cheesy egg bake + oatmeal brown sugar scones

I love breakfast - almost as much as this blog I just discovered - xo breakfast. Let me count the ways... maple syrup, fruit, oatmeal, pyjamas, mimosas, coffee, sunshine, radio, sleeping in, warm baked goods, old episodes of the colbert report, orange juice, waffles, jam, butter. I could go on. It's my favorite meal of the day, hands down.

cheesy egg bake
You can switch up the vegetables and cheese for whatever you have available. Serves two, increase for more people.

olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup mixed peppers, large dice
handful of kale, stemmed and torn into chunks
handful of mixed herbs, chopped (I used lemon thyme, parsley and oregano)
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Heat a swirl of olive oil in a pan. Preheat the oven to 400. Cook onions and garlic in olive oil, until translucent. Add peppers and kale, and cook another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in chopped herbs. Turn off heat. Grease two large ramekins with olive oil (the 2-cup kind is best). Divide the vegetables between the two ramekins, and make an indentation for the egg. Crack the egg into the indent, and top with grated cheese. Bake for around 10 minutes, until the egg is cooked to your liking.

Alternately, you could make this in a cast iron frying pan - just cook the veg in the pan on the stovetop, make indentations for eggs, then transfer the whole thing to the oven. (I just love the individual ramekins for purely aesthetic reasons.)

oatmeal and brown sugar scones
From this post on xo breakfast. Makes 6 scones.


3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c cup + 2 tbsp rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar plus extra for sprinkling
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Use your fingertips to rub in the butter until the mixture looks like large crumbs. Stir in the milk. Turn the dough out onto the pan and pat it into a rectangle. Cut in six and spread them out about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

I ate mine with Blueberry Ginger Jam from Food in Jars, and Ginger Butter (crystalized ginger + butter pulsed in the food processor).

fig clafoutis (and an explanation: what the heck is a clafoutis?)

Clafoutis: (or sometimes called clafouti) is a "baked French dessert of black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter. The clafoutis is dusted with powdered sugar and served lukewarm," according to that ever-reliable source wikipedia. The article also notes that the dessert can be made with many other fruits, but then you have to call it a 'flaugnarde.' But if I called this a fig flaugnarde, would anyone ever make it? I don't think so. 

Whatever you call it, it's a super easy dessert that's perfect for summer. Served at room temperature with some ice cream or whip cream, it would be delicious with any fruit, from spring strawberries to summer cherries to fall apples. There were some deliciously ripe figs at the fruit market by my house, so I couldn't resist. But I'll definitely be making a traditional cherry clafouti later in the summer, with the pits in for added flavour (and laziness), just like the French do!

(click on the picture for a larger version)

Fig Clafoutis

(adapted from this recipe)

3 eggs

1 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla paste

1/2 cup white sugar

pinch of salt

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2/3 cup all purpose flour

15 to 20 fresh figs

2 or 3 tbsp turbinado sugar

butter or grapeseed oil for baking dish

Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs in a large bowl with a whisk. Beat in milk, vanilla, sugar, salt and nutmeg. Sift flour into other ingredients, and beat well, until all clumps are gone, and the mixture is smooth and frothy. Apparently you can also make this custard in a blender or food processor, but if you do, don't forget to sift the flour - you don't want flour lumps in the final product!


Cut figs in half, and arrange cut side up in a buttered baking dish - either 9x9 square, or a pie dish. Gently pour the custard over figs - they'll move around a bit, so rearrange them if necessary. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until brown and puffy. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving, or serve at room temperature. I found the figs not quite sweet enough, so I sprinkled the clafoutis with turbinado sugar before serving, to taste. This adds a nice crunch and sweetness. The clafouti will be very puffy and soufflé-like when you take it out of the oven, but it will decrease in size after sitting a while. This doesn't affect the flavour or texture.  

Potato and Smoked Salmon Gratin

There is a dish at the restaurant where I work: a crispy potato rosti, covered in soft, caramelized onions, peppery baby arugula, thin slices of smoked salmon, and topped off with sour cream and capers. It's deluxe, delicious, and expensive to make at home. It's usually the recipe I turn to for my once or twice a year smoked salmon treat.

Yes, I call myself a vegetarian, but I eat fish a few times a month. Does this make me a liar, or a fake? I don't think so, but others might argue it does. While food choices are highly politically and environmentally charged, they still remain a personal, private choice.

Other people can state this argument for select vegetarianism more eloquently that I, for example Michael Pollan's NYT essay, An Animal's Place, or The Anxiety of Eating, by David E. Cooper. After being a vegetarian for ten (ten!) years, the decisions I've made are to continue eating eggs, cheese and dairy, but buy them from local, organic and ethical farms, for example Organic Medows or Montforte Cheese. Journalists might call me a 'demi-vegetarian,' a moderate and selective consumer of animal products. My friends might laugh at me for buying 7 dollar eggs, but I know that they came from an organic farm where the hens have ten times the space of battery hens, real access to the outdoors and are free from hormones, antibiotics and heavily processed feeds. Is the price difference worth it? That's a personal choice you have to make.

So what about seafood? Any cook who wants to continue eating seafood, while making environmental, ethical choices, should visit the Seafood Watch, run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. And a great book on the topic is Bottomfeeder, by Taras Grescoe.

For me, giving up eating fresh-shucked oysters in Malpeque Bay on vacation, or stocking up on smoked trout from Akiwenzie's Fish at the market, was not something I was willing to do. Still, seafood is a once-in-a-while treat for me, and when I do buy it, I try and come up with an extra-special recipe, to do it justice.

This topic is quickly turning into an essay, but I swear I'm getting to the recipe. The inspiration was some delicious Wild Pacific Smoked Salmon, a carton of Small Flock's Delight Eggs (from grass fed, free range hens), Koslik's Horseradish Mustard and some Victory Organic Arugula. Here you go! (This is honestly the most delicious meal I've made... since Tuesday's macaroni and cheese with oyster and shitake mushrooms).

Potato and Smoked Salmon Gratin with arugula and poached eggs


1 tbsp butter
2 baking potatoes, sliced very thin with a mandolin
salt and pepper
1/2 cup caramelized onions
2 or 3 tbsp capers, drained
100 gr. smoked salmon
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 tbsp Kozlick's Horseradish mustard

For serving-
1 egg for each serving, to be poached
Handful of arugula for each serving
chives for garnish (yes! there are chives in my garden already!)

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a baking dish with butter. Make one layer of potatoes to cover the bottom. Layer on top 1/2 of each of the salmon, onions and capers. Season with salt and pepper. Make another layer of potatoes, then the rest of the salmon, onions and capers. Season with salt and pepper again. Add a final layer of potatoes. In a bowl, beat together milk, sour cream, egg and mustard. Pour over potatoes. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until potatoes are soft and top is browned. Let rest for 5-10 minutes, covered.

When ready to serve, poach an egg for each person. (Check out this article on how to poach the perfect egg). Serve a square of gratin, topped with a handful of arugula, finished with a poached egg. Garnish with chives. Voila! (Or, Bon Appetit, as Julia Child would say. I'm in the middle of reading My Life in France.)

sunday brunch

Next time you have the urge to leave your house and wolf down overpriced pancakes, resist the urge and bring brunch into your kitchen. (You don't even have to change out of your pajamas.) Put on some nice music, make some coffee and cook with (or for) the people you love!

Stacks of pancakes, piles of bacon, buttery toast... It's enough to bring on a brunch-induced food coma. Often I find myself sleeping away the rest of my hard earned weekend after a meal of traditional brunch fare: pancakes, waffles, starch and more starch.

This brunch menu has it all- protein, fruit and veg, and a little bit of starch - but it won't leave you sleeping on the couch. A sunny mango smoothie, eggs baked in a bed of spinach with a spicy yogurt topping and crispy potato hash browns. Lay out a table cloth, turn on the radio, and bring a healthy brunch into your kitchen!

sunny mango smoothie
(Buy some sad-looking, overripe mangos for this smoothie. They taste the best, you're saving them from the garbage, and they cost a fraction the price. This makes 4 or 5 cups, and keeps in the fridge for an extra day. Don't leave out the lemon juice and zest - it brightens up the smoothie and adds some extra zing!)

3 over-ripe atulfo mangoes (the smaller, yellow mangoes)
1 over-ripe banana
1/2 cup 3% yogurt
2 cups soy or almond milk
2 tbsp liquid honey
1 tbsp lemon zest
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher. Blend with an immersion blender. (Or use a traditional blender). Add 1/2 cup - 1 cup water to reach the consistency of smoothie you would like.

skillet baked eggs and spinach 
(adapted from this recipe in Bon Appetite) 


1 tbsp olive oil
1 leek, white and light green parts, sliced thinly
1 green onion, sliced thinly
1 bunch of spinach, washed and roughly chopped
juice from 1 lemon
salt and pepper
4 eggs

1/4 cup 3% yogurt
1 clove of garlic, minced
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and green onion, turn down heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes, until leeks are soft and starting to brown. Add spinach and lemon juice, and cook for a minute or two. Hold pan over the sink, and tilt to let the excess moisture run out. Give the spinach a press with your wooden spoon to get as much moisture out as possible.

Turn off burner. Make 4 indentations in the spinach, spreading it evenly around the pan. Crack the eggs into the indentations, being careful not to break the yolk. Bake until the egg whites are set, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together yogurt, salt, paprika, garlic and cayenne pepper. Serve eggs and spinach immediately, with a dollop of yogurt on each egg.

potato hash browns
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes
olive oil
salt, pepper, dried thyme

Preheat broiler. Steam potatoes over boiling water for 10 minutes. Toss potatoes with oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Spread in a pan, and broil for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are crispy and brown. Serve with this homemade ketchup.

mushroom, kale and thyme quiche

Here's a rustic tart-like quiche for winter. Quiches are a great recipe to make ahead for breakfast or lunch. This one is gluten-free, and would go beautifully with a winter slaw or some greenhouse greens. The crust was inspired by this posting on the Wednesday Chef. 

mushroom, kale and thyme quiche with a cornmeal crust
(filling)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
A handful of mushrooms, sliced
Splash of white wine
A handful of kale, stemmed and cut in ribbons
A few springs of thyme
Salt and pepper
(crust)
3 cups boiling water
1 tsp salt
1 cup cornmeal
A few springs of thyme

1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 egg
(custard)
1 cup yogurt
2 eggs
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup cheddar, cut in small cubes

Preheat the oven to 350. Start heating the olive oil in a pan. Add the onions, and sauté for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, put the 3 cups of water and salt on to boil. Back to the onions - add the mushrooms, and sauté on low heat for another 10 minutes. When the water boils, add the cornmeal in a slow stream, whisking to prevent lumps. Cook for a few minutes, until thick. Strip thyme leaves from springs and stir in. Beat in egg and parmesan. Set aside to cool.

Back to the onions again. Turn the heat up to medium, and deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add in kale, thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Cook until kale is wilted. Set aside.

Stir together the yogurt, eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside. Now, press the cornmeal into a greased pie plate, shaping into a crust. Scatter the cheddar across the bottom, then spread the onion/mushroom mixture on top. Finally, pour over the yogurt and egg mix. Grate 1/2 cup parmesan over the whole quiche. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for at least a 1/2 hour before slicing. 

vegetarian carbonara

Carbonara, whatever kind of noodle you choose, usually has bacon, parmesan and eggs. Yes, eggs! That creamy sauce is created not with cream, but by stirring eggs into hot, cooked pasta (although if you order carbonara outside of Italy, it probably has cream in it). Here's a delicious recipe I found by way of 101 Cookbooks January favourites list - Pasta with Greens "Carbonara" from Gilt Taste.

(The byline says it's for bacon lovers, but without bacon; because as any vegetarian will tell you, if they were forced to eat meat, they would choose bacon. It's been the undoing of many a herbivore.)

crumbly oatmeal and herb quiche crust

You know when you get to the end of a loaf of sandwich bread? Those two end pieces that are left in the bag, that no one wants to eat? Make bread crumbs out of them. In fact, if you're like me, and you keep your bread in the freezer, just keep a bag for the butt ends of loaves, then toast them all up at once every few months.

Toast them, tear them up, and throw them in the food processor. Voila, bread crumbs.

Here's my favourite quiche recipe. This is from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, a vegetarian cookbook classic by Mollie Katzen. Quiche is amazing, because you can use any combination of cheese, vegetables and crust. I've made pastry crusts, mashed potato crusts, and nut crusts. But this one is by far the easiest and tastiest.

You know what else? Quiche is good anytime of the day - it's eggy, so you can eat if for breakfast, it's awesome for lunch, cold with a salad, and it's definitely acceptable as a dinner, with a side of vegetables and grains.

And although I have never tried it, I hear vegan quiche can be delicious. Here's a Vegan quiche from Oprah, or 101 Cookbooks Spinach Mushroom Quiche, both made with tofu instead of eggs.

crumbly oatmeal and herb crust
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 rolled oats
pinch salt
a few tsp of dried herbs (thyme, marjoram, oregano)
1/2 cup melted butter or grape seed oil

Mix all dry ingredients. Drizzle butter or oil over top, and stir to combine. Press into a pie plate, and pre-bake for 10 minutes at 350. When it's done, turn the oven up to 375 for the quiche

the quiche formula
1 cup cheese, grated or crumbled
3 eggs
1 cup milk (unsweetened almond or soy will work fine)

Take your cooked crust, and spread your cheese around the bottom of the crust. The fat in the cheese will help create a barrier between the crust and veggies that will prevent the crust from getting soggy. Now, get creative - you have your crust and cheese, now you need some veggies. Here's some ideas:

Sautéed spinach, nutmeg, and caramelized onions
Grated carrots and parsnips, sautéed with leeks
Roasted peppers and garlic
Steamed asparagus with fresh herbs

Whatever vegetable filling you choose, you don't want a lot of moisture. Spread you vegetables on top of the cheese.

Finally, the custard. Beat together egg and milk, and season with salt and pepper. Pour the custard over the vegetables. Finally, sprinkle some paprika over the custard. Bake at 375 for 35 to 45 minutes, until egg is set. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

the mysteries of pie dough

It worked! It seems so difficult, so complicated, something left to pastry chefs and grandmas, but don't let that pie crust fool you: it's not so hard, and it will make you look like an expert. Plus, it will  always taste a million times better than that freezer pie crust (with its perfect scalloped edges and cardboard flavour). 

Was this the key to my success? The ice water? Who knows, but I followed the recipe exactly, and it made a crusty, flaky and light crust. Here's what went in the crust: a Leek and Kale Tart, from fiveandspice on Food52. 

Leek and Kale Tart

(This time I used the cornmeal crust from the original recipe, but it's pretty labour intensive, so next time I might use another, quicker crust, or even make it crustless. Try a mashed potato crust, recipe here.)

3 leeks, thinly sliced, light green and white parts only

1 tbsp olive oil

1 bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped into ribbons

3 cloves of garlic

1 cup gruyere cheese, grated

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup yogurt

2 eggs

salt and pepper

prepared pie crust

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in a pan. Add the leeks, and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn heat down, and continue to cook the leeks for another 10 minutes. Add kale and garlic, and a 1/4 cup of water. Cook another 5 or 10 minutes, until the kale is cooked. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, lemon juice, yogurt and eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Put filling in pie crust of choice. Bake for 35 minutes. 

Cooking from the garden

Chickpea, green bean and tomato salad with lemon-rosemary dressing

1 cup green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup diced cucumbers

1 cup cooked chickpeas

Juice and zest from 1 lemon

2 or 3 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

1/8 cup olive oil

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp honey

salt and pepper

Steam green beans for 3 to 4 minutes, until beans are bright green. Rinse beans in cold water to stop them from over cooking. Combine beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and chick peas in a bowl. To make dressing, whisk together all ingredients and pour over salad. It'll be even more delicious after it's marinated for a few hours in the fridge.

Crustless Quiche with Swiss Chard and Potato

1 large bunch of swiss chard, leaves and stems separated

1 onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

3 large potatoes, thinly sliced

fresh herbs

salt and pepper

olive oil

4 eggs

1 cup milk, full fat yogurt or buttermilk

1 cup bread crumbs

olive oil

1/2 cup to 1 cup crumbled goat cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Strip leaves from stems. Chop stems, and saute in a large pan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add garlic, onion and fresh herbs, and saute for 2 more minutes. Add potatoes, a few tbsps of water, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add swiss chard leaves, cover, and cook 2 more minutes, until wilted. Remove from heat.

Whisk together eggs and milk. Grease a round quiche pan or a 9x13 square pan with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the pan with bread crumbs. Cover bread crumbs with vegetable mixture. Pour egg mixture over vegetables. Crumble goat cheese on top. Bake for 40 minutes.

Cheap & easy dinner, plentiful & bountiful asparagus

Potato Rosti with grilled asparagus

*this makes delicious dinner for 2. For one person, just make a smaller rosti, cutting amounts in half.

3 large potatoes

1 onion, peeled

salt and pepper

3 or 4 tbsp olive oil

1 lb asparagus

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Grate potatoes (leave skin on) and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a skillet (one that can go in the oven - no plastic handles!). Make sure pan is coated well with oil to avoid rosti mishaps. Pile grated potato and onion mixture in skillet, pressing down and forming a huge, pan-sized potato pancake. Cook on medium heat for 7 or 8 minutes. Run spatula under edges to loosen, then place a large plate face down on the rosti. Flip the entire thing onto the plate, then slide the rosti back onto the pan (now cooking the uncooked side). Put the skillet in the oven for another 7 or 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, perhaps while the first side of the rosti cooks, break off the tough ends of the asparagus. Toss on a baking pan with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. When you put the rosti in the oven, throw in the asparagus. They'll be done the same time as the rosti! (8 minutes). Roll them around once for even cooking.

Meanwhile, while asparagus and rosti are in the oven, fry two eggs.

Serve each rosti piled with asparagus, topped with an egg (maybe with a side of homemade applesause for the rosti).

Cheap, cheap dinner. The whole thing costs between 2 and 4 dollars, depending on whether you're using organic ingredients. Use butter instead of olive oil and you have yourself a 100 mile dinner, possible much much closer, especially if you're lucky enough to have an asparagus bed in your backyard. No excuses for that woody, tasteless asparagus from Peru right now - everywhere has Ontario asparagus, from No Frills to Dufferin Grove to St. Lawrence Market.

wonderful experiments!

Cornbread Quiche

Here's some almost-local quiches. I used gluten-free cornbread from Dufferin Grove market (locally made, some non-local ingredients). The wild garlic and mushrooms come from just outside of Toronto, and eggs, yogurt and feta cheese are available from numerous organic farms around the GTA all year round.

*Note - this makes 4 mini quiches. They keep well for a few days in the refrigerator, and reheat in the toaster oven.

4 slices of cornbread
4 tsp olive oil, more for sauteing
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 stalk wild garlic, minced
3 eggs
1/2 plain 3% yogurt
1/4 crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. This is a three part recipe. First, the vegetables. Saute the mushrooms and wild garlic in some olive oil in a pan. 

While the vegetables cook, make the crust: oil four muffin tins with olive oil. Press slices of cornbread into muffin tin, creating 4 mini crusts. Don't worry about crumbling or squishing the cornbread - just mold and press, then cook for 3 minutes. 

Meanwhile, the custard: combine the eggs, yogurt, feta, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk with a fork. 

Combine everything: take the crusts out of the oven, fill with mushrooms, then top with the egg mixture, and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the egg is set. Remove from the muffin tins.

You could really make these with any vegetable filling you like, or switch up the cheese! Say, tomatoes and basil with mozzarella, or broccoli and cheddar. Also, you could try using plain old whole wheat bread, or even filo pastry for the crust.