Wake Me Up! – With some Breakfast Soft Tacos?

Most days in medical school, I don’t have time for elaborate breakfasts and usually opt for something fast. I’ll eat some cereal with milk, oatmeal, an apple, or a fun sized chocolate bar or two. The chocolate grab and go happens a little more often than I would like to admit. This past week was no exception. My boyfriend’s mother sent us a wonderful package of Saint Patrick’s Day treats, including but not limited to some very tasty individually wrapped chocolates from a specialty shop. Amongst the green wrapping paper, laying at the bottom of the box, so happened to be some instant oatmeal . So what did I eat before my 8AM FOUR hour exam ensued? Well, to put it frankly and in scientific terms, my dopamine mesolimbic pathway took over. I grabbed a few of those beautifully wrapped jewels of joy, bypassed the oatmeal, and went out the door to take my test.

I know, I know, not one of my best moments in life. But before anyone starts judging me, other things went into my choice calculation other than my addictive attraction to chocolate. I was running late, and oatmeal microwaving just seemed too time consuming. Additionally, grab and go apples were out of the question, because they have actually been banned in the test taking room… That’s right. The crisp crunch of the apple is too cacophonous for the average concentrating med school test taker, so they have been banned.

I wasn’t the only one who used the banning of the apples as an excuse for junking it out. My testing neighbor had a donut and a baggy full to the brim of sour punch straws. When I gave his breakfast selection a sideways glance, he shrugged “Hey, they banned my apples.”

I hear yuh brother, they banned my apples too…  

Anyhow, on weekends I like to make up for these breakfast shortcomings when I have the time. One such brunch option is the Breakfast Soft Taco (or burrito if you can manage to wrap those darned things). The combination of savory from the potatoes, tart/sweet from the tomatoes, and creaminess of the avocado really does the trick. It is a meal jam packed with nutrients, in case you also suffer from the nutrient deficits of banned apple, chocolate addiction choices.

Ingredients (Serving for 2)

1. Flour Tortillas
2. 3 Eggs
3. 1 Avocado – diced (inch squared)
4. 1 Russet Potato
5. 1 cup fresh Tomatoes – diced (cm- inch squared)
6. ¼ Red onion diced (mm-cm squared)
7. ½ cup fresh Cilantro – stems removed and julienned
8. ½ tsp Rosemary
9. ½ tsp Thyme
10. Vegetable oil
11. Black beans (Optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Peal the skin off of the potato, and dice into bite sized pieces (1/2 inch squared).
3. Add 2 tablespoon oil, salt, pepper, ½ tsp Rosemary, and ½ tsp Thyme to the cut potatoes, and mix. Put the potatoes in the oven and bake until browned. (you can add some julienned red onion and garlic into this mix too)
4. While potatoes are baking, scramble eggs. To do this, whip the three eggs, add some salt and pepper. Put some oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Wait until the oil has a liquid consistency, then pour in the eggs. Cook until the eggs are no longer runny.
5. Next, mix the diced tomatoes, cilantro, and red onion.  I like to add about ½ tsp of sugar, and half a limes worth of juice to the mixture. It helps enhance the flavor, but these aren’t necessary
6. Once all these components are in order, you are ready to assemble! In a pan, over medium heat, heat up your flour tortillas until warm and pliable. Add in whatever combination of ingredients you desire.
7. Eat and enjoy!