The Cowgirl Chef’s no-fuss Mother’s Day menu

• 1 head of romaine, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 English cucumber, seeds removed and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 2 ounces Gorgonzola crumbles
• Salt and pepper to taste
• E-Z French vinaigrette, recipe follows

Toss the first 5 ingredients in a large salad bowl. Use the salt and pepper, and taste for seasonings. Add as much dressing as you’d like and toss again. Serve right away.

Cowgirl tip: Add chopped egg, bacon, ham or all three to make this a dinner salad.

Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 4, without E-Z French vinaigrette: 185 calories, 12 grams fat, 14 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams protein, 13 milligrams cholesterol, 220 milligrams sodium, 7 grams dietary fiber, 55 percent of calories from fat.

Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 4, with E-Z French vinaigrette: 429 calories, 39 grams fat, 16 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams protein, 13 milligrams cholesterol, 265 milligrams sodium, 7 grams dietary fiber, 78 percent of calories from fat.

E-Z French vinaigrette

Makes about  3/4 cup

• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh herbs (basil, thyme, chives)
• 1/2 cup olive oil

1. Put sherry vinegar, minced shallot, mustard, a big pinch of salt, pepper and herbs in a jam jar, and shake until combined. Let rest for about 10 minutes — this softens the intensity of the shallots’ flavor and allows the salt to dissolve.

2. Add the olive oil. Taste for seasonings again.

Nutritional analysis per 1-tablespoon serving: 84 calories, 9 grams fat, trace carbohydrates, trace protein, no cholesterol, 15 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber, 98 percent of calories from fat.

• 1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 4 to 5 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1 medium white onion, cut into eighths
• 1 lemon, cut into eighths

1. Carefully lifting the skin from the chicken, slide the thyme springs underneath. Place some in the cavity, too. Rub the olive oil all over the chicken. Generously salt and pepper — in the cavity and on both sides — and stuff equal pieces of the onion and lemon in the cavity. Truss if you’d like, although this chicken will roast just fine if you don’t. Place the chicken in a Pyrex dish or roasting pan, cover with foil or plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a few hours.

2. Take the chicken out an hour before you cook it, so it can come to room temperature before cooking (a cold bird going into a hot oven won’t cook evenly).

3. Heat oven to 400 degrees. When the oven’s ready, remove the foil or wrap, and place the chicken, breast-side up, on the middle rack.

4. Cook for 20 minutes, then flip chicken over to the other side for another 20, and back to the breast-side up for the final 20 minutes. The chicken should be ready when the drumstick easily wiggles, when the juices run clear, or when a meat thermometer registers 180 degrees when placed in the thigh.

5. Let the chicken rest, covered with a foil tent, for 15 minutes before carving.

Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 8: 228 calories, 14 grams fat, 2 grams carbohydrates, 23 grams protein, 69 milligrams cholesterol, 116 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber, 55 percent of calories from fat.

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 large head of broccoli, florets removed (about 2 cups)
•  1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• Zest of 1 lime
• 2 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast until browned on both sides, turning once, for about 40 minutes.

2. Put the broccoli florets on another large baking sheet. Toss with 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper and roast until the florets are just slightly brown — you don’t want the broccoli to get too brown or it will taste bitter. It’ll take about 20 minutes.

3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the chopped onion. Cook this until you can smell the onion, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the jalapeño and let it cook with the onions until slightly softened. Now add the sweet potatoes, broccoli, cumin, lime zest and baby spinach. Toss to warm through and combine. Taste for seasonings. It’s ready when the spinach begins to wilt (it’ll keep cooking once you turn off the heat). Serve immediately.

Cowgirl tip: Leftovers? Add an egg or two and make breakfast tacos the next day.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 249 calories, 14 grams fat, 29 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, no cholesterol, 29 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber, 49 percent of calories from fat.

• 6 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1  3/4 cups almond flour
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup wild blueberries
• Powdered sugar, for serving

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment, and butter the parchment and sides generously.

2. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture is a very pale cream color. Mix in the lemon zest and vanilla.

3. Add the almond flour and cinnamon, beating until incorporated. Pour this into a large mixing bowl so that it will be easy to fold in the egg whites.

4. Clean another mixing bowl well. Add the egg whites. Beat on medium-low speed until the whites begin to thicken; then add the salt and crank up the speed to medium, then medium high. You want to allow the egg whites to go from soft peaks to stiff peaks, but gradually. When you’ve got nice stiff peaks (Party trick: You should be able to turn the bowl upside-down without the egg whites falling out), you’re there.

5. Working in batches of three, fold one-third of the egg whites into the almond mixture until it’s very well incorporated — and yes, this will be super-thick and gluey, so just be patient and you’ll get there. Add the other two thirds, then pour half into the prepared pan, add half the blueberries, then add the rest of the batter and the rest of the blueberries. (I do it this way so the blueberries don’t streak through the batter.) Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until firm to the touch in the middle. Let the cake cool completely on a rack before turning it out. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 8: 249 calories, 11 grams fat, 31 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams protein, 159 milligrams cholesterol, 121 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 39 percent of calories from fat.

Adapted from a recipe by Claudia Roden in “The Food of Spain” (Harper Collins)