Breakfast! The most important meal of the day, the meal we WILL burn off throughout our daily activities. And yet in my experience - the smallest meal of the day.
Upon pondering this, as I ponder many a thing in life. I realised that although we know its make logical sense to eat more in the morning why is that our meals in the evenings are so much more diverse and interesting. Not only is it larger portions, but more than one course! Why can't breakfast have a dessert? And who on earth decided that breakfast should consist of eggs or cereal?
However when I decided to rebel against morning food norms - I was hit by a reality that most people find it very hard to stomach something in the morning they are simply not used to.
My family were my own guinea pigs for the nonconformist experiment but upon trying to present to them a chicken stir fry for breakfast - the reaction was less than enthusiastic. Perhaps free Britain just isn't ready for such things! Or maybe because I have moved to America where serving Buffalo wings for breakfast is perfectly normal I was a couple of steps ahead.
But the actuality is that 'breakfast foods' have been programmed into us since day one. So rather than suggest to you a roast dinner for breakfast, let's meet in the middle. What about substituting meals we love INTO our breakfast - and voila my crazy scrambles were born!
The idea is take PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING you want a scramble it in with free-range eggs. Let's go into details....
For example; This morning I took a packet of Quorn Mince, shallow fried in a little coconut oil and seasoned with cayenne pepper before whisking three eggs together and adding it to the pan. The scramble took all of three minutes to make (for anyone with little time in the mornings) I then added pomegranate and mixed nuts on top before serving it with Ryvita bread. Indeed, it's a completely random mix, but that's the beauty with this. You really can add anything you want; the key is just finding natural sugars and healthy proteins.
I find that whatever I eat first thing in the morning is a reflection of what I crave throughout the rest of the day - so starting with something fresh and full of protein is going to make staying away from processed foods so much less tempting. For me, my crazy scramble phase is allowing me to be creative with food, and really fill myself up in the mornings - because it's actually a HUGE meal. Other invention ingredients include;
-Mince Beef, Tomato and Broccoli
Cook the beef through in pan using coconut oil (the best option!) add the broccoli and chopped tomato shortly after the eggs - season with cayenne pepper and/or tabasco.
-Chicken Satay
Cook the chicken through and shred - return chicken to the pan with beansprouts, next add satay sauce with chopped peanuts, and lastly chilli.
One of the braver ones... This one is just delicious, a Thai takeaway for breakfast!
-Spinach , Carrots, Chickpeas and Humus
This one is very simple but the hummus adds an incredible exoticness to the flavour.
- Curry powder, peppers, coriander, chilli and onions
I can't take credit for this one, it was served to me over the summer and I fell in love. Its super light but delicious.
-Pesto, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan: Either drizzle the pesto on top of cooked eggs, or swirl it into the eggs as they cook. Add a chiffonade of basil, sliced sun-dried tomatoes (or slow-roasted tomatoes), and grated parmesan.
Bell peppers, caramelized onions, and Italian sausage: Remove a sweet or spicy Italian sausage from its casing, break it up into crumbly pieces, and cook it through. Remove to a plate, add chopped roasted bell peppers and caramelized onions and eggs seasoned with a pinch of paprika, cook until just set, fold in the sausage, and serve.
Truffled Mushrooms
Mushrooms, fontina, and truffle salt: Cook the mushrooms then add eggs, and chives. Once cooked, top with grated fontina and a pinch of truffle salt.
BUFFALO SCRAMBLE
My commemoration to America. Buffalo sauce is something I've discovered since moving to LA. I put it on everything, which I shouldn't do since it is high in salt. So limit it. But everything in moderation is fine! I have my buffalo scramble with shredded chicken and peppers.
The above suggestions are generic and simply ideas. Feel free to experiment and add/takeaway whatever you fancy. Remember to whisk the eggs together well before cooking and to use coconut oil to give a creamy yet healthy taste. There is no need for water/milk if you cook them for the right amount of time. The eggs are done once there is no liquid.
Now as you can see my pictures - There is a reason resturants don't serve things like this! It looks awful, but who cares, its healthy and a great start to the day!
So send me all your 'disgusting' scramble pictures to me via my instagram @missamywillerton as I would love to share ideas!
Happy scrambling!
Amy x