Terra Cotta plate by Mary Briggs
You may not ordinarily think of making a vegetable for breakfast, but tossing a couple of handfuls of quick cooking greens in your pan a minute before adding your scrambled eggs takes a ordinary breakfast up a nutritional notch. If you are vegetarian or vegan, simply add the greens to your tofu scramble or beans. If you like savory oatmeal, corn grits, congee or another porridge rather than sweet to start your day, adding greens is a no-brainier. Keeping some fresh arugula or spinach in your refrigerator is an easy way to insure you always have greens to cook. You can get one or two servings of veggies out of the way before you leave home in the morning.
You could make a sandwich out of your scramble or eat it straight up. (If you don’t eat bread, adding vegetables is a way to bulk up your breakfast). If you wanted to enrich your eggs even more, you could sauté an onion before adding your greens or simply toss in some leftover vegetables from your previous meal. Peas, asparagus, sautéed or steamed greens, mushrooms and even zucchini all work well. I never use broccoli or cauliflower because I can’t handle the aroma early in the day but if you are careful not to overcook and the smell doesn’t bother you, go for it. Full disclosure – someone (who shall remain unmentioned) went through a broccoli in the morning phase and since she often overcooked it, we’ve had trouble even thinking about using it ever since! Keeping some vegetables in your freezer means you’ll have a veggie on hand to add. Frozen peas, green beans, artichoke hearts and mixed vegetables all work well. Just heat them in a little butter or oil to take the cold edge off (they are already cooked) and add your eggs to scramble. Grating in some fresh (or a pinch of dried) turmeric makes it healthier (anti-inflammatory/antioxidant) and spicier. Or try a handful of chopped fresh herbs (dill is especially good but even parsley works) to your scramble – already an improvement!
Another possibility, if you prefer fried or poached eggs, is simply to cook or warm your vegetables (with arugula or spinach it only takes a minute) and top the greens with your eggs or put it all on a piece of whole grain toast. If you don’t eat bread but do eat grains, topping leftover quinoa, grits or kasha with greens and poached or fried eggs is delicious and quite filling. Whichever way, you’ve bettered your breakfast without much effort. Without the effort of an omelet or frittata, adding greens easily ups both the nutritional profile and satiety level of your breakfast. It is eye pleasing and, best of all, tasty!
