Charred Breakfast Kale with Mushrooms and Ginger Tahini

Kale for breakfast? It’s a thing, thanks to this recipe for charred breakfast kale with mushrooms and ginger tahini from David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl’s cookbook, Green Kitchen: Quick & Slow. It’s just like eating a salad for lunch…except way more comforting.

“I love kale,” Vindahl writes, “and add it to most of our meals during the winter months. Compared to spinach, kale just has more personality: It gets crunchy when roasted, provides a stunning color in smoothies and pasta sauces, stays vigorous and chewy in salads and chars up nicely in a pan. I often make kale as part of a savory breakfasts, with eggs, avocado or—as here—crunchy mushrooms, topped with rich and punchy citrus, ginger and tahini dressing.”

The dish is vegan as written, but you could add a soft-boiled egg on top if you like.

_{Excerpted with permission from Green Kitchen: Quick & Slow by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl, published by Hardie Grant Books, August 2022}

Cucumber Breakfast Salad with Jammy Eggs

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, smashed (optional)

6 oyster mushrooms (or mushrooms of your choice), torn

1 tablespoon tamari

Bunch of Lacinato or curly kale, stems removed, torn

Handful of baby spinach (optional)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dressing

4 tablespoons tahini

Juice of 1 orange or lemon

½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

½ teaspoon sea salt

To Serve

1 avocado or 2 soft boiled eggs (optional)

2 teaspoons sesame seeds or za’atar

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat half the oil. Add the garlic (if using), followed by the mushrooms, and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until the mushrooms have started to brown and crunch up, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tamari and give everything a toss, then push the mushrooms to the side of the pan.

2. Add the kale and spinach, if using, to the other side of the pan, along with the remaining oil. Fry undisturbed until charred and crunchy, about 1 minute, then toss to fry on the other side. Season and set aside.

3. Make the dressing: In a small bowl, mix together the tahini, citrus juice, ginger and salt.

4. Divide the tahini dressing between 2 bowls and swirl around so it covers the sides. Add the kale mixture, then top with the mushroom shreds, avocado or egg, if using, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds or za’atar.