No, I’m not talking about some new Zumba-esque dance move that will burn calories faster than you can say the word.
{Though that does sound pretty great – I need to get on that}
What I am talking about is a delicious North African/Israeli dish consisting of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. And while it doesn’t burn calories – it’s definitely healthy, inexpensive, and simple enough to spice up any easy-peasy weeknight meal plan. Sure, the main event here is eggs – so you could eat it for breakfast or brunch – but having eggs for dinner is one of my favorite things to do; it just makes you feel good after a long day. Add some warm tomato sauce to the mix, and what’s more comforting that that?
Shakshuka
Found on Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Saveur
Serves 4 to 6
1/4 cup olive oil
5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped {I used jalapeños}
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pita chips, for serving {I used whole-wheat}
Heat oil in a 12-inch deep skillet or a Dutch oven {any excuse to use my Le Creuset} over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.
Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. This is fun and makes me happy; it’s like squeezing those little stress balls but better. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.
Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. If this scares you, don’t let it – it’s super easy! Cover and let it cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.
To make the pita chips, just cut your pita rounds into eighths – toss with a bit of olive oil and kosher salt – and throw them into a 400 degree oven for about 5 to 10 minutes. So easy and healthy – and they work great with all kinds of dips and spreads.
{
{
{
{
Muffins are the perfect thing to bake on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Baking something in the morning just makes breakfast feel more special, and if I’m doing a brunch with guests – well, in that case, baking something is a must. I adore blueberries, and the addition of lemon zest adds the perfect lightness and freshness to the batter – you won’t even taste it. But the real shining star of these muffins is the streusel topping, of course. I mean, what wouldn’t streusel topping make even better? I even used some whole-wheat flour, just to increase the health-factor a bit, and you couldn’t tell at all – they were pure perfection.
