Monday 25 January 2016

The weekend breakfast went pear shaped

Nigella was right all along
I think I'm a bit late to the party so bear with me - but do you know how absolutely delicious avocado on toast is for breakfast?  When Nigella Lawson showed it on her cookery programme last year I was one of those people who sighed and said 'Really Nigella?  Mashing up an avocado and turning it into a recipe?  Seriously?' 
But we are on a bit of a health kick over here in Deb's World.  I love cooking and am always on the lookout for new things to try.  Seems like everywhere I looked last week, someone was extolling the virtues of avocado so instead of the trusty egg and bacon English breakfast on Sunday I decided to try something different. 
  • Crusty sourdough bread toasted nicely
  • cherry tomatoes roasted in the oven to go by the side
  • avocado mashed with a sprinkling of chilli flakes, salt and balsamic vinegar
  • piled on top of toast and returned to the grill for a little while. 
My husband freestyled his and added a poached egg on top which he assures me was delicious but I'm not so sure about that.  The only person not happy with the new breakfast was Coco.  Avocado is definitely on the 'fatal to dogs' list and so no titbits or leftovers around for her.  And this definitely fits the criteria from Sian for sharing something new that you learned/did over the last week!

Can you feel the beet?
I'm also trying something else new but can't report back officially for another week or so.  This one, not quite so delicious.  I go to a cookery club once a month and this month's theme was Healthy Vegetables.  Now I'm pretty sure there isn't a vegetable out that isn't good for you but really the theme was meat free healthy meals. 
Talk turned to the validity of 'Superfoods' (we had a couple of aubergine recipes to try!) The lady who is front of house at the restaurant told us how she has to take tablets for high blood pressure and before Christmas, even with medication her BP was very high.  So she has been drinking beetroot juice for a month and her BP is now so good she is almost at the point of not needing any medication.  Now, I don't officially have high blood pressure but I'm the higher end of 'normal' so I was interested to hear this and naturally consulted Dr Google on my return home.  Turns out that there is scientific proof that it works.  Something to do with nitrates and anti-oxidants. Now I'm not a huge fruit juice drinker so it's not an ideal thing for me but it's surprisingly 'ok' (there is a little bit of apple juice added to it to sweeten it) and I will let you know if it works for me another Monday further down the line!

Not so much Edward Scissor-hands as Deb Pruner-fingers
I have a bit of a reputation for being a bit ruthless in the garden when it comes to 'cutting back' and I'm not often allowed out unaccompanied with a pair of secateurs. As it was lovely and mild on Saturday, we decided to go on a bit of a tidy up and at that time, I thought that the thing I learned this weekend was that below all the old foliage, Mother Nature has started bringing out a bit of colour.  Sorry Mother Nature, but the avocado story overtook you for first place.  However, as I failed to take a photo of the breakfast before we demolished it, this is the picture that makes the cut!

9 comments:

helena said...

lovely finds underneath the foliage. I love avocado but not sure about it for breakfast - have a great week

Julie Kirk said...

I've been making a similar thing to that for years -and I didn't even see it anywhere first. (Mashed up avocado, spring onions, lemon juice, salt, pepper on toasted 'nice' bread). I feel positively domestic now. And that's no mean feat.

And I believe you come from the same school of pruning as my Mam, it instills fear and dread in my Dad!

Have a great week ahead Deb. X

Julie Kirk said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

I'd have been one of those people sighing and thinking, 'Really Nigella? I've been doing this for 20 years!' Obviously food can't cure all ills, but I'm a firm believer in looking to your diet before reaching for the pills. Its always interesting to hear other's anecdotal evidence. Have a great week Deb.

Sian said...

This was a great read! I bought that original "Superfoods" cookbook years ago now and I always like going back to it: you've inspired me to pull it off the shelf again this week. I'll try anything. And I'll have to tell my MIL about the beetroot cure. She'd be very interested in that. This learning something new thing has been working so far :)

Have a good week Deb

Patio Postcards said...

I have a sister that loves avocados in any form, me I don't think I have tried avocado but maybe I need to follow your lead & branch out, so rather than Nigella, I'll be saying "really Deb, really?" (col). Beetroot cure .. umm, I bought this week for roasting, maybe roasting could be as good as juicing.

Oh yes, lovely photos of your finds out in the garden.

Anonymous said...

I have been eating a lot of avocados recently, I love them but David hates them. Must try the beetroot juice on him thought. Lovely photos of your garden flowers x

Louise H said...

Avocado - my children ate it as toddlers but I couldn't stand the slimy texture. The beetroot thing sounds interesting - not sure where I could get beetroot juice locally. What a lovely splash of colour too, we haven't got anything flowering yet.

alexa said...

How lovely to have so much flowering in your garden already. Ah, yes, beetroot - we love it juiced together with celery, apple or orange and fresh ginger root. And it is, indeed, extremely good for you - keep us posted! Lovely to read of your culinary adventures, even if the canines in the family are a little woebegone.