• 1/2 cup red or wild rice
• 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
• 1/4 cup pearl barley or farro
• 1/2 cup farina or wheat cereal
• 1 2-inch piece orange peel
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 2-tbsp packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, rasins and/or chopped apricots)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• chopped nuts, maple syrup and/or milk, for serving (optional)

1. Up to 12 hours before serving, put the rice, oats, barley and farina in a 6-to-10 cup rice cooker. Stir in the orange peel, cinnamon stick, sugar, salt and 5 cups of water. Add the dried fruit.
2. Close the cooker, set the timer and program for the porridge cycle so that breakfast is ready at the desired time. (If you don't have a porridge setting on your rice cooker, program for 50-55 minutes).
3. Serve the warm porridge with nuts, syrup and/or milk, if desired.

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb total)
• 1 tbsp extra0virgin oiive oil, plus more for drizzling
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 ounces deli-sliced roasted red bell peppers, drained (about 1/3 cup)
• 4 oz cooked sirloin or skirt steak, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup arugula or watercress

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Slice off the 4 long sides of each of the sweet potatoes so the potatoes are squared off and sit flat on a cutting board. Slice the potatoes lengthwise into 1/2 inch-thick planks, about 5-inches-by-2-inches (you should get 3 planks per sweet potato). Combine the sweet potatoes, oilve oil and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl and toss gently to coat. Spread them out on a baking sheet and roast, flipping halfway through, gently to coat. Spread them out on a baking sheet and roast, flipping halfway through, until lightly browned and tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Remove the sweet potato toasts to 2 plates.
3. Divide the peppers among the toasts, then top the steak. In a small bowl, toss the arugula with a drizzle of olive oil and dash of hot sauce, then distribute over steak. Season each toast with salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper. Serve immediately.

You can make the toasts in advance and refrigerate them in an airtight container up to 4 days. Reheat in a toaster until warmed through.

• kosher salt
• 1/2 lb haricots verts or green beans, halved
• 2/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 3 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise
• 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh baisl
• 3 anchovy fillets, chopped
• 1/2 lb lump or claw crabmeat
• 1 Hass avocado, halved, pitted and diced
• 3 romaine hearts, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat croutons
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the haricots verts and cook until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking.
2. Puree the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, basil and anchovies in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Toss the crabmeat, half of the avocado and about 1 tbsp of the yogurt dressing in a bowl. Toss the avocado with the remaining dressing in a large bowl.
4. Divide the romaine salad among plates, top with the tomatoes and place some of the crab mixture in a the center.

• olive oil spray
• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 21 mini rainbow peppers, halved and seeded (about 12 oz seeded)
• 1 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp light sour cream, thinned with 1 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp sliced black olives
• 1 jalapeno, sliced thin (optional)
• chopped cilantro, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400F and line a large baking tray with parchment or aluminum foil. Lightly spray with oil.
2. Spray oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat.
3. Add onion, garlic and cilantro and saute about 2 minutes, add ground turkey, salt, garlic powder, cumin and cook meat for 4-5 minutes unto=il meat is completely cooked through. Add 1/4 cup tomato sauce and chicken broth, mix well and simmer on medium for about 5 minutes, remove from heat.
4. Meanwhile, arrange mini peppers in a single layer, cut-side up close together.
5. Fill each with cooked ground turkey mixture, then top with shredded cheese and jalapeno slices, if using.
6. Bake 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.
7. Remove from oven and top with black olives, sour cream and cilantro. Serve immediately.

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cups quick cooking oats or use large for more texture - gluten free if necessary
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries

1. In a food processor, process almonds, lemon zest, juice and honey until smooth (this can take a few minutes).
2. Add in half the oats and process again until smooth.
3. Store in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months.
4. To mix things up and add more protein try swapping 1/4 cups of oats for chia seeds, hemp seeds or ground flax.

• 1 hole chicken (broiler/fryer) cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme
• 40 peeled cloves garlic
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Toss with a 2 tbsp olive oil and brown on both sides in a wide fry pan or skillet over high heat. Remove from heat, add oil, thyme, and garlic cloves. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
3. Remove chicken from oven, let rest for 5-10 minutes.

• 1/2 lb whole-wheat spaghetti pasta
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin oil
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 4 (4oz) pieces salmon
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 3 tbsp capers
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally about 8 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl. Add the garlic, extra-virgin oilve oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.
2. Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Add the fish to the pan and cook until medium-rarem about 2 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish. Remove the salmon from the pan.
3. Add the basil, capers, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the spaghetti mixture and toss to combine, Set out 4 serving plates or shallow bowls. Place 1/2 cup spinach in each bowl. Top with 1/4 of the pasta. Top each mound of pasta with a piece of salmon. Serve immediately.