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.