This dish was originally planned for a weeknight dinner, but Ed had to be out-of-town for work a couple of nights so we ended up cooking less than anticipated. A lazy Saturday morning rolled around, with stomachs rumbling and the ingredients still available in the fridge, and I thought this would make just as good of a brunch dish as it would've been for dinner. I was right (as usual, of course). 

The hardest part of this recipe was cutting the vegetables, which means it's a keeper in my book. I regularly tell people that I'm the sous chef and Ed's the head chef in the relationship, but this one looked so easy that I declared, "Kick up your feet, honey. I'm making brunch!" No mishaps, either (*brushes shoulders off*).

This recipe, as we like to do here at OKCVeggie.com, is very customizable. You might add diced bell peppers, cooked spinach (I almost did this) or even some breakfast potatoes. It would also be good served with some crusty bread—we had some rye in the cabinet, but I'm trying to be a bit more conscious of my carb intake so I passed on that (currently eating a piece of cold pizza, though, because balance, duh).

INGREDIENTS

• 3 medium broccoli florets, chopped

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 container white button mushrooms, chopped

• 5 eggs at room temperature

• 1 can low-fat coconut milk

• 4 t. dried thyme

• 2 t. smoked paprika

• 2 t. cayenne

• Olive oil

• 1/4 c. low-fat sharp cheddar cheese

• Salt, pepper & red pepper flakes to taste

STEPS

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

2) Chop your broccoli. Put a steamer in a large saucepan and add just enough water so that it reaches the steamer but doesn't seep through. Add your broccoli to the steamer and bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

3) While the broccoli is cooking, dice your onions, mince your garlic and add to a pan with olive oil. Sauté until the onions become translucent. 

4) Chop your mushrooms and add to the onions/garlic. Stir, then add the thyme, cayenne, paprika, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir to coat. Sauté until the mushrooms become brown and caramelized, roughly 8 minutes.

5) While the mushrooms are cooking, chop your broccoli until smaller bite-sized pieces. When the mushrooms are nearly done, add the broccoli to the pan and stir to combine. Let cook for about a minute. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

6) In a bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and eggs and pour over the broccoli mixture.

7) Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Add to the broiler on high and cook for another five minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then slice and serve with sriracha or Chipotle Tabasco sauce, if desired.