Plant-Forward Paleo Breakfast Salad
This breakfast salad will make you feel like you’re winning the day - even if the rest of it is spent in bed. I like to do my future-self a favour by roasting off a tray - or trays - full of vegetables with no specific plans in mind. Then, when I need a quick, nutrient dense meal, they’re ready and waiting. This particular recipe calls for butternut squash, cauliflower, and fennel. Add a fistful of rocket, some crushed roasted nuts, and a few generous tablespoons of your favorite dressing (mine is a thick, green herb-y sauce). Top it all off with a fried egg and you’re golden.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 1 bulb fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 4 cups rocket/arugula
- 4 tbs dressing or green sauce of your choice
- 4 tbs roasted almonds, crushed
- 4 fried eggs, sunny side up (or poached, if you prefer)
Instructions
One Day Before: Prepare Your Components
- Preheat your oven to 400. Line 2-3 baking trays with parchment paper.
- Toss your cauliflower florets with olive oil. Spread them out on the first tray in an even layer - not too crowded - and sprinkle with salt.
- Repeat with the sweet potato and fennel, and place them on one half each of the second tray. Try not to mix them up as the fennel will cook faster and will need to be removed first.
- Place them in the hot oven. After 10 minutes, check the fennel and give it a stir. At the 20 minute mark, remove the fennel. Give the cauliflower and the sweet potato a stir and return them to the oven for another 15 - 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, on a separate, smaller baking sheet or in a small, dry skillet on top of the stove, roast your almonds. Let them cool before storing in an air-tight container.
- Once all the vegetables have finished cooking, allow them to cool on the tray before storing. If you plan to use them all together, you can put them in the same container; otherwise, store them separately.
- Make your favourite dressing or a green sauce
Build Your Breakfast Salad
- Gently reheat your roast vegetables using either a microwave or warm skillet, allowing one cup of vegetables per person.
- Crush a small handful of roasted almonds (approximately 1 tablespoon per person) with the flat side of a large knife or using a mortar and pestle.
- In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, almonds, and one cup of rocket/arugula per person. Add your dressing (approximately one tablespoon per person) and toss to combine.
- Meanwhile, fry your eggs. In a skillet, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over a medium-high flame. When the oil shimmers, carefully add your eggs without breaking the yolks. Sprinkle with sea salt and baste the eggs with the hot oil to ensure the whites are cooked through and the yolk remains runny.
- Divide the salad among the plates and top each one with an egg.