Deluxe Day-Off Brunch

A couple of years ago I had an epiphany when it came to food and how it relates to me. Translation: I was fast approaching my 30th birthday and was tired of the way I looked and felt. I've always enjoyed cooking; my grandmother had me in the kitchen helping her from a very young age and I grew up in one of those homes where the mother was a stay at home mom and had dinner on the table for the family every night. Good ol' American classics of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, and anything fried were staples in our household so that's what I grew up on. Not alot of fresh veggies or salads, and fruits were usually only seen when packed in a lunchbox for school. Once I was out on my own and had a kitchen of my own, I was able to start exploring what food could really be like. Unfortunately, I let my culinary exploration slack off in the name of convenience and lost focus for several years. As for that epiphany, I won't bore you with the details, but it got me eating so much healthier than I was and trying out new flavors and techniques when it came to my own culinary exploits. And, one of the most important lessons I learned (and I can't believe it took me nearly 30 years to admit it) is this: Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Who'd have thought all those nutritionists were right?

So one of my favorite things to do on my days off is prepare a nice big breakfast/brunch, even if it's just for myself (although I must say that I've had friends over for brunch and garnered rave reviews!). After a meal like this, I'm good to go with just a snack later in the afternoon and then a light dinner. So here is today's version of my deluxe day-off brunch...

Ingredients:

2 egg omelet (I find that this makes just enough so that there's a few bites of egg left to feed to Seamus)

turkey sausage links (turkey bacon is good too... or you can splurge and use real pork products)

whole grain toast (I like to spread mine with Smart Balance or strawberry preserves if I've got a jar in the fridge)

mixed berries (any fruit is good, but berries have the added bonus of all those anti-oxidants)

coffee (please... what meal isn't complete without at least one cup of coffee?)

I won't go into the specifics of how to prepare each item on the menu because, frankly, anybody can make a halfway decent omelet if they have the right pan. What I will tell you, is that my omelet was made with Garden Vegetable Egg Beaters (equivalent of 2 eggs) and I use Smart Balance spread to cook it in. I like my omelets cooked to a firmer consistency than most restaurants cook eggs to, so I like to pour the beaten eggs into the pan over medium-low heat and let them set almost completely (the center is still a little loose) before I flip the entire thing like a pancake. Today's filling was spinach, sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese, fresh basil, salt, and pepper, and I place everything on one half of the eggs before folding over the other half of the eggs to form, in my opinion, the perfect omelet.

Along with this glorious ode to egg substitute, I had some left over turkey sausage links that I made yesterday so I tossed those in the pan for a few minutes to reheat just as I folded the omelet. In the mean time, my favorite chocolate scented coffee was brewing and the whole grain bread (yes, I read my labels and I know that it's the real thing) was toasting. (Times like these, I really wish I was able to bake bread like my dad could... there's nothing better than freshly baked bread!) To round out the meal, I tossed some of my favorite berries (strawberries, blueberries, and dark cherries) into a bowl and sprinkled on a packet of Splenda (to help them macerate and get extra juicy) and finished it with a splash of vanilla extract. This is equally as good served with lemon or vanilla yogurt, but alas, I have no plain yogurt in the fridge right now, just some Activia Light singles.

Sorry, I just had to wipe the drool off my chin. :)

Since I've started eating breakfast every day, I've learned that I'm more of a hearty breakfast type instead of the simple cereal type. I actually function better with a protein laden breakfast rather than one filled with carbs like pancakes or oatmeal. Go figure.

Enjoy!