Power Brunch

It has been entirely too long since I've posted anything about my latest food creations. Although I've been collecting pictures and notes about my latest endeavors, no actual evidence has been produced...until now!

In my true old lady, food obsessed, fashion most things on my birthday wish list this year were food related. Namely a new coffee maker, a cast iron grill pan, and my new favorite secret weapon, a mini food processor. As soon as I unwrapped my mini Cuisinart, saving him from a life of flavorless solitude inside that cardboard box, we got to work. My first creation? Homemade pesto. Although I cannot give you an actual recipe for the pesto here, (due mostly to the fact that when I cook I almost always just guesstimate until it tastes right) I can show you what I did with the pesto to spruce up a very delicious power brunch. If making homemade pesto ain't your style try this recipe with store bought, or sprinkle fresh chopped basil over the top instead of the full blown pesto sauce.

And finally...Behold my super duper power brunch!

This deliciousness was created and inspired by a variety of things. At one of my favorite cafes in Santa Monica, Huckleberry, the have a delicious twist on green eggs and ham where the ham is actually delicious, salty prosciutto and the aforementioned "green" is really just pesto slathered on top of fried eggs. Being that this is one insanely delicious combo I started out to make simply fried eggs with some homemade pesto and toast. As I was browsing through my refrigerator, as I often do, I realized I had left over brown rice, and some veggies that needed to be used, namely spinach and mini heirloom tomatoes which are a personal Trader Joe's favorite. A frequent breakfast in my kitchen is a fried egg on top of fresh spinach with sliced tomatoes and chopped basil...and suddenly the mind wheels were a whirring. Why not combine this green egg, spinach, tomato madness? All I needed now was to replace my usual slice of toast with hearty brown rice and I had the meal of the century...okay, maybe that's an overstatement. Either way it was the best breakfast of my week.

Here's how it goes:
Olive Oil
1/4 c brown rice 
1/2 c mini heirloom tomatoes halved (feel free to use any tomatoes you've got)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c fresh baby spinach
1 egg
1 Tbsp basil pesto
salt and pepper

Since I'm using left over brown rice, I pour it onto a plate and microwave for about 1 minute. Remove from microwave and set aside.
In a medium sauce pan heat 1 Tbsp olive oil, tomatoes and garlic. Cook about 2 minutes, until tomatoes begin to puff up.
Add spinach, a dash of salt and pepper and cook another minute or so until the leaves begin to soften and turn a bright green. 
Remove the tomato, spinach goodness from pan and pour onto your already cooked brown rice.
In the same pan heat another teaspoon of olive oil.
Crack egg into hot pan and fry until desired firmness. (I like my yolk nice and runny)
Slide egg on top of the brown rice, spinach, tomato pile.
Add a dollop of pesto, sprinkle with some salt and pepper and enjoy!

This is perfect if you've got a long day ahead without much time to stop and eat. If you eat it at brunch time (11am or so) you're likely to be full until dinner!

Happy Eating!