Poached Eggs with Spinach Hash and Walnuts

Breakfast for you tomorrow? I think so!!

Welcome to the one shining moment in my life when I will tell you...I think I found something I'd eat again for breakfast. Yes, you heard me. It's something other than a bagel and cream cheese that will get me eating breakfast more often. I've said before that I really don't love breakfast unless it's in the form of a soft, chewy bagel loaded with cream cheese. MMMMmmmm. Give me a hot cup of coffee and I'll be your best friend in no time. Thanks to a back issue of Cooking Light magazine, I made my husband extremely happy this morning. Not only is this dish filling and full of flavor, but it's HEALTHY too. You can start feeling good about serving this entree in 3...2...1.

What you will need:
- 10oz box of spinach, thawed and squeezed
- 1 cup of baby bella mushrooms, chopped
- 1 large shallot, sliced
- 3 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup Fontina cheese, grated
- 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil (reserve this
- a splash of red wine vinegar (optional if you don't have any)
- a small pot of simmering water
- 1 egg per person
- White vinegar for poaching
- Truffle oil (completely optional)

Begin by preheating your skillet and adding the chopped bacon pieces. Cook the bacon until it releases most of its fat and becomes crispy. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon, and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Don't throw out your bacon fat because you will continue to cook your veggies in the same juices. At this time, you can also get a small pot of water simmering on the stove for your poached eggs. Once the bacon is on the paper towel, add the shallots and garlic to your pan. Sautee for about two minutes and then add your sage and thyme. Cook the spices into the shallots and onion for about 1-2 minutes. Add your chopped mushrooms. The reason I use baby bella mushrooms (which is just another name for portabella mushrooms) is because they are hearty and add body to the dish. Almost like meat without, you guessed it, the meat! :-) If at this point you feel like you don't have enough liquid for your veggies, you can add the reserved tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Moving right along here, you're going to sautee your mushrooms with the garlic, shallots, and spices. Cook till the mushrooms are starting to soften, but don't let them get too mushy. Add in your spinach (which you squeezed all the water out of, right?), add some garlic powder, and add the red wine vinegar. I only used a splash of the vinegar because it's a strong flavor and I didn't want my mixture to taste acidic. If you want more, you can add it. Once the vinegar is incorporated and absorbed into the spinach, add your grated cheese. The heat from your veggies will melt the Fontina. I may or may not have added more cheese. I'm not saying how much! ;-) Siiiiiiiigh. There's nothing better. Cheeeeeeeese. :-) Add the walnuts to your spinach mixture and allow the nuts to toast up for just a few minutes. Don't let them burn.

Let's get started on the eggs. I'm not one for poaching eggs all the time, so if you have a better way you like to poach eggs, by all means. This is the simplest way for me to poach an egg. Take a slotted spoon to the pot of simmering water and start stirring in a circle. Essentially what you're doing is creating what looks like a whirlpool. Crack your egg into the swirling water and allow the egg to cook for about 3 minutes. You still want the yolk to be runny and delicious, so don't leave it in there forever. You can repeat this process with the rest of your eggs. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and lay them on a plate right over the spinach hash. If you're feeling fancy, drizzle a tiny bit of Truffle oil over the top.