On any given weekend, I’m likely going to have attended one brunch or another. It’s my reminder that I have two days off from my weekly commute and can kick back with a meal and friends without worrying about lunch breaks or curfews. Brunch is an established institution to be revered. However, in a busy city like New York, we are plagued by the never-ending 40-minute wait list for a meal between 11 and 2. I don’t know about you, but waking up super early on a Saturday to avoid a line or being “Hangry” is never cute.
Then it occurred to me, why not make myself a quick and easy brunch at home? No lines, no wait, and more importantly no bill. Armed with my skillet I foraged for ingredients in my pantry that I could quickly pair together with no effort and now you can too! Here’s a quick and easy brunch you can make in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
1 large handful of Kale (washed)
1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds
1 medium size Avocado
2 large eggs
2 slices of bread
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Instructions
The key to efficiency in meal preparation is to always do things in tandem. Thankfully, the only item for this meal that needs to be on the stove are the eggs. In a large pot, on low heat, bring water to a simmer about 3-4 inches deep. You may want to salt the water slightly, though this is optional.
While your water is simmering, prepare your avocado spread. Halve the avocado and roughly mash it in a bowl with a fork. If you have a mini mortar and pestle, go for it!. Toss in a pinch of salt and a splash of lemon juice. If you’ve ever cut into an Avocado and it browns within minutes, fear not. Your avocado hasn’t gone rancid, it’s just browning due to oxidation. Lemon juice slows down the oxidation process and keeps your avocados green as you prep everything else. Add a few chilli flakes (optional), spread onto your toast, and set aside.
The next step is to make your salad. This comes together pretty quickly. Tear off Kale leaves and roughly cut/take a part by hand into bite size pieces. Give it a quick rinse and proceed to massage your Kale. That’s right, massage. This is the process where you continuously squeeze together the leaves in order to break down the cell walls and soften the vegetable for consumption. Your stomach will thank you for this pre-digestion effort. Toss in the sunflower seeds (and in my case left over shredded carrots from Monday), a light vinaigrette and set aside.
By now your water should be simmering. If your water is at a rolling boil, turn down the heat some or take your pot off the flame for a few moments and then reintroduce the heat. Crack your eggs, one at a time, into separate bowls. With a spoon swirl your water in a circular motion to create a vortex/whirlpool. The vortex is a fail-safe to help the egg whites wrap around the yolk for a more compact poached egg. Quickly toss in your eggs, one at a time, to poach.
Now if you’re new to poaching, a good science trick is to add a splash of white vinegar to your water (don’t use any other color or you’ll end up with colored eggs). What this does is it helps the egg whites congeal a lot quicker to the egg yolk and you’ll have less straggly pieces of egg whites in your water.Turn off the flame and let sit for 2 minutes. 3-4 if you’d like a less runny yolk. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon, quickly pat dry on a paper towel just to get rid of the excess water and plate onto your Avocado toast.
Turn off the flame and let sit for 2 minutes — 3-4 if you’d like a less runny yolk. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon, quickly pat dry on a paper towel just to get rid of the excess water and plate onto your Avocado toast.
As a substitute, feel free to prepare your eggs however you like. Scrambled eggs or even a regular fried egg pairs well with this. Always remember it’s okay to go rogue and put your own spin on things.
All you need now is a fancy beverage of your choice and you’re at brunch in your pajamas. No muss, no fuss, and most importantly, a full belly.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this recipe. Let us know what you think!
The post Brunch Party Of One? Try This Easy At-Home Recipe appeared first on MadameNoire.