We ate it with a piece of fish on the side, but you could easily toss shrimp, chicken or tofu in the pan and mix/cook it altogether. Don’t forget to drizzle it with sesame oil — just a touch — and you’ll feel like you’re having dinner in your local Chinese restaurant.

I adapted this recipe from the always dependable Love & Lemons… and the best part? It tastes even better the next day as leftovers. Throw it in tupperware, bring it to work, and get ready to make some colleagues very jealous.

a) it’s Mexican-inspired and lord knows we love Mexican food

b) like the shakshuka from a few weeks ago, it can be made for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In fact, when I first made it, it was both breakfast and lunch because I wound up eating leftovers of it for the next few days

c) it’s hearty but still healthy so everyone is satisfied (with no guilt!)

d) it’s as simple as mixing ingredients together in a bowl (see below), spreading them into a skillet, and baking

Man, these were good. I changed Brian’s definition of a burger when I made these for us. I haven’t had a burger (a meat one) in years, but these are just as hearty, just as juicy, and just as satisfying as their (ahem, unhealthier) counterparts.

They’re super easy to make and even more versatile. I served them on a bed of kale with sliced tomatoes and some homemade spicy dressing. (I’ll post that recipe soon, but it’s a mixture of vegenaise, lemon juice and sriracha.) You could easily put them on a bun if you like, with ketchup and mustard as you would a burger of meat perhaps, or you could serve them atop any green.

The original recipe is from Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, of which I am a huge fan, but you’ll see I adapted it a bit.

It’s time for episode 7 of TV Dinner on ulive and this one is going to blow your mind. It’s quinoa for breakfast. Maybe you’ve already had it and you’re all, Jam, you’re mad late to this. But for those of us who always thought of quinoa as a dinner food, this is a game-changer. The woman behind it? My new friend Liz Stein, founder of the incredibly successful and delicious granola company Purely Elizabeth. All of their food is free of soy, dairy and gluten and certified vegan as well. (Try the pumpkin fig granola and you’ll never eat another kind again.)

Anyway my friend Noah introduced me to Liz and I knew right away I had to have her on TV Dinner. But since her company’s granola recipe is a secret, she suggested we make this banana nut breakfast quinoa instead. I was hesitant about starting the day with quinoa cause I always thought of it as savory, not sweet, but this recipe won me over with the first spoonful. It tastes and smells like french toast because of the cinnamon and vanilla, but instead of the carbs and by proxy, guilt that comes with those slabs of egg and butter-drenched bread, you have a bowl of yummy superfood goodness.

You must try; it’s so easy to make. Liz brought up a good point the day we were filming, too: you can make a huge batch of plain quinoa and keep it in the fridge or freezer. That way when you’re ready for a little breakfast action, just heat it up and toss in the seeds and spices.

For more recipes from Liz and Purely Elizabeth, check out their Fall magazine which is full of great ideas. And there also may or may not be an interview with yours truly.

It couldn’t have been a better fit either, because much like Felicia, this pomegranate, nut, and green herb quinoa surprises you — in the best way possible. I hope she doesn’t mind being compared to food! But seriously, they’re both full of flavor and the most perfect juxtapositions: punchy but sweet, intricately layered but delicate. After I told Felicia that Jane’s other quinoa dish I made was very much in the same vein, she picked up her phone and ordered the cookbook from Amazon Prime, right on the spot. (She’s also now itching to buy my favorite Kyocera knife and my Vitamix too! More on that in a moment.)

What I love most about Felicia though is her infectious excitement over food and food photography. It’s so delightful being around someone who’s just as crazy (again, in the best way possible) about the taste and styling of her meals. And her attention to detail pays off, big time, as evidenced in her post about our cookfest yesterday; her photos are stunning.

She has the full quinoa recipe there so I’ll just add the one for homemade hummus, which is where that Vitamix comes in. Sure you can buy hummus at the store, but making your own is super simple and so much healthier. Plus you can tailor it exactly to your liking, which for me means Garlic to the enth degree. You might ask, as I did when I first saw the recipe: what is hummus even doing in this quinoa dish? I’ll tell you: making it amazing. It adds a creaminess that holds all the ingredients together and a surprising mediterranean feel. It’s almost like you’re on DVF’s yacht with Jane. Almost.

If I had to pick a favorite item of clothing in my closet, it’d probably be my leopard print Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress. I remember first putting it on in the store, how hesitant I was about its cut (accentuating  every curve of my body) and its bright pink print, attracting a little more attention than I wanted. But after a nudge from a smart stylist I wore it on TV and instantly fell in love. What had all seemed too much, was in fact the perfect mix of fun, smart, and sexy.

It’s no surprise then that the cookbook by DVF’s personal chef aboard her yacht, Jane Coxwell, conjured up those exact same feelings. Fresh Happy Tasty is full of colorful, vibrant, and flavorful recipes. A lot of the ingredient lists — like the one for this green apple and macadamia nut quinoa — are full of food and spices that I would have never dreamed of putting together. And then, just like that dress, after one bite I was hooked. I stood in my kitchen, serving spoon in hand, shoveling it in my mouth before my guests arrived. (Sorry Callie + David!)

I had never thought to put yogurt with quinoa — even one you’d eat for breakfast, let alone dinner — but it added a subtle sweetness and creaminess that held the dish together beautifully. I’ll never make quinoa without it again. Then you’ll notice the Maldon salt in both the recipe and one of the photos. Jane showcases this salt as one of her kitchen essentials in the beginning of her cookbook, so I decided to hunt it down. I actually found it in the produce market in the back of Chelsea Market (for my NYC readers) and it was well worth it. I got the smoky version, which offset the yogurt and hot peppers perfectly.

The best part of this dish though? How easy it was to make. Only the quinoa and nuts need to cook; everything else is just chopped up and thrown in raw. So think of me as that stylist who first convinced me to buy and wear that DVF wrap dress: get yourself involved with this recipe this weekend. Then buy her cookbook. You’ll thank me later.