This is an impressive breakfast/brunch dish – a bit of a twist on Eggs Benedict, using healthy ingredients.
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Preparation Time
10 minutes
Cooking Time
10 minutes
Difficulty Rating
2
Health Level
4
Serves
2
Ingredients
- 2 medium omega-3 or pastured eggs, preferably organic
- 2 slices of 100% whole or sprouted whole grain (SWG) bread (sourdough adds great extra flavor)
- 2 oz / 57 g fresh kale or spinach, hard stalks removed
- 1 oz / 28 g slice lean deli ham, preferably uncured, chopped into small pieces
- 6 button mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
- 1½ tsp. / 7 ml olive oil
- 1 tsp. / 1 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 omega-3 or pastured egg yolks, preferably organic
- 4 tsp. / 20 ml water
- 2 tsp. / 10 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp. / 5 g butter, preferably organic pastured
Hollandaise Sauce
Directions
- Heat the oven to 170°C/ 325°F/Gas mark 3.
- Flatten the bread with a rolling pin so that it is a little more thinned out than a normal slice. Using the edge of a large wine glass or coffee mug, cut out a circle from the middle of the bread. If you have a circular cutter, about 10 to 4-5 inches / 12 cm in diameter, use this instead.
- In a non-stick pan, heat 1 teaspoon/ 5 ml oil, and lightly sauté the chopped mushrooms (the natural moisture in the mushrooms should be enough to prevent sticking.)
- Mist or brush remaining olive oil lightly into 2 ramekins (if you multiply this recipe, you can use a muffin tin), and place the bread circles into each compartment. Put into the center of the oven to bake for 8 minutes.
- In a saucepan, add the spinach with a little water and cook on a very low heat until just soft. Remove the spinach from heat and squeeze until it is as dry as possible. Place a portion of the spinach onto each bread circle, along with a few pieces of lean diced ham and a small amount of the chopped mushrooms.
- Crack one egg, centrally, into each bread container so that the yolk sits at the top of the mixture, but the white surrounds it.
Place back into the oven and bake for 5 minutes, until the egg is firm and not undercooked (much like a poached egg). If the egg is still ‘watery’ on top and opaque, continue baking for an additional minute. According to the traditional recipe, the egg should not be hard. - Make the hollandaise sauce just before serving. Place the egg yolks, water, and lemon juice in a blender, and whisk briskly. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, remove from the heat and pour into the blender in a thin, steady stream.
- Pour the Hollandaise sauce over the egg, and sprinkle the chopped parsley over the breakfast cups.
This is best served alongside herbed grilled tomatoes.
Eggs are a great part of a balanced diet as long as they are the right type that yields ‘good’ fats. Eggs naturally contain high-quality protein, shown to prevent hunger, and are rich in nutrients good for eye and brain health. Baking eggs can be a much healthier option than frying, as no oil or butter is added.
Serving size: 1 ‘cup’ (1 egg + 1 slice of bread)
Exchanges per Serving: 1 Carb, 2 Protein, 1 Fat
This looks and sounds so Yummy !!
Hi, tlcajc. Per serving this recipe yields about 440 mg cholesterol and 385 mg sodium, but you can cut down on them by using a plant-based Hollandaise or tahini sauce (see below) and substituting for the ham with a low-sodium alternative such as fresh pork or onions sauteed in smoked paprika.
Tahini Sauce for Eggs
4 tsp. tahini
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 tsp. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. water
Blend or whisk together all ingredients except water and until smooth. Add water while blending to get desired consistency.
I am watching my sodium and cholesterol. What are the amounts in this?
I love this. I feel like that 5 year old at Christmas going through all the recipes. I wish I had looked before but I was too tired. Even cutting out all the things that I learned were bad way back when I watched the presentation helped get me to this stage where I have energy to cook, which I enjoy so much. Skillet fudge and Eggs Benedict?! I am so pleased I can’t tell you because even if I cook un-tweaked recipes and leave it for the rest of the family, I notice that they put on a few pounds, get complexion problems and really do not benefit. These recipes are better for everyone and look just as deadly as the other stuff. I really appreciate all the thought that went into “tweaking” the old favorites.
Hi, Jill. Yes, of course. Note that each serving will have a little less fat and protein (or you can have a larger serving for the same values).
Can you make this without the hollandaise sauce?
Hi, AAH61. You can also make the Hollandaise sauce with 1/4 cup organic unflavored soymilk + 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard + 2 Tbsp. lemon juice + 2 tsp. nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste – instead of blending in a blender, let the first three ingredients sit together until curdled, then mix in the rest of the ingredients gently and heat over low heat to desired temperature.
In the hollandaise sauce the egg yolks are raw. I would never eat raw eggs.
Hi, Christine. When the butter is pastured (meaning the cow eats natural grasses and bugs instead of grains, which are not the natural diet), the fat is much better for us. The liquid oils we recommend are also naturally high in good fats, such as omega-3 and omega-6. Recent research suggests that quality of oils and fats makes quantity much less of an issue for most people.
This sounds delicious – will definitely try this as eggs are one of my favourite foods. I have just joined and finding it a bit of a challenge finding my way around. Any suggestions very welcome. Thank you Gemini
Hi Ossie, in response to your explanation to Pamela, surely the concept is still the same. You are still using oil and butter so really don’t understand how this can be a healthy option?
Hi, Pamela. The body sees cooking eggs in olive oil as very different from cooking them in butter, which is why we recommend the olive oil for that purpose, while the butter is reserved for making the sauce.
I made this recipe this morning, but I didn’t have ham or mushrooms. I followed the Hollandaise sauce recipe exactly but the sauce would Not thicken up. It was very watery! I looked at other recipes online and it did require another step. So I tried it. I took my glass bowl that I was mixing it in and put it over my steamer that I normally steam veggies in. I continued to mix it and immediately saw it thickening. Instead of baking, I made it quicker by lightly toasting my Rudis English muffin, poaching my egg and steamed my spinach in a pan. The Hollandaise sauce did need just a little bit of salt. Next time I will know better and I will try it with the mushrooms and ham.
I love that recipe , because this Breakfast in a cup is an impressive delicious breakfast\brunch dish. Its an using healthy ingredients. Eggs are a great part of a balanced diet as long as they are the right type that yealds good fats It has shown to prevent hunger,and are rich in nutrients good eye and Brain Health.Baking egg can be much heealhier option than frying as no oil or butter is added.
Love Sunethra
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As you are using 4tsp oil and butter how is this healthier than frying?