As the weather warms and we spend more time outdoors, the importance of filling up with a substantial breakfast or brunch is important.
Getting a nutritious meal before leaving for the day makes it easier to stay out longer, getting by with snacks until dinner time.
At Léman, we are lucky to welcome students and faculty from all over the world to our breakfast table. Internationally influenced breakfasts can be a nice change from the more traditional eggs, bacon, cereal, and waffles that many of us are used to.
Try noodles or rice with broth for breakfast. Savory rice porridges like congee are delicious and filled with vitamins and minerals. Cook rice in flavorful broth until it is a porridge (see the recipe below), or add cooked ramen noodles to broth. Don’t forget your favorite add-ins like caramelized shallots, sliced scallions, and pickled vegetables.
Make beans part of breakfast. Spicy breakfast burritos are quite popular all over the country. Use whole-wheat wraps and add fiber-rich beans and vegetable-heavy salsas to complete a nutrient-dense and satisfying breakfast.
Make a Caribbean-style breakfast at home. Plantains, both ripe and green, make a great base. Make a one-pot breakfast with salt fish (cod), ackee, callaloo (a spinach-like green), and plantains. Serve with johnnycakes (cornmeal cakes) on the side. Not only do these flavors go great together, but the combination of vegetables and protein-rich ingredients also sets us up for a day in the springtime sun!
Try a healthy version of an Irish breakfast. Skip the fatty sausages, or at least limit them. Sauté mushrooms and tomato halves in butter in a frying pan. Use the same pan to fry your eggs sunny side up. Serve whole-grain brown bread and tea and you are rocking breakfast Emerald Isle style.
Have a sweet tooth at breakfast time? Don’t skip the sweet stuff altogether, just balance it out with other healthy options. After a visit to the farmer’s market, I like to put out a spread of locally made pastries, cheeses, fruit, and yogurt. I cut the pastries into small pieces, so everyone can try a little of each one. I sweeten plain yogurt with local honey to avoid the extra sugar. Having a bright, colorful spread encourages everyone to experience different flavors and textures together.
Joanna DeVita is executive chef at Léman Manhattan Preparatory School and is the mother of two (ages 5 and 2).
Congee
(rice porridge)
INGREDIENTS:
¾ cup white rice, rinsed
5 cups strong broth (chicken, mushroom, vegetable, etc.)
3 tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. white pepper
2 tsp. chopped ginger
2 tsp. chopped garlic
½ cup cooked, cubed protein (tofu, chicken, pork, fish)
2 scallions, sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced and cooked until soft and brown in a frying pan with vegetable oil and salt and pepper to taste
Sriracha chili sauce to taste
DIRECTIONS: Cook the rinsed rice with broth, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, and soy sauce until rice is fully cooked and turning into a porridge consistency. Add more broth, salt, and pepper as necessary.
Stir in the scallions, protein, shallots, and chili sauce as desired. Each person can customize his or her own bowl!
