This dish is perfect brunch fodder: it's bright, flavourful, filling and nutritious and will leave you feeling full of energy, rather than in need of a lie down. The benefit of serving the vegetables raw is that they don't lose any of their nutrients. Tomatoes contain notable amounts of vitamin C, beta-carotene, manganese and vitamin E and research suggests that they can help to reduce the risk of heart disease as well as protect against several forms of cancer. Avocados have a reputation for being high in fat, but it is worth noting that not only is this mostly the healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated type, but that this fruit also contains up to 20 essential nutrients (fibre, vitamin E, folic acid and potassium among them).
Poaching eggs is a great way to cook them, as you don't add any fat. However, there is a bit of a knack to getting them right: adding a couple of drops of vinegar to the cooking water makes a difference to the end result, as does swirling the water to create a vortex just before you drop the eggs in.
To give your meal a huevos rancheros nod, serve the salsa and poached eggs on a wholemeal tortilla or, alternatively, sit them on a slice of toasted rye bread.
Poached eggs with tomato salsa Serves 2
For the salsa:
red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 lime, juice only
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
red pepper, finely chopped
yellow pepper, finely chopped
100g cherry tomatoes, quartered
red onion, peeled and very finely chopped
avocado, peeled and chopped
small bunch coriander, leaves picked and finely chopped
2 wholemeal flour tortillas
2 fresh eggs
tsp white or malt vinegar
salt and black pepper
Whisk together the red chilli, lime juice and olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Tip the peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado and coriander into a bowl, pour over the dressing, stir well to combine and set aside.
Warm the tortillas through in a low oven. Half-fill a saucepan with water, add the vinegar and bring to a simmer. Crack each egg into a small bowl (one egg per bowl).
Using a whisk, stir the water vigorously to create a vortex, then lower the eggs into the middle of the water, one at a time. Cook for three minutes for set whites and runny yolks.
Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen towel.
Place a warm tortilla in the middle of each serving plate, spoon the salsa into the middle and top with a poached egg. Serve immediately.