden brown and shallot is softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sherry cook 1 more minute. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings with soy sauce, vinegar, and pepper. 
  
•  Mash the sweet potato and stir in the mushroom mixture, quinoa, cilantro, and parsley. Divide the mixture into 4 portions and shape them into 5 inch / 12.5 centimeter diameter patties. Wipe out skillet and coat lightly with oil. Heat skillet over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. Cook the patties until deep golden brown on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes per side. 
  

 Serving Suggestions

 Dijon mustard and mayonnaise
Teriyaki sauce
Barbeque Sauce
Crisp lettuces
Sprouts 

PHOTO BY ZACH DESART 

This is one of my favorite recipes—or rather, non-recipes since it comes together without much thought and is augmented or pared down depending on the ingredients I have on hand. Delicious served warm as a side dish, but hearty enough to be main course, especially when accompanied by a lightly dressed green salad or a runny fried egg. They’re pretty great at room temperature, too. 

I like to start with dried chickpeas, soaking them overnight, then simmering them in salted water or chicken stock for 15 to 20 minutes until they’re tender. After I drain them, I soak them in good olive oil and season them to taste with salt, pepper, and sometimes red pepper flakes, or my preferred Aleppo pepper. I make about 6 cups at a time and use the chickpeas throughout the week in different ways. You can always use canned chickpeas (DO rinse them and drain them well prior to eating), but they won’t have that delicate crunch the other ones have.

For this quick chickpea recipe, add enough olive oil to a medium skillet to cover the bottom. Heat it over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then add thinly sliced yellow onions or shallots. Season them with salt and pepper and cook them until they begin to turn golden, about 6 minutes. Add 1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced or very thinly sliced,  and red pepper flakes or Aleppo and cook 1 more minute, then add the chickpeas and increase the heat to high and cook them until they’re warmed through and beginning to crisp. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and some chopped parsley.

I sometimes add slices of Spanish chorizo along with the chickpeas and serve them alongside garlicky shrimp. Once in a while I find leftover rice pilaf and I toss it in there as well. Basic little things, but enjoyable and always welcome at the table.