I know what you are thinking, “breakfast again??” And the answer is yes, breakfast again-breakfast always. If you haven’t already realized, breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. A good hearty and nutritious meal in the morning is critical in jump-starting your body for the day ahead. Last week’s Carrot Cake Waffles weren’t quite on the healthy side of the scale, but it was a delicious weekend treat!
After the sugar overload of waffles and syrup, I wanted to bring it back to the savoury world. Enter in Shakshouka, an Arabic and Isreali breakfast dish featuring tomatoes, spice, and eggs.
Nutrition Aside: While many fruits and vegetables lose vitamin content with heat, the antioxidant value in tomatoes actually increases! Most notably is lycopene, an antioxidant which helps lower the risk of heart disease and some cancers.
This is especially relevant for the month of November, also known as Movember. A month dedicated to raising awareness for Men’s health, specifically prostate and testicular cancer. From the Movember Foundation website, they state that there is a 98% chance of survival beyond 5 years if detected early, yet only a 26% chance of survival if detected late. So behind all those ill suited mustaches lies an important message: get tested.
Moreover, increasing the amount of lycopene in men’s diets has been shown to decrease the risk for prostate cancer. Therefore cooked tomatoes should be regularly incorporated into weekly meal routines. This goes for women as well, as cooked tomatoes also contain beta-carotene, another antioxidant that plays a role in reducing risk of cancer and increasing heart health.
To actually spice up your tomato options, this Skakshouka is perfect. By adding the chickpeas, this dish will fill you right up, but still leave you wanting more. The flavour is smoky and spicy, while the runny egg provides a nice creaminess perfect for bread dipping. Shakshouka is a wonderful base that can let you be creative and even transition into lunch or dinner-it’s that good.
Try it out and and let me know what you think!
CHICKPEA SHAKSHOUKA
Ingredients
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp red pepper chili flakes
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 can (796mL) diced tomatoes, slightly mashed
- 1 can (~400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp harissa/red pepper paste
- 2 tsp sugar
- 4 eggs
- Bread for dipping
Directions
- Step 1 Heat a large frying pan over medium heat
- Step 2 add caraway, cumin and paprika for 1 minute. Add oil, garlic, chili flakes and cook for another minute.
- Step 3 Add onion and bell pepper-cook and stir occasionally until onion is softened and tender. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, harissa and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened (about 10-15 min)
- Step 4 Make four wells in the tomato mixture and crack in an egg in each hole. Cover with a lid and heat for about 5 minutes, or until whites are set.