Herb and Spinach Frittata

On May 30, 2025May 30, 2025 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, fresh eatingLeave a comment

The first harvests of the season may not be as colorful as summer’s tomatoes and peppers and fall’s beets and carrots, but I always smile and sigh with pleasure as I dig my fork into a mound of spring greens. Salads suddenly become a daily presence. I pile the tender leaves deeply on sandwiches, sourdough pizza and fried eggs. My bean burritos and fish tacos become so stuffed that I can’t fold them closed.

The latest recipes in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon gently cook spring greens. Unlike the soggy, slimy effect that often comes from overcooking spinach and arugula, the greens barely wilt into egg and pasta dishes, remaining light and fresh.

This week’s frittata recipe expands my year-round Golden Onion and Potato Frittata to include fresh spinach and herbs. It could be called a crustless quiche or a big, open-faced omelet and tastes equally delicious for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Learn to make Herb and Spinach Frittata

Warm Quinoa and Feta Salad

On April 18, 2024April 18, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, saladsLeave a comment

We’ve had our usual cyclic spring weather in Montana, with a high of 76°F on Sunday followed by nights in the 20s. It makes me appreciate even more the first spring greens and herbs that eagerly pop through the sun-warmed soil and then tough out the crisp nights and frosty mornings. As I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, my first spring salads mainly consist of store-bought ingredients and sneak in handfuls of whatever garden treats appear first for fresh pops of green.

I make variations on these spring salads throughout the growing season, transitioning to homegrown summer vegetables and herbs as the weeks pass. But there’s something special about the ones made with those first perennial and self-seeded herbs and greens, the plants that bravely leaf out through 50°-plus temperature swings.
Learn to make Warm Quinoa and Feta Salad

Arugula Salad with Asparagus and Shaved Parmesan

On May 11, 2023November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, salads1 Comment

One of my favorite things about the start of garden season is clipping the first homegrown spring greens. If you grow lettuce, spinach, arugula, or other greens, you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, I highly recommend getting a few seeds and giving it a try. Homegrown greens have flavor that is often muted or missing from store-bought ones, and you can buy seeds in varieties that grocery stores won’t carry. These seeds grow easily in the ground or in pots. My sister seeds two “lettuce bowls”—wide, low plastic pots—for my parents each year that sit in the shade on their porch all summer. When the supply gets low, they simply pull the straggly plants and tuck in a few new seeds.

My homegrown lettuces and other greens mainly land in salads, as I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. I also tuck them into tacos and sandwiches, fold them into hot pasta or curry, and pair them with eggs.
Learn to make Arugula Salad with Asparagus and Shaved Parmesan