brown rice & broccoli cheddar pie

Last week, I had phone meetings, deadlines and trying to find time for breakfast was a bit much. Now, normally, I'm totally a breakfast kind of girl so skipping it is a bit usual. But when 12 noon arrived, and I had a break in my schedule, I was more than ready for some food. So I whipped up this pie/quiche kind of thing using leftover brown rice and the remaining broccoli from the previous night's meal.

The resulting meal was quick and tasty. I wasn't sure if the brown rice crust would actually hold up as crust, but it worked surprisingly well! The cheesy-eggy topping studded with broccoli made for a pretty comforting spread...just the thing for someone who hadn't had anything (but coffee) all morning! Served with a green salad and a topped with some fresh salsa, it made for a perfect midday break. Not a bad way to use up leftovers at all!


brown rice & broccoli cheddar pie
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, minced
salt & pepper
a couple dashes of hot sauce
2 c leftover brown rice
1/2 head of broccoli, cut into florets and stems chopped
6 eggs, beaten
2 T milk
1 t chili powder
1/2 t dried basil
3/4 c grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet (or any other oven-proof pan) and add garlic and onions, sauteing until soft. Add in rice and stir until heated and slightly toasted. Season with hot sauce and salt and pepper, stirring to combine. Flatten rice to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and set aside.

Steam broccoli and remove from heat when the florets are bright green and semi-crisp. Drain and layer on top of rice. Beat eggs with milk, chili powder and basil. Pour over broccoli/rice and then sprinkle with grated cheese. Put in oven for 5 minutes on the centre rack. Put skillet in broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese turns bubbly and slightly brown. Remove from oven and cut into wedges. Top with salsa and serve with a tangy green salad.

grandma bun: baked eggs in a bun

This week we attended the funeral of Cornelius' 96 year old grandma who was known to everyone in the family as Grandma Bun. Named so because of the delicious buns she always made for every family gathering. She was a hard-working lady who spent a lot of time baking and cooking up a storm. She was an avid quilter and was quilting right up until her death. On our fridge we have a photo of her from about 10 years ago when she was 84 years of age digging up a ditch to help out her grandchildren landscape their yard. I loved her spunk and admired her pride and her ability to never throw in the shovel, so to speak.


After the funeral, everyone headed down to the church basement for "fasba", a low German Mennonite term for coffee and sandwiches. This fasba meal included buns, deli meat, pickles and sweet danishes. Everyone sat down to fasba and reminisced about Grandma Bun, with people taking turns talking about their favorite memories. It was a lovely tribute to a wonderful woman. Afterwards, we helped tidy up which included taking home some buns and ham slices. So when it came to making breakfast this morning, I looked at those tired looking grocery-store bought buns and figured that maybe in my little way, I could pay tribute too.

Grandma Bun didn't like fast foods and she probably wrinkled her nose at store-bought pies. She relished homemade meals and I think she probably was quite resourceful herself when it came to cooking. So when I looked at what I had in my fridge and came up with baking eggs inside of some buns, well, I'm sure she would approve of this humble dish. Delicious and savory and easy to put together, this meal makes a wonderful breakfast any time of day.

savory baked eggs in a basket
4 whole wheat buns
unsalted butter
4 large free run eggs
4 slices of deli ham, diced
2 green onions, diced
1/4 c smoked gouda, grated
1 t sweet paprika
salt & pepper

1. Cut into the bottom of the buns, removing most of the insides...but keeping the outsides sturdy. You don't want to remove all of the insides but it should still be able to hold an egg and other good things. Dispose of those innards you just removed (or better yet, save them for breadcrumbs). Butter the inside shell of the bun and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes or until butter melts and the bun is warmed through and just a bit toasted.

2. Place half of the ham and onions in the bottom of each bun, crack an egg into the hole and top with the remaining ham and onions. Sprinkle with cheese and paprika and salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove foil and place on upper oven rack and broil for a few minutes until cheese gets golden.