Brunch

Roasting veggies over high heat retains those delightful concentrated flavors.

After trying our healthful version of barbecue sauce, you’ll wonder why you ever bought the bottled kind.

It won’t take you long to do the actual preparation for this aromatic bread. During its resting and baking times, you can take a walk, fix dinner, or just relax.

Crisp, colorful vegetables are the highlights of this salad. Try it for a summertime picnic for a group or for the next family reunion.

Refreshing and crunchy, this fruit salad makes a good brunch dish with Turkey Sausage Patties (page 166).

Because it doesn’t contain mayonnaise, this slaw is a good picnic dish. It keeps well in the refrigerator for several days, so you can make it in advance.

These muffins boast more nutrition than a high-calorie snack bar. Pack two muffins in your lunchbox, and share your heart-healthy treat with a friend.

The raspberries or blueberries peek through the top of this coffee cake, giving a hint of what’s inside.

Whether you serve these pancakes for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner, they’ll soon become a family favorite.

With this recipe in your repertoire, you’ll be tempted to start a weekend tradition of serving waffles for a special breakfast treat. Double the recipe when you have guests or so you’ll have waffles to freeze for quick breakfasts later on.

A wonderfully moist cake (partly because of baby-food prunes), it’s perfect all on its own—no icing required!

When the dog days of summer arrive, turn to this no-cook chilled soup. It is low in sodium and calories, contains no fat, and is quite refreshing.

This hefty snack cake gives you a double dose of carrots—such a scrumptious way to eat your vegetables!

A rustic whole-wheat biscuit topping complements the lightly sweetened fruit of this homey dessert.

Sliced almonds add crunch to the crumbles topping plump slices of sweet, firm-fleshed nectarines in this fragrant dessert.

By roasting bell peppers instead of using the bottled roasted variety, you will cut a lot of sodium from these crostini, or “little toasts.” For an attractive presentation, arrange the hors d’oeuvres in a pinwheel design on a serving platter.

These smoky flavored olives are always the first thing to disappear off an antipasti platter or hors d’oeuvres spread. The brightness of the orange zest enhances the earthy flavors of the olives; you can use freshly squeezed orange juice if you don’t have zest. I love to serve these straight from the oven, still warm.

Pizza makes a fun dessert, and this one can be served for breakfast as well. It’s topped with seasonal fruit and a dollop of honey-flavored mascarpone cheese, but you can serve it with vanilla bean ice cream instead, if you prefer. Try other grilled fruits such as peaches or nectarines on this pizza.

Focaccia can be either savory or sweet. Topped with grapes, figs, and candied orange peel, it’s a great breakfast or brunch bread. This is one of the favorites from my cooking classes. You can substitute the grapes and figs with other fresh fruit such as strawberries and peaches. Keep the toppings light; don’t overload the focaccia.

This was the first dish I learned to cook on the Big Green Egg, at the masterful hands of Ray Lampe, aka Dr. BBQ. This recipe yields a very succulent, lightly cooked, smoky fish. It calls for salmon, but any seasonal fish such as halibut or even trout can be substituted. I like to keep the seasoning to a minimum so the flavor of the fresh fish comes through. If you choose to add more herbs to your version, dried herbs work best. Adding fruit wood chips to the hot coals contributes another layer of flavor. I like apple wood best for maintaining a sweet flavor. Serve with lightly dressed baby greens.