Eggs in Purgatory. Uova in Purgatorio. Shakshuka.

Eggs in purgatory...

                 Uova in Purgatorio...

                                   Shakshuka....

                                                                 

Whatever you call this dish, it's easy to make, fool-proof and it tastes so good. 

It's my go-to as it is ready under 10 mins and a one-pot wonder.

Are you a health nut?

Watching your waistline?

In desperate need for the ultimate hangover cure?

Gluten-free?

Paleo?

Vegetarian?

Budget-conscious?

 I don't-know-how-to-cook type? 

or no-time-to-cook type? 

I got you covered! 

This recipe is probably the most friendly and forgiving recipe, to even the most brutal of home cooks, of any recipe that I have ever posted. I prefer to make it for a weekday breakfast or weekend brunch.  But it works as a lunch or a weeknight dinner too!  

Serves 2

ingredients 

1 Tablespoon olive oil 

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

2 cups of homemade marinara or 1 14oz can of organic diced tomatoes 

2 organic, cage-free or fresh farm eggs ( I only use fresh farm eggs) 

2 Tablespoons of freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon freshly chopped basil 

Kosher Salt and Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 sliced of country bread (or bread of your choice)

preparation

Pour the olive oil into a cast iron skillet, add garlic and red pepper flakes, over medium high heat, cook, sitting often,  for about 1 minute. Pour in the tomatoes or marinara, season with salt and fresh ground pepper, bring it to a bubble so the liquid is hot enough to poach the eggs. 

Crack the eggs, sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese, and cover partially with a lid. Let it bubble for about 5 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on it as you want the egg white set but the yolk still runny. 

Remove from heat. Place skillet on a trivet with a hand towel. Top with fresh herbs with basil, parsley or cilantro. You can also add  more parmesan cheese and salt and pepper according to your taste preference. Use bread of your choice to dunk into the goodness.  Enjoy! 

Peppermint Bark

A traditional and quintessential holiday treat, peppermint bark is really easy to prepare and can be done in a few minutes. I prefer to use the bitter dark chocolate instead of sweet white chocolate because of it's health benefits. I recommend using dark chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa in the bar (I used a bar from Trader Joe's with 72% cocoa), it's a high-quality source of bioflavanoids and antioxidants, while white chocolate has the lowest nutritional value of all chocolate types because it is processed with milk and has large qualities of sugar thus making it higher in fat and calories. This holiday treat is "skinny" and gluten-free! 

ingredients 

2- 3 bar packages of Trader Joe's 72% cacao dark chocolate bars 
1 bag of Trader Joe's peppermint candies or 10 regular sized candy canes, crushed 
Freshly ground or grated Himalayan Pink salt or rock salt  (optional)

preparation 

Break up the peppermint candy into crushed pieces. Prepare a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Once melted, stir in about 2-4 handfuls of crushed peppermint. 

Pour the melted chocolate onto the lined cookie sheet and spread out with a spatula. Sprinkle the candy chucks on the chocolate. I like to sprinkle a little bit of rock salt on bark.

  
For faster preparation, place in the freezer for about 5 minutes or until hardened. You can set in the refrigerator for an hour or so. Break it into pieces and serve! Enjoy! 

Happy Holidays! 

Hummus Crusted Chicken with Rosemary & Lemon

Spring is here! It's time to spring clean my home, garden and cleanse my body.

For years I swear by the 21-day cleanse by Clean Program, it changed my life. Here is a recipe from the Clean Program that you will love, make this ASAP and do your body some good! 

ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts (a girl used organic and kosher chicken from Empire Kosher) 

2 lemons, 1 sliced in rounds and the other juiced

1/2 cup of homemade hummus 

4 fresh sprigs of rosemary 

Drizzle of balsamic vinegar (a girl used O&CO Balsamic Vinegar of Modena)

Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste 

preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees 

Place chicken in a baking pan or sheet. Cover the top of the chicken with a thick layer of hummus, about 1/4".  Arrange lemon slices and rosemary sprigs on top of the hummus covered chicken. Drizzle the chicken lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. Make sure to set aside some lemon juice before serving.  Bake the chicken for about 30 minutes or until hummus is golden brown and chicken is cooked all the way through. Drizzle with lemon juice and season with salt & pepper. Serve immediately. 

We served it with a side of tabbouleh and salat tahini. Delicious! 

{Skinny & Gluten-Free} Zucchini Lasagna

A girl is trying to eliminate gluten and meat in her diet this week. She was gifted a pasta of the month club and has pasta and sauces that need to be put to use. At first, hubby didn't really want to substitute lasagna noodles with strips of zucchini. Boy he was surprised how delicious this dish came out!!! It's also gluten-free and vegetarian. 

ingredients 

1-2 medium (organic) zucchini, sliced 1/8" thick

1 garlic clove, minced

2 heaping tablespoons of ricotta (a girl used part-skim because she hates fat-free/diet products) 

1-1/2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese and a handful sprinkle for the top

1 cage free egg 

1 tablespoon of fresh basil( from a girl's herb garden), chopped roughly 

1 tablespoon of olive oil 

Jar of your favorite pasta or tomato sauce 

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste


preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in saute pan and cook zucchini strips for a couple minutes per side. You can use your grill pan or put zucchini under the broiler.  You want to cook the zucchini before you place in baking dish so lasagna won't be watery. Remove and set aside.

In a small bowl mix garlic, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg and basil. Salt and pepper the mixture to your taste. In a baking dish, since cooking for two a girl used a smaller baking dish, spread a layer of sauce on the bottom and layer strips of zucchini on top of the sauce to cover the base. Spoon and spread mixture over the zucchini. Repeat until you use up all your ingredients. Top with more sauce and cover with foil. Bake for about 25 minutes and sprinkle a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese and bake for another 10 minutes, uncovered. 

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy! 

{Skinny} Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

A girl supports Meat Free Mondays and is eating healthy this week because of two big events this upcoming weekend.  These stuffed peppers are easy to make and delicious.  Trader Joe’s is the best place to get the ingredients and is very budget friendly.  A girl didn’t add rice because it’s her least favorite ingredient and not so healthy for you.  However, feel free to add rice and ground turkey or beef to this recipe.

ingredients

3-5 organic bell peppers, halved and seeds removed

½ cup onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can of organic black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup of frozen corn (Trader Joe’s roasted corn is the best!)

½ teaspoon of homemade taco seasoning or Pilsen Latino Seasoning from THE SPICE HOUSE.

½ teaspoon cilantro, roughly chopped

Lightly shredded sharp cheddar cheese

½ avocado, sliced

¼ sliced lime

1-2 teaspoons of Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the bell peppers on a baking sheet or baking dish.  Lightly coat the bell peppers with olive oil.  Roast the bell pepper for about 20 minutes.

While peppers are roasting, prep all other ingredients. In a bowl add onions, garlic, black beans, corn and seasoning.  Mix ingredients evenly in bowl.

Remove peppers and let them cool down to handle or use your oven mitt to stuff them.  Spoon the mixture into the cored middle of the bell peppers. Place stuffed peppers back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes.  Remove and lightly shred a little cheddar cheese and place back into oven until cheese is melted, about 1-2 minutes.

Remove the stuffed peppers from oven and place your favorite toppings.  A girl topped her pepper with cilantro, avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime.   You can also add your favorite southwestern toppings like sour cream, hot sauce or salsa.

{Skinny} Spinach, Onion & Feta Tart (Spanakopita)

A girl tries to eat and cook skinny. My friend, Becki, and I love heading to Athenian Room for a weeknight girl’s dinner. She is a strict vegetarian so we split the spanakopita and have Greek salads. We have countless conversions on how greasy their spankopita is, so the skinny in me decided to create a healthier version. Working with phyllo (filo) dough can be a hassle and intimidating but the outcome is delicious.  Stay Calm and Carry (Phyllo) On.

ingredients

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 bunch organic spinach bunch, roughly chopped

1 egg 

½ cup of goat’s milk feta

1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 Package phyllo (filo) dough (using eight 17”x12” phyllo sheets)***

4-5 Tablespoons of ghee (I used Purity Farms Ghee) or olive oil. 
Ghee is a healthier substitute for butter is a staple in Indian and Ayurveda cooking. 

Parchment paper

Pastry Brush 

***Will be posting an upcoming recipe on remaining phyllo (filo) sheets
Parcels of Tomato, Feta & Basil

preparation

Remove phyllo (filo) dough from the refrigerator 30 minutes before starting preparation.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. 

Cook onions for about 2 minutes and add spinach and cook for 4 minutes or until wilted. 

Remove and place in a bowl.  

In the same bowl, add egg and feta and mix until combined. 

Add salt and pepper only if needed.

Prepare the parchment paper by tearing sheets large enough so an entire sheet of phyllo can be flat with excess paper. 

Placing parchment paper on top of a baking sheet.

In a saucepan, melt the butter.  Set aside and make sure to have your brush ready.

Place the 8 sheets of Phyllo (filo) dough on a clean dishtowel. 

Make sure to keep the dough flat.  Cover with another clean dishtowel. 

Dampen and wring out a third dishtowel and lay that flat on top of the second dishtowel. You must keep the dough moist!

Take one sheet of phyllo at a time, keeping the rest under the dishtowels.

Place sheet one of phyllo on the parchment paper. Brush it with butter.

Take another sheet of phyllo and place over sheet one. 

Brush sheet two with clarified butter. Repeat until all eight phyllo sheets are buttered and laid on top of one another.

Spoon the mixture of spinach, onion, feta and egg onto the center of the pile of phyllo sheets and spreading it evenly being sure to leave a frame of phyllo dough.

Fold the edges of dough upward and inward, creating an outer crust or rim. Lightly brush the folded crust with butter.  

Place baking sheet with prepared tart in the oven. 

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden.

Serve warm or at room temperature.  Serves 4-6