Simple breakfast salad with poached egg

Breakfast doesn't have to mean sweets. Try a savory salad topped with a poached egg for your morning boost.

I used to be a sweets-for-breakfast kind of person. I LOVED French toast and doughnuts and anything considered a vehicle for maple syrup (which, let’s be honest, is everything). If we went out for breakfast, it was a safe bet that Mary would order something sweet, and definitely not savory.

I’m not sure what changed, but sometime in the last four or five years, my sweet tooth diminished noticeably. Sure, I still love everything maple-doused, and I’ll eat my fair share of cookies, but really ... I crave veggies. I want big bowls of vegetables with fresh flavors and healthy vitamins and all the life-giving qualities of real foods. For breakfasts? I’m totally on team savory!

Team savory means cauliflower hash with harissa and poached eggs, or biscuits and bacon and a side salad and cheese! OR, a breakfast salad. Breakfast salads are something I think I first heard about when I read “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. I’d never really considered it before, and it didn’t sound particularly fulfilling at the time, but now: I’m 100% on board with breakfast salads.

Here’s the thing with breakfast salads: They can be simple, and need basically no dressing because (if you do it the Mary way) the egg yolk takes care of it. I throw in some fruit, some veg, some greens, squeeze on some lemon juice, and let the egg yolk take it from there. You can poach or fry or soft boil — whatever floats your boat. I’ve been on a poaching streak lately. You guys know the drill here: Add your favorites! New veg! Other dried fruit! Hazelnuts! GET CREATIVE!

Simple Breakfast SaladServes 1

2 cups mixed greens
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/8 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 tablespoon crumbled chevre
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/8 cup dried sour cherries
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 egg, cooked however you'd like (preferably with a runny yolk)
1/2 apple, sliced

1. Toss together the greens, carrots, pecans, chevre, tomatoes, and cherries.

2. Squeeze the lemon juice on top, then add the cooked egg and let the yolk run wild as you mix.

3. Serve with sliced apple.

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