Poached Perfection

A nutritional powerhouse to kick off the day.

I love breakfast. Starting the morning with a good meal really does dictate how well your brain and body will function for the rest of the day. For Sean, it means another meal to up his intake of vegetables, which can be hard to translate into something that is delicious first thing in the morning. He's fed up of his steel cut oat porridge and flax-plus cereal so I've been looking for something different, but that fits with his diet.

So I took inspiration from the book Julie and Julia, which I just completed reading (a little late I know). There's a significant portion where she embellishes on her egg poaching exploits so I decided it's something that I should be able to do as well. As there was a box of high omega-three eggs and fresh spinach in the refrigerator I decided to wilt the leaves with some garlic and chilli - both great for Sean as well  -  and set it on a piece of whole grain toast with some tomato slices.

The verdict? Sean and I both loved it. We felt super virtuous having already added a cup of veggies to the day's required list by 8am that morning. Sean enjoyed it as is but I added a dollop of Dijon mustard to the egg and thought it added a nice kick. Oh yeah, the egg poaching went pretty smoothly for the second egg. I botched the first one by puncturing the yolk when I was fishing it out. Guess which one I had to eat? A clue: the plate photographed is Sean's.

Poached Egg with Spinach and Tomato
Serves 2

2 high-omega three eggs

1 tbs white vinegar

olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, sliced finely
pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 bunch fresh spinach leaves, chopped roughly

salt and pepper to taste
2 slices whole grain bread, toasted
1 tomato, sliced finely into rounds

Take a wide skillet and fill it with enough water so the eggs can be submerged. Bring it up to a steady boil and then drop the temperature so it's at a steady simmer. Add the vinegar. Break one egg into a bowl and slowly pour into the boiling water. Do the same with the second egg. Let it cook until the white is cooked around the yolk, about two to three minutes. 

In the meanwhile, heat another wide frying pan and add some olive oil. Add the garlic and chilli and sauté for about a minute until fragrant. Add the spinach, mix gently and cover. Cook for a minute and shut off the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Separate amidst the two slices of toast and add some slices of tomato.

Top each bed of vegetables with a poached egg. Season with some salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Poached Egg with Spinach and Tomato