Brussels Sprout Breakfast Caesar Salad w/ Tempeh Bacon

Serves 4

Brussel sprout caesar salad with tempeh bacon Photo: suppled

Use a mandolin to get very finely shaved Brussels sprouts. If you’ve never tried them in a salad – this dish may just convert you! I’ve given recipes for both a traditional dressing and a vegan version. Adjust the dish to suit whichever you prefer.

• 3 thick slices rye sourdough bread
• 500g Brussel sprouts
• 6 leaves kale – stems removed and very finely sliced
• 6 free-range eggs
• 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Tempeh Bacon

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 teaspoons tamari
• ¼ teaspoon hot smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional but recommended)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 250g tempeh

Traditional Caesar dressing

• 1 clove garlic
• 5 anchovies
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ cup mayo
• ½ cup finely grated parmesan
• Cracked black pepper

Vegan Caesar dressing

• ½ cup good quality vegan mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon wholegrain mustard
• 1 small garlic clove - finely diced
• Juice of half a lemon
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Tempeh bacon method

Whisk together the olive oil, tamari, paprika, liquid smoke, sugar and cumin. Cut the tempeh lengthways into strips that are roughly ½ cm thick. Place in a shallow dish and drizzle over the marinade. Place in the fridge to marinate for 4-24 hours.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line an ovenproof dish with baking paper and lay out the tempeh slices. Bake for 20 minutes. Can be used warm or stored in the fridge and used cold.

Crouton method

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Tear the bread into rough chunks. Drizzle with oil and a generous seasoning of sea salt and cracked black pepper. Bake for 25 minutes. Can be made up to 4 hours in advance. If storing, allow to cool completely before placing in an airtight container in the pantry.

Traditional dressing method

Combine the anchovies and garlic in a mortar and pestle. Pound until a smooth paste. Add the remaining ingredients and add cracked black pepper to taste.

Vegan dressing method

Stir all the ingredients together and season to taste

To assemble

Use a mandoline to finely shave the Brussels sprouts. Be careful of your fingers! Combine with the dressing and mix well. It’s ideal to let the dressing soften the salad for 10 minutes.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Carefully drop the eggs into this. Cook for 6 minutes. Remove from the heat, run under cold water and peel carefully. Cut in half.

Divide the salad between 4 plates. Top with the eggs, tempeh bacon, croutons and extra grated parmesan. Serve immediately.