COULD a hearty breakfast of rice, fried eggs and tapsilog soon be a thing of the past? Could we all soon be going to work on a salad?
Salad for breakfast? Really?
The idea of a breakfast salad has become popular in America and food pundits believe it will take off elsewhere as more and more people become conscious of the benefits of a healthy diet.
But a breakfast salad doesn't have to be something boring that you'd feed to a rabbit. It's easy to blend all the regular makings of a healthy bowl of greens with traditional morning-meal ingredients like bacon, eggs and fruit.
Try these recipes.
Bacon, Egg and Spinach Breakfast Salad
Ingredients (Serves 1)
1 large egg, cold from ref
2 cups spinach
1/2 small tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add cold egg, reduce heat until water is simmering and cook for six minutes (this will produce a soft-cooked egg; increase cooking time if you prefer a hard-cooked egg). Drain and rinse with cold water. Peel egg and set aside.
Combine spinach and tomatoes in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and sprinkle with salt, toss to coat.
Top the salad with bacon. Cut the egg in half and sprinkle with pepper.
Eggs Benedict Breakfast Salad
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar, plus more for poaching the eggs
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
150 gr bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips
Salt and ground black pepper
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp plain, low-fat yogurt
150 gr mixed greens (about 8 cups)
1/2 cup small tomatoes, halved
2 slices of brown bread toasted
4 eggs
Fill a large, wide pot with about three inches of water and a hefty splash of vinegar. Bring to a low simmer.
Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Add the onions, bacon, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion and the bacon are browned in spots, about five minutes. Remove from the heat, and let cool.
Put the remaining two tablespoons oil and the vinegar, lemon zest and juice, yogurt, one tablespoon water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a jar or other container with a lid. Secure the lid, and shake well to combine. (The dressing can be made a day ahead; shake well before serving.)
Toss the greens, tomatoes, onion-bacon mixture and dressing in a large bowl. Add salt to taste. Divide among four salad bowls.
Toast each slice of bread and cut in half.
Crack one egg into a small bowl. Swirl the simmering water, then gently slide the egg into it. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Cook until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, three to four minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, and place one on top of each salad. Garnish each salad with two toasted bread pieces and a few grinds of pepper.
