Transform an indulgent Benedict breakfast into a gut-shrinking or muscle-boosting super meal
I came across this great article on the Menshealth website…. eggs for breakfast anyone?
Bulk Up!
Think Big Benedict
If you’re trying to pack more muscle than the weights floor at your local gym, then breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And with this twist on a classic morning meal, size really is everything. The salmon alone is loaded with a potent 34 grams of lean muscle-building protein. In addition to that, you get a further four grams of vital omega-3s, which you already know can save your heart, but will also aid your post-workout recovery. “There is evidence to suggest that omega-3 fatty acids can significantly help reduce muscle pain in active people,” says Dr Liz Applegate, author of Encyclopaedia of Sports & Fitness Nutrition.
Vital Stats (per serving; serves 2)
3046 kilojoules, 35g fat, (9g sat fat), 73g protein, 31g carbs.
Slim Down!
Shrinking Man’s Benny
You probably think you’ve got more chance of seeing Nigella Lawson in McDonald’s than Eggs Benedict on a “slim-down” menu. With its lashings of butter, hollandaise sauce is to kilojoules control what all-night drinking is to efficient mornings. But with low-fat sour cream making a brilliant mock hollandaise, Benny’s back.
“Too many people looking to lose weight wrongly avoid dairy,” says Hang Shi, of the University of Tennessee’s Nutrition Institute, missing out on essential calcium which boosts fat-burning. “A diet rich in low-fat dairy aids weight loss,” adds Dr Michael Zemel, author of The Calcium Key.
Vital Stats (per serving; serves 2)
1494kJ, 13g fat, (7g sat fat), 30g protein, 31g carbs.
BASIC INGREDIENTS for both RECIPES
125ml reduced-fat sour cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp concentrated liquid chicken stock
Dash of Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 eggs
Slim Down!
extra ingredients
2 wholemeal muffins
4 slices fat-free ham
Bulk Up!
extra ingredients
1/2 small onion
1 stalk of celery
2 tsp olive oil
3 tsp margarine
Pinch of salt
1 medium can of red salmon
50g breadcrumbs
1 tsp fresh parsley
1 tsp dill
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp horseradish
Lemon zest
1 egg
4 slices of smoked salmon
METHOD
Follow our four-step plan for egg perfection. The basic recipe is the same for both, just pick
Bulk Up! or Slim Down! where you get the option. It really is that simple. Each recipe serves 2.
step 1:
The PREP
Both: Wipe those bleary eyes, and put a pan with eight centimetres of water over a medium-low heat. This is for the eggs and it’s crucial that the water’s not too hot, so keep the heat medium-low for about five minutes while it comes up to temperature. Ensure it’s not bubbling or boiling. While you’re waiting, get your egg poachers ready: push a piece of foil into a ramekin so that there’s a few centimetres of foil sticking up over the edge (don’t fold it down). Tear off three more similar-size pieces.
Bulk Up! Finely chop the onion and celery and fry in one teaspoon of oil and two teaspoons of margarine over a medium heat. Add the salt to soften the veggies, frying for five minutes until they turn golden.
Meanwhile, drain the salmon, stick it in a bowl, pick out any bones and then mash with a fork. Add the breadcrumbs, then finely chop the parsley and dill and add those. Next, add the lemon juice and the horseradish, then grate in a good pinch of lemon zest. Add the onion and celery, mix, then add the egg.
Roll the fish mix into four muffin-size cakes, then fry them in a teaspoon each of oil and margarine over a medium heat for about six minutes on each side, until they’re golden brown.
step 2:
The SAUCE
Both: Find a heat-safe glass bowl that sits snugly over a pan filled with about 5cm of water, without touching the water. Using the same heating method as Step 1, for hot-but-not-boiling water.
Mix together the sour cream, mustard, stock and Tabasco in the bowl, then stick it over the pot of water – no touching please. Lastly, slowly whisk in the lemon juice: over-zealous stirring will ruin the consistency. Cook the sauce over a medium heat for about 15 minutes, then leave it near the hotplate to keep it warm while your eggs are poaching.
Slim Down! Heat the ham in a pan until just warmed through but not fried. Split the muffins and bung them in the toaster.
step 3:
The POACH
Both: Crack an egg – preferably free-range and organic – and drop it into your foil-lined ramekin (bonus points for flash, one-handed shell-cracking). Twist the foil edges together to secure the egg in a foil pouch, as shown above. Carefully take it out of the ramekin and repeat with the other three eggs.
Gently lower the egg parcels into the warm water and poach for 2-3 minutes if you like your eggs runny. Or if you really must, five minutes for hard yolks.
step 4:
The STACK
Both: Take the eggs out of the water and carefully slide them out of the foil. If they’re wet, lightly blot them with a paper towel, being sure not to break the yolk. Place the muffins or salmon cakes on a plate, top with ham (Slim Down!) or salmon (Bulk Up!), then add the eggs. Drizzle the mock hollandaise over the top (note: to drizzle is “to pour a fine stream”, not “to dump entire contents”), glance derisively at that packet of Cornflakes and tuck in. Sliced tomato makes a great accompaniment, as does a glass of champag . . . er, a protein shake.
