This is exactly what I was thinking this morning as I was searching for something nutritious but a tad more exciting than the usual oatmeal. Bacon and eggs meet salad. And by salad, I simply mean a big handful of fresh peppery arugula dressed with a good dose of citrus. If you’re looking for a heartier salad, throw in a thinly sliced red onion, some shaved fennel, a handful of halved cherry tomatoes, or sauté a bunch of mushrooms with the bacon. Go nuts. And if you really must, skip the bacon and make the dressing with a bit of olive oil instead. I won’t blame you, I’ll just eat your share. 

A bowl of that so called ‘healthy’ cereal loaded with maltodextrin this and corn syrup that may be way less calories but it’s probably not going to get you to lunch like this will. And it sure as hell isn’t this delicious. Salad for breakfast, who knew. Plus, breakfast for diner? Always. 

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I’ll be real with you. I didn’t make my own pumpkin puree. While I would always opt for grabbing a local pumpkin, roasting that sucker then pureeing the shit out of it, I realize sometimes you ain’t got time for that. Plus, I’ve recently watched several food documentaries concerning hunger and food insecurity, making me look at food a little differently. While I can easily walk a mere 5 minutes to a market full of local produce, there are communities here in NS that can’t access fresh fruits and vegetables.  Sometimes canned pumpkin is your only option. 

I had envisioned a brunch of pumpkin goodness for some time now and the Smitten Kitchen‘s recipe was the perfect inspiration.  Lightly spiced and crazy moist, these pumpkin waffles were exactly what this chilly fall day needed. With very little sweetness, a drizzle of maple syrup is pretty much a requirement. But you might as well really own brunch and make this maple whiskey sauce. It’s legit. Besides how the hell could whiskey for breakfast ever be bad? 

You do realize, however, that I now have almost an entire can of pumpkin puree in my fridge. Looks like The Great Pumpkin Craze of 2013 has finally hit eathalifax. Wait for it.

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On the old blogspot, I repeatedly professed my love for the Coastal Cafe so there’s really no surprise it’s my brunch go to. But here’s the thing, it has counter service, the coffee is only ok (snob alert) and, with only about 25 seats and a lineup of folks learing at you as you finish your meal, the atmosphere may not be the best in the city. Back it up. You’re telling me the best brunch in the city doesn’t have great coffee, doesn’t have table service (though they do a combo of table/counter service so tip ‘em well people), and doesn’t have amazing atmosphere? Hells yes I am. At Coastal, it’s all about the food.

It’s.That.Good.

I’m also happy to report that on our most recent visit, we finally tried something off the ‘not breakfast’ menu.  We had no choice really. How could we resist this panko crusted behemoth of a pork burger. Obviously at Coastal, a pork burger isn’t any old pork burger. I’m talking maple tonkatsu sauce, sunomono, and pickled ginger aioli. God damn this was good. I may need to go back and get it before the menu changes. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll follow suit.

With influences from just about every ethnicity and inventive takes on waffles, scrambles, granola, French toast, salads, and other mind blowing dishes rounding out the seasonal menu, there’s literally is something for everyone.  There’s even quite the selection of hot sauces and a wall of cat photos. No joke.

So, the next time you imbibe a little too much and are looking for the cure, forgo the greezy bacon n’ eggs, get in that line and put your belly in the hands of Chef Mark Giffin. 

When nothing but empty plates go back to the kitchen, you know it’s legit. But what the hell’s that fruit doing on my plate. 

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For us, kale is pretty much a staple. It makes a mean salad and packs more nutrients than a limpy green lettuce. Plus, like spicach, you can pretty much jam the stuff into anything. Soups, casseroles, stir fries, pasta. And all that hype about kale chips? It’s all true. 

Here kale teams up with delicious, delicious fungus and creamy ricotta for an easy mushroom kale frittata. Think quiche without all the pie dough tomfoolery. Frittatas are also ridiculously adaptable. Don’t have ricotta? Simply add another egg or two and a splash more milk. Love goat cheese? Replace some of the ricotta with it. Don’t have fresh thyme? Add another herb, even dried if that’s all you got. No shallots? You realize they’re just fancy onions right?! You can even slather some sriracha all over this bad boy. There really is no going wrong.

So, ditch that sugary cereal and amp up your morning routine. Kale, it’s what’s for breakfast.

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When I sat down and thought about what sausage to feature, it was an easy decision. I’m madly in love with all things Charcuterie Ratinaud and their chorizo was no different. The spicy pork would make the perfect base to putaneggonit.

Oh yes, I did it again.

Last week, while finishing up some last minute things which included saying goodbye to my cooking class crew and recording a CBC segment with Simon Thibault in which we whipped up my famous (well, according to treeplanters at least!) mint brownies, I also somehow found time to cook and shoot my recipe. You see, Brent and I have embarked on a new adventure for the remainder of the summer which takes us to Maitland, NS. But that’s another post. You’ll wanna stay tuned for that one.

With the deadline looming, here I am sitting at the kitchen table in my new country home writing away.   So, without further adieu, I give you…

{UPDATE} Brought home the gold! You’ll see this bad boy appear in the Harvest edition of Local Connections hitting the stands this fall. Oh snap.

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