Shakshuka

Don't call it a comeback! Hello everyone!!! Well according to the internet, it's been 1 year, 7 months, and 19 days since I last posted. You may ask, where the heck have you been lady! Well, it's been a variety of things that have kept me away. It started off as work being incredibly being busy (which I don't recommend that anyone use an excuse to stop doing things you enjoy.), then unfortunately, my mom became sick and blogging didn't sit on my list of priorities, and then to be honest, for a while there I kinda just didn't feel inspired to do this anymore. But I am so excited to say, I am back!! I am really looking forward to sharing some new recipes with all of you. And the more days I live, the more I am obsessed with making sure that what we eat is not only delicious, but worth putting into our bodies. We are what we eat, right? So I look forward to having you share in this adventure of delicious and healthy eating!

Ok! So! Chances are that you've heard of some variation of Shakshuka. The ones I know of are versions of this called Eggs in Purgatory, Huevos Rancheros, and Menemen and they come from all different parts of the world, and yes there are slight differences to all of them, but at the heart of it they are pretty much the same. The basic gist is of all of them base of tomatoes cooked to a sauce,  with eggs added towards the end, sort of poached in that wondrous sauce. And basically I am a major lover of all things eggs....poached being my absolute favorite way to eat them. And this is a versatile enough dish that you can have this for breakfast, lunch or dinner! And of course, the dish is as simple as it gets. So let's do this!

Ingredients:
3 tblsp olive oil
1 large onion
1 large bell pepper
5 garlic cloves
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne (more or less as preferred)
1 28 oz can tomatoes with juices
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 large eggs

Optional: 
Harissa
5 oz feta cheese
Ground sausage
Lentils

Step 1:
Heat oil in a large pan over medium-low heat.

Step 2: 
Thinly slice onion and bell pepper and add to pan. Cook until soft for about 10-15 minutes

Optional Step 2a: 
If adding lentils or sausage you can add them in at this point. They are absolutely not traditional and I don't suggest it the first time around, but it adds some additional substance to the dish if you need something more robust.  

Step 3: 
Slice garlic, add to pan and and cook until tender, about 1 to 2 minutes;

Step 4: 
Stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute.

Step 5: 
Chop and pour in tomatoes and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper

NOTE: If possible, you want to buy canned tomatoes that are organic as well as in a BPA free can. The MUIR Glen brand is fantastic. It's organic, BPA free, no sugar added. We get ours from BJs, but I know you can also get them at Amazon.
And you may think, well I'll just use regular organic tomatoes. You can definitely do that, but it will have a different flavor profile. The canned tomatoes will be much more flavorful and are really preferred if you're making any type of cooked dish. 

Step 6: 
Simmer until tomatoes have thickened about 10 minutes.

Step 6a: 
If you have access to Harissa, I highly recommend it. It's a chili paste that's a bit spicy but more importantly, it's really aromatic and flavorful. You don't need more than 1 tsp but you can add as much as you like if you want more of a punch. 

Step 6b:
If you want to add in another depth of flavor, add in crumbled feta at this point. This is also not traditional, and I don't suggest it for the first go round of this, but we found it to be tasty for a small variation in this dish. You can leave it in chunks, or you can mix it in. It doesn't add much of a taste difference with everything else going on in the pan, but it adds this lovely creaminess to the dish. 

Step 7:
Try to dig a small well in the sauce, and crack the eggs an inch or so apart in the pan.

It is very saddening to see the yolk break. If possible, do your best to keep them whole. Trust me, when you break into that beautiful yolk in your dish, you'll thank me!  

Step 8: 
Cover and cook on low for 5-10 minutes, depending on how done you like your eggs to be. Some recipes suggest you put it in the oven at this point, and you can do that instead -  but I found that the oven cooked the eggs far too much and too quickly for my liking.

Step 9: 
After 5-10 minutes, open the lid and check on the eggs. The white should be completely cooked through, but be jiggly inside. Remember because the tomato sauce is so hot, it will keep cooking the eggs, so don't overcook them, and try to serve immediately.

Step 10: 
Serve with a crusty piece of bread or naan or pita.

This isn't the prettiest picture, and it doesn't do the dish justice. I'll try to take a better one next time I make this. But trust you me, it is absolutely wonderful and I hope you try it soon! Enjoy!

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Chocolate Avocado Mousse

I have no excuse. This has been the longest I've been away from this blog of mine, and I really just have no excuse. But I hope I make up for it, by sharing this delectable recipe with you. You won't believe it by tasting it, but it isn't bad for you! I don't know if I'd go so far as calling it a health food, but darn it, it's pretty close! We had a ton of avocados that were all at that tipping point of being perfectly ripe to going rotten in another 30 minutes, so I thought this would be a really great dessert! And it was!!

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips
• 4 medium ripe avocados
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tblsp. honey, or maple syrup, molasses etc.
• 1/2 cup Kahlua 
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 tblsp.milk

Step 1: Melt the chocolate using a double boiler. I prefer to use solid chunks, but I only had bittersweet chocolate chips. Both will work but I feel the bars are a bit smoother.

A double boiler is just a pot with a small amount of water, with a heat safe bowl on top.
The water will start to get hot and will melt the chocolate in the bowl above without burning it. 

Step 2: Remove the avocado meat from their shells and put into a food processor.

I ended up using 5 avocados because they were really small

Step 3: Add the cocoa powder to the food processor

I used Cacao Powder, which is a slightly different product. It's richer than cocoa powder,
but more importantly it still contains the nutrients that are usually removed during processing of cocoa powder. 

Step 4: Add in the sweetener.  

I used 2 tblsp of maple syrup and 2 tblsp of blackstrap molasses.
The molasses is quite bitter (but better for you) so if you don't like bitter, stick with another sweetener. 

Step 5: Add in the Kahlua or other coffee or hazelnut flavored liqueur.

If you want it a little less boozy, you can add less of the liqueur.
The end result doesn't taste like alcohol, but it gives it a really nice flavor. 

Step 6: Add in the salt.

You could use sea salt if you didn't have Pink Himalayan. But don't skip putting some kind in!
It gives the mousse a depth that you will lose without the salt. 

Step 7: And finally, add in the melted chocolate from Step 1. 

Step 8: Turn on the food processor, and thoroughly blend/process the ingredients. This may take a few minutes, the mixture should look completely smooth when done.

Step 9: Once completely smooth, spoon the mixture into a bowl, and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

I forgot to take a photo inside the processor before spooning it out, so this is all I got for ya! 

This is what it looks like in the bowl. Yum!

Step 10: After 3 hours, take that mousse out and enjoy the heck out of it!! I added some whipped cream because the mousse is REALLY rich, but this is optional, and you can enjoy it without if you'd like.

PS. If you can manage to wait, the mousse is EVEN better the next day!

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Chicken Piccata

Happy Spring everyone! I hope you are enjoying this fantastic weather! 

I remember having Chicken Piccata several years ago in an italian restaurant, and I loved it. Since then, the years have passed, the seasons have changed, but one spring evening, as I looked at the chicken thawing in the fridge, a distant but dreamy memory floated around and visions of capers and lemon juice danced in my mind. And as if waking from a dream, I reached for the flour and decided, today is the day, I'm going to make chicken piccata! And now you can too! There are a couple of steps involved, but it was really quite simple to make. Here we go!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

Flour

2-4 tblsps unsalted butter (optional)

2-4 tblsps olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup chicken stock/broth

1/4 cup capers

1/3 cup fresh parsley or 2 tblsp dried parsley

Step 1:

Cut chicken into whatever size piece you'd like. If you prefer larger pieces, you can leave them large. I prefer smaller pieces, as they get more flavor all around them and cook faster.

Step 2:

Season chicken with salt and pepper and then coat chicken in flour. I use a plastic ziploc bag full of flour and drop each piece into the bag and shake to coat. You can also do this in a bowl if you prefer.

Step 3: 

Heat pan on medium and melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan. When butter has melted, add as many pieces of chicken as will fit without crowding the pan. 

You could skip the butter, it is optional, but provides a rich taste that oil alone doesn't seem to give. 

I use whole wheat flour, but you can use all purpose if you prefer. 

Step 4: 
Brown the chicken for about 2-3 minutes on each side. 

If you use larger pieces, remember to keep the chicken in the pan for longer until the chicken is mostly cooked through. 

Step 5: 
Remove chicken from pan and remove to a plate. Repeat this process until you have cooked all the chicken. Add additional oil/butter only if needed. Remove all chicken when done, and turn stove off. 

Step 6: 

Into the same pan, add lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and heat the mixture through. Make sure to scrape up the bits left over from cooking the chicken. Check for seasoning and add salt if needed and add parsley.

I didn't have fresh parsley so I used dried.

Step 7: 

Return all the chicken to the pan, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 8: 
Serve with some veggies and rice. 

MMM 'Twas SO Good!! Enjoy!

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