Vegetables Before Seven
The one breakfast I make without deciding anything.
LETTER FROM THE KITCHEN
I’m a big fan of having a morning routine. I have a lot of things in mine —journaling, checking the weather, twenty minutes on the treadmill — but I have gotten into one non-negotiable habit, and that’s making and eating what I call my Egg-white Extravaganza. I know I’ve brought this up before, and I’m sticking to it.
It’s not really a recipe. It’s more like a concept.
I fill a pan with non-starchy vegetables, herbs, legumes — raiding the fridge — and cook them until I think they look good. Then I pour in egg whites, cover and cook, add fresh tomatoes and more herbs, and serve.
The egg whites are the protein. Costco sells organic egg whites at a very reasonable price.
That’s how we start most mornings. I make Zucchini Basil Quiche Gems → to keep in the freezer for early morning calls, and I feel like I’ve made a real dent in my vegetable intake before seven AM.
LAST WEEK, YOU ANSWERED
Same breakfast every morning, or different every day? Pick one and describe. I didn’t realize this, but many people start their day with a fruit smoothie.
Years ago I heard an interview about what actually happens when you blend fruit, and it changed how I think about it. Blending doesn’t remove the fiber — it’s still in the glass — but it breaks open the cell walls that hold the sugar. Once that sugar is loose, your body treats it more like added sugar than like fruit. A few things follow from that. It digests faster, so you get a quicker rise and a quicker drop, and you’re hungry again sooner. Liquid calories don’t fill you up the way solid food does, so it’s easy to drink several hundred without noticing. And drinking a meal skips the chewing, which is part of how your body figures out you’ve had enough.
At the time, blending was how I got my fruit. I was disappointed. But I saved some money not buying the special blender I had my eye on.
Here are some other breakfast ideas for you.
1. Corn Fritter Waffles with Arugula Salad →
2. Banana Almond Flour Pancakes with Blueberries →
3. Zucchini Basil Quiche Gems →
The Egg-white Extravaganza is basically a plant-packed frittata.
THE PODCAST
New episode — Episode 10 drops Friday, August 7.
We’re in the fleeting peak season of produce in Minnesota. It’s the best time to buy local and experience the abundance. When I started my meal delivery business in 2008, I decided to shop the market first and build my menus with what I bought.
Coming up:
· August 21 — From Field to Family Table: A Conversation with Dave Nathe of
Riverside Farms
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE KITCHEN
Sunday morning at the market. I’m doing a pancake breakfast with Bonnie Dehn — the Minnesota Herb Lady — at the Minneapolis Farmers Market, 8 to 11. I’m making corn fritters. Come find me.
Sunday afternoon I’m at Riverside Farms. I’m interviewing Dave Nathe and his daughter Ashley — you may remember Ashley from an earlier episode; she’s the executive director of the Minneapolis Farmers Market. Dave started farming when he was six. Mark is shooting the interview and taking drone footage of the 450 acres: crops, greenhouses, all of it.
Watch the video version if you can. It’s going to be beautiful.
THE SKILL: THE NEW BASICS
Making a soft-boiled egg.
THE QUICK WIN
A perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg is a joy for breakfast. I save it for special breakfast-in-bed occasions — although I never actually do breakfast in bed.
One quart of water for every two eggs, in a small pot. They need to be fully submerged. Bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat, add room-temperature eggs, and cover. Six to seven minutes, depending on how set you want the yolk. It takes a little delicious experimenting to find your number.
THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE
Going past seven minutes. The yolk sets, and you’ve made a hard-boiled egg. There’s no fixing it — you start over.
ONE TOOL WORTH HAVING
A Matfer Bourgeat Stainless Steel Egg Shell Knocker. I’ve owned four kinds of egg toppers and tried a knife, a spoon, and anything else I could think of. This is the one. I bought mine about ten years ago at a little culinary shop in Wisconsin, and I never soft-boil an egg without pulling it out. It cracks the shell perfectly every time.
RECIPE SPOTLIGHT
Strawberry Watermelon Breakfast Salad
MM GREEN
THE SOUL
Sweet, juicy watermelon and bright strawberries with fragrant basil and fresh ginger — a refreshing morning treat. The perfect wake-up call for lazy summer weekends when you want something light yet satisfying.
THE BRIDGE
In my family, melon was reserved for after dinner. Adding it to your breakfast gives you a way to use extra melon, and with this recipe, spice up your morning.
THE MEDITERRANEAN EDIT
Since we’re on the subject of breakfast, here are a few of my must-haves.
TOOL — Lamson Chef’s Slotted Turner with Walnut Handle
I have five of these, and it’s practically the only spatula I use. The handles hold up beautifully; they come in right- and left-handed versions, and the blade is thin enough to get under almost anything. Pancakes, salmon, omelets — it’s one of the tools I reach for most.
TOOL — Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender
The best way to beat eggs for any recipe. Blending, not whipping — there’s a difference. Getting the egg completely blended matters for a cake or a proper omelet, and the immersion blender gets it all. Also good for dressings and thin batters.
COOKBOOK CHRONICLES
These are the vegetables I bought at the market, cut up and roasted, and the sandwich they turned into. It’s going in the cookbook.
The sandwich came out of a Sunday when I wasn’t planning to cook anything. That’s usually how it goes.
BEFORE YOU GO
Who's your sweet corn person? Name the farmer or the stand — I'm curious.
Until next Thursday — keep a good olive oil on the counter and don’t be afraid to use
it.
— Chef Laura