Since today is 03/14, otherwise known as Pi Day, it is a requirement to have pie. This is one math rule I can get down with. But I also didn’t feel like starting the week off with a heavy pie, so what to do? I decided to make a “quiche inspired” breakfast pie – without the pastry. This was 100% an experiment, so I’m really pleased that it turned out. Not only did it hold together, it was absolutely delicious. I won’t say that it is the healthiest pie you could ever envision, but it does pretty well. It can be totally gluten-free by easily substituting the “glutenful” breadcrumbs with gluten-free ones, and could probably be adapted to be vegetarian by substituting the bacon. (The problem with that, though, is NO BACON.) Even without those substitutions, you’re getting a fair amount of eggs and broccoli without the heavy pastry of a quiche. I did this by using a pine nut crust which worked surprisingly well. *Short story – I knew a long ago ex-boyfriend was not the one for me when he lost his mind over the cost of a bag of pine nuts I had bought at the grocery store and tried to return them. I also knew that my future husband was the one for me when he recently suggested we buy the giant bag of pine nuts that Costco sells, the one I had been eyeing but was nervous to grab. Love is nuts.* Since it is a Costco-sized bag of pine nuts I had no qualms using them for the crust, but it may work with other normal priced nuts as well.  It’s hard to see the nut crust in the picture, but you can see how well the pie holds together. It also cuts cleanly, so it wasn’t falling apart as we tried to eat it…always a plus.

Overall it was simple, delicious, and easy as pie to make.  Happy Pi Day!

 

Ingredients:

• 5 eggs
• 1 crown of broccoli chopped into small florets
• 6 strips of bacon
• 1 sweet onion diced
• 1/3 cup pine nuts chopped finely
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup finely grated (good) cheddar
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs *can substitute gluten-free breadcrumbs to make this entirely gluten free
• Salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 375º F. Chop the bacon into one inch chunks and fry on medium in a non-stick pan for 5 minutes. Drain excess fat and add in onions and broccoli and fry on medium for 5 to 10 minutes until onions are clear. Spray pie plate with cooking spray and line the bottom of the plate with the finely chopped nuts. I used a food processor to chop the nuts, but be careful that it doesn’t become a powder. Beat the eggs, milk, paprika, oregano leaves, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper together in a bowl and set aside. Take the mixture of broccoli, onions and bacon from the pan and arrange on top of the pine nut crust in the pie plate. Now take the egg mixture and pour into the pie plate. Put pie plate into the oven and cook for 20 minutes until it has risen almost all the way. (It should still have a slight amount of liquid in the middle.) Mix cheese and breadcrumbs together and layer over the “pie”. Bake for another 5 minutes and then switch to broil. Watch the pie as it broils, since it may only take a couple minutes to get it golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. Cut it into slices and serve.