When I think of salads, I tend to think smaller dinner salads drowning in ranch dressing. They're the starter course that you have to work through before you get to the meal portion of the evening. But that's not the kind of salad that I like to eat! Salads don't have to be boring or unappetizing. And they certainly don't have to be resigned to dinner. This quinoa scrambled eggs salad perfectly combines sweet and savory flavors for a hearty way to start the day.
I don't necessarily like salads. But every season I nevertheless try to grow lettuce! Part of this is because growing lettuce is not exactly my forte. I either fail almost entirely and end up with too little lettuce. Or I don't pick it fast enough and it goes to seed!
Which may sound like you might end up with too much lettuce. But what really happens is that the majority of the nutrients goes to large stalks that produce flowers. This makes the lettuce incredibly bitter and unappetizing.
At this moment in time, for both reasons, I have ended up with virtually no usable lettuce! That means, whenever I actually want a salad, I have to buy lettuce. Which always comes in far too large a container. And then I end up trying to toss lettuce in absolutely everything!
The second problem to this is that I don't particularly like lettuce. It's fibrous and difficult to digest and usually still retains some kind of bitter flavor that must be masked with something.
This is why sweet potato quinoa and scrambled eggs pairs so well with lettuce. Quinoa similarly has a slight bitter undertone. But the sweetness of root vegetables and the creaminess of eggs perfectly balances the flavor profile. I tend to add a little bit of habaneros, bell peppers, and habaneros. But the add-ins are entirely optional!
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Variations of Quinoa Scrambled Eggs
I am particularly fond of having a protein over a bed of grains. For this recipe, I made scrambled eggs over quinoa. But tofu and salmon are just as delectable over rice or lentils!
This quinoa and scrambled egg salad is a great way to start the day. It packs a good punch of fiber and protein without skimping on a full, robust flavor. This recipe combines sweet potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, banana peppers, jalapeños, habaneros, garlic, shallots, lemons, bay leaves, and tri-color quinoa with scrambled eggs and homegrown lettuce.
Cook Sweet Potato Quinoa. This takes less than an hour and requires a rice cooker or stove. You can also easily create a different flavor profile or utilize the produce that you have on hand. I almost always keep a batch of quinoa in the fridge for exactly this purpose.If you've cooked the quinoa ahead of time and stored it in the refrigerator, either let get to room temperature or heat slightly so that it isn't cold.
Assemble the Salad
Shred the lettuce and layer across a plate. Add quinoa on top.It's important to have this ready beforehand. Since the eggs go on top of the salad, if you cook them first you won't have anywhere for them to go! You'll either risk them overcooking in a heated pan or have to dirty another plate to finish assembling.
Scramble Eggs
Add oil to a skillet and preheat a over medium-high heat.I use a pretty well seasoned cast iron pan to cook eggs, so I don't add any more than a spritz of oil. You may need upwards of a teaspoon for other types of pans, though. Like with the potatoes, use just enough so that your eggs don't stick.
Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk until fluffy.
Add eggs to the pan. Move them around gently with a spatula, making sure that they cook evenly. Stirring more constantly will result in runnier eggs. Stirring less vigorously will result in thicker eggs, but you may need to flip them to cook evenly.
Continue to gently move the eggs around until barely cooked. This should only take a couple of minutes. Remove from heat when the eggs begin to form and are no longer runny.
Add eggs to the salad and top with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately. The eggs will start to wilt the salad if you let it sit too long!
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
Scrambled eggs are so fundamental that we often don't really think about it. But there truly is an art on how to scramble eggs! And there are some very easy pitfalls to fall into that are easily avoided. For tips and tricks, check out my article on The Fundamentals of How to Scramble Eggs.
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