eggs are yucky, what isn't?

January 16, 2008 9:09 AM

What is a good breakfast?

My boyfriend and I had a "fried egg on a piece of whole-grain bread" breakfast for the last year or so. It was quick to make, filling, not sugary, and seemed to have a good nutritional profile for the start of the day. Also, the ritual of frying the egg and making the toast was fun.

I've never really liked the idea of eggs all that much, but just somehow got over my dislike for a year. Now eggs have started grossing me out again.

What is another good breakfast for two that is not too heavy, not too sugary, good nutritionally, and relatively quick in the morning? (and has some degree of ritual beyond popping open the top of a yogurt container)

posted by mustcatchmooseandsquirrel to food & drink (56 comments total)

Muesli with yogurt or milk, topped with whatever fruit you like.
posted by snoogles at 9:12 AM on January 16, 2008

I'm a huge fan of oatmeal. If you make the old-fashioned kind on the stove, there's some ritual to it (if you had more time, I would suggest steel-cut oats; but we're talking 30-45 minutes for that). I add a little brown sugar and ground flax seed to mine, and have a cup of juice or milk with it, and always a banana. Keeps me nice and full until morning tea.
posted by bibbit at 9:14 AM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

PB&J. I probably get 10% of my daily calorie intake from peanut butter. On toast, of course. Still has protein, easy to make.
posted by GuyZero at 9:14 AM on January 16, 2008

Grape Nuts with soy milk and fruit on top. I prefer bananas for the texture because grape nuts are very crunchy. You don't need to eat much of it because it is very filling.

Also, oatmeal in your yogurt is delicious and the textures compliment each other.
posted by birdlips at 9:18 AM on January 16, 2008

whole grain toast + nut butter - peanut, almond, etc - or tahini + sliced/mashed banana +/- touch of honey
posted by pammo at 9:19 AM on January 16, 2008

I'm like bibbit: I have oatmeal with flaxseed hydrated with coffee (Coffmeal, if you will).
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 9:20 AM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

whole-grain or fiber-filled cereal mixed into fruity yogurt. Cup of coffee.

I see we've all got the same idea. Yogurt is like, the perfect morning food - light and nutritious.
posted by muddgirl at 9:21 AM on January 16, 2008

Grape Nuts + 15 seconds in the microwave is doubly tasty.
posted by restless_nomad at 9:21 AM on January 16, 2008

Ditto the oatmeal, though if you don't have a half hour to stir something on the stove, Quaker or McCann's instant + two miniutes + microwave = just fine.

I like to nuke the oats and then spend a little time prepping the garnish - slicing raisins, cutting bananas, or (my favorite), dicing walnuts.
posted by asuprenant at 9:22 AM on January 16, 2008

I try to make extra brown rice or quinoa in the rice cooker the night before and have that with some tofu; protein and starch are the right way to start the day off, and yeah, eggs get gross after a while. I also try to have one piece of organic fruit or tomatoes along with it so I get a vitamin and sugar boost. If I'm in a terrible hurry, I have a protein bar or coffee and then try to have an early lunch.

If you like peanut butter, a whole-grain waffle or toast is good with peanut butter and raw honey along with a cup of soy or 1 percent milk. Since you're a woman it's good to try and cram in as much calcium as possible, but you know that already.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:23 AM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Ack, Pammo beat me! Shoulda previewed, but quinoa's easy to make and I stand by that.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:23 AM on January 16, 2008

Fruit, glass of milk, coffee.
posted by fire&wings at 9:29 AM on January 16, 2008

I'm a fan of the Good Eats overnight oatmeal recipe. Cut in half, it's perfect for two people. Also, you can substitute all kinds of different dried fruits for variety. This is way better than any of the quick cooking oats and it takes almost no prep time.
posted by Pangloss at 9:31 AM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

On an electric stove, non-instant oatmeal (eg the regular Quaker stuff) is super easy. All you do is bring the water plus oatmeal (salt optional) in a covered pot to a low boil, turn off the burner, and make your coffee while the oatmeal cooks itself. No stirring or other interventions needed. The ease and predictability of making it this way lets you build as much of a morning ritual as you want -- sit and drink coffee, read the paper, whatever. (This doesn't work as effortlessly on a gas stove because the leftover heat in the spiral burner helps keep the oatmeal cooking -- in a lightweight pan on a gas stove, sometimes a second blast of heat is needed. It depends on the pan, the stove, etc.) Most stores have a nice selection of hot cereals, so you can mix and match each day for what seems nice that morning.

Cut up fresh fruit with muesli and maybe yogurt or honey can be nice, although that's something that I enjoy more as a treat than every day.

If you can handle your eggs cooked in other ways, omelettes are one of the most perfect foods in the world; add cheese/meat/vegies/etc to your taste. Once you are good at making them, there is a nice ritual involved.

Ditto pancakes and waffles. Easy as pie, as they say, and fast from mixing the batter to eating them. Biscuits, baked or fried, are almost as fast when made by someone who knows what they are doing (I'm slow and make a big floury mess, so I don't make those often at all).
posted by Forktine at 9:34 AM on January 16, 2008

I use the following Swiss Breakfast recipe, which makes enough for two for a week or more. I find using the microwave is much faster than using the stove.
posted by furtive at 9:36 AM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Nigella Lawson has an avocado bruschetta in one of her most recent cookbooks. I took that idea and just smear a bit of avocado on a piece of whole-grain toast, adding a bit of salt. Sounds a little weird until you try it works for me.
posted by darksong at 9:36 AM on January 16, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

avocado on whole-grain toast is one of the most beautiful breakfasts out there. I like to add a smear of whole-grain mustard under there (and sometimes in summer, some sliced tomatoes).
posted by gaspode at 9:39 AM on January 16, 2008 [7 favorites has favorites]

I don't think any of the foods yet listed as protein sources (yogurt, peanut butter, quinoa) have a percent-of-calories-from-protein number that's as good as an egg, and frankly some of the suggestions have sugar and/or starch contents that are far too high to meet my (personal, arbitrary) definition of "good nutritionally".

Fry up some ham and turkey and eat some berries on the side.
posted by Kwantsar at 9:39 AM on January 16, 2008

Kippers (smoked herring) on toast, ideally with poached eggs, but not if they gross you out. Alternatively, smoked mackerel. Grill them (stinks the house out) or poach them. Luvverly.

Bacon butties.

Crumpets, with your choice of topping.

Toast and marmite. Toast and marmalade. Plain old toast and butter.

Black pudding on toast.

Pancakes.

Waffles.

PORRIDGE. With honey. (Made with milk, not water, whatever those perverted masochists stuck in the 19th century would like you to believe)

Leftover curry.

Anything involving cheese and ham: toasties, warmed croissants, bread, etc.
posted by ComfySofa at 9:40 AM on January 16, 2008

But yogurt is a great breakfast. Make sure to buy Greek yogurt; it has way less sugar and more protein than the typical grocery brands. Also consider making your own granola to eat with it. Homemade granola is indescribably better than store-bought. Here's my favorite granola recipe:

5 cups uncooked oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup broken walnut meats
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1 cup safflower oil
1 cup honey
1 cup raisins
1 cup currants

- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Combine first eight ingredients above and mix well.
- Heat oil and honey together in small pan until melted.
- Pour over dry ingredients and mix well.
- Spread mixture onto cookie sheets and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
- When cool, add raisins and currants.

Variations: I sometimes leave out the sesame seeds or sub cranberries, cherries, or berries (blue, rasp) for part of all of the raisins or currants. I also sometimes add a little ground flax seed - if you mix it in with the honey / oil, it sticks to the granola fairly well.
posted by boomchicka at 9:41 AM on January 16, 2008 [16 favorites has favorites]

Isn't there an old Mr. T video wherein he pities the fool what don't eat breakfast? And then he explains that breakfast doesn't have to be typical breakfast food, and you can eat a ham sandwich if you want. Anyway, I love sandwiches for breakfast: they're quick but still involved, filling, and healthy, and get your mind out of the breakfast mold. Though if you do want a breakfast sandwich, you could fry up some sausage - regular, turkey, veggie, whatever - and add some cheese.
posted by Metroid Baby at 9:48 AM on January 16, 2008

A few other ideas.
posted by gingerbeer at 10:01 AM on January 16, 2008

My mother has sworn by (for the last who-knows-how-many years) by swiss-on-rye melt.
a) toast slice of rye. b) butter toast. c) stick on cheese, put in microwave. This could probably be shortened through the use of a toaster oven.

From my cursory search (swiss cheese, egg), the two have actually remarkably similar nutritional profiles. Less cholesterol from the cheese, and a little more saturated fat.

Leftovers is the choice of 'breakfast' food for quite a few people on the planet, and if you're already shying away from the sweet things, this might work out quite fine for you.
posted by that girl at 10:23 AM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I usually have whole-grain toast or a bagel with cheese. If I want more protein, I'll add a vegetarian fake-sausage patty, like these. (If you're not vegetarian, this may gross you out, but I love the damn things.)

When strawberries are in season, I'll cut a bunch of them up in a bowl, add some goat cheese and black pepper, and eat on whole-grain toast. So delicious.

Another breakfast that I love is ricotta and fresh fruit on toast. Blueberries work well; even frozen berries can be quickly defrosted in the microwave, and are almost as good as fresh.

Grape-Nuts is good hot as well as cold. Drizzle a little honey on top for extra goodness.
posted by bassjump at 10:23 AM on January 16, 2008

Peanut butter and banana: mash 2 t. of PB with 1/2 ripe banana and spread on whole-grain toast. Filling, warm, delicious, satisfying, and great for winter.
posted by Miko at 10:24 AM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

You could make something like a crustless quiche with cream cheese and eggs and whatever meats you'd like to include. That would have no sugar, be quite high in protein and low in carbs and disguise the taste of the eggs quite well. If you're willing to use a sugar substitute like Splenda there are several recipes for low-carb breakfast items such as pancakes, muffins and what is known, somewhat euphemistically, as a mock Danish. None of these items taste distinctly eggy to me. I've struggled with the same problem myself -- finding non-sugary breakfast items that aren't eggy, so MefiMail me for more ideas if you want.
posted by peacheater at 10:35 AM on January 16, 2008

Understanding your aversion to eggs, this recipe is very good and so easy.
posted by chickaboo at 10:38 AM on January 16, 2008

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/baked-eggs-recipe.html
posted by chickaboo at 10:38 AM on January 16, 2008

Yogurt shake: blend a cup or so of yogurt, a ripe banana, some OJ, and really whatever the hell else you want, until smooth. Yummy, healthy, and infinitely variable.
posted by LarryC at 10:39 AM on January 16, 2008

baked turkey bacon and ww toast is good too
posted by chickaboo at 10:39 AM on January 16, 2008

McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal is very hearty and tasty-- kind of a grainy/nutty taste. Apparently this is how oatmeal is supposed to taste, but until I tried this I'd only had the packets of instant stuff and didn't know what I was missing.

Drizzling honey in or adding fresh fruit is good. If I ever get organized enough to actually execute this, my plan is to make the oatmeal the night before (the non-instant kind is time consuming, although McCann's does make instant). Then in the morning, nuke a serving of oatmeal with some Trader Joe's frozen fresh fruit. Delicious and hearty. Great for colder months. Not altogether un-nutritious either.
posted by sneakin at 10:42 AM on January 16, 2008

Slices of lean ham or turkey either in a tortilla or slice of bread/toast. Thrown in slice of low fat cheese and you're good.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:43 AM on January 16, 2008

I'm really fond of a veggie sausage pattie on a mini wheat bagel with cream cheese. Laughing Cow is good when I'm out of cream cheese, too. You get a similar little ritual - toasting the bagel, frying or nuking the sausage - and a similarly tasty treat.
posted by emmastory at 10:47 AM on January 16, 2008

With the right toppings, pizza can be a very nutritious and balanced meal at any time of the day.

Leftover, cold pizza is one of my favorite breakfasts. If you make it yourself the night before, it can be a lot healthier than buying frozen or delivery, and it could be a fun evening ritual for you. Though the morning prep doesn't have much ritual to it (basically, remove from fridge and unwrap aluminum foil), that could give you time to enjoy another morning ritual while you eat - reading the paper or a chapter of a book, sitting on the front step watching people go by, etc.

If you don't want cold or leftovers, then I recommend english muffin pizzas made in a toaster oven or under the broiler. Yes, for breakfast. Split an english muffin, spread on some tomato sauce (some brands come in a squeeze bottle, so you don't have to deal with storing leftovers from a can), add any toppings you prefer, and then top with shredded cheese. Cook until melty. (For breakfast, I like vegetarian sausage, green peppers, and just a little bit of cheese.)
posted by vytae at 10:48 AM on January 16, 2008

take a slice of bread, a light schmear of spread, and then a sprinkle of cheese. top with diced fruit or veg, as your tastes dictate. toast.

thus:

whole wheat with a schmear of butter, a sprinkle of cheddar or gouda, and dried cranberries
pumpernickel with a schmear of mustard, a sprinkle of swiss, and diced tomatoes
white with a schmear of bean dip, a sprinkle of cheddar, and diced green pepper
white with a schmear of marinara sauce, a sprinkle of mozz, and diced pepper

etc etc.
posted by thinkingwoman at 10:54 AM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I like to make a big batch of refried black beans over the weekend, put it in a container in the fridge, and then in the morning scoop some into a shallow bowl, top with grated cheese and maybe some minced tomato or onion or cilantro or whatever's lying around and sounds good. Stick it in the microwave for a minute or two, glop on some salsa if you like, and voila. (I've found that this also works well when topped with a fried or poached egg, even on those mornings when eggs sound off-putting; the strong flavors and density of the beans sort of overcome the egg-ick factor, at least for me.)
posted by Kat Allison at 11:00 AM on January 16, 2008

Oh, and my own take on refried black beans, fwiw:
--chop up an onion and mince some garlic;
--saute in oil until tender;
--add some cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, chipotle (amounts to taste), and let them saute just a minute or so;
--add a couple of 15-oz cans of black beans, drained;
--stir around until the beans are heated through, and then mash them up roughly in the pan (my preferred method, as I like to have a 50/50 ratio of mashed to whole beans), or run them through a food processor (if you like a smoother texture).
posted by Kat Allison at 11:06 AM on January 16, 2008

What it is with you people?

Dosas and idlis are definitively the best thing you can eat in the morning.

American breakfast sucks ass!
posted by jcruelty at 11:18 AM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Seconding homemade granola. Making a big batch of granola in advance can provide the ritual you enjoy, and you can eat it with milk, yogurt, fruit, or over ice cream (although that might not be a good idea for breakfast).

Filling and delicious!
posted by missuswayne at 11:20 AM on January 16, 2008

You've probably thought of and disregarded this already, but no one else has mentioned it so I will: a bowl of cold cereal (I prefer Cheerios), some milk, and sliced / diced fruit with a side of good toast (sourdough, italian bread, etc) is a good, quick, somewhat ritualized breakfast.

You might be looking for something more hot, in which case I'll go ahead and join with the oatmeal folks. Just keep in mind that it's not the sort of thing everyone can eat every day.
posted by thecaddy at 12:05 PM on January 16, 2008

dude - bananas in vanilla yogurt is the freaking BOMB
posted by mrmarley at 12:09 PM on January 16, 2008

Smoothie, smoothie, smoothie! As a fan of the not-sweet breakfast myself, I'm surprised at the number of options which make the yogurt/juice/fruit combo refreshing, yet not cloyingly sweet. Apple, ginger, carrot and vanilla yogurt is particularly nice, and if you have an immersion blender, it takes longer to make than it does to clean up.
posted by deliriouscool at 12:15 PM on January 16, 2008

Homemade kefir is an easy breakfast. It's kind of like drinkable yogurt. High in protein and you can adjust the fat content by the type of milk you use or the carb content by adding fruits, depending on what you consider a good nutritional profile. It's pretty much viewed as a wonder food by a lot of people if you do some googling. Also, your daily ritual can be starting a new batch since it takes 24 hrs to ferment.
posted by Durin's Bane at 12:17 PM on January 16, 2008

I'm a big fan of pasta, rice and potato ect. ect. type dishes. (Like left overs only it was intended for for breakfast or for/from lunch in the first place.)
I sometimes have trouble tempting myself into eating if it's a bit early in the morning and it's just lame that all the tasty stuff is naughty and that it sometimes makes me feel.. congealed anyway. But some nice pasta salad or fish-on rice yum yum yum!

Possibly because, as I don't eat fruit, it leaves me with nothing that's visually stimulating either. :) Which is possibly why I particularly do like dishes with capsicum in them for breakfast. (now that I think about it... more often than not actually.) 'Red' makes a good breakfast indeed. 'Beige' food on on a chilly morning Ugh! I'm going back to bed.
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 12:41 PM on January 16, 2008

I brownbag my breakfast, and I'll often take a slice of multigrain bread, a hard-boiled egg, and some cheddar cheese to work. Shell and slice the egg, put on the bread, top with some cheese, stick in the toaster oven for a minute or two until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. For a kick, I sometimes spread a bit of dijon mustard on the bread before assembling.

But since eggs are squicking you out, here's another one I like: soak long-cooking oatmeal in milk overnight in a tupperware in the fridge with sweetener to your taste. Put 1/3 to 1/2 cup frozen fruit on top of it in the morning, and pack it up to take to work. Maybe not to everyone's tastes, but it works for me!
posted by LN at 1:04 PM on January 16, 2008

Hummus with a touch of schug (hot pepper puree) and tomato/cucumber/avocado and a slice or two of turkey on whatever bread you like. Loads of protein and deliciousness.

Really, anything with hummus in the morning, especially if you can find a place that makes it fresh, is perfect. Like, if you lived in NYC, Hummus Place.

Most importantly, though, anything prepared carefully and lovingly, will give you that great, ritualistic feeling of cooking your own.
posted by kosem at 2:52 PM on January 16, 2008

Don't dismiss the wonder of eggs just because you aren't fond of that all-american Edward Bernays style fried egg on toast breakfast or bland ubiquitous scrambled eggs. Before losing faith in the wonder of the egg, try making a nice two egg omelet. Set aside some Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper, and some cheddar cheese. And of course, two eggs. Remember to use quality eggs for this, omelets rely on the quality of the egg more than when they are fried or scrambled, in a proper omelet there is little to hide the blandness of cheap eggs, such as behind pan grease. Even when you fill them with all sorts of stuff, the first thing to touch your tongue will be the egg. If it is bland, and sickly as some eggs get, then the entire breakfast will be ruined, and you'll end up with stuff rolled or folded in bland-colorless-egg-yuck. Eggs!

Snap up those two eggs into a bowl, whisk them up with a fork, add salt, pepper, herbs, and whisk whisk whisk. You can use a tiny whisk if you like, for instance if you like feeling like a giant or like pretending that you stole a whisk from a clan of tiny people. Next, grate up some cheese, or slice it up, get about a 3/4 cup of cheese grated up, or like enough sliced cheese to cover a bit of bread. Now steal a nibble of it because cheese is delicious. Heat a clean pan, butter it oh so lightly (alternatively olive oil), and just as you can smell the butter (or the olive oil) in the air, the pan should be hot enough that you can smell the butter strongly, but not so hot that it is already browning the butter by the time you are getting that bowl of egg mixture, pour in the eggs fast and quick. While the mixture is spreading across the pan, grab a fork, perhaps the same fork as before, and swirl around and around the top of the eggs with the flat of the fork. You want to help the mixture cook evenly, and if you can move the liquid around and around you can get it more even than gravity can. Once the edges begin to dry despite your flat-of-fork stirring, sprinkle most of the cheese all over one half of the omelet. Leave a small share of cheese left. Just a little. Enough to snack on, but don't eat it this time! Now grab a second fork, or grab a spatula. With two forks, or one spatula get up and under that omelet and fold over the cheeseless side onto the cheesed side. Enjoy your success, even if it wasn't a clean fold it doesn't matter, you aren't a master omeleteer yet. As soon as the smell of cheese is in the air, sprinkle cheese onto the lower half of the omelet and fold the omelet again making it quartered, and then, here is where it gets dangerous, flip the entire thing! After, look onto your success. Even if it is messy, it is ok, the omelet will still be delicious. If you can identify the distinct smell of unmelted cheese melting and distinguish it from already melted cheese, then wait for that, then take it off and onto a plate. If you can't, then just go clean off the counter, put away the spices, and throw some water into that bowl you used and come back to the omelet in 40 seconds or so. Then slide the omelet onto a plate so it flips once more, or just lift it with a spatula and place it onto a plate. Use the fork you didn't use for mixing the raw egg, and eat immediately! Eat it at a table too, it'll make it feel fancier. It should be easy, delicious, warm, and filling, without being greasy, heavy, or time-consuming. And if the eggs are good, perhaps you know someone who owns chickens, or there is a farmer's market in your town, they can be very nutritional. You can also add all sorts of vegetables to it, and even rice if you are feeling Japanese. There are countless recipes, and they can be as complex and nutritional or as simple as your mood fits and your kitchen provides for.

Omelets!
posted by TwelveTwo at 2:54 PM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Beans on toast.

Somebody mentioned refried black beans earlier, but don't you guys have baked beans? Are they an Anglo-Australian thing? High protein, low sugar & fat, plenty of nutrients, and come in a range of flavoured sauces so you don't get too bored. You can always supplement the sauces with grated cheese, herbs & spices or whatever chutneys or other sauces you like.
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:26 PM on January 16, 2008

Ful! Beans for breakfast! Seriously, it works well here, and I don't see why it wouldn't work for you.

Get your hands on some whole wheat pitas and some cans of fava beans (as I recall, the from dry cooking time is something on the order of 5-8 hours depending). Heat the beans in a pan, add chopped tomatoes, and onions if you like them. Put into a warm pita half and eat while thinking of pyramids.
posted by Deathalicious at 4:57 PM on January 16, 2008

Deathalicious: do you really think anybody will take your advice on this topic?

But seconding fuul. I pick up a dozen or so cans whenever I visit an arab grocery store, although some supermarkets here stock it as well, if there are enough middle-easterners around. Like baked beans, they're already prepared (in tasty spicy sauces, especially with cummin - yum!) & only need to be heated. I like a bowl with a great dollop of yoghurt in the centre & chunks of leftover bread fried up into crunchy croutons scattered all over.

Nutritionally, you can't get much better than legumes for breakfast, but remember that grains & pulses need to be combined to get maximum protein goodness, so always combine them with toast or pita (etc).
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:16 PM on January 16, 2008

When you make that granola, be sure to use old fashioned oats, not quick cooking oats.
posted by bilabial at 5:20 PM on January 16, 2008

I like oatmeal, which keeps me full for much of the day. My standard breakfast is a bowl of cereal, but not the sugary kind.

I also have enjoyed throwing a handful of wheat into a thermos, topping it up with boiling water and leaving it all night. Come morning and I drain the water, stir in honey and cinnamon and have a big bowl of whole grains. Seems weird but it's nice on a cold morning, and very inexpensive.
posted by tomble at 11:24 PM on January 16, 2008

jcruelty speaks the truth. Go ethnic. The Japanese have all sorts of random delish stuff for breakfast - barbequed fish, miso soup, rice, veges, what have you. It greeted me every morning the 6 weeks I was in Japan and it was wonderful.

In the same vein, Scandinavian breakfast buffets, or smorgasbord, can be quite filling.Crispbread (kinda like wheatier crackers) with caviar & cream cheese = yum. If you don't want to go the whole hog, try smoked salmon on toast, it's quite good.

I lived on thosai (dosas) as a college student in Malaysia. Cheapest thing on the menu, but oh so filling. Other common breakfast foods in Malaysia, where food is king, are nasi lemak (rice cooked with coconut milk), mee goreng (fried noodles, either instant or not), Milo (chocolate drink), roti pratha (Indian pancake), or Teh tarik (sweet milky thick tea prepared by being pulled between two mugs).

Pancakes and waffles are good. When I was living on campus in Australia I always longed for the hash browns and mushrooms on weekend hot breakfasts.
posted by divabat at 3:08 AM on January 17, 2008

Okay, I know this has egg in it, but I think other people are reading this than just the OP.

Best Breakfast Sandwich Ever

2 slices toast
1 scrambled egg
1 slice swiss cheese
1/2 avocado

Combine to make a sandwich. The egg and toast should be hot so as to melt the cheese a bit.
Sprinkle a little seasoned salt on the avocado if you like (I use Penzeys).

Somehow the combination is even better than it sounds.
posted by exceptinsects at 6:09 PM on January 17, 2008

Okay, I know this has egg in it too, but you can always leave it out if you want.

Turkish breakfasts have always been a favourite of mine. They're really just a cold platter of things, but have a nice freshness & basic-ness to them.

A Turkish breakfast typically has the following kinds of things, that you arrange in piles on a big plate & munch on with fresh white bread: tomato, cucumber, chunks of fetta (and/or other cheeses), olives, butter, jam & honey (not on the plate, obv), cold hardboiled eggs, fruit, and whatever other freshly sliced uncooked veges take your fancy. You could add coldcuts like ham if you like, but they're not exactly typical - Turkey being a Muslim country, and all.
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:50 PM on January 17, 2008

Four topics of remark:

First, as I write this, I am wrapping up a delightful encounter with a Bartlett pear, several chunks of Gouda cheese, and a Shredded Wheat biscuit. It's a midnight snack, but I'd eat it for breakfast, too. And the knifework is ritual enough for me: Regular, parallel cuts through the fruit, the firm resistance of the cheese, and then removing it all to a plate and washing the knife by hand lest a dishwasher throw something hard against the blade. Mmm, ritual. Could have been improved by making a cup of rooibos tea with a spoonful of date molasses. Seriously. Go to the imported-foods store more often. Treasures lurk.

Second, an anecdote. A few years ago I found myself in Ukraine, with a Ukrainian housemate named Yuri. My first morning there, he was thinking out loud, in Russian, as he selected some breakfast foods: "I'll have some of these peas"—he had soaked, boiled, and mashed a stockpotful of dried brown peas with a small amount of salt—"and some tinned fish ... and I'll fry an egg"—which he usually did by stirring it with flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder to make a very eggy little pancake&mdash"and that," he said with some satisfaction, "will be a very good breakfast." I replied, in Ukrainian (he spoke both), "Peas? For breakfast?" And he turned to me very seriously and switched into English so I couldn't miss his meaning: "[Eritain], here in Ukraine we don't have ... foods that you can only eat for breakfast." I tell you this not only because Yuri's breakfast had some serious protein and fiber going on, but because I'm about to recommend a few unusual things and I want them to seem mild by comparison.

Third, the best breakfast I ever had was at the buffet in a five-star hotel in Taiwan (The Brasserie, in the "85," in Kaohsiung). It included the following, any subset of which I would happily eat for breakfast again:

• Miso soup, with leetle bitty inch-long fishies at the bottom and a garnish of spring onion. Totally delicious. Traditional Japanese breakfast.
• Western-style (thick, sour) yoghurt. Plain or with a little fruit. Traditional Bulgarian and hippie breakfast.
• Toast with butter. Some of it with apricot preserves. I don't know who invented toast.
• Baked beans. (I'm an American, but those guys from overseas who almost speak real English, they know what they're talking about with this one. It's not like that time when they said "I'll knock you up at seven and we'll have bangers and mash," this time they really do mean baked beans. For breakfast. And it's good.)
• Smoked Gouda. Just a few bites. Thank you, Holland.
• Camembert. A few bites again, and thank you, France.
• Stir-fried cabbage. Not limp, just softened a little, and not too oily. (Taiwan is all about having noodle stir-fry or congee for breakfast, with steamed rolls that are way too sweet, but I needed some plants on my plate.)
• A hard-boiled egg. I don't know who invented this one, either, but it's brilliant. Better than fried any day.
• Grapefruit juice. The real, sour stuff, with no cussed corn syrup additives. (Credit: Anyone but Americans.) And a slice of lime in the glass, nabbed from the tea supplies. (Credit: Me. It does improve an already excellent drink.) And optionally, a cinnamon stick, from the same source. (Also me. Again, don't knock it till.)
• A good wedge of watermelon. Credit: Eddie Shumway (who introduced me to its breakfasty potential), all tropical and semi-tropical climates, and Mr. Bones, who put the water in the watermelon by planting them in the spring.

Only a spot of cracked wheat or a brighter green vegetable could have improved the meal, and I would not have had room to eat either.

Fourth and finally, you can minimize your intake of corn syrup and carrageenan and such by culturing yoghurt yourself: Sanitize a lidded container and a spoon with bleach solution, scald a quart of milk, stir in the top of a fruit-at-the-bottom with live cultures (Dannon recultures well IMO), and put it somewhere warm until it gels. Easy-peasy.
posted by eritain at 11:57 PM on January 17, 2008