Here’s a favorite healthy brunch option that I love – all food groups in one place, all the flavor, none of the deprivation!

Brie Strata

Ingredients:

2 tbs. Olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 medium green or yellow pepper, roughly chopped
4 ounces Mushrooms (any variety) sliced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 6 ounce bag baby spinach
1 roasted red pepper (can be jarred), roughly diced
1 16 ounce bag frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
8 eggs (or 4 eggs plus 1 cup liquid egg substitute)
2 cups milk
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
1 7.7 ounce Brie round(cold)

Preparation:
Sautee onions, mushrooms, garlic and peppers in olive oil over medium heat until soft, and onions are translucent. Add spinach, and continue cooking until wilted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add roasted red peppers and stir until combined.

Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray and spread hash browns to cover the bottom of the dish evenly.

Cut the Brie (which should be cold) in half and put one half back in the refrigerator. Cut the other half into small cubes (no need to trim off the rind) and mix in with the vegetables. Cover the hash browns with the vegetable /cheese mixture, spreading evenly.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and pour over the vegetable/cheese mixture. Refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the remaining half Brie thinly (again, no need to trim off the rind) and arrange on the top of the casserole. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes. Top should be browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Shameless Plug: I have entered the Ile de France 2009 Spring Recipe Contest and I need your votes! Please visit the Ile de France website and rate my entries:

Brunch Brie Strata by Renee (okay, they wrote Rennee):

and Spring Brie Mini-Sub by Renee (it really irks me to have to type “Rennee” – it’s unnatural).

Here’s the link: http://www.iledefrancecheese.com/blog/

Voting is points-based (rating 1-5), with the top 3 point totals, winning. The contest runs all through the month of May, so vote early and often! I would love to Walk away with some cheese!

I’d give you the individual page links, but they keep moving. Dammit. Anyway, there are only 39 entries and these are 2 of them.

I’d also like you to vote for my partner in crime, or cheese in this case, Miz Shoes. Her recipe is titled “Chicken Chevre by Lynne”. She was the one who was originally approached to participate in this contest, and, well, my competitive cooking nature possessed me, and well, here we are…

I will flesh out this post tonight – I might even make it coherent – and will add photos…. provided I don’t get caught doing this right now and get my ass fired!

Okay, I’ve kept this promise. And they haven’t fired me. Yet.

Anyway, please go vote!