Healthy Meals: Shakshouka

You need to have some good strategies to work towards healthy living. A good way to have success in healthy living is to have some tasty and healthy meals. One of my family’s favorites is southwest style Shakshouka.

What is shakshouka? It is an extremely healthy and delicious dish. Origins are from the middle east. The idea is as simple as poaching eggs in tomatoes. The version I like is a little bit more substantial and gives you a little more wiggle room on how you want your eggs to turn out.

You will need a big frying pan and start by dicing an onion and sauteeing it. After a couple min add some minced garlic and let it saute for another minute or two. Dump in your diced tomatoes, beans, and all your spices. Mix well, cover and let simmer for 10 to 15 min.

Here’s where your egg preference comes in. When you put the eggs in the dish to cook them you get more of a baked egg, where the yoke is cooked all the way through. I know lots of friends and family that prefer this way.

However, I am a runny yoke type of person. I’ve found that if you would rather have a runny yoke you need to cook it separately. Bring a pot of water to a light boil and carefully put your eggs in. When the whites are done you can scoop the egg out and serve on top of the shakshouka. I normally toast some bread and serve on top. You can also use pita or most any type of bread you desire.

Southwest Style Shakshouka

4 servings, 340 calories per serving

Ingredients
1 tbs butter
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 tbs minced garlic
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 cans diced tomatoes (15 ounce cans)
1 can black beans (15 ounce can)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs
4 slices of bread toasted

Melt butter in large skillet, add onion and sauté. Add minced garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 min. Add paprika and cumin let steam another minute.
Add diced tomatoes and black beans. Let simmer on a slow boil for 15 min. Salt and pepper to taste. Create four divots in your mixture and add an egg in each one. Cover and let eggs poach in the tomatoes till done. (Alternate for runny yoke, poach eggs separately)
Top on toasted bread. Enjoy!