I learned that this dish is originated from the state of Yucatan in Mexico. The name Motulenos came from the word Motul, which is the name of a town in Yucatan. It is a typical breakfast for them. The main ingredient consists of eggs. Traditionally, they include ham on this dish. But I put shrimps instead since I do not eat meat. You can cook the eggs runny if you like. But I prefer my eggs medium runny. When I was making this dish, I realized that you needed to have time to prepare everything as there were preparation steps that included on this dish. In my opinion, I think you can have this dish for either lunch or dinner as well, not just for breakfast because it is very fulfilling. This dish became one of my favourites. It’s so delicious!

You can adjust the spiciness of the peppers by reducing the amount or skip if you are not accustomed to it. I added 1 scotch bonnet pepper when cooking the peas, and heating the refried pinto bean just to flavour it. No need to cut it because the scotch bonnet is very spicy. I used the refried pinto beans (vegetarian) in a can and pigeon peas. You can use Monterey Jack Cheese if Cotija cheese isn’t available.

1 banana plantain

6 ripe Roma tomatoes

1 small onion (for boiling)

2 cloves of fresh garlic

1 can of refried pinto bean

1 can of pigeon peas

1 can of pickled jalapeno peppers

scotch bonnet peppers

1 small white onion

eggs

2 corn tortillas

shrimps

¼ teaspoonful of cumin

corn oil or any cooking oil for frying

extra virgin olive oil

ripe avocado

Monterey Jack cheese shredded

fresh cilantro

sliced limes

salt and pepper to taste

little butter

Cut the plantain in a big diagonal slices and fry it with oil. Set aside once it’s cooked. To make your tomato sauce, boil the Roma tomatoes with small onion in a small pot with water. Boil for 4 minutes or until the skin of the tomatoes beginning to peel off. Remove from the pot and take out the skin. Use a blender and combine boiled tomatoes, small onion, 2 cloves of fresh garlic, 1 or 2 pieces of pickled jalapenos (depending on how spicy you want), little bit of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a skillet (you can use the same skillet which you fried the plantain), pour a little cooking oil and stir fry 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper, diced white onion, and cumin. Add the pigeon peas and tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for few minutes. Set aside once it’s cooked.

Wash, remove the shells, and devein the shrimps. Grill or fry the shrimps in a skillet with a little oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a small pot, add a little butter and 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper to stir fry. Add the refried pinto bean and water. But not too much water. You do not want to end up looking like a soup. It supposed to have a thick consistency (but not too overly thick). Keep stirring until it’s heated. Use the same water that you boiled the Roma tomatoes and small onion earlier when adding water, at least ¼ cup.

Fry the tortillas in a little oil on a skillet until it turned brown. Flip it and do the same thing on the other side. It takes only a minute to toast the tortillas on the skillet. Once the tortillas are browned and toasted, spread it with heated refried pinto bean on both sides. Stack the tortillas on a plate.

Cook the eggs and once it’s cooked, plate it on top of the tortillas. Add the sliced cooked plantains and put it on the side of the plate. Add the cooked shrimps. Pour the tomato and pigeon peas sauce mixture on top of the eggs.

Garnish the dish with sliced avocado, Monterey Jack cheese shredded, fresh cilantro, sliced pickled jalapeno pepper, and lime.

1 slice of wholegrain bread (or bread of your choice)

1 sunnyside up egg

1 ripe avocado

salt and pepper

pinch of cumin powder

pinch of red pepper flakes

extra virgin olive oil

hummus

Prepare the avocado mash. Season with salt and pepper. Add a pinch of cumin powder and red pepper flakes. Add few drops of olive oil. You can fry or poach the egg. Toast the bread. If you like, you can spread the bread with a little butter or hummus (I like hummus). Then you can put the avocado mash on top of the hummus. Then add the cooked egg. You can sprinkle with salt, pepper, or hot sauce on the egg if you like.

2 cloves of garlic

1 small onion

1 small bell pepper

3 fresh Roma tomatoes (or use diced tomatoes in a can)

vegetable broth

tomato paste

fresh eggs

fresh parsley

extra virgin olive oil

seasonings- pinch of cumin, paprika, whole or ground coriander seeds (grind the seeds if using whole)

salt and pepper to taste

Chopped garlic, onion, bell pepper and tomatoes. Sauté these on olive oil on a non-stick pan. Add the seasonings. Add some vegetable broth and tomato paste to make a little sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Add the eggs and cook until the whites are settled. You can cover the pan with a lid for few minutes or a bit longer if you like your eggs hard. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley. You can serve it with your favourite warm bread. I like pita, challah, or naan bread.

You can use any type of oatmeal that you like (rolled oats, quick-cooking oats, old-fashioned oats or steel-cut).

Follow the directions for cooking the oats. If you are adding a little salt during cooking process, Pink Himalayan salt is a good option to use, otherwise, you can just use whatever salt you have. Or no need to put salt if on restricted diet.

For toppings, you can add:

Nut butter- almond butter, cashew butter, or even peanut butter

Fresh fruits- blueberries (or any berries you like), sliced bananas

Nuts and seeds- raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, hemp hearts, sliced almonds, chopped walnuts

Milk- unsweetened coconut milk or milk of your choice

You can also add protein powder if you like or cinnamon powder on top. Cinnamon has many health benefits, one of these benefits can lower blood glucose levels.

Use in season vegetables if available. You can use broccoli, bell pepper, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, carrot, celery.

1 small onion

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 fresh tomatoes

extra virgin olive oil

vegetable stock (use organic or low-sodium)

fresh basil or parsley

salt and pepper

Sauté garlic, onion, and tomatoes in olive oil. Add the chopped and sliced vegetables and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley. Serve with rice and beans. Or you can serve it with any dishes you like. 

a cup of quinoa

1 minced garlic

salt and pepper

fresh lemon juice

fresh chopped parsley

fresh salmon

extra virgin olive oil

Prepare and cook quinoa according to its directions. A cup of uncooked quinoa needs two cups of water to cook. Mix minced garlic, salt and pepper, fresh squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, and chopped parsley together with cooked quinoa in a bowl. Set aside.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper, a little bit of lemon, and drizzle with olive oil. Grill the salmon. You can do different variety with the salmon. You can marinate it with soy sauce, 2 thin slices of chopped ginger, garlic, brown sugar or honey, a dash of sherry wine, spoonful of olive oil, and lemon juice if you want before grilling it. Serve the dish with salad or steamed vegetables if you like.  

2 pieces of fresh or dried shitake mushrooms

small bunch of fresh enoki mushroom

1 small carrot, cut in half, use half a piece and cut into diagonal sliced

small bunch of fresh baby spinach

2 small red radishes

1 small fresh tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cloves of garlic minced

4 thinly slices of fresh ginger minced

small onion

1 or 2 scallions

4 cups of vegetable broth (use organic or low-sodium)

extra virgin olive oil

spoonful of tamari sauce

spoonful of mirin

spoonful of soybean paste white type (miso paste)

1 bunch of dried or fresh ramen noodles

Cut and minced garlic, onion, and ginger. Sauté in olive oil. Add vegetable broth (I prefer organic ones). Add miso paste, tamari sauce, and mirin. Once it’s boiling, add tofu, and the rest of the vegetable, except scallions. If using dried shitake mushrooms, dissolved first in a hot water before cutting it. Do not overcook the vegetables.

While cooking the broth, boil water and cook the dried ramen noodles according to its directions. Usually, it cooks very fast, 3-4 minutes maximum. Once it’s cooked, drain the noodles.

Serve the broth into a bowl. Add hot noodles immediately. Serve with cut scallions. You can garnish the soup with Nori seaweed, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds and oil, and boiled egg if you like. A freshly hot cooked ramen should be served immediately.

¼ cup pot barley

¼ cup red kidney beans

a cup of fresh or frozen okra

1 small carrot

1 small celery stalk

1 small bell pepper

1 small parsnip

1 small turnip

1 small red radish

1 small potato

2-4 pieces of small white mushrooms

4 pieces of green beans

2 fresh tomatoes or 1 canned tomato

1 small onion

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

2 fresh sprigs of thyme or a spoonful of dried thyme

extra virgin olive oil

spoonful of Cajun or creole seasoning

spoonful of cayenne powder

1 bay leaf

6 cups of vegetable stock (use organic or low-sodium)

salt and pepper to taste

Boil pot barley and ked kidney beans in water until soft, or you can use canned red kidney beans for convenience. Chopped and diced all the other ingredients. Sauté garlic, onion, and tomatoes in olive oil. Add the seasonings. Add all chopped vegetables and 6 cups of vegetable stock in a pot. You can also add the remaining water from pot barley and red kidney beans after it was cooked. Add bay leaf. Cover and cook until the vegetables are done. Remove the cover. Add okra at the end and cook for few more minutes or until soft. You can add tamari sauce or worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce for more flavours and depth. Garnish with sliced green onions and chopped fresh parsley. Serve with rice.

This is a different version of my smoothie that is all mixed with different ingredients. It is a complete smoothie and packed with super foods. It is very fulfilling and healthy. You can opt out some ingredients if you don’t want or if it isn’t available.

fresh or frozen blueberries

1 or 2 bananas

bunch of spinach

1 small celery stalk

hemp hearts

ground chia seeds

raw sunflower seeds

raw pumpkin seeds

pieces of coconut chips

raw cocoa powder

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of turmeric

spoonsful of vanilla or plain Greek yogourt

spoonsful of nut butter

spoonful of virgin coconut oil

few pieces of ice cubes

a cup of milk of your choice

Put all ingredients in a blender until desired consistency. Use less than a cup of milk of your choice if you want thicker smoothie. You can add honey or pure maple syrup for sweetness, or protein powder. One of the health benefits of turmeric has an anti-inflammatory property.

bunch of kale or spinach

1 avocado

1 celery stalk

1 small carrot

1 small apple

diced cucumber

a cup of tomato juice or apple juice

few pieces of ice cubes

Put all ingredients in a blender until desired consistency. You can add less than a cup of tomato juice or apple juice, if you like thicker smoothie. You can add honey if it’s too bland for you. You can garnish with celery stalk or cucumber slices if you like.