Salad for Breakfast

Why not. A salad with a poached egg on top and drizzled with a light homemade dressing is probably one of the healthiest breakfast you’ve ever had. I don’t care if it’s a bacon, lettuce and tomato salad or an asparagus, snap pea and potato salad, as long as it’s made with Boston or Bibb lettuce.

I know theses Butterhead varieties can be called many things like; Boston, Bibb and Butter, but they are slightly different. Butterhead lettuce got its name from the sweet buttery flavor and delicate texture of the large, ruffled outer leaves.

It’s an ideal ingredient for almost any meal, including sandwiches, soups, smoothies, wraps and even breakfast salads, or any salad for that matter. Unlike Iceberg lettuce it is packed with essential nutrients and vitamins, particularly Iron, A, C and K.

BLT Breakfast Salad
Serves 4
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon, cut into lardons
4 eggs
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Water, as needed
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 head Boston lettuce, cleaned, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

Directions:

Cut your bacon into lardons. Fry them in a skillet until they are crisp. Remove to a paper towel.

To make the dressing: Reserve bacon grease in skillet. Add the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to the skillet, stir to combine and remove from the heat.

In a saucepan large enough for all 4 eggs fill 2/3rds with water and add the distilled vinegar. When water is at high simmer stir the water around to create a whirlpool then drop the eggs in and cook no more than 3 1/2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain the water and place on a paper towel.

In four salad bowls add the torn Boston lettuce pieces and some grape tomatoes. Top with the poached egg and a few of the lardons. Drizzle on the bacon dressing and salt and pepper, to taste. Yum Yum!


ASP Breakfast Salad
Serves 4
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb Klondike potatoes, cleaned and cut in half
8 oz sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved on the bias
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb white or green asparagus (peeled if white), tough stems trimmed and cut into 2” pieces
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
4 large eggs, cooked over easy
1 to 2 heads of Boston or Bibb lettuce, cleaned and torn into pieces
1/4 cup fresh chives, snipped

Directions:

Cover potatoes with 2” of water and bring pot to boil add salt. Cook until you can pierce the potatoes with a knife, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pot with the potatoes water add the snap peas and asparagus, bring to boil and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the water. The potatoes should be cool enough to slice into 1/4” thick rounds.

To make the dressing: In a saucepan melt the butter remove from heat and whisk in the sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

On 4 salad plates divide the lettuce and vegetables and drizzle with the dressing. Cook your eggs over easy and put them on top of the salad. Sprinkle with chives and salt and pepper, to taste. Yum Yum!