Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

This is a simple delicious Israeli dish.  It is officially called Shakshouka, but we just call it eggs in spicy tomato sauce.  We try to do meatless Mondays, and this is a great dish for that.  It is really hearty and filling.  Serve it with toasted pita bread.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:  
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, more or less to taste, this make it pretty spicy (in my opinion)
pinch of sugar
pinch of slat and pepper (to taste)
4-6 eggs (It really depends on how many you can fit in your pan, it is just the 2 of us so we normally just make 4)
optional toppings:  Feta cheese, parsley, Sriracha 

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Add chopped onion and sauté for a few minutes until soft, then add garlic to pan and continue to sauté for about 2 more minutes.  Then add the chopped red peppers and sauté for about 5 minutes until peppers are soft. 

2)  Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste and stir.  Then add chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, and sugar.  Stir until combined.  Simmer mixture over medium heat for 5-7 mins.

  

3)  Crack the eggs, one at a time, into the tomato mixture. Cover the pan and let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Keep an eye on the skillet and make sure that there is still liquid so the tomatoes do not burn.

4) While the eggs are cooking, prepare the pita bread by slicing each pita into 8 triangles (you will need about 1 pita per person).  Arrange on a baking pan and brush one side lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle with sea salt and place in the oven at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.  

 








5)  Serve with pita bread and garnish with parsley, feta, and sriracha if desired.

Enjoy!
~ Amanda

Snicker Doodles

These snicker doodles are simple to make and so delicious.  This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
1 cup sugar plus 2 Tbsp
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper.

2) With a mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, 1 cup of sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

 



3)  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda.  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until a soft dough forms.

4) Roll dough into 1 inch balls.

5)  In a small bowl, mix together the 2 Tbsp of sugar and the 1 tsp of cinnamon.

6) Roll the dough balls into the cinnamon sugar mixture to lightly coat the balls with sugar.

7) Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 325 for 15 minutes.  I did mine in 3 batches to ensure the pans weren't too crowded.

8) Let cool on a cooling rack and ENJOY!!

~Amanda