Shakshuka. What is it and why am I seeing it everywhere?
A quick google search plus a 10 second glance, and I learned that Shakshuka literally means “a mixture”. The traditional version has Middle Eastern and North African routes, and combines tomatoes, onions and spices to make a saucy base with eggs poached on top. Despite its increase in trend factor, my inspiration was the morning struggle.
I am pretty devoted to my routine and my 5:18 alarm. I like to get up and get moving before I get working. For breakfast, I typically rotate through the same meals out of ease or convenience, and I even work at home. That got me thinking (and sympathizing) for the majority of people who have to go in to the office.
9 out of 10 times I will choose to have a savory breakfast and actually feel weird when I don’t get at least one veggie in. Some days I have the flexibility to spend more time on breakfast yet I still choose the norms because I’ll slack on creativity. I can’t help but to imagine my options would be even less if I went straight from the gym to an office. So, I thought of a nontraditional breakfast that I knew would not only be full of flavor and nutrients but could also portable. I ended up with Spicy Shakshuka Breakfast Bites.
RECIPE
Yield: 12 cups
Prep-time: 15 min
Cook-time: 30 min
Ingredients:
1 lb Nature’s Greens kale greens, lightly steamed
12 eggs
3 tbsp olive oil
½ white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c tomatoes, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
⅓ c tomato paste
1 tbsp Harissa
2 tsp salt
½ c fresh parsley, chopped
⅓ c filtered water
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add chopped onions, orange pepper, and garlic to the pan. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until softened.
Add tomato paste, Harrisa and slowly begin to stir in water. With the pan still on medium, cook for 2 minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes and cooking for 2 additional minutes.
Add more water if you find the mixture is too dry but you want it to be a bit thicker than normal. Stir in parsley, turn off heat and let sauce rest while preparing the kale.
I steamed the kale using a large pot, steamer basket and filtered water for 3-4 minutes over medium/high heat.
Divide kale evenly and press into the bottoms of a greased muffin pan. Next, spread a layer of sauce on top of the kale. Bake @ 350 F for 15 minutes.
I used a 12 cup silicone pan for easy removal.
Remove pan and crack 1 egg into each well. Bake again for 11-15 minutes or until the egg cooked as desired.
15 minutes was a bit too long for me and almost cooked the yolk through. I recommend under cooking or cooking until the whites have set if you plan to reheat in the future.
Let set and cool before removing from wells. Serve, store and enjoy a flavorful, quick meal at home or out the door.
This post was sponsored by WP Rawl. All thoughts and opinions are my own.