Recipe of the week: Tomato and Egg Bruschetta

By Melissa Danchak

When I know I’m going to have a long day of studying or I am planning on heading out to the gym, I want a breakfast that will leave me feeling full but not heavy –that’s when I turn to eggs.

With six grams of protein per egg and only 70 calories, they are a great way to increase your intake of iron, Vitamin A, D, E & B₁₂, folate and choline. And ignore all the chatter about eggs giving you high cholesterol; dietary cholesterol has little influence over your blood cholesterol levels. Most dietitians and doctors recommend decreasing levels of fat intake rather then cutting back on eggs. And eat those yolks! That’s where all the important nutrients are kept.

The recipe this week is something I have come up with on my own. I love the taste of fresh salsa on eggs; just think of it as a grown-up-much-healthier version of ketchup –minus all the sugar and packed full of vitamins and nutrients.

This recipe works great with any style of egg, but generally I use hard-boiled, as they seem to be the easiest to make (and hardest to mess up!). You can even make a bunch at a time and leave them in the fridge for a few days. Sometimes I make a poached the egg so the yolk pours over the bread to soften it. Any way you serve this up, it will taste delicious and be sure to keep you feeling satisfied.

Enjoy! And leave your comments below!

Sources: Egg Farmers of Canada & Canadian Nutrient File

– Melissa’s own recipe-

Skill level: easy

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Servings: for one

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 small tomato
• ½ green onion (only the green section)
• ¼ cup green pepper
• 1 tbsp dried cilantro
• Slice of bread, toasted –I recommend rye toast!

Directions:

1. Hard-boil Eggs: Place eggs in small saucepan and fill with water to just cover eggs. Bring water to boil. As soon as water is boiling, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until eggs are cool to the touch. Peel off shell and set aside.

2. Make Salsa: Finely dice tomato, onion and pepper. Sprinkle with cilantro and combine. Set aside.

3. Sauté Spinach: Heat a frying pan (without oil) on low-medium heat. Add spinach and about a teaspoon of water; cover. After about 1 minute, stir spinach. You only want to wilt the spinach slightly.

4. Serve: Place toast on plate and top with spinach. Cut eggs in half and place on spinach. Spread salsa over eggs and grind some black pepper over (optional). Serve with a glass of milk and a slice of orange for that restaurant feel. Enjoy!