In my house, we all observe different styles of eating. I lean towards a vegetable based diet, and my son is a carnivore through and through. I try to eat vegetarian or vegan a few days a week, but I consider myself an omnivore. I subscribe to the Michael Pollan philosophy of eating,
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
I firmly believe that everyone is entitled to eat the way that works best for them. In our culture, just as we see in politics, diets are a way of dividing people more often than bringing them together. For a society so obsessed with dietary health, Americans have one of the worst in the world. I would never tell someone that they should only eat organic or that they should be ashamed if they choose not to be a vegan. Here on these pages, I’m trying to find a healthy balance and give you a glimpse into how we make it work in a house where we all have different ideas of good taste and what constitutes an enjoyable meal. I think that we all need to be a little bit kinder. Kinder to ourselves and kinder to others.
For a long time, I’ve struggled with my identity here on this blog. I love vegetables, I like to experiment with vegan cooking, it makes me feel good to see lots of color on my plate. I started posting more and more vegan recipes, especially when we discovered my son’s dairy allergy and then I began to worry that all my subscribers would expect all my recipes to be vegan. I started to fret and worry about every post; it stifled my creativity, and I began to dread posting. I realize that all these limitations are in my head and I want to show you an accurate reflection of what my kitchen looks like and how I eat. There will still be a lot of plant based and vegan recipes, but there will also be fish, and chicken and eggs and sometimes maybe even cheese or butter.
I want to embrace food and enjoy the process and experience. I don’t want to feel guilty or wrong for the way I’m choosing to eat. I have been struggling with food and my weight my entire life and I’ve tried every diet out there. I think that there are others out there that feel like me, hiding in our cars eating a bag of cookies when we are stressed, or sneaking a cheeseburger when we are trying to lose weight. But I want to tell you that you are not alone, that’s it’s ok to eat “bad” food as long as it’s balanced with “good” food. Most of all, I want to tell you to forgive yourself for not being perfect, that real life isn’t like that amazing Instagram account you follow. Life is messy and imperfect and stressful and joyous; that’s what makes it so unique and gratifying.
So this is what breakfast looks like in our house. It’s a mix and match kind of thing. I try and have a base recipe that can satisfy both of us and then each of us can customize it into something that makes us both happy.
If you make either of these avocado breakfast bagels be sure to tag #scalingback on Instagram – I love seeing what you create in your kitchen! You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Snapchat (username: scalingback)
- Smoked salmon and avocado:
- 1 bagel
- 2 ounces smoked salmon
- ½ avocado, pitted and thinly sliced
- olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Almond ricotta and veggie:
- 1 bagel
- ½ avocado, pitted and thinly sliced
- 1 small cucumber, peeled and shaved into slices with a julienne peeler
- 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 tablespoon, chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons almond ricotta*
- Almond ricotta:
- 1 cup blanched almonds
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- For the almond ricotta:
- Soak the almonds in enough water to cover for one hour or up to overnight. Rinse and drain the almonds and add to the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender along with ⅓ cup of water, the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Process until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add additional water a tablespoon at a time until you get a texture that resembles ricotta cheese. Taste and add extra lemon juice or salt as desired.
- To assemble:
- Smoked salmon and avocado:
- Slice the bagel in half and lightly toast to the desired doneness. Layer 1 ounce of smoked salmon on each half and ¼ of an avocado. Drizzle with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Almond ricotta and veggie:
- Slice a bagel in half and lightly toast to the desired doneness. Spread 1 tablespoon of almond ricotta on each half. Top each half with a ¼ of an avocado, a few slices of cucumber and two cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive
oil, chopped parsley and a sprinkle of salt.
