Shakshuka

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you enjoyed your holiday season and are looking forward to a great 2022! Here is an easy to make, tasty, recipe to start off this New Year.

This simple poached egg dish uses cumin, chili powder, paprika and a bit of cayenne pepper to make a spicy tomato sauce as a bed for the eggs. It is perfect for breakfast, brunch or even dinner. Traditionally a North African recipe, it is popular in Israel and the Middle East. Check out this recipe and many other Mediteranean recipes at oldwayspt.org

JUMP TO RECIPE

I like to cook the yolks all the way through, where some like it traditionally poached.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a dutch oven or large skillet.. Saute’ one small yellow onion (1/4-1/3 cup) for 5 minutes until translucent.

Add one clove of garlic, minced and saute’ for one minute, Then add one diced, red bell pepper, saute’ 7-10 minutes until softened.

Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste and spices. Simmer 5 minutes. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper as desired. You can also add 1/2 of the spice to test out how much spice you prefer.

Here is the fun part… adding the eggs one at a time, gently into the sauce.

Using a large spoon or a ladle, crack the egg into the ladle and gently place egg into the sauce.

Repeat 5 more times, cracking the eggs one at a time on to ladle, and spacing them out in the sauce. Cook, covered for 10-15 minutes depending on desired doneness.

Garnish with parsley and or cilantro. Optional garnishes are green onions and some crumbled feta cheese if desired.

My husbands creation…This meal goes great with greens and some sourdough toast!

YUM! The salad addition is Jessicas Crunchy Kale Salad from Gelsons Market

I hope you enjoy this easy, nourishing meal! All the best in 2022!

-Brenda

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Shakshouka (Shakshuka)

Yield: 6

Author: oldwayspt.org

A North African dish, made by poaching eggs in a spicy tomato sauce. Great for breakfast or dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 (14 ounce) cans no-salt diced tomatoes, or about 4 cups ripe diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon mild chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Pinch of cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• Pinch of sugar (optional, to taste)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley, for garnish
• other possible garnishes include cilantro, green onion and some feta cheese.

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about a minute more. Add the diced bell pepper and cook until softened, about 7-10 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add a little bit of spice at the beginning so you can adjust to your preference. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce begins to reduce. Adjust the spice and other seasoning to taste.
3. For the eggs, create space in the sauce for each egg with a ladle or large spoon. Rest the spoon in the sauce and crack the egg on top. Gently remove the spoon and allow the egg to settle in the space left behind. Repeat for the remaining 5 eggs. Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, checking regularly, until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Garnish with minced parsley and serve.

Notes:

Garnish with parsley and/or cilantro. Sliced green onion is also a yummy addition. Optional sprinkle of feta cheese crumbles or sliced avocado can change it up.

Taco Tuesday!

Crunchy or soft, who doesn’t love a taco? 

Not to mention a quick way to get dinner on the table. A taco bar is a fun way for kids to explore with different vegetables, beans, and cheese and build their own taco.

Ground turkey taco with roasted mushrooms, refried black beans, angel hair cabbage, cheese, tomato and avocado

My secret ingredient is to use roasted mushrooms and add them to the meat. I love the flavor and its a great way to eat more plants! Use at least 16 ounces of baby Bella mushrooms cut uniformly, tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees. Turn every 5 minutes for 20 minutes. When cooled, put in a mini chop and pulse until the mushrooms look like the ground meat.

Cut 16 ounces or more of Baby Bella mushrooms into uniform pieces. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms to browned meat of your choice with some taco spices.

Easy taco spice mix

Approximately 1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

With the addition of some refried black beans, angel hair cabbage, tomatoes and avocado, These tacos are over half plants!

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped, softened in olive oil

Add meat of choice to softened onion, brown, and then add some taco spices. Approximately 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp onion powder, salt and pepper to taste

Add the ground mushrooms to the browned meat of your choice and heat to serve

Heirloom tomato, angel hair cabbage, avocado

The addition of refried beans helps everything stay in place!

Enjoy!

Happy Tuesday!

Curried Lentil Soup

Hope this Tuesday finds you safe and well! I am enjoying making some soups and stews while the weather is rainy and chilly. I am also trying to use what I have so that I am not running to the store in a time where we need to be staying home as much as possible! This recipe is quick, easy, healthy, and adaptable to whatever beans or vegetables you have on hand. I waited until I needed to shop this week to pick up the dried apricots since I did not have them on hand. Probably just fine if you left them out too.

This recipe is another awesome recipe from the Healthy Kitchens Healthy Lives Conference I attended in February 2020! Auden McClure, MD, MPH, a Pediatrician and Chef presented this dish. She is director of Culinary Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchock Medical Center in New Hampshire. My thoughts, safe wishes and gratitude goes out to all the Physicians, Nurses, Healthcare workers and Hospital Staff everywhere. Thank you for all you do! And thank you to anyone who is working in those essential jobs and professions that keep us safe and healthy!

This recipe calls for 6 cups of stock so make sure to use a pot big enough to fit that along with all of the other ingredients! Recipe at the bottom of the post.

Start with one onion chopped. I had some shallot to use up so I added that as well! Saute’ in oil (whatever you have on hand) until a bit brown.

Add 2 finely chopped carrots, diced, dried apricots, garlic, spices and 1 celery stalk. I love using the celery leaves as well. I tend to add the garlic towards the end so it doesn’t burn. I also tend to go lighter on the salt and add more to taste at the end, especially if you are not using a low sodium broth or stock. Saute’ around 5 minutes.

Vegetables, spices, and garlic added to pan with onion.

Saute’ 3-5 minutes

Add the lentils 3/4 cup each of green lentils and red lentils

Add the stock or broth of any kind, 6 cups. I like to use low sodium broth or stock and add salt to taste..

All that is missing is the addition of whatever greens you need to use up! I made this last night to have for dinner tonight so I did not add the greens. When I reheat it, I will add greens to it!

And here it is….A very tasty, very nourishing, very adaptable soup to whatever ingredients you have on hand. See the suggestions for alternate ingredients in the recipe below. This is a high fiber, vegetarian dish but you can easily add leftover chicken or meat to it if you wish. Use whatever greens you need to use up; kale, chard, spinach. I hope you enjoy it!

Looking forward to the day that I can see you again, face to face in my office. In the meantime i am “seeing” clients via telehealth which has been great! Please reach out if you would like to “see” me this way.

Stay safe, Be Well!

-Brenda