I realize the
focus has been on dinners with some attention to lunch, but today will focus on
breakfast/brunch ideas that are Mediterranean Diet-compatible, like this baked
egg in a bell pepper half. You can bake eggs in about any vegetable with an
indentation—mushroom, avocado, hollowed out tomato, or a nest made of chopped
kale and sprinkled with curry powder.
Of course, you
can always stick with eating whole grains like rolled oats or old-fashioned oatmeal
(no instant stuff!) topped with honey, nuts, and fruit. Or try out other grains
like quinoa, barley, or farro as a stand-in for oatmeal.
Or you might
caramelize fresh figs and top with Greek yogurt. I sometimes eat a banana and
peanut butter.
A breakfast board
with fruits, whole grain toast, hummus, and a spread of vegetables and cheeses
could be breakfast for you. Or you might make a caprese whole grain toast (mozzarella/tomatoes/fresh
basil/balsamic vinegar) topped with avocado. M
But for a
company breakfast or brunch, or just to treat yourself, you might try one of
these.
Quinoa with Eggs and Other Good Stuff (serves 4)
1 cup quinoa
2 cups
vegetable broth
1 tablespoon
butter
1 cup
mushrooms, cut into chunks
3 green
onions, chopped
1 garlic clove,
minced
½ cup
tomatoes, chopped (or use sun-dried tomatoes)
1 large
handful kale, chopped into chunks
8 eggs, sunny
side up or soft-poached
4 tablespoons
Asiago cheese
Rinse the
quinoa per package instructions. [See NOTE; very important step]
Put rinsed
quinoa in sauce pan with 2 cups of broth. Bring to a boil and then lower the
heat to simmer. It should be done in 15-20 minutes. When done, the quinoa will
have a gelatinous look, like tiny eyeballs.
While quinoa
is simmering, melt the butter in a skillet. Add mushrooms, onions, garlic, and
tomatoes. and stir until tomatoes are softening and the mushrooms are tender.
Immediately add the kale and mix together thoroughly.
Remove from
heat and prepare the eggs the way you like them. We like them soft and runny, but
if you’re a hard egg person, cook them that way.
When the eggs
are almost done, stir veggies into the quinoa. Stir together. Put one cup (or
so) of quinoa mixture on a plate or large flat bowl. Sprinkle on a tablespoon
of cheese on each dish. Top with eggs and serve.
This goes
great with corn muffins and a fruit salad.
NOTE: It is really important to rinse off the coating nature
puts on quinoa before you cook it or you will end up with a bitter dish.
Or how about
Eggy Taco Cups for a really hearty brunch meal? Yeah, it has bacon, but just
one piece per person. And you could leave it out if you are really restricting
processed meats.
Eggy Taco Cups (serves 2)
2 slices
of bacon
2 corn
tortillas, warmed
8-12 leaves
fresh spinach
2 eggs
2 green
onions, sliced
½ cup
Mexican cheese, shredded; divided
4 cherry
tomatoes
1 small
avocado, diced
¼ cup
salsa
¼ cup
plain Greek yogurt
cilantro
(optional)
Preheat
oven to 375 degrees.
Cook
bacon and set aside. Crumble when cool. (I do mine in the oven)
Warm the
tortillas in the microwave for 15 seconds to make them more pliable.
Place
two oven-proof bowls (or large ramekins) on a cookie sheet. Spray the bowls
with non-stick cooking spray. Then wrap a tortilla into each bowl, overlapping
edges where necessary.
Put ½ of
spinach into each taco bowl. Top with an egg.
Sprinkle
a tablespoon of cheese on top of each egg.
Top each
egg with onions. Add bacon to each taco cup. Sprinkle on the rest of the
cheese.
Bake for
25 minutes. Check eggs to see if you want them more done. (We like them soft,
but not runny.) Bake in 5 minute increments to the doneness you want.
Top each
eggy taco cup with tomatoes, avocado, salsa, and Greek yogurt. I didn’t have
fresh cilantro, or I would have used it. Great served for dinner with black
beans and corn.
DH’s
Rating: 5 Tongues Up
DH enjoys the
occasional special breakfast or brunch even though he typically has cereal or toast with
peanut butter and jelly. However, anytime we make one of these (or other)
special meals, he is a clean plater.
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