This high-protein breakfast also helps to improve your gut health

If, like me, you have a vague idea that you should—and would like to—be eating more plants but you're not quite sure how, then recipes like this green eggs with halloumi and herbs one are very useful.

It comes from British celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's latest recipe book, How to Eat 30 Plants a Week. Professor Tim Spector (author of much research on the topic) provides the introduction to the book and explains why it's a good idea to eat 30 different plants a week, and the book is packed with delicious recipes that will help you hit that target without it feeling like hard work.

The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans specify that we should be eating two and a half cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit per day, and most of us fall well short of that target. But it’s not just the amount that’s important, it’s also the variety that’s the key to a healthy diet. Research like this study has shown that aiming to consume 30 different types of plants per week is optimum, giving your gut bacteria a diverse range of dietary fiber to feast on. And don't worry if you think 30 is unachievable—it's easier than it sounds.

In this recipe, the "green" eggs are scrambled eggs with a helping of green veg and some tasty halloumi. The egg base makes this a high-protein dish and although it contains at least five types of plants (more if you sprinkle dukka or mixed seeds on top, and include more than one herb) it doesn’t feel like a vehicle for veg but an enjoyable dish in its own right.

I tried making this as a weekend lunch and it was delicious, adding some more plants to my weekly total without tasting too virtuous. I used cavolo nero as the greens, sprinkling oregano and mint and some mixed seeds on top, and the combination of rich eggs, salty halloumi and green veg was a delight.

Green eggs with halloumi and herbs

"Forget green eggs and ham (at least until you get to the swaps below!) and enjoy your eggs with halloumi and herbs instead. This is a brilliant all-day meal—equally good for brunch, lunch or supper," writes Fearnley-Whittingstall in the book. "You can easily scale the quantities down for one, or double them to serve four and cook in two batches. It ticks the boxes for lots of lovely greens, made irresistible with creamy scrambled eggs."

Ingredients

• Oil or fat for cooking
• 100g halloumi, cut into small cubes
• A bunch of spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
• 100g kale or spinach, coarse stalks removed, roughly shredded
• A handful of frozen peas
• 4 eggs
• A knob of butter (optional)
• Sea salt and black pepper
• A handful of herbs, such as chives, parsley or coriander, finely chopped
• Dukka seed and spice mix (optional)

Swaps

In place of the kale or spinach, use another leafy green, such as cavolo nero, spring greens or chard, or broccoli florets, roughly chopped.

You can also revive the green eggs and ham concept by sizzling some bacon in place of the halloumi.

Method

1. Heat a little oil or fat in a medium non-stick frying pan over a fairly high heat. Add the halloumi and sizzle until starting to brown on the underside. Turn and cook until golden on the other side.
2. Add the spring onions and the shredded kale or spinach to the pan and sweat, stirring occasionally, until wilted. Stir in the frozen peas and cook with the greens, tossing or stirring occasionally, for 3–4 minutes until the veg are tender. Tip the veg and halloumi out onto a plate and set aside. Lower the heat under the pan.
3. Beat the eggs together lightly in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add a little extra oil or knob of butter to the pan and once it is melted and foaming, pour in the beaten egg.
4. As it starts to set at the edges, use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir the set egg back into the wet egg. Keep stirring now and then until the eggs are scrambled as soft or firm as you like.
5. Add the veg and halloumi back to the pan to warm through then divide between warmed plates. Sprinkle over the chopped herbs, then the dukka if using. Finish with a grinding of black pepper.

Extract taken from How to Eat 30 Plants a Week by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Bloomsbury, $32 Hardback)

More quick ways to veg-up your eggs

The classics of the eggs-on-toast genre can be almost instantly vegged up with the addition of some gorgeous green pesto, or a nice spicy kraut or kimchi. Just spread the pesto, or pile the kraut/kimchi, generously on wholemeal toast, and top it with 2 eggs, poached, fried or scrambled to your liking.