Shakshuka

So I stumbled across a blog called, The Shiksa in the Kitchen, a while ago from a Jewish woman who blogs Jewish and Mediterranean recipes that are simple and have authentic flavors.  She has a companion blog called The History Kitchen in which she explores previous eras of food and replicates them; she did a post on the Titanic's food for their 100th anniversary and recreated a dish from the night she sank!  How cool is that?  I LOVE Mediterranean food, so I was very excited to try some of her recipes!


One of the first recipes I saw was one for Shakshuka (no idea how to pronounce it).  It's a basic dish in Israel, but every family puts their own spin on it.  The original is meatless but does have eggs.  Unfortunately, my efforts to feed Ben vegetarian meals on the occasion has backfired--he is one of those people who thinks that it's not a meal unless it has meat.  But anyway--I knew I would love this instantly.  Aromatic spices with tomatoes topped with eggs?  Yes please!

This recipe was extremely easy, fast, cheap, and very healthy!  I used whatever vegetables I had in my fridge (peppers, mushrooms, and spinach this time) which means that this dish will never taste the same twice!  I have eggs and canned tomato products on hand anyway so this dish is for those nights I don't really feel like cooking.

I used roasted tomatoes in this recipe.  My grandparent's and in-laws's gardens were exploding with tomatoes and to keep up I roasted them like crazy and freezing them.  Roasting tomatoes gives it another flavor, and I can't wait to start making spaghetti and pizza sauce with it! 

Shakshuka (original here)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium brown or white onion, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium green or red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups your choice vegetables, chopped
4 cups roasted or ripe tomatoes (can sub 2 cans (14 oz. each) diced tomatoes)
1 can tomato paste
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
5-6 eggs
1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a deep, large skillet or sauté pan on medium. Add chopped onion, sauté for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add garlic and continue to sauté till mixture is fragrant.
2. Add the bell pepper, mushrooms, and other vegetables of your choice; sauté for 5-7 minutes over medium until softened.
3. Add spices and allow to saute for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and tomato paste to pan, stir till blended and allow mixture to simmer over medium heat for 5-7 minutes till it starts to reduce.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste, add sugar for a sweeter sauce, or more cayenne pepper for a spicier shakshuka.
6. Crack the eggs, one at a time, directly over the tomato mixture, making sure to space them evenly over the sauce.
7. Cover the pan. Allow mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked and the sauce has slightly reduced. Some people prefer shakshuka eggs more runny. If this is your preference, let the sauce reduce for a few minutes before cracking the eggs on top-- then, cover the pan and cook the eggs to taste.
8. Garnish with the chopped parsley, if desired. 

Ben loved the flavors, but he requested to add chicken next time including keeping the eggs.  Just add the meat (beef would be good with this too) to the first stage and go for it!Pin It

Steamed Veggies with Dijon Chive Butter

I love vegetables (don't worry--it was a fairly recent liking of about 5 years ago)!  However, spicing them differently can be a challenge.  I like them with just salt and pepper most of the time; Ben does not.  So we compromised to a 50/50 (I might cheat by making broccoli with salt and pepper for me then adding cheese sauce for him! LOL). 

{I am a simple woman--steak and veggies for dinner!}

However, when I saw this recipe, I thought I would give it a try because A) it was something different and B) because I had all the ingredients.  I forgot where I saw the original recipe; it was probably a magazine.

{Yes, I use frozen veggies--it's just the two of us so buying fresh in bulk is not a viable option}

{Mixing the Dijon Chive butter}

{Steamed the veggies until al dente then added Dijon chive butter and gave it a stir}

Steamed Veggies with Dijon Chive Butter

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/3 cup chives, chopped

1 poind vegetables, your choice

1. Blend butter, mustard, lemon peel, and chives, seaoning with salt and pepper.
2. Cook veggies by steaming until al dente. Remove/drain water.
3. Add mustard mix to the vegetables stir until veggies are coated.

How do you like to spice your veggies?  I'm open to more suggestions!

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Peanut Butter Honey Truffles

I'm a grazer when I am at home (the first step is admitting you have a problem, right?) so I keep little to no snack foods, e.g. chips, candy, pretzels, etc, at home because I will eat them and gain weight (definitely not needed!).  However, I do snack on dark chocolate and cheese and peanut butter and whatever I am making for Ben for dinner (sometimes it's the dangerous pasta or mashed potatoes.... but mostly on the meat/veggies I make for him).  I also notice that I get a 'sweet' craving around that time of day.

{Delicious peanut butter honey truffles!}

I saw a recipe for peanut butter honey truffles on one of my favorite blogs, The Shiksa, and knew I had to try it as a snack.  ;o)  Luckily, it is packed with protein and hits that sweet craving right on the head in a single truffle (for me at least).  Plus they are easy to make!  Ben LOVES these; in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he is eating the rest of them right now ( he LOVES peanut butter--almost too much!).

{Ingredients in a bowl}

{Mix and then roll!}

Peanut Butter Honey Truffles

Makes 30 truffles

Ingredients

1 cup oats
12 oz jar of natural peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups dried shredded coconut

1. Grind the oats in a food processor until powdery like flour.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together the oat flour, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla until thoroughly mixed.
3. Grind the coconut in a food processor until cut into smaller pieces or powdery.
4. Roll peanut butter mixture into 1 inch balls.
5. Roll each ball in dried coconut to coat.
6. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before service.

I bought coconut flakes and didn't grind them more, but I wish I did.  They are still awesome though, and I will defeinitely do it next time.

What do you like to snack on?

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Favorite Blogs

In this blog-filled world, there are soooo many to read and fall in love with but soooo little time!  I have some favorites that I want to share with my lovely readers.  SURPRISE!!!  Only TWO are food blogs!

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Girl with Curves--I love fashion!  However, most of it is geared to those women who are incredibly blessed with a high metabolism and light frames....  For the rest of us, we have had to scrape by in the past.  I found this blog and fell in love!  She demonstrates how to dress for a curvy figure and make it fashionable!  Her motto: When life gives you curves, FLAUNT them!  (Amen!)

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smitten kitchen--Delicious (for the most part easy!) recipes!  I have not gotten one recipe that didn't work or taste fantastic!  There are just too many and so little time!  I get a good portion of my inspiration from this lady who lives in New York City and has a kitchen tinier than mine (which mine is pretty tiny....)

{the beauty department}

the beauty department--These women are professional makeup artists and hairstylists based in LA.  They have some awesome tips, makeup tricks, and hairstyles that I have used and gotten many, many compliments.  They break down the steps and give you videos/pictures to follow along with the instructions.  When they have tips and tricks, they cover a wide range of skin tones, eye shapes, etc so they are very thorough.

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The Dating Divas--Isn't the first part of a relationship so nice?  You go on dates and spend quality time together....*sigh*  Then you move in together/get married/have children, and all of a sudden the dating stops.  Life gets in the way sometimes.  These ladies have a great idea: date your spouse/significant other--plan dates and go!  They have some awesome ideas for just a couple, group dates, couples with children, and more!  They also give advice and tips on relationships and children and other such topics.  I found this website earlier this year, and I have been obsessed!  Ben and I love going on our dates from planning the date to writing the invitation to actually going.  Granted, I do most of the invitations, planning and execution, but Ben is learning to 'invite' me to dates through emails and text messages (hey--you have to start somewhere).  They have some fantastic ideas which I can't wait to try!

{source}

Shiksa in the Kitchen--This blog was a recent discovery, but everything I've made so far has been excellent (and easy!).  The blog's author and husband are Jewish who come from Israel.  I love Mediterranean food, and her blog is filled with yummy recipes for authentic Mediterranean food along with Jewish specific recipes like Matzo and other Kosher foods.  I am all about expanding my horizons!  The best part is, she is a food anthropologist so she does the history of food too!  She has another blog called The History Kitchen in which she recreates historical recipes (like the Titanic's last meal) along with their history.  Pretty awesome!

HRH Duchess Kate--This blog follows the fashion and news of Duchess Catherine.  She became one of my style icons over these last few months for her courage to recycle (shocking for such a high profile person!) her wardrobe and classic, elegant, sophisticated, lady-like style.  Thankfully, this style is coming back into mainstream fashion (somewhat).  I have always been a huge supporter of this type of style, and I strive to look (and act) lady-like at all times. 

So there you have it!  Anyone have any suggestions for others?  I'd love to expand my favorites!

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