flying saucer eggs with grilled vine tomatoes, mushrooms and red chard

Healthy breakfast with grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, red chard and flying saucer eggs

I wanted a substantial breakfast to set me up for the weekend. This one does the job and is surprisingly healthy. Of course it would have been even healthier if I had left out the butter, but mushrooms and butter are a marriage made in heaven and I couldn't resist.


Why flying saucer eggs? I think that's what the eggs look like after I have "poached" them in the microwave. I have never managed to get the knack of poaching eggs in swirling boiling water, where the ethereal egg white wraps itself around the egg yolk in a neatly enticing package. I find that the microwave does the job just as well (with a little trial and error, depending on the strength of your microwave) and with much less mess.

my healthy breakfast

I have used large Portobello mushrooms (the gloriously named Agaricus Bisporus, which sounds like some kind of sci-fi alien emperor!) but any common mushroom will do, although the brown capped mushrooms have much more flavour.

While spinach would have been lovely with the tomatoes, mushrooms and egg, I used red chard - this is what I have growing in my garden, which makes it rather frugal too.
 
So give yourself a breakfast treat, it really is out of this world!

Serves 1
Skill level: Easy

ingredients:
olive oil
butter (optional)
2 x Portobello (large chestnut mushrooms) or field mushrooms
1 x small vine of cherry tomatoes
1 x large egg
100g red chard, stem chopped and leaves shredded
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh parsley, finely chopped
Worcestershire Sauce, Mushroom Ketchup or Henderson’s Relish, to serve
 
directions:

1. Place the tomatoes and mushrooms (skin-side down) on a grill pan and drizzle over a little olive oil. (Alternatively just drizzle the tomatoes with oil and put a tiny pat of butter in the well of each mushroom cap). Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grill under a hot grill for about 5 to 8 minutes. Both the tomatoes and mushrooms will start to soften and the mushrooms will be full of buttery mushroom juices.
2. Heat a little of the olive oil over a medium heat and fry the chard stems for 2 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add the shredded leaves and cover with a lid. They should cook in another 2 minutes. Season to taste.
3. Poach the egg for about 3 to 4 minutes. (Alternatively cook in the microwave for about 1 minute. Break an egg into a ramekin. Pierce the membrane of both the yolk and white with the point of a sharp knife. Cover with a plate and heat on High for about 60 seconds in 20 second bursts. Remove the plate every 20 seconds too, as this will release the build-up of steam. The 20 second bursts help to prevent the egg from over-cooking and exploding!)
4. Serve with a scattering of fresh parsley and a good shake of Worcestershire Sauce, etc. (Use Henderson's Relish for a totally vegetarian meal - Worcestershire Sauce contains anchovies.)

This is the first month that Anneli of Delicieux is hosting Credit Crunch Munch, the blog challenge baby of Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla from Fab Food 4 All. I am entering this as I think that it fits in with the ethos of budget eating - vegetables from my garden and eggs (a thoroughly underrated and cheap ingredient).