Thai Coconut Curried Eggs

Portland is a good city for discoveries. We drove down last weekend for SCAA (excellent), but my mind wasn't buzzing with coffee on the drive home. We wandered into the Spice and Tea Exchange and I came away with new spices and new ideas.

This Coconut Thai Blend is my new favorite toy.

Thai Coconut Curried Eggs? Yes, please. A little coconut milk, some of this handy packet of goodness, a dash salt, and a healthy squirt of sriracha and I've got a unique riff on deviled eggs.

I made these specially for my friend's baby shower; she's been rather obsessed with Thai food. They evaporated, but not before making a rather adventurous 5-year-old burst into tears. It's best to post a warning about the sriracha.

Bacon & Leek Quiche

Life is green.

We moved to a new apartment where I have space for a little greenhouse, just in time for spring to bubble up into Seattle with drizzly warm days and hot golden afternoons. I've packed the little greenhouse full of herbs: cilantro, rosemary, thyme, chives, sage, spearmint, peppermint, and even a strawberry and viola. It seems I must acquire a second greenhouse for the tomatoes and basil I'll cultivate in a few weeks. I can't help this plant addiction.

I also have a hopvine hanging in the corner. Yes, a hopvine in an apartment. Crazy, ill-advised, and basically bonkers? Yes. Beautiful? Oh yes.

I'm working on menus for when we open our gluten-free pub/cafe. We're a couple of years from opening our doors, but every new recipe makes it feel closer. Exciting. I found myself pondering what the spring equivalent of shepherd's pie might be. Frittatas are in the works. The quiche is nearly perfected.

Here it is, with bacon, leeks, and onions caramelized in bacon fat, smothered all over in cheddar, awaiting a deluge of beaten egg and soymilk.

It's as delicious as it sounds. It's also low-dairy: soymilk replaces the cream, vegan butter replaces the real butter in the crust, and the only dairy left is real cheddar. My next quiche will use Daiya's cheddar. I can't wait to see how that turns out.

What else should I put on our menu?