English breakfast with a local twist

Alicia Silverstone's new book, The Kind Diet, is loaded with so many amazing recipes, incorporating foods I knew were good for me, but didn't know what to do with. Like kale.

Don't let the title put you off - it's not about 'dieting' (we used to use that four-letter word to describe what we ate). It's about being kind to yourself, the earth and the environment. Sound better? After making a handful of these recipes over the last couple weeks, my body is already thanking me. When I eat these foods I feel luminous from the inside out.

This morning I made her vegan English breakfast. While it wasn't your traditional bangers and mash, it was extraordinarily tasty, filling and healthy. It was also so pretty on the plate, I was tempted to call up Queen E to join me.

I used as many local ingredients as I could find - farmers' markets and locavore shops like The Gentle Rain, Pfennings Organic and Organic Oasis are great starting points.

To ensure a hot meal at the end, you'll need to dance between dishes. Neil Diamond helped with this one - he pairs beautifully with a Sunday morning.

Here's how I brought together a regal breakfast for two:

- Slice a medium tomato length-wise, top with a bit of butter (or Earth Balance butter if you want to go vegan), salt and pepper and I pushed a little fresh basil through the holes of the tomato. Put in a glass baking dish and broil for about 5-6 minutes. Top with more fresh basil.
- Saute about 8 button mushrooms (halved) in a little butter and minced garlic for about 6 or so minutes. Finish with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
- Warm a can of baked beans in a saucepan.
- Steam some fresh kale leaves (I used curly kale and removed the main artery) for about 4 minutes
- Toast four slices of fresh, preferably whole grain, bread and top with butter or Earth Balance.

The assembly: Put two slices of buttered toast on each plate. Top one with mushrooms and then kale, and the other with the baked beans. The baked tomato graced the side of each plate, as did some leftover kale and mushrooms.

When I first read this recipe, I was dubious about the kale because I thought it would be tart and strong, especially in the morning. Yet it tasted wonderfully mellow and buttery with the mushrooms and toast. Kale is loaded with beta-carotene, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium, so you can't go wrong.

Who knew it would make a Holly Holy Dream of a breakfast?