To be honest, everyday should be an Egg Day. If you are in need of egg-ispiration for your next breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, try out these recipes and revamp your favourite egg meal into a nutritious and filling masterpiece.
Eggs are a nutrient-rich food that provides an egg-cellent source of protein, vitamin D. It also contains significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and vitamin B6. Sounds good, right?
But eggs on their own are a bit dull, so why not pair them with something tasty and nutritious like mushrooms? Eggs and mushrooms are natural partners when you need a satisfying meat-free meal that’s nutritious, super delicious and so easy to prepare. Even better that they’re both good any time of day and night!
Eating an egg-and-mushroom-rich breakfast may result in less hunger and a greater feeling of fullness, thereby helping you avoid consuming extra calories later, new research suggests.
Thanks to the South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association, here are three quick and comforting recipes you could try. Good luck and enjoy!
Double mushroom omelette
Pull out your pan and serve up this fluffy mushroom omelette. This wonderful recipe for omelettes can be made vegetarian or with meat. Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 500g mixed mushrooms (e.g white button & portabellini), sliced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, diced
- ½ cup fresh peas
- 8 XL free-range eggs
- 4 tsp butter
- 100g feta cheese
- ½ lemon
- Micro herbs for serving
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil
METHOD:
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Remove a large spoonful of mushrooms and set these aside for mixing into the eggs.
- To the remaining mushrooms- stir in shallot and garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add asparagus and cook for 1-2 minutes until tender-crisp. Stir through peas until just cooked. Remove pan from heat, set filling aside and keep warm.
- Whisk eggs in a large bowl, 2 at a time. Add some of the reserved cooked mushrooms.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil and 1 tsp butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour in the egg and mushroom mixture and swirl to coat the base. Season the eggs. Cook the omelette for 1-2 minutes or until just set.
- Add a quarter of the warm filling to one side. Crumble over a quarter of the feta and give everything a little squeeze of lemon juice. Close the omelette and carefully slide it onto a plate.
- Repeat with remaining eggs to make 4 omelettes.
Spinach and mushroom baked eggs
Skip the cafe and whip up this egg-citing spinach, egg and mushroom combination. Eggs offer high-quality protein and spinach provides a range of essential minerals and vitamins, which makes this one-pan meal a perfect start to your morning. Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 5 medium leeks, sliced
- 500g portabellini mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 400g baby spinach
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 350ml milk
- 2 tsp mustard
- Pinch nutmeg
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 4 large free-range eggs
- Salt & pink peppercorns
- Olive oil
METHOD:
- Preheat oven to 200˚C and prepare 4 ramekins on a baking tray.
- Blanch the spinach quickly by placing it in a colander in the sink. Pour over a freshly boiled kettle of water and then immediately rinse with cold water. Squeeze all the water out and set aside.
- In a large frying pan over high heat sauté the mushrooms in a drizzle of olive oil until golden brown. Set mushrooms aside. In the same pan add the 2 tbsp butter, the leeks and garlic and cook until the leeks are tender and the garlic is fragrant. Sprinkle in the flour and stirring constantly cook the flour for a few minutes. Pour in the milk and stir until smooth. Bring to a simmer. Season with salt, pepper, mustard and nutmeg. Once the mixture is thick, remove it from the heat. Stir in the mushrooms, spinach and parmesan.
- Divide the mixture between ramekins and create a well in the centre of each one. Crack an egg into each well and bake for 10-15 minutes until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Sprinkle with some crushed pink peppercorns and serve.
Portabello eggs florentine
I mean if you’re going to have an egg breakfast, you might as well get fancy with it. This one will for sure make you skip the snooze button on your alarm. Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 large portabello mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed into a paste
- 200g Swiss chard, roughly chopped
- 100g smoked salmon or trout
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Olive oil, for cooking
- Eggs
For the hollandaise:
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp water
- 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 115g butter
- 1 pinch of salt
To serve:
- Fresh chives, chopped, for serving
- Lemon wedges, for serving
METHOD:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Place the mushrooms on a baking tray.
- Drizzle with olive oil, brush with garlic and season well with salt and pepper.
- Bake for ± 10 minutes until tender.
- Meanwhile, heat another drizzle of olive oil in a medium-sized pan.
- Add the Swiss chard and sauté just until the chard has wilted.
For the poached eggs:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
- Crack eggs, one at a time, into separate bowls.
- Swirl the water into a gentle vortex.
- Gently slip the eggs one by one into the boiling water.
- Cook for about 3 minutes each for soft poached eggs.
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop the poached eggs out of the water and place them on a paper towel to drain.
For the hollandaise:
- Find a jug that snugly fits the head of a stick blender.
- Combine the egg yolks, water, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in the bottom of the jug.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over high heat, until bubbling.
- Remove from the heat.
- Place the head of the stick blender into the bottom of the cup and turn it on.
- With the blender constantly going, slowly drizzle the hot butter into the jug.
- Continue pouring until you have used all the butter and the sauce is thick and emulsified.
- Taste to adjust seasoning.
To assemble:
- Divide the chard equally on top of the portabello mushrooms.
- Follow with the salmon, a squeeze of lemon juice then top each with a poached egg.
- Spoon over the hollandaise sauce and sprinkle with chives, salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
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