Recipe: Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Gluten Free Garlic-Herb Croutons

You say hangover, I say broccoli cheddar soup bread bowl. 

Or, I did say.

In college, (pre-Celiac diagnosis), my go-to for nursing a rough but probably well-deserved hangover was a Panera bread bowl filled to the carby brim with broccoli cheddar soup. 

That's right. A bowl of gluten, filled with gluten. I am so, so sorry, body. I just had no idea. 

:(

These days, I still LOVE me some broccoli cheddar soup, with or without the prerequisite hangover. I'd like to think this recipe is a tad healthier than Panera's version, since it only has a cup of cheese and a quarter cup of heavy cream (which really you could leave out if you wanted to). The soup gets a lot of body and richness from cooking and blending the broccoli stalks, which I'm happy to use instead of tossing them!

In place of the bread bowl of days past, I top each bowl of soup with a handful of crispy, garlic-herb croutons made from Against the Grain Gourmet baguettes. Have you guys had these baguettes? They're incredible. I can't even keep them around at my parents' house because my sister (non-Celiac) likes them better than regular bread. Go figure! 

This recipe ROCKS if you have an immersion blender. (I have this one.) You can totally transfer the soup to a blender in batches, but if you make a lot of pureed soups and sauces you should really think about making the switch. There's less cleanup, and honestly it's SO fun to whiz everything up right in the pot. Though beware of splashing. Or your dog will end up with a splash of bright green broccoli cheddar soup on his head.... that you don't find until 4 hours later. MMM LEFTOVERS. 

Recipe: Broccoli Cheddar Soup

[original recipe by Jeff Mauro]

Ingredients
2 stalks of broccoli (about 1.5 pounds)
2 tbsp butter
1 small white or yellow onion, roughly diced
2 tsp dry mustard 
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper 
2 to 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar 
4 cups gluten free chicken stock, plus extra if needed (can sub vegetable stock)
2 cups fresh baby spinach 
1 cup extra sharp, grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions
Remove the florets (tops) from the broccoli, and separate into individual florets. With a sharp paring knife or vegetable peeler, remove the outer layer of the remaining stalks. Roughly dice. 

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot (like this one), melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion, broccoli stalks, dry mustard, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, and cook for 2 more minutes. 

Deglaze by adding the vinegar and 1 cup of the stock. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Add all of the broccoli florets, and enough additional stock to cover the broccoli. (I added 3 cups, making it 4 cups total.)

Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes until broccoli stalks and florets are tender. (Should be able to easily pierce them with a knife.) 

Remove the soup from the heat. Stir in the spinach. Using an immersion blender, blend until the soup is completely smooth. (If you're using a blender instead, CAREFULLY transfer the soup to the blender, filling only halfway, and blend until smooth. You'll probably need to do this in two batches, then return it to the pot.) If your soup is a bit too thick, add more stock to achieve the desired consistency. 

Stir in the shredded cheese and heavy cream. Serve warm, garnished with gluten free croutons (recipe below). 

Recipe: Gluten Free 

Garlic-Herb Croutons 

Ingredients
1 gluten free baguette (such as Against The Grain), thawed and diced into 1-inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning 
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp chopped, fresh herbs (e.g. basil, parsley, chives)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add the bread cubes to a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil around the inside of the bowl, and toss to coat. Sprinkle the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper over the bread, and toss once more. 

Spread the seasoned bread cubes in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and toasted, tossing halfway through. 

Remove croutons from the oven, and immediately sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. Toss to coat. 

Can be served immediately, or made ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container. 

HEAVEN ON EARTH aka Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar & Pecan Streusel Topping

These potatoes. They're uh, not good for you. 

But what they lack in nutrition they make up for in sweet, nutty streusel topping.

And BELIEVE YOU ME THEY ARE WORTH IT. I've been eating them for as many Thanksgivings as I've had the ability to form memories, and I'm still here. I also plan to eat them for every future Thanksgiving forever and ever AMEN. 

I tried to secure the original original recipe, but it's on a food-stained, torn-out page of Bon Appetit and smooshed between the pages of one of my mom's cookbooks. In good news, it's also on the internet! 

The way our family makes this is pretty close to the Bon Appetit recipe, with a few exceptions. One, we increase the amount of streusel for a topping-to-tater ratio that is actually probably illegal. Two, we change up the preparation a bit, including using a hand mixer instead of a food processor to puree the potatoes. (My mom doesn't have a food processor, and my lil baby processor would only fit about 3 spuds.)

The entire recipe is fairly painless, with the exception of peeling 5 pounds of potatoes. No way around that, unfortunately. But the reward is GREAT and SUGARY and BUTTERY. So get to peelin'. Or task someone else with gettin' to peelin'.

Either way, these are a welcome addition to any Thanksgiving spread. We're still a few days out from the big event, so check out the 'make-ahead' options below if you're looking to get a head start.

Also! Here are a few other holiday recipes to round out your feast:
Appetizers: Endive w/ Smoked Salmon & Boursin Cheese, Salted Rosemary Marcona Almonds, Caprese Bites w/ Balsamic Drizzle, Brie-Apple Bites w/ Pecans & Honey
Mains: Apple & Cranberry Studded Stuffing w/ Quinoa & Sausage, Apple & Cranberry Studded Stuffing w/ Sausage (no quinoa) 
Cocktail: Rosemary & Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail
Desserts: Easy Pumpkin Pudding , Cranberry Lemon Cake, Pumpkin Pie with Oatmeal Cookie Crust

Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar & Pecan Streusel Topping

[original recipe by Bon Appetit] 

Options for Make-Ahead

Option 1: Spread the potatoes in the pan, add the streusel topping, and refrigerate until ready to bake. 

Option 2: Spread the potatoes in the pan and make the streusel topping. Refrigerate both separately. Once ready to bake, sprinkle the streusel on the potatoes. 

Option 3: Complete the recipe (baking the casserole for 1 hour), refrigerate, and reheat in the oven until heated through. 

Ingredients

5 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 

3 tsp kosher salt, divided into 1 tsp and 2 tsp

4 large eggs

3 tbsp real maple syrup

2 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1.5 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup roughly chopped pecans (can up to 1.5 cups if you'd like)

1 stick chilled butter, cut into small cubes

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Add the cubed sweet potatoes to a large pot. Cover with water, and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cook for 10 minutes until the potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork. 

Drain the potatoes, and return to the hot pot. Let sit for at least 5 minutes to steam off any excess liquid. For the next step, you can either transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl, or blend them right in the pot. 

Use a hand mixer to puree the potatoes until no chunks remain. (If you don't have a hand mixer, you can use a food processor.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of salt. Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl of pureed potatoes. Mix once more with the hand mixer until the liquid is incorporated into the potatoes. 

Scrape the potatoes into a greased 13 by 9 inch pan (glass or metal). Use a spatula to evenly smooth the top. 

In another small bowl, make the streusel topping by combining the brown sugar, pecans and cold butter cubes. Use your fingers to work the ingredients together and break up the bits of butter. Continue until the mixture resembles the texture of clumpy, wet sand. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the potatoes. 

Place the pan in the oven and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour until top is bubbly. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. (Topping will harden a bit.) 

Recipe: Quinoa Tabouli Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

There's nothing quite like eating a REAL lunch to make you feel like you actually have your shit together. 

Not knocking the string-cheese quesadilla or an almond-butter & fluff sandwich, of course. They just feel a bit, ehm, desperate. As in I desperately need to go food shopping and reacquaint myself with actual foods that grow out of the earth. (HELLO VEGETABLES WHAT R U.)

Any time I'm in a lunch-rut (which is........ often), this quinoa tabouli salad pulls me right on out. I make one big batch in the beginning of the week, then keep the salad and the dressing separate in the fridge. Each day when I'm ready to eat, I mix up a smaller bowl of the quinoa salad with a big glug of lemon vinaigrette. This way the herbs and veggies stay nice and crisp throughout the week. 

When I'm feeling especially hangry or when feeding a boy who thinks there is no such thing as 'too much protein', I'll throw in a drained can of tuna or a few scoops of drained, rinsed beans (white cannellini or garbanzo). I'm sure you could get away with chicken, too, but... meh. Chicken.

Oh PS: shake up your salad dressings in jars!! They don't even have to be of the mason variety. Any clean jar will do. (I hoard Talenti gelato containers & Trader Joe's roasted red pepper jars.) Vinaigrettes tend to do that rude separating thing when they sit for a while, and it's easy enough to just give the jar a quick shake each time you use it.

PPS: I have not a clue what makes sprouted quinoa different from regular quinoa, but TruRoots was kind enough to send me a bag to try and it seemed to cook up just the same. A quick google tells me it's healthier, so basically after one bowl of this stuff I'm SUPER-HUMAN. 

Recipe: Quinoa Tabouli Salad with 

Lemon Vinaigrette 

Recipe Notes
- This makes a really big bowl of salad. It's great for a crowd, or to portion out for lunches throughout the week.
- If you don't like or have mint and/or chives, just leave them out! The parsley is key, so I wouldn't skip that. 
- The salad is pretty filling as-is, but for extra protein toss in drained, canned tuna or a can of drained, rinsed beans (maybe white cannellini or garbanzo).

Ingredients
For dressing (makes just over 1 cup):
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from ~3 lemons)
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp dijon mustard 
2 tsp honey
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated on a microplane (~1 tsp)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper 

For salad:
1 cup uncooked quinoa (yields ~3 cups cooked; I used TruRoots sprouted quinoa)
1 cup gluten free chicken stock (sub another cup of water for vegetarian)
1 cup water
Olive oil for quinoa 
2 cups cucumbers cut into quarter-moons (equals 4 persian cucumbers)
2 cups diced grape tomatoes (equals almost one 16 oz. container)
1 cup roughly chopped, Italian flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup chopped chives

Instructions
To cook quinoa:
Add quinoa, chicken stock and water to a pot. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low (as low as possible), and cover with a lid. Set timer for 15 minutes. Check after 13/14 minutes. As soon as all of the liquid is absorbed, remove from heat. Drizzle cooked quinoa with a bit of olive oil, gently toss, and cover with lid. Let sit for 10 minutes with lid on. 

To make dressing:
Add all dressing ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid. (Talenti ice cream containers work great!) Tighten lid, and shake vigorously until dressing is emulsified (will be thicker, creamy and pale yellow). 

To assemble salad:
In a large bowl, gently toss cooled quinoa (MUST be cooled or herbs will wilt) with cucumbers, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Keep the salad and dressing separate until ready to serve. (I keep both in my fridge and mix up just enough for lunch each day.)

To serve:
Toss your desired portion of the quinoa salad with some of the dressing. Eat cold or room temp.

Recipe: Kyra's Almond Flour Citrus-Ginger Breakfast Cake

When Kyra (this Kyra!) sent me this recipe I immediately panicked and scanned the ingredients for obscure flours, gums, meals, etc. 'Oh great', I thought. This girl romps around on Food Network and bakes fricking gluten free cinnamon rolls for a living. There's no WAY she's going to make this easy on me.

But. But! There it was. Just one flour: almond flour. Could almond flour alone seriously make for a fluffy, spongy cake? Guys, it can! I was shocked. Kyra, I should've known you wouldn't steer me wrong. Bareburger's on me next time you're in in New York.

I've always been a fan of an easy cake recipe. Pulling a cake out of the oven makes me feel accomplished like no cupcake ever could. (And omg do I hate cleaning out cupcake tins they are the devil.) This one comes together pretty quickly, and doesn't require too many ingredients considering it is, you know, a cake. The sweetness is juuuust right to be called a breakfast cake, and you won't believe how light and moist (sorry!) it turns out. 

This would be PERFECT for, dare I say, Mother's Day brunch? Breakfast cake sounds like something moms would be totally into. Citrus and ginger, too. Just generalizing here. My mom would probably only like this more if there were wine and bacon-wrapped dates involved. But that just sounds like a tad too much? Maybe.. 

In addition to sharing this recipe which I probably butchered somehow, Kyra has gifted us all a FREE SHIPPING code for her Portland-based Bake Shop. Which is a kind of a big deal since shipping is usually in the ballpark of 40 bucks. (Dude, I know!) Also a big deal because her gluten free cinnamon rolls will conjure up all kinds of weepy emotions that you didn't think were possible in a post-gluten world. I teased them on my Instagram, and you guys all freaked the F out. Well, go order some for yourself and freak the F out for REAL this time.

Click Here to order from Kyra's Bake Shop

Enter code gfreeblondie4ever for Free Shipping

(code is good through 5/21/15)

P.S. if you don't like cinnamon rolls a) why are we friends and b) there is something called a 'chocolate caramel ecstasy' which sounds like something I told myself I would never ever do but might make an exception. 

Recipe: Almond Flour Citrus-Ginger Breakfast Cake 

[original recipe via Kyra Bussanich]

Notes
- For my citrus, I ended up using 1 large navel orange and 2 lemons. Feel free to play around with what citrus fruits you use! Next time I think I'll try grapefruit. 
- Don't be afraid of the ginger! It's a surprisingly subtle flavor once incorporated into the cake.

Ingredients
For the Cake:
5 large eggs, separated into whites and yolks
1.5 cups almond meal/flour
1/2 cup sugar, divided into two 1/4 cups 
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt 
2 tbsp finely chopped or grated ginger 
1/4 cup citrus juice (combo of lemon + orange)
1.5 tbsp citrus zest (combo of lemon + orange)

For the Topping:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 to 1.5 tbsp citrus juice
1/4 cup slivered almonds 

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch baking pan with a circle of parchment, and spray the entire pan with cooking spray. 

In a clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy (about 1 minute). Slowly add 1/4 cup of the sugar, and whip on high until medium-stiff peaks form (about 1.5 minutes longer). 

In another bowl, whisk together the yolks, ginger, citrus juice and zest. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, salt, and baking powder and whisk to combine. Add the almond flour, and whisk until the batter is evenly mixed. 

Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the batter until mostly incorporated. Repeat with another 1/3 of the egg whites. Finally, add the remaining 1/3 of the egg whites until the batter is mostly uniform. (OK if there are some white patches.)

Pour the batter into the greased pan and gently smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cake is set and the top is golden brown. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan, and cool completely before adding the glaze. 

To make the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar with 1 tbsp of citrus juice until smooth. It should be the consistency of a smooth, flowing caramel. If needed, add another 1/2 tbsp juice. 

Transfer the glaze to a ziplock bag and snip of a tiny bit of one corner. Squeeze the glaze back and forth over the cake. Immediately sprinkle with the slivered almonds. 

If not eating that day, store the cake in the fridge. 

Recipe: Gluten Free Chickpea Crust Pizza (aka CHICKPIZZA)

Okay how clever is 'chickpizza'?? (I can say that because I didn't come up with it.)

Should I trademark it? Is that even the right term? Do I have to give Eric credit or can I pretend I dreamt it up? After all, 'chickpea pizza' is kind of a mouthful...

Here's the origin: Eric (@ephonehome) edits all of my blog pics because he is an angel and I am lazy. Usually he sends the files in a dropbox folder with a fairly NSFW folder name. (Unless your work supports comparing mini hotdogs to mini.. oh nevermind.) When he sent me the folder titled 'Chickpizza' I was like BABE WE'VE STRUCK GOLD THIS IS BRILLIANT........but also is something wrong because I think this is completely appropriate?

So do you know what a chickpizza is yet? It's only my most favorite thing to make for a quick (I mean QUICK) lunch or dinner. The batter is so easy that you'll memorize it after your first try. It's 1/2 cup of chickpea flour, 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of some seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc). No oil, no eggs, and only two different measurements. This legitimately could not be easier unless I came to your house and made it for you. (Which I would totally do since I'm always down to meet some more Internet friends. In a non-creepy way.)

After whisking, the batter is pretty thin, like a crepe batter. It gets poured into a greased pan, cooks for 5 minutes, then gets flipped like a giant pancake. From there, you can top it with pretty much anything. I mean, really, I won't judge. I usually dig around my fridge for whatever pizza-friendly odds and ends are hanging about, slash about to expire.. (Love me a good 'clean out the fridge' meal.) Last night was the last of a jar of vodka sauce, some shredded mozzarella, and a handful of arugula.

Most times, though, I top my chickpizza (yep, still dig it) with pesto (I always have this in my freezer), cheese, a few chopped sundried tomatoes, and a bunch of torn spinach. My. God. Is it good.  
   

The base of the pizza is gluten free (wait did I tell you I'm gluten free?), and based on the toppings it can easily be made vegan, vegetarian, dairy free.... basically anything-free. Except chickpea free cause I'm not a magician OK??

Recipe: Gluten Free Chickpea Crust Pizza (aka Chickpizza) 

Ingredients (makes one, 10-inch pizza)
Crust:
1/2 cup chickpea/garbanzo flour (I use Bob's)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup water
Cooking spray

Suggested Toppings:
1 to 2 tbsp pesto (recipe here)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella 
1 tbsp sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1/4 cup spinach, roughly chopped
1 to 2 tsp parmesan 
Balsamic syrup 

Instructions
In a small bowl (or measuring cup), whisk all dry ingredients (flour, oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, baking powder, salt and black pepper). Add water, and whisk to combine. (Make sure there are no dry pockets at the bottom.)

Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour all of the batter into the pan. It should spread to the edges, but if not swirl the pan a bit. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip with spatula. 

Set timer for additional 5 minutes. Add toppings in this order: pesto, mozzarella, tomatoes, spinach, and parmesan. Cover pan and cook until the timer runs out. Cheese should be melted, and spinach should be wilted. 

Use spatula to transfer pizza to a cutting board. Drizzle with balsamic syrup, and slice into 6 pieces. 

Recipe: Gluten Free Chicken Piccata

I think I went three years without buying chicken breasts. Chicken thighs? Delish. Dark meat. Bring it. Whole chicken for roasting? Even better. Extra crispy skin. Chicken breasts? No. Nope. Don't want to think about them, eat them, or figure out why people buy 'em. 

UNTIL THIS CHICKEN PICCATA. I finally learned how I like chicken breasts: practically fried, sopping up a garlicky lemon wine sauce, and over pasta. Huzzaaahhh!

I actually want to eat this once a week for the rest of my life. Which means my apartment will smell absolutely magnificent one day a week for the rest of my life. I can see it now. I'll be all, 'Wanna come over? It's Chicken Piccata Tuesday!' 'Sorry, can't meet for drinks tonight. It's Chicken Piccata Tuesday.' 'No I can NOT drive the kids to soccer! It's...' You get the picture. 

(Once you start having food-themed nights of the week I think you pretty much must have children. But I hope dogs count because I could really get on board with Stir-fry Sunday.)

This recipe takes a little bit of lovin' and dirties a few dishes, but it's completely worth it. Once you plunk the beautiful (SO BEAUTIFUL) golden brown chicken back into the sauce, and hit it with some parsley and lemon zest, you'll be like: I. Just. Made. That.

Now clap once. You also just gave yourself a self-high-five. #EARNEDIT!

Recipe: Gluten Free Chicken Piccata

[original recipe from Red Shallot Kitchen]

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg
1/4 cup cornstarch 
1/4 cup gluten free flour blend (I use Cup4Cup)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano 
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1.5 tbsp)
2 tbsp capers, drained 
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) 
1/2 cup dry white wine (or flat champagne from the night before...)
1 cup gluten free, low sodium chicken stock 
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 large lemon), plus extra slices for garnish
1 tsp lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
3 tbsp chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
Cooked gluten free pasta, tossed with olive oil 

Instructions
Use a mallet (or a potato masher, small heavy pan, or a rolling pan) to evenly pound out the chicken breasts so that they're about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick. (I put my chicken between 2 pieces of saran wrap on a cutting board, and use a potato masher.) Trim off any... strange looking parts.

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. In one shallow bowl, whisk the egg with a splash of water or milk to create an egg wash. In a second shallow bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, garlic powder and oregano. Dredge each chicken breast by dipping it completely in the egg wash, then completely in the flour mixture. Make sure the flour mixture coats the entire surface. Set all coated chicken aside.

Place a large, heavy-bottomed skilled over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. After the butter melts, add the 4 chicken breasts. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes until the bottom is dark golden brown. Flip each piece of chicken, and cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a wire rack (this stops the bottom from becoming soggy), or a plate. (If you're cooking more chicken or if they all don't fit in the pan, repeat this step until all of the chicken is cooked - just add a bit more butter and oil in between batches.)

Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add the garlic, capers and red pepper flakes (if using). Cook 1 to 2 minutes until garlic softens. Add lemon juice, wine and chicken stock. (I usually just have those three ingredients ready in one measuring cup.) Use tongs or a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. 

Bring sauce to a boil, then place all of the cooked chicken into the pan with the sauce. Sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley all over the pan. Top chicken with lemon slices (if using). Cook for 5 minutes, until sauce has reduced and chicken is warmed through. 

Serve with your favorite gluten free pasta.

How to Make Poached Eggs without Cursing // i.e. How to Make Oven-Poached Eggs

Every time I try to make poached eggs at home I remember why I don't make poached eggs at home. 

Like, it's fine, I'm not that hungry or anything - it's totally cool that 3/4 of my egg floated off into whispy oblivion. 

JK NOT FINE AT ALL. Especially since making eggs means I've already been hungry for at least 2.5 hours, and have since transitioned into the hangry phase. (hungry + angry = hangry.)

Well ch-ch-check this out: you can make poached eggs in THE OVEN. At the same time as other eggs! 

The first time I saw this I thought, oh hell no not another Pinterest ploy. But then The Kitchn tried it. And then I tried it. And now here I am having eaten oven-poached eggs about every day for the past week. 

Eric coined them 'fancy eggs'. Which is like, the PERFECT name and so much fun to say. "What are we having for breakfast this morning?" "How about fancy eggs?"

This past Saturday we had open-faced fancy egg sandwiches with melted cheddar-gruyere cheese, crispy pork roll, avocado, and generous douses of Frank's. I used Canyon gluten free hamburger buns as the bread which ended up being kind of perfect. Messy, but perfect. 

That Sunday (a mere 24 hours later), we had fancy eggs over a sweet-potato and red pepper hash with pea-shoot pesto (photo here). 

Is there anything that pesto isn't good on? Am I a super hippie for buying pea-shoots at a farmer's market? MAYBS. (I used this pesto recipe with 2 cups basil and 2 cups pea-shoots.)

How to Make Easy Oven-Baked 

Poached Eggs in a Muffin Tin

[technique posted by The Kitchn, and probably a lot of other people]

You'll Need
1 standard size muffin tin
Eggs (I used large each time)
Water (make sure you use 'good' water - JUST KIDDING)

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Add 1 tablespoon of water to each muffin cup, for however many eggs you're going to make. Then, crack an egg into each muffin cup. (If you're nervous about shells, you can crack the egg into a small bowl then pour it in. But be brave!)

Bake the eggs for 12 minutes. This will give you set whites, and pretty runny yolks. Try 13 to 15 minutes for firmer yolks. (FYI the longer they sit in the water/muffin tin they'll continue to cook a bit.)

Once cooked, run a small rubber spatula (or knife) around each egg. It should then easily pop out of the muffin cup, leaving the water behind.