Holy Frijoles!

Let's talk breakfast....first of all, eat it.  It gets your metabolism going, gives you the energy to get moving, and helps keep you from over-eating or making bad food choices later in the day.  Most mornings I make either a smoothie, my homemade granola with Greek yogurt, or whole grain toast with peanut butter and fresh fruit. I go for a combination of complex carbs, protein and healthy fat; this will sustain you for a few hours until lunch or snack, depending on how early you eat breakfast.

But on the weekend I like to fix eggs.  Now, I'm all about simple cooking, but I cannot just make a fried egg or scrambled eggs.  Well, first of all, I don't really like fried eggs, so it's all about the scramble or the omelet.  When I was a kid my French grandmother would make "omelets" for my sister and me when we spent the night at her house.  It wasn't a fancy omelet, just eggs and some herbs and veggies...and she didn't fold it over; it was essentailly just a big ol' scramble.  I've been doing the same thing all my life.  It so easy to find opportunites to add more veggies to your diet, and this is one way that I do it deliciously and pretty effortlessly.

My favorite is a healthy version of huevos rancheros. The eggs and the beans give you lots of protein, which is a great start to the day.  And I've added some of the most healthy veggies on the planet - onions, peppers and tomatoes.  These veggies work hard, promoting eye health and blood sugar regulation while fighting cancer and heart disease.  Slip them into as many meals as you can! And then there's my favorite healthy fat, the avocado - the jewel in the crown, or the sombrero, as it were.  This is such a filling breakfast that you don't need anyting except a fresh fruit cup to round it out.

Suzanne’s Huevos Rancheros

Serves 4

4 corn tortillas

1 can black, pinto or kidney beans, drained

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 poblano pepper, thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon chipotle chile powder

¼ teaspoon coriander

4 eggs

2 Tablespoons water (or milk)

Salt and pepper

¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 avocado, chopped

1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro

Juice of one lime

Place corn tortillas in a clean, damp cloth and warm on low in the oven.*

Heat beans over low heat in a small saucepan, mashing them as they get tender.

Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, add onion and peppers, and cook 5 minutes.  Stir in the spices and push veggies to the sides of the pan.

Beat eggs in a bowl adding water (or milk), salt and pepper to taste.

Pour egg mixture into skillet and stir until eggs are cooked to your taste.

Sprinkle cheese over eggs.

Assembly:

Lay tortillas on 4 plates

Top with a quarter of the beans, then the eggs, the cooked veggies, the tomatoes, avocado and chopped cilantro. Sprinkle with a bit of lime juice.

*Note: If you can stand a little less healthy version, you can heat oil to just cover the bottom of a skillet, get it good and hot (a drop of water sizzles and pops when flicked in the oil – be careful, just a drop) and using tongs fry the tortillas one at a time for just a few seconds each side.  If the oil isn’t really hot, the tortilla will just soak up all the oil. Drain on paper towels.  (But you didn’t hear this from me!)