Healthy Weekend Breakfast: Bacon, Egg, Asaparagus, and Parmesan Portobellos

Breakfast. It just might be, my favorite part of the day. Unless of course, it’s an unpleasant rushed process in which I’m stuffing a Cliff Bar down my throat as I drive across town to work. It also isn’t an absolute blast when I’ve thrown some eggs in a pan and attempted getting ready for the day  while the helpless eggs sit and sizzle, going from over easy to over medium to downright disgustingly hard. My hair will be perfectly blow dried, my make-up applied with precision, and yet, my palate will suffer. Not even the best hot sauce in the world can save hardened pale yellow yolks.

So, I got a job guys. Just three months after moving to the oh so competitive city of Los Angeles, I scored a gig that I must say, I’m pretty stoked about. Working for Glamour magazine as an executive assistant means getting my foot in the door in an industry that I’ve forever dreamed about working in. I remember even as a young teenage girl, I’d tell my mom that one day, I’d be a writer for a “really hip female magazine.” While I know I’m not getting any younger, I only just now moved to a city where I can make that dream a reality. Better late than never…

A new job also means lots and lots of those crappy breakfasts I just told you about. Because as I’ve told you many times before, I am so not a morning person. Today was a cliff bar. Yesterday – 2 fried eggs over hard with some overripe avocado slices, all drenched in hot sauce. So when I tell you that I’m craving a hearty and delicious egg breakfast, I know you believe me.

Even though I’d love to make a large and in charge breakfast hash or even try my hands at Chilaquiles (Think Mexican breakfast nachos) tomorrow morning, I’m thinking a pre-hike appropriate breakfast is in order. Something that’ll fulfill my breakfast hankering, but won’t force me on the couch for two hours after. I want to be ready to cease the day, and more importantly go on my favorite hike, which simply can’t happen with a breakfast stuffed gut.

I happen to know the perfect weekend breakfast that won’t leave you feeling lazy and bloated. It’s got all the right touches of bacon, egg, and even a sprinkling of cheese. It also boasts some unconventional breakfast flair as it’s all cooked in a giant Portobello mushroom cap with an asparagus adornment. Tons of flavor and texture diversity, it’s a breakfast that presents pretty on a plate, pleases the palate, and satisfies the stomach without all the starchy and melted cheesy guilt.

Bacon, Egg, Asparagus, and Parmesan Portobellos

Ingredients:

4 Portobello mushroom caps, wiped clean

4 slices bacon

8 asparagus spears, ends removed

4 eggs

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Put slices of bacon on top. Put in the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes (no need to let it fully cook since it’ll return to the oven again).

2) While bacon is cooking, bring 2 tablespoons olive oil to medium heat in a pan. When heated, add the asparagus. Sauté for 5 minutes and remove from heat.

3) Remove bacon from oven and pat dry with paper towels. Break slices in half. Turn oven down to 350 degrees.

4) Brush mushroom caps (inside and out) with olive oil. Place on baking sheet. Then, one at a time, crack an egg (very carefully) into each mushroom cap. Place asparagus spears and bacon on both sides of the mushroom. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (or until yolk is cooked medium and bacon is crispy). Sprinkle with parmesan and return to the oven for 2-3 minutes, or until melted.

6) ENJOY!