Sunny-side-up: Eggcellent lunchtimes

Where has all this sunshine come from today?! I mean, I’m not complaining, but blue sky has been a foreign concept around here lately. It’s amazing how much it can change your mood, I’m feeling a million times more productive studying with natural light streaming through my window instead of the desk lamp, and I’m looking forward to not having to swim to yoga tonight. After a fresh dose of that sunny & crisp air combo’ on my way back from uni this morning, I was craving something light and refreshing for lunch.

Eggs are an amazing fuel – whether they are part of your breakfast, your pre/post workout menu or simply an addition to a delicious, big bowl of love after a long day. My absolute favourite type of egg is a poached one, but honestly i’m awful at making them! The whole swirly water in a pan with vinegar thing is yet to work out for me. So in the meantime, whilst I practice this swirling-poach technique, I have managed to find a rather unique way of getting that lovely, soft poached egg that I love! I’m sure I can’t be the first person to think of this, so let me know if you have tried anything similar that resulted in your perfect poach!

It’s really simple, all you need is:

• 1 egg (size of your choice)
• Oil (I used frylight olive oil spray)
• large square of clingfilm
• wooden spoon
• salt & pepper

Place the clingfilm over a cup, pushing it down into the cup, and spray with oil (or make sure you coat it with a thin layer of oil of your choice. This is essential so that the egg doesn’t stick to the clingfilm once cooked!). Crack your egg into the clingfilm-lined cup. Sprinkle in a bit of S&P. Lift the edges of the clingfilm that surround the cup’s edge and twist tightly to make a little sack that the egg sits in. Remove from the cup and wrap the tail of the clingfilm sack a few times around the handle of a wooden spoon, tight enough for it to hand and stay put without slipping! Boil some water, either in the pan or from a kettle, and fill a saucepan with water on a high heat to keep it bubbling. Add your egg & spoon in when the water is boiling on the hob, balancing the spoon on the edges. Leave this to cook for 6 minutes or more, depending on how soft/hard you like your egg! When you remove the spoon, unwrap the egg and slice open to reveal your yolk! If you’re like me, a golden, gloopy center is perfect!

You could serve your egg over toast, with beans (baked, edamame, butterbeans, chickpeas), with soldiers (wholemeal bread, pitta, veggie sticks), with smoked salmon, on top of a salad, or with whatever you fancy! One of my favourite post-workout lunch bowls is quinoa, king prawns, edamame beans, sweetcorn & spinach – topped with a gorgeous poached one! The runny yolk adds a creamy texture and with a little seasoning of S&P, and of course a generous sprinkle of chili flakes, this truly is one big bowl of love. Here’s mine today:

But as I mentioned before, the possibilities are endless when it comes to adding eggs into your meals, don’t forget about the omelettes, scrambled, and hard-boiled goodness too! Here are a few of my fave eggy-meals:

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are! Even if you’re like me and stuck inside writing up lecture notes, but hey – there are worse places to work.

Have an eggcellent week!