Brunch

Beware	the	foible	in	free	will,
The	roiling	choice	that	troubles	you--
Foible	choice	up	just	to	fancy...
In	that	just	necessity,	keep	true.
Free	troubles	to	keep	cheeks	stuffed!
Will	you	fancy	true,	stuffed	hullaballoo?

When Lewis Carroll's awesomely clever table-poem popped up on the internet last week, several friends sent me links to it.  These friends know me well.  I love wordplay, especially the kind that's a little smart, a little crazy, and more than a little inventive.  I'm smitten by authors who are equally adept at writing in the language of poetry as they are mathematics -- Carroll, Pynchon, Hofstadter, and the like.  So to kick off National Poetry Month, here's a post in honor of one thinker I admire very much.  Callooh!  Callay!

This month also marks the end of production season, at least for a little while.  Remember when school started and I bid adieu to cozy, unhurried breakfasts in favor of sleep and efficiency?  Well...we're still in school, but the first thing I did after we finished shooting our winter projects was sleep in until the sun was high in the sky and eat a nice, comfortably lazy brunch.

Brunch is potentially hazardous in its inveigling of free will.  So many choices abound -- breakfast foods or lunch foods? sweet or salty? hot sauce in moderation or with everything? -- that it's pretty impossible to try it all without ending up stuffed.  But one need not make a choice at all.  On a well-deserved, leisurely morning, an acceptable -- nay, encouraged -- place to end up is stuffed...and these eggs are an excellent course with which to start.

They might actually be the best eggs I've ever eaten.  They're homey and layered and incredibly satisfying.  Plus, they don't take much time or effort to make; the first time I made them, it was out of leftovers found in the fridge on a busy weekday!  ...What can I say?  I love food recycling -- especially the kind that's a little smart, a little crazy, and more than a little inventive.

Sweet-and-Savory Apple Curry Eggs

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups frozen spinach
• 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/6 cup diced apple
• 1/6 cup diced yellow bell pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tsp curry powder*
• Greek yogurt for topping

Directions

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with the curry powder.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over high heat.

Add the onions and saute for about a minute, until fragrant.

Throw on the frozen spinach, mix, and cook until wilted.

Add the apples and bell peppers, stir, and saute for another minute.

Mix in the parsley, reserving a little for garnish.

Pour in the egg white mixture, and use a spatula to keep the edges from sticking to the pan.  Let cook for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown on one side.

Flip and cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

*If you want this dish to be gluten-free, make sure the curry powder contains only spices, and no added fillers or MSG.