Imagine it is breakfast time. What is on your plate? Is it eggs or sausage? Maybe you are a starch lover and opt for pancakes, grits, oatmeal, or potatoes. On a fancy day, perhaps you throw in a steak. You may decide on a certain food based on health or simply choose what sounds good.

Many of you know that we (John and I) are plant-strong eaters. Many days, I find whole wheat pancakes or steel-cut oats waiting for me at the kitchen table. Typical breakfast food, right?

Yet, on some days, breakfast is a source of amusement. Why? Because, on some days, not only does breakfast surprise me, but my surprise is also surprising.  Yes, I know. There were far too many surprises in the last sentence, but please bear with me.

I am surprised (and delighted) by the fact that breakfast sometimes challenges my preconceived notions about food choices. Certain foods belong only to specific meals. Take our Monday morning breakfast fare – a colorful assortment of tomatoes, potatoes, salsa, avocado, broccoli, and mushrooms. Add a plant-based cheese sauce and you have all the fixins’ for an omelet without egg or cheese. My brain saw all the lovely vegetables and assumed we were having lunch at 9:30 a.m.

I bet if you think about it, you probably have a few “notions” of your own. Take the typical restaurant menu. If you were the breakfast customer, would you think it odd if the menu listed roast leg of lamb, pasta marinara, and bean burritos, but not omelets or waffles?

Why the nerve of those people!  Where is a good egg when you need one?

The eggs were set aside, of course, in favor of a more adventurous food choice. Breakfast was delicious and I was not arrested by any breakfast police because I broke established food rules. Honestly, it is a lot of fun to challenge these notions, opening a whole new world of culinary possibilities.  Try it!  You might be pleasantly surprised.