Brekkie Salad (& how to make great poached eggs)

I LOVE breakfast, i love it more than any other meal.

When i was in school i would have breakfast for breakfast, breakfast for afternoon tea and breakfast for dinner too, if Mum would let me.

Here is a healthy breakfast salad, a bit of a change from the usual poached eggs 'n' toast.

On a Sunday when I'm lazy and sleeping in & my brekkie happens to be closer to lunch....i enjoy something in-between...and so... Brunch Salad It is!

This recipe is also a lesson on poaching eggs. Which although seems a simple task is one hard to master. I do believe with a gentle hand and a few good tips (which I have listed at the bottom of the recipe), everyone can achieve the perfect poached egg brekkie!

I hope you give this a go and enjoy it....Lazily on a Sunday of course. :)

Brunch Salad

Ingreients
(for 2 people)


For salad
* 1 tin lentils
* 3 tomatoes chopped chunky (or use almost 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes)
* 1/2 onion very finely sliced
* 2 tbs caramelized onion marmalade
* 1 large handful parsley
* 1/2c sliced char grilled capsicum (you could make them yourself, or buy jarred)
* 1/2 capsicum chopped chunky
* 1/2 lemon
* handful of chopped fresh dill
* s & p

For poached eggs
* 4 eggs
* 1/4 - 1/3c white vinegar

For dressing
*4tbsp red wine vinegar (or other sweet vinegar of choice)
* 1 tsp wholegrain or Dijon mustard
* 3tbpn extra virgin olive oil


Method

* Fill a pot with water,put on stove to bring to the boil
* while waiting for the water to boil put the salad Ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine gently with your hands
* in a small bowl add the dressing ingredients and whisk to combine , taste and adjust, you want a zingy flavour. Pour over salad, mix again
*once water comes to a gentle boil, Add the vinegar use a slotted spoon and stir water to create a whirlpool
* gently crack an egg into the centre of the whirlpool, let It slide out of the shell into the water as gently as possible. This keeps the egg in one neat little ball
* adjust the hob temperature to keep the water at a gentle boil, if it boils too rapidly you may need to remove the pot from the heat for a moment.
*wait a few seconds until the egg looks white. Stir the water again and crack the second egg into the centre as before. The first egg should be riding around the pot in the current while you crack the second egg in.
* Put a handful or 2 of salad on each plate in a neat little mound
* after about 1 min use the slotted spoon to gently lift the first gag out of the pot. Check whether the white has set. Once it is you are ready to serve it up!
* Lift the egg out of the pot using the a slotted spoon and place on top of salad. Repeat w second egg
*repeat poaching with other 2 eggs for second person
* garnish with some herbs and serve.


TIPS FOR GREAT POACHED EGGS

- for the easiest poaching of eggs use a pot at least 23cm diam and between 8-13cm deep.
- use organic free range ,
- make sure they are fresh - pick the eggs with the furthest use by date
- fresh eggs have a almost jelly-like consistency to the egg white
- make sure they are at room temperature.
- Drain the egg carefully by holding a tea towel by the spoon and tilting the spoon to roll the egg a little. (Water sometimes becomes trapped In The white)
- Add the vinegar just before you cook the eggs
- if you are cooking a lot of eggs or if the water becomes too cloudy add another splash of vinegar to the pot between poachings
- don't let the water boil rapidly for too long before you begin adding vinegar and eggs, this seems to change the water somehow and tends to make the eggs more likely the spread rather than keep in a neat little ball.

Mama India Spiced Chickpeas

This is a lovely fragrant dish and the flavours remind me of something you'd find in one of India's back street Dhabas. It is a dryer style curry but not dry. The oil added at the end moistens it a little and the yoghurt brings all the flavours together. You could mix this up by trying different vegetables, however this combination makes the dish vibrant and colourful. It is yummiest when using home cooked chickpeas rather than tinned, but if you are lacking the time to prepare them you could cheat and use tinned. I think this is great served as a main dish, but you could also serve it in combination with another curry for a dinner party or perhaps make a fresh Raita to go with!?

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoons cumin seeds
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground tumeric
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 red capsicum
1 small head of broccoli cut into florets
2 cups cooked chickpeas (if using tinned don't forget to strain them!)
punnet of cherry tomatoes chopped
squeeze of fresh lime
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Natural yoghurt to serve

Heat a large fry pan on high heat, add the coconut oil and when hot add in the coriander and cumin seeds. Watch them closely and be careful not to burn them, they should start to pop and release there flavours. Just before they start to burn (!) add in the red onion, turn the heat down to medium and saute until soft and golden. Add in the ground spices and stir for a few minutes until fragrant. Add in the red capsicum, broccoli and chickpeas and a pinch of salt, stir to combine and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until the veggies are lightly cooked. remove from heat. You can either transfer this dish to another bowel for serving or keep in the pan. Add cherry tomatoes, a good squeeze of fresh lime and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, mix through and serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt.

Enjoy! xx

Brekkie Quesadilla

 This is my current FAVE brekkie... Whats better is this is my Husband's current fave brekkie too! As he is carnivore and turns his nose at the veggie patch...this makes me VERY happy!

This is a fantastic hangover cure....it is also a quick, easy brekkie to make and doesn't make much mess....which is great if you are feeling lazy on a Sunday ...or if you have a hangover!

I have listed the ingredients i use, however since this is basically a toasted sandwich you can alter the filling to whatever you crave, or whatever you have in the fridge. I often use leftover spicy mexican beans i have in the fridge from my mid-week taco dinner (or sometimes mince or ham for Matt) . Caramelised onion, diced capsicum, sour cream or cream cheese, pesto or even saute spinach & crumbled feta would make nice fillings too!

I haven't given quantities as just like a sandwich it is up to you how much or how little you fill it.

ingredients

* Pita Bread
* tomatoes
* avocado
* Ajvar (or some sort of chutney)
* Eggs
* Cheese
* Herbs (i used coriander)
* a little olive oil or butter


Method
*  for each quesadilla whisk 2 eggs in a small bowl, heat a non stick fry pan coat with a touch of oil (if required) and cook egg (make 1 thin omelet per quesadilla). remove pan from heat.

* lay a piece of pita bread on the bench, spread with Ajvar grate some cheese over, sprinkle with chopped tomato and avocado and herbs, lay the omelet on top, grate some more cheese over, spread another pita bread with Ajvar and cover to make a sandwich.

* Put the pan back on the heat (low-medium heat) add a little butter or olive oil to coat, place the pita 'sandwhich' in the pan and cook until crispy and golden, use a plate to cover the sandwich and 'flip' the pan upside down to put the 'sandwich' onto the plate.

* add a little more butter or oil to coat the pan again then Slide the 'sandwich' back into the pan to cook the other side. Once crispy and golden flip or slide the now 'Quesadilla' back onto the plate.

* cut into wedges and devour

Red Wine, Quince and Cinnamon Poached Pear Sorbet

Winter, meet summer!

I had 4 packham pears which were becoming quite ripe, i needed to do something with them...but other than crumble...or pie or other wintery desserts i could think what.

Somehow i decided this would be a good idea.

Turns out it was.

It is quite rich, but served with some orange segments to cut through the richness it is just delish

I am also thinking of making this combo again, however as an ice-cream to balance the richness

This recipe seems tiresome since there is cooking, cooling, freezing and refreezing....but begin this recipe (as i did) one night, and after work the next day scrape the sorbet once, and then again while cooking dinner...then it is ready for dessert that night.

too easy! :)

Ingredients

*4 packham pears
*1 cinnamon stick
*a sprinkle of ground cinnamon
* 2 1/2 tbsp quince paste
*1/3 to 1/2 bottle red wine (i used Merlot)
* 1/2c caster sugar
*1/4c liquid glucose
* 1/2c water

to serve
*mint sprigs
*orange segments


Method

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees
Peel and core the pears, cut each into 4 wedges, place into a baking dish or tray ( i used a loaf tin)
add the cinnamon stick and sprinkle with the ground cinnamon. scatter little blobs or quince paste over the pears. pour wine in to just cover pears.
Bake until just soft (approx 20-30 minutes)

Meanwhile...Place sugar, liquid glucose and water in a pot over high heat, stir until sugar has dissolved and mixture boils. Boil mixture for 10seconds longer.. (only 10 seconds longer or the sorbet will not freeze/set)
leave to cool

Once the pear mix has cooled remove the cinnamon stick and discard. put the mix into a blender jug (or use a hand blender) and puree mix until smooth.

Stir the puree and the sugar syrup together and pour into a baking tray. Make sure the mix in no more than a 2cm depth in the pan.
Place tray in the freezer.

Once frozen remove the tray and scrape the mix into fine icicles. Spread evenly and place back into the freezer.
Repeat this process once more.

Then you are ready to serve.

I hope you enjoy

If you do try this recipe, please leave us a comment with some feedback :)

yours in yumminess

xx BA