Health food: Breakfast salad

What is it?

Salad, for breakfast. Who would have thought that civilised man, and woman, would be seen hoeing into greens, grains, nuts and seeds before downing their morning coffee? The breakfast salad snuck onto the radar in gym-adjacent, paleo-friendly cafes, and stayed. It seems even the kale smoothie generation is slowly learning that a variety of good food is better for them than any rigid diet. And at least with a salad, they get to chew.

Where is it?

Run your finger down the menu at your local hipster cafe, and there it is, lurking under the name "superfood salad" or "brekkie greens". At Bondi Beach's New York deli-inspired Lox Stock & Barrel, it's a raw vegie and herb salad with slow-roasted nuts, seeds and spices. "The original idea came from having breakfast on a kibbutz (Israeli student farm) about 20 years ago," says co-owner Neil Gottheiner. "Most people are blown away the first time they try a salad or some vegies for breakfast." Then there's the Lox Stock bowlarama, a magnificent thing of kale, seaweed and house-made fermented vegetables in a miso dressing with avocado, hummus, cucumber, pickled jalapenos, poached eggs and sprouted quinoa toast. "It's satisfying, energising and very easy to digest," says Gottheiner. In Prahran, the first port-of-call after a morning session at the gym is the gluten-free "breakfast greens" board at Oscar Cooper in Greville Street. "We just put all the superfoods together and turned it into breakfast," says chef Dean Burrows. Creamy goat's curd is topped with kale, spinach and cavolo nero leaves, raisins, hazelnuts, roasted cherry tomatoes and not one but two poached eggs. "We're surrounded by gyms here, and everyone wants to eat something healthy," says Burrows.

Why do I care?

Because you CAN make friends with salad. Even before lunch.

Can I do it at home?

Too easy – and much less messy than a fry-up.

Sourcing

VIC
Oscar Cooper, 160 Greville Street, Prahran, 03 9529 5670✓

NSW
Lox Stock & Barrel, 140 Glenayr Avenue, Bondi Beach, 02 9300 0368✓

BREAKFAST SALAD

Add leftover baked beans, brown rice, roast vegies, chicken or salmon, fruit or fresh ricotta or feta; and toss in a simple yoghurt vinaigrette.

50g edamame

50g small green beans

2 tbsp natural yoghurt

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and pepper

100g mixed rocket, frisee, baby spinach leaves

2 tbsp dill and/or mint leaves

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, halved, stoned and sliced lengthwise

1 lemon or lime, finely sliced

2 tbsp almonds

2 tbsp goji berries

4 soft-boiled eggs, unpeeled

1. Cook the edamame and green beans in simmering salted water for three minutes or until tender. Drain and pod the edamame, discarding the pods.

2. To make the dressing, whisk the yoghurt, vinegar, olive oil, a dash of water, sea salt and pepper in a large bowl, adding one tablespoon of water if it's too thick.

3. Add the mixed leaves, half the herbs and cherry tomatoes and lightly toss. Arrange on four plates, top with sliced avocado, sliced lemon, almonds and goji berries.

4. Cut the eggs in half through their shells. Nestle two egg halves in each salad, drizzle with any remaining dressing, scatter with sea salt, pepper and remaining herbs, and serve.

Serves 4