Un Petit Déjeuner au Marche

It has been a busy week, so unfortunately I haven't been spending too much time in the kitchen. Next week is the first session of the Spanish Summer Camp that I'm directing and co-teaching. So instead of cooking and baking, this week I've been cutting, pasting and lesson-planning. It's going to be a lot of fun, but I'm not sure how much sleep or how many home cooked meals I'll get.

Speaking of not having a home cooked meal...last Friday, I had an amazing breakfast at my favorite East Nashville restaurant, Marche. I had an omelet with tomatoes, roasted red peppers and goat cheese. (I've been incorporating some goat cheese back into my diet to see how I do with it. So far, so good.)

Marche (which is French for "market") is a little French-inspired cafe with creative, seasonal dishes, European pastries and strong coffee. If you've ever visited me in Nashville, chances are I've taken you to Marche. If you would like to visit me in Nashville, I will gladly take you to Marche. If you live in Nashville and you have never been to Marche (with me) then we need to go ASAP. I'm always looking for a reason to go to this restaurant. The most recent occasion was a great one. It was my good friend Jen's birthday.

They added a single candle to her eggs--it's special touches like this that make Marche my favorite place. I also love all the windows. Jen and I went to breakfast before work last Friday, super early. We had our choice of tables, and Jen happened to pick my favorite one...the two-person table right next to the window in the Southwest corner. :)

Do you have a favorite breakfast place in your city? I'm always interested to find out about little gems in different cities. This summer I'm going to San Francisco, so if you have a cafe or restaurant suggestion for The City by the Bay, please let me know. 

Merci! Bon week-end!

Ham, Spinach and Onion Quiche

Breakfast and brunch are two of my favorite meals (lunch and dinner are my other two favorites). Unfortunately, many of the yummy brunch foods that I used to enjoy have sugar, wheat, and cheese in them. It would be easy to feel sorry for myself, imagining a future of mornings alone in my room with a bowl of lettuce, while my friends and family fill themselves with cinnamon rolls, baked brie and mimosas.

Fortunately, lettuce is not my future (I mean, I like lettuce and all, but it ain't no comfort food). There are so many amazing foods bursting with flavor that I get to eat! Speaking of lettuce, did you know that swiss chard has a buttery texture and a natural saltiness? And it's beautiful! Look at some, or (even better) buy some, next time you're at the grocery store.

Sorry, I'm getting off topic now...back to breakfast. How about I stop with the words and show you more pictures of what I eat for brunch.

Quiche! My friend Courtney had a b'day recently, and she had the brilliant idea of having a brunch themed dinner party. So I whipped up this little beauty. By "whipped up" I mean, I was in the kitchen for about an hour trying to decide what to make and then modifying recipes to create something I could eat (but I love doing that stuff). Now that it's created, it's a super quick recipe that can be whipped up. :)

It has a millet crust, eggs, spinach and sweet onion. The ham isn't really ham at all, it's actually a couple of these (I'm not a big fan of pork).

Here's the brunch-loving birthday girl (left) with another sweet friend, Ansley. It was such a fun night of friends and food! I may steal the idea for my next birthday...

Want to make this quiche? Here's how:

For the crust, follow this recipe for bajra flatbread, only through the step that gets you a ball of dough. Press dough into the bottom of a quiche/pie baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes at 350F.

While the crust is baking, mix together:
3 eggs
1 cup full fat coconut milk
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1/2-1 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/2-3/4 cup ham, cut into small cubes (I used 2 uncured, all beef grass-fed organic hot dogs)
1/4-1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
1-2 tsp italian seasoning mix (or oregano, basil, thyme, whatever flavor you like)
1/2 tsp sea salt

Then, pour egg/ham/spinach mixture over crust. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, or when sides are brown.