Superfood Mediterranean Breakfast (a.k.a. Salad for Breakfast!)

The thing about breakfast is that it can become either a carb fest or a repetitive yogurt bowl very quickly. Let’s switch things up and boost our health in the meantime by eating a salad for breakfast!

Introduction

Now, I’m not knocking my Olive Oil Granola Recipe but honestly, I’d rather eat that for dessert or on top of my smoothie! Also, I find carb’y or low-calorie fruit and yogurt breakfasts initially delicious, but not as helpful with satiety. So, I settled into the whole intermittent fasting thing and was skipping breakfast entirely, until I read that in the Blue Zones, they tend to front-load their days with calories, tapering off to fewer calories at the end of the day. Which is it, people? Should we be fasting till lunch or eating a hearty breakfast? What I take from this is that either can work and perhaps the Blue Zone folks are intermittent fasting at the end of the day. But enough about that, let’s get down to why I’m so excited about eating my Superfood Mediterranean Breakfast, also known as a Blue Zone Breakfast.

Why make this blue zone breakfast?

The more I study the Mediterranean diet as one of the best ways to nourish yourself, I realize that starting the day with this protein and fiber-packed breakfast bowl helps me accomplish the goal of eating more nutrient-dense foods. Protein-packed meals are important, but rather than say, eggs with veggies, this breakfast highlights a wider variety of nutrient-dense foods like legumes, super smart proteins, greens, and a few ingredients deemed “therapeutic” (I will explain) for our health, especially our hearts, which, as we all know, is probably the most important organ we have!

So without further adieu, I bring you the yummiest breakfast bowl ever! The concept here is to eat this as your first meal of the day to help you knock out a good amount of nutrients that help fuel you and even, via functional medicine, help improve your health. Did I mention the main goal of this meal is to provide essential and supercharged ingredients for our nutrition and heart health and to knock it out of the park with the first meal of the day? Of course, you could eat this for any meal, but the concept here is to start the day with it instead of other choices that often target only one or two ingredients.

I’m highlighting ways to prep 3 types of protein, but if you’re not into it you can open a can of tuna, peel a hardboiled egg or try some pre-marinated tofu from the grocer, plop it in a bowl with the other ingredients and toppings and have yourself this meal in under 10 minutes, I promise. If you’re interested in the fancier prep plus a few words on why these “superfoods” are that awesome and deemed therapeutic, read on after the “recipe”.

A note on Za’atar: Za’atar is a spice mix that originated in the Middle East and I love its flavor. Cumin, coriander, dried thyme or hyssop, sesame, sumac, and Aleppo chili flakes meld for a multisensory taste experience, making it great sprinkled over just about anything. You can substitute any spice or blend of spices/herbs that you prefer, but I recommend this blend, especially because of the lovely tang sumac brings and the heart-healthy properties of sesame seeds. I suggest looking up a recipe and making it salt-free to have on hand all the time.

I know it sounds like I’m just promoting this concept for breakfast because it’s good for you, but trust me when I tell you that the excitement for the flavors and after-effects of this meal is real. You’re going to love at least one and hopefully all three of the ways to prepare it!

I present this “recipe” with a general list of ingredients and a method followed by some bullet points to help you understand the “why” and the “how” and frankly, the “what?”.

Superfood Mediterranean Breakfast 3 ways!

The amounts given are to get you started but you can adjust to your needs. Total calories can range from 300-450ish

Ingredients :

Cooked Legumes: My favs are black lentils or hummus ¼-½ cup.

Super Proteins: Fatty fish, an egg(s), or tofu (I know, stick with me) 3-5 oz.

Greens: I’m favoring microgreens (other choices are arugula and spinach) couple of grabs

Superfoods: extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp or up to a Tblsp, olives 3-5, capers 1-3 tsp.

Aromatics/spices: I’m using Za’atar spice mix and lemon, sprinkled and squeezed on top along with a drizzle of olive oil

Method:

1. Protein prep- follow one of the ideas below, or simply, as mentioned above, gather your protein choice.
2. If desired- rinse olives and capers from their briny saltiness (I do this because I eat them on the regular and the sodium isn’t part of their superfood qualities)
3. Assemble- follow the template of ingredients above and make your breakfast bowl!

Superfood Mediterranean Breakfast Way #1 with Crispy Fried Egg

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet (I swear by my cast iron) on high heat and sprinkle a tablespoon of Za’atar spice blend onto the oil as it heats. That’s right. A full tablespoon. Break egg(s) directly onto the oil, and leave it to sizzle for as long as it takes to get crispy underneath. Before flipping sprinkle another tablespoon of the spice blend on the egg. Once flipped, leave long enough to get crispy or remove rather quickly if you prefer “over easy”.

I plated this on a bed of hummus. To that, I added olives and capers that I rinse to remove some of their briny saltiness (since I eat them daily). Then, I included some black lentils and artichoke hearts, drizzled the extra oil from the pan w/the spices, all over it, and added the egg and a squeeze of lemon. The taste is zingy and bright, and the protein/fat/fiber combo leaves me full but not stuffed. A perfect way to start the day or break an intermittent fast.

Superfood Mediterranean Breakfast Way #2 with Marinated Tofu

Who knew? Tofu can be ridiculously easy to prepare, and the way I’m prepping it creates a juicy, tangy delight in your mouth! There are so many great ways to bake, fry, and saute tofu, and most rely on a soy/tamari base, but tofu is a great template for any flavor, so here I marinate it in my special lemony mix. Yes, that’s right, you can just cube and marinate tofu without cooking it, and it’s scrumptious. Did I say it’s juicy? I used one block of extra firm tofu (silken would fall apart), cubed and soaked in the below marinade. It’s delicious after no time marinating, but any time you can give it to soak will allow the sponge-like qualities of the tofu to go to work (did you know if you freeze an unopened block of tofu, defrost it and press out some of the water, it will have developed more air pockets that can absorb even more marinade? I’m going to try that next time).

My special tofu marinade: for one block of extra firm tofu

The below amounts can be adjusted, so mix, taste, and adjust to suit yourself

1. 1-2 Tbsp olive oil, you be the judge
2. 2 Tbsp Za’atar mix, that’s right, tablespoons, not teaspoons (I use a salt-free Za’atar by the way)
3. Juice of ½ a lemon
4. 1-3 tsp of white miso – this magic ingredient adds just the right amount of “umami” as they like to say. It lends a tad of creaminess. Gauge how much to add by how much you love the salty, funky taste. It kind of disappears behind the lemon tang but rounds out the flavor profile.

Here I used all the main ingredients and included some roasted sweet potatoes and cauliflower that I had on hand. See what you’ve got!

Superfood Mediterranean Breakfast Way #3 with Savory Sardines

OK people, stay with me. Also, you can do this. Yes, the lovely sardine can be the unexpected star of your next breakfast. I’m using ones that are packed in water (with or without salt, you decide), and I’m breaking them up like you would canned tuna, with a few mix-ins to dim the fishy look and smell and create a zingy taste. Mix 2-3 fillets with:

1. diced/minced red onion (scallions would work nicely too)
2. A small spoonful of capers and a bit of their brine
3. Squeeze of lemon
4. Black pepper

In this bowl, I grated in some carrot and raw, yes raw, beet along with all the regular ingredients.

Our Superfood Stars:

• Soy (in the form of tofu): almost exclusively contains isoflavones, which are powerful protective antioxidants in levels considered therapeutic
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: full of polyphenols that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in levels considered therapeutic
• Microgreens: full of a range of nutrients, including anti-inflammatory omega-3 oils, as well as phytonutrients that help lessen oxidative stress. Also said to have 100% more of the key nutrients than fully-grown greens.
• Olives: little fiber powerhouses that also deliver protective phenolic compounds that help prevent the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol
• Capers: special in that they pack a hefty dose of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant quercetin
• Artichoke Hearts: contain the prebiotic inulin, with a host of nutrients and phytonutrients such as folate, vit K, and magnesium, and are full of fiber
• Lentils: lentils have fewer phytates (the “anti-nutrients” that make the proteins in legumes hard to digest for some), and are lower in carbohydrates than beans. I love the little black lentils and red lentils the most, but the darker lentils (still have the outer coating) can be nice because they hold up well after cooking.
• Sardines: what can I say? You know, fatty fish… they have all the good omegas and are one of the heart-healthiest protein sources around. Look it up.

If you’ve read this far, thank you for your time and interest! Here’s hoping you are more inspired by learning about all the benefits of our superfood stars! Enjoy!