To paraphrase a certain UK MasterChef presenter, ‘breakfast doesn’t get much healthier than this’ (one has to say this in a very earnest, growling South London accent, with a cheeky, gleaming smile). Or much odder. I mean, kale? With eggs?
No word of a lie this is a brilliant and filling breakfast. Top of the tree nutrition-wise, and taste-wise – if you like your dark leafy greens that is. I first made this a few weeks ago when there was a heck of a lot of my favourite leafy greens hogging shelf space in the fridge. I just looked at the freshly-laid eggs in my hand and over to the never-ending bag of kale and thought, why not? But while this was a healthy combo I did want to enliven it further, so briefly perused my ridiculously full sauce shelf and this little jar of Malay Taste Sambal Oelek sauce, with it’s eye-catching livery, caught my eye.
Yes, I know cereal is chock full of nutrients (usually added back in after they were taken out in the first place. Rude Health-type cereals excepted), and a no-brainer decision when you’ve got a pair of straighteners in one hand and a mewling toddler in the other (yikes!). But, if you have even a modicum of extra time, really an extra five minutes, please give this a try. And if you are having a love-in with your veggies just now – I am – live on the edge and whack some oil-slicked sweet cherry tomatoes into a hot oven for a delicious pop of colour and extra flavour.
I’ve bored for Britain on the benefits of kale, but in case you didn’t know, it isan excellent source of vitamins K, C, A and manganese; and a very good source of dietary fiber, calcium, potassium, and vitamin B6. It also has numerous, potent anti-cancer compounds. Read more about kale’s disease-preventing chemical co*cktail (in a good way) in my Kale-Berry Smoothie recipe post.
And, as for eggs, not only have they lost their ‘bad for you’ tag (that was so unfair!) most of us would say that they are exceptionally nutritious. What about the cholesterol, you may ask? Yes, they do have rather a lot, about 212 mg in a large egg, but very little of this cholesterol, dietary cholesterol, gets into the bloodstream. It’s really saturated and nasty trans-fats that are the heart disease bad guys. In fact, eggs not only have the most digestible, highest-quality protein of any food – making it fantastic for both dieters and those who are unwelldue to cancer treatment – but they also have some helpful unsaturated fats, memory-enhancing choline, and the eye health phytochemicals, lutein andzeaxanthin. And they even have all essential vitamins, except C. Yes, it even has the difficult to get D. So, what are you waiting for? Get cracking!
This is the first of a short series of easy, a bit off-the-wall breakfast ideas that I put out for your consideration. I will also give links to some really great breakfast ideas that have caught my attention recently. Some nearly as odd as mine.
To help me with my final breakfast post in this series, I want to know:What is your favourite breakfast? What is your best food-related time-saving tip in the morning? I would like to include the best tips and faves in my final breakfast post, so don’t be shy – I need you 😀
Spicy Kale and Egg Breakfast
Last Year: Brazilian-style Black Bean Salad
Miss R’s Track of the Week: Justin Nozuka’s “Golden Train”(ridiculously talented American-Canadian singer-songwriter) – at 3 minutes playing time, this could be your egg timer!
Three ingredients – two uber nutritious, and one that’s just tasty. That’s all. Or, get a jumpstart on your five+ a day by adding a handful of oven-roasted or pan-frazzled cherry tomatoes. Toast optional. And obviously not a vegetable! Here’s my favourite – and easist – bread recipe.
80g kale leaves OR a large cupped double handful
1 large organic egg
1 tsp (+) bought sambal oelek sauce, or recipe to make your own
Wash and shred the kale into ribbons then chop. Let this sit for five minutes to allow the health-promoting phytochemicals to ‘develop’. Steam or boil until soft – five minutes for young kale, a bit longer for older stuff. To keep the colour some people boil in quite salty water, and then ‘shock’ the cooked greens with a plunge in ice water. I don’t bother with that, but do as you like. Drain well and then mix with a teaspoon or two of sambal oelek sauce. Or your favourite hot sauce, or even a garlic sauce. If you need to maintain or gain weight, stir in 2 teaspoons of best extra virgin olive oil to the kale.
Meantime, poach your egg as per your favoured method*. When ready, slide your egg onto the spicy kale and dig in, pronto.
*Me? Well, I crack one of ‘my girls’ eggs into a shallow teacup and slide it into a pan of just simmering water to which I have added 1 tsp of vinegar. As soon as the egg is submerged I start my pre-set timer. When the egg is ready, I scoop it carefully with a slotted spoon and pop onto a folded paper towel, then onto toast or, in this case, kale. Time: 2 ½ minutes – 3 ½ minutes. Each batch of eggs can be very different so I go with the shorter time and then, when I lift one out, I give it a wobble and, if it seems barely holding together, I pop it straight back for another minute with the heat off. It’s not rocket science but it can take a little practise to get it how you want it. Delia Smith suggests that one pops the egg into water that is barely bubbling for one minute and then killing the heat and allowing the egg to cook in the residual heat for a further 10 minutes. I’m too impatient to even try this! Those on chemotherapy, or with compromised immune function, should hard cook their eggs – boil, scramble or ‘steam-fry’ until the yolk is completely cooked.
The biggest tip is to use the freshest eggs available to you, ideally no more than five days old. Look for the packing date on your carton as this will also be the laying date for the most part. Or, better yet, get your own henny pennies – they are tremendous fun and about as useful a pet as you can have. Check the British Welfare Hens Trust(UK) and Rehoming Battery Hens dotcom(US), or your own country’s national websites for information on how you can give a a loving home to rescue/ex-battery/ex-farm hens. We in the UK are leading the way in hen welfare by early adoption of EU cage-free hen legislation (which Britain pushed for), but there is still some way to go before all hens on commercial farms have a ‘good life’ (in relative terms, of course). Mr A, Miss R and I have a mix of hand-reared and ex-commercial free range hens, and we are looking to adopt some ex-organically-reared hens too. I hope the ‘posh birds’ get on with our old girls!
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