I really really need to tear myself away from the guilty pleasure that is Skins.

Anyway, summer is coming, folks, and with that, it means it’s getting close to time to setting your heavier recipes aside and letting lighter meals come through. I am never ever 100% on board with this idea, but I am trying, seeing as how I am determined to keep this gym regimen up. Lighter simpler meals means less guilt about certain things (I’m looking at you, Trader Joe’s Ice Cream Sandwiches).

I prepped quite possibly a perfect hands-off grain salad on Sunday; I knew I was going to be out with the boys and the idea of having something ready for me to eat as soon as I staggered home was a relief. Having found a recipe from the AJC food writer John Kessler praising the simplicity of this meal, I set to. In no time—well, a few hours because I wasn’t home whilst the salad was coming into its own—I had something I could sink my teeth into as I shrugged off my party boots and snuggled on my sofa.

I’ve already mentioned to the LSC that it’s interesting and slightly scary that I own no less than five different kinds of vinegars, but it seems as though I am going to start a grains collection soon. I’ve already mentioned my experiment with quinoa last month; this month the star is bulgur. Don’t get me wrong: I like rice—in fact, I’ve recently come to adore jasmine rice–but it can so dull, so staid. And trying new foods is what any lover of cooking should do.

I think this salad is perfect for those of you who take their lunch to work. You prep, arrange it, pack, and wait in your little cubicle until noon. And two hours later: voila! It’s like delicious magic.

Oh yeah, in the interest of total disclosure, I totally placed dollops of fresh goat cheese on mine. I didn’t have to, but ohmigod, it sure was good. Some protein probably wouldn’t be out of line here, either. Use what you’ve got!

Tomato & Bulgur Salad

1/2 cup of bulgur (be forewarned that while bulgur looks teeny tiny, it expands)

3 medium sized tomatoes

2 tbl. olive oil

juice of 1 large lemon

1 minced shallot

1/2 tsp. dried mint

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

salt & pepper to taste

1 small cucumber (I used half of a very large seedless one)

Rinse the bulgur under warm tap water in a colander, then spread in the bottom of a food storage container that is large enough to toss the ingredients in. Quarter and slice the tomatoes and layer them on top; do the same with the shallot. Sprinkle the oil, lemon juice, mint, oregano, salt and pepper over the tomato and shallot. Peel and slice the cucumber and place the slices over the top. Snap on a lid and let it sit at ROOM TEMPERATURE for at least 1 1/2 hours. Before eating, toss the ingredients.

The bounty of spring has me gasping at the veggies that are coming into their own as the weather warms. I gave you asparagus last week—also a fantastic veggie to tinker with in the following method—and this week I give you cauliflower. Yes, that seemingly dowdy and dull albino sister of broccoli: cauliflower.

Wait…where are you going?

Don’t you know that cauliflower has so many other uses other than lying crisp and bland in your garden salad? Than being lifelessly steamed and put to use as a side dish for an apparently dead boring diet? In fact, have you ever had cauliflower roasted?

No? Oh my, you are in for a treat, friend. Crispy bits with tender insides, the very essence of golden, you really need to take advantage of spring’s bounty in every way possible.

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head (about 2 lbs.) cauliflower, trimmed of leaves and cut into bite-size pieces

2 tbl. olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Heat your oven to 450. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the oil and salt and pepper. (I’m a bit salt sensitive so I found one large pinch of kosher salt worked just fine for me.) Spread on a nonstick foil lined baking sheet. Roast 25 to 35 minutes, stirring to make sure everything gets a nice crust in places.

*You could also add some garlic or herbs if you wanted to go a bit more fancy. Remember: you can do this with asparagus, snow peas, carrots, turnips/rutabagas. Whatever’s in season!

If having adventures in the kitchen weren’t enough to keep a girl occupied, adventures with a very headstrong cat helps. You’ve met Drusilla (aka Noonie, Nooners) before and oddly enough this is a photo I took last week of her in the very same window she managed to fall out of. I am not sure what happened—I was taking a nap, terrible Cat Mom am I—but she somehow tumbled, or leapt, out of the second story window, marched right up to the front door, and meowed in no uncertain terms to let her the hell back inside. She’s fine; no sprains or broken limbs, and for that I am very thankful.

The LSC urged me to give her lots of pats and treats, which she reluctantly accepted. Such is living with a cat like Noonie.

One of my favorite things is breakfast for dinner. My mom’s a helluva cook, but I tell you what, when she used to make pancakes for dinner, there was nothing better.

Sadly, I usually get other people to make my pancakes for me nowadays—and an extensive restaurant-pancake review is probably way overdue—so that when I do have breakfast for dinner, I opt for savory instead of sweet. Nonetheless, the recipe below cries out for lazy weekend brunches with pitchers of mimosas or super duper extra spicy Bloody Marys.

I’d also like to point out that this “egg bake”—which I have taken the arrogant liberty of calling a “tart”—is fantastic refrigerator velcro; you can easily use whatever herbs/veggies/cheese you have on hand. You can even make it the night before so as to spend more time socializing with your brunch guests and having a fabulous eye-opener.

Fresh Asparagus & Herb Baked Eggs

7 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup AP flour

1 tsp. baking powder (though I subbed baking soda and honestly, I didn’t notice a difference)

2 tsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 dash hot sauce (your choice—I used Crystal, the fave of New Orleanians everywhere)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried chives

1 16 oz. carton cottage cheese

8 oz. cream cheese, cut into small cubes

2 cups shredded cheese, such as Gruyere or sharp cheddar

1 bunch fresh raw asparagus, cleaned, ends trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, pepper, and hot sauce until frothy. Stir in herbs, cottage cheese, cream cheese cubes, half the shredded cheese and the asparagus. Pour into a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 60 minutes. (If you prepped it overnight, then it will need those extra fifteen minutes.)  When the eggs are set in the center and the top is lightly browned, you’re all ready!