cinnamon bacon chevre french toast

so i’m on a bit of a bacon kick these days… thanks to the noble efforts and enthusiasm of my good friend krysta who hosted baconpalooza this weekend! what’s baconpalooza, you ask? well, it was a fabulous soiree celebrating all things bacon… candied bacon, chocolate-covered bacon, stuffed bacon jalapenos, bacon & fig dip, bacon crackers, bacon caesars — everything bacon!

this morning, i figured i’d keep the bacon frenzy alive… and infuse a little bacon into one of my fave brunch standards — french toast! mmmm… bacon…

the bacon:
– heat up 2-3 tbsp water in large saucepan on medium heat
– add 4 strips of country-style bacon to pan
– lightly sprinkle 1 tsp ground cinnamon over bacon
– fry bacon in pan for a few min until slightly crispy on both sides (optional: sprinkle a bit more cinnamon after flipping the bacon.)
– remove from heat & set aside bacon on plate to cool
– pat bacon w/ papertowels to remove excess fat & oil
– reserve bacon fat in pan for cooking the egg-soaked bread (optional) 

i like to use wholewheat sourdough when i make french toast. the taste & texture of sourdough is perfect for this dish — soaking up the egg and complementing the flavourful toppings. my fave bread is the locally-made, artisan sourdough from sidewalk citizen bakery. (if you are in the calgary area, aviv’s artisan bread is a must-try!)

prep the toast:
– whisk 1 large egg & 1 tsp ground cinnamon in medium prep bowl
– soak 2 thick slices of artisan sourdough bread (on both sides, until egg mixture is absorbed into bread)

– melt 2 tsp of unsalted butter in large saucepan

(tip: no need to add butter to the pan, if you still have the leftover bacon fat in the pan.)

spinach & lox quiche

easy does it. breakfast. lunch. dinner. breakfast-for-dinner. whatever you want it to be. :)

yes, this is another one of those awesome i’m-too-lazy-to-go-get-groceries recipes. a little organic baby spinach, cheese and eggs from the fridge. smoked salmon from the freezer. some herbs from the pantry. and you’re all set to make an easypeasy crustless quiche! yummers.

– preheat oven to 375F

the lox:
– 40g wild sockeye smoked salmon (thinly sliced)

(tip: you can easily find smoked salmon in the frozen seafood section at the grocery store… the smoked salmon just needs to thaw and it’s ready-to-eat!)

quiche batter:
whisk together the following ingredients in large prep bowl:
– 1-1.5 cups chopped organic spinach
– 5 large eggs
– smoked salmon / lox (thinly sliced)
– sprinkle 1/2 tsp herbes de provence
– 1/3 cup aged white cheddar (grated – or another cheese that melts well, such as queso fresco or light mozzarella)
– season w/ ground black peppercorns

ham & fennel quiche

i heart quiche. and totally loving how easypeasy it is to make a homemade, crustless quiche. simple goodness.

so believe it or not, i still have some leftover ham in my freezer from the holidays! and as much as i love grilled ham & cheese sammies, they can get a little boring — and i can only eat so much bread in a week. the solution? crustless ham & fennel quiche. low-carb, simple goodness. :)

– preheat oven to 375F

the fennel:
– remove 1 fennel bulb from green stems & fronds
– slice bulb into quarters along the vertical and remove the inner core
– slice fennel into thin sticks

quiche batter:
whisk together the following ingredients in large prep bowl:
– fennel sticks
– 6 large eggs
– leftover honey ham (sliced into bite-sized chunks)
– 1.5 tsp herbes de provence (divided)
– 1/3 cup appenzeller cheese (grated)
– season w/ ground black peppercorns

bake it:
– pour quiche batter into a round, oven-safe baking dish
– bake quiche for 20-25min at 375F, or until golden brown
– allow to cool on rack before cutting quiche

food styling:
– cut quiche evenly into pie wedges
– serve quiche wedge w/ organic mixed greens & your fave (homemade!) salad dressing