Prep: 10 minutes         Time to Make: 5 minutes       Serves: 2-3

These are a staple in Austin, found and served just about any place that promises Breakfast All Day. They are super simple to make, and incredibly delicious and filling. You can serve these for brunch and not feel like you’re cheating anyone. Best of all, you can customize the recipe to your tastes.

Ingredients:

4-5 eggs, beaten
Half of a fresh jalapeno, chopped
8 oz of onions, chopped
Big handful of tortilla chips, crushed
4 oz of shredded cheese (cheddar or jack)
Cumin, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat a large skillet to medium and add a pat of butter or olive oil.
Sauté the onions and jalapenos until softened and starting to caramelize.
Add a sprinkle of cumin to the vegetables, a dash of salt and pepper.
Add eggs to the pan and let sit for 30 seconds.
Add the tortilla chips and stir to make curds—your preferred doneness for scrambled eggs.
When the eggs are almost done, add the cheese and cover and remove from heat, and let sit for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Serve with warm flour or corn tortillas, chips and salsa, or any other breakfast thing in the world you want. These are dead simple, but what makes them great is that the recipe becomes yours and yours alone. For instance:

I often add a heaping spoonful of pico de gallo to the veggies at the beginning of the dish.
After the dish is cooked, you can serve with a dollop of sour cream on top, and add pico then.
If there’s any diced or chopped garlic in the house, a spoonful of that with the veggies is awesome.
If you don’t like the heat from fresh jalapenos, you can sub in pickled jalapenos, or cut the amount by half again. You do need SOME heat, so you can decide how much.

The tortilla chips are a hearty part of Migas. But if you don’t like them crisp, you can add them at the beginning with the veggies and a little extra butter or oil and saute them with the onions and peppers to soften them up. Try them crispy first, and see if you like it. If not, saute your next batch. And speaking of chips, you know what I’m talking about, here, right? Restaurant style thin crispy tortilla chips. Not Fritos. Not Doritos. Good tortillas, the kind you eat with salsa. Tostito’s should only be used as a last resort, or if you’re camping. Have some taste.