Zimmy's Nook

@zimmysnook

egg dish

No Bake Shakshuka

by

A top down image of a shakshuka with four eggs in a skillet on a table ready to be served.

No Bake Shakshuka (or Shakshouka), is one of our favourite comfort meals. Although we enjoy it year-round it is more commonly found on our table in the winter.

This is not a “traditional” Shakshuka but is certainly inspired by it. I appreciate that a basic recipe can be adapted to use whatever you have in the fridge/pantry to make it new and exciting.

Ingredients used to make a no bake shakshuka

It starts with some veggies, spices, and a tomato base, then finishes with eggs cooked right in the flavourful sauce. Scoop out a portion of sauce, with an egg, then serve with hot sauce and garlic toast for dipping! So good!

Start by cooking the onion, yellow pepper, and jalapeño to the preheated skillet.
Making the indentations for the eggs with the back of a ladle.
Cooking the eggs in the shakshuka
Use toast to dip the eggs.

It was a pleasure to create this recipe in partnership with Egg Farmers of Canada. Opinions in this post are always my own.

A top down image of a shakshuka with four eggs in a skillet on a table ready to be served.

No Bake Shakshuka

Shakshuka or Shakshouka, is one of our favourite comfort meals. Although we enjoy it year-round it is more commonly found on our table in the winter.
This is not a “traditional” Shakshuka but is certainly inspired by it. I appreciate that a basic recipe can be adapted to use whatever you have in the fridge/pantry to make it new and exciting.
It starts with some veggies, spices, and a tomato base, then finishes with eggs cooked right in the flavourful sauce. Scoop out a portion of sauce, with an egg, then serve with hot sauce and garlic toast for dipping! So good!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Middle Eastern, North African
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 1 yellow pepper diced
  • 1 jalapeño diced
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (400 mL)
  • ½ cup chickpeas drained & rinsed
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbled
  • 4 large eggs
  • Fresh basil for serving

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in an 11-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, yellow pepper, and jalapeño, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the thyme, oregano, garlic, and tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes.
  • Add the diced tomatoes and bring to a low boil, reduce heat to medium-low add the chickpeas and simmer, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper then stir in feta.
  • Using the bottom of a ladle, make four indentations into the sauce for the eggs. Crack eggs one at a time and place into the individual indentations.
  • Cook until egg whites have set, but the yolks are still runny, approximately 6-8 minutes. If the top of the eggs is not setting up as desired, cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes. Do not leave the lid on too long or you will lose the yellow in the yolk.
  • Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!
Keyword egg recipes, eggs, healthy recipe, No Bake Shakshuka, Shakshouka, Shakshuka, vegetarian, vegetarian recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Hope you enjoy this No Bake Shakshuka recipe! We would love to hear from you, please leave us your feedback in the comment box below.

Have a delicious day! James (aka Zimmy) & Elaine

Winter Cobb Salad

by

A top down image of a colourful & deconstructed winter cobb salad.

Winter Cobb Salad

I can never decide if a Cobb salad is, a meal that eats like a salad or a salad that eats like a meal? But whichever it is, it is always delicious!

This winter version made with local eggs, squash, beets, apples, greenhouse tomatoes, chicken, and bacon, then finished a maple-Dijon dressing is the ideal comfort meal to warm the soul, fill the tummy and brighten a chilly winter day.

The ingredients for a winter cobb salad.

In less than a hour you can create this protein packed & comforting winter meal!

Three strips of bacon in a pan
Place the chicken, skin side down into the bacon fat in the hot skillet
Place the chicken & squash into the oven and bake.
Using a slotted spoon, gently lower the eggs into the boiling water.
Drizzling salad dressing over a colourful winter cobb salad

It was a pleasure to create this recipe in partnership with Egg Farmers of Canada. Opinions in this post are always my own.

A top down image of a colourful winter cobb salad

Winter Cobb Salad

I can never decide if a Cobb salad is, a meal that eats like a salad or a salad that eats like a meal? But whichever it is, it is always delicious! This winter version made with local eggs, squash, beets, apples, greenhouse tomatoes, chicken, and bacon, then finished a maple-Dijon dressing is the ideal comfort meal to warm the soul, fill the tummy and brighten a chilly winter day.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

Dressing

  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Salad

  • ½ small red onion thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil enough to cover onions
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 slices of bacon
  • 2 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on, 5.5 – 6 oz per thigh, uncooked
  • 9 ounces butternut squash cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 cups kale washed, stems removed, chopped
  • 1 roasted beet cut into small cubes (purchased already roasted or roast at home)
  • ½ apple sliced (honey crisp or your favourite apple)
  • 2 small tomatoes sliced (different coloured heirlooms, or tomatoes on the vine)
  • ½ avocado sliced (optional)
  • 2 ounces stilton cheese or other blue cheese

For Garnish

  • 1 tablespoon chives chopped
  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils optional
  • 2 tablespoons roasted pistachios

Instructions
 

Dressing

  • In a small mason jar combine maple syrup, olive oil, mustard, vinegar, and salt. Shake well to combine. Set aside.
  • Marinated onions – In a very small bowl or ramekin, combine the onions, olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Let sit on the counter for 1 – 24 hours. This will soften the taste of the onions. (When done the leftover olive oil is flavoured and perfect for frying tomorrow mornings eggs!)

Salad

  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Place an 11-inch (oven safe) skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon to your desired doneness.
  • Remove the bacon to a plate and set aside.
  • Place the chicken, skin side down into the bacon fat in the hot skillet, then cook for 5-6 minutes over medium heat.
  • Remove the skillet from the heat and add the squash. Toss the squash cubes in the chicken and bacon fat renderings. Flip the chicken over and spread the squash out in one layer (if your skillet is not oven proof, transfer the chicken, squash, and any liquid to a baking sheet). Place the chicken & squash into the oven and bake for 25 minutes, gently flipping the squash occasionally. Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, and the squash is tender and lightly caramelized. Remove from the oven cover until ready to serve.
  • While the chicken cooks, bring a small pot of water to a light rolling boil. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower the eggs into the water and cook for 8 minutes. Remove the eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool. Once the eggs have cooled enough to manage, peel the eggs, and cut them into halves or quarters.
  • Pile the kale onto a shallow serving platter (or two plates). Arrange piles of the eggs, squash, bacon, avocado, apple, beets, tomatoes, and cheese. Remove the bone from the chicken thigh by pulling it out from the underside, then slice the chicken into 3 or 4 slices or leave whole thighs, bone-in.
  • Serve with chives, pomegranate arils, pistachios.
  • Drizzle dressing over the salad and enjoy!
Keyword Cobb Salad, egg recipes, eggs, healthy salad recipes, Winter produce, Winter Salad
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Hope you enjoy this Winter Cobb Salad recipe! We would love to hear from you, please leave us your feedback in the comment box below.

Have a delicious day! James (aka Zimmy) & Elaine

Spicy Shakshuka

by

A skillet filled with spicy Shakshuka. Four sunny side up eggs are poaching in a tomato sauce with herbs, veggies and feta cheese.

A spicy Shakshuka is one of our favourite brunches, lunches, or weeknight dinners.

I appreciate that a basic recipe can be adapted to use whatever you have in the fridge/pantry to make it new and exciting.

It started with some red onions, fennel, jalapeños, 3 colours of sweet peppers & garlic. Added some tomato paste, dried oregano, s&p, paprika & cayenne. Next, a jar of passata, chick peas and a few dashes of hot sauce, then let it lightly bubble away to make the sauce.

Cracked in the eggs, added a few more jalapeño slices, some cherry tomatoes & feta and popped it in the oven until the egg whites set.

Served with pita, chilli flakes and hot sauce… the perfect beginning, middle or end to a day.

Ingredients

2 to 4 Servings

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1/3-1/2 cup fresh fennel, cored & diced – optional
  • 1 cup bell pepper, diced (I use multi-coloured fridge scraps) – optional
  • 1 jalapeño, finely chopped (seeds to preference)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 2 3/4 cups Passata (650 ml/22 oz jar)
  • A few dashes of hot sauce (to taste) – optional
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup coarsely crumbled feta
  • More jalapeño slices – optional
  • Handful of cherry tomatoes – optional
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  • Warm pita bread (store bought or my recipe here)
Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°. Heat oil in an 11” ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and jalapeño; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add tomato paste, garlic, chickpeas, paprika, oregano, cayenne and cook for 2 minutes longer.

Add Passata and hot sauce (if using). Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle feta, additional jalapeños & cherry tomatoes evenly over sauce. Crack eggs one at a time and place over sauce, spacing evenly apart. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until whites are just set but yolks are still runny, 5–8 minutes. Garnish with parsley and cilantro. Serve with pita for dipping.

A skillet filled with spicy Shakshuka. Four sunny side up eggs are poaching in a tomato sauce with herbs, veggies and feta cheese.

Hope you enjoy my Spicy Shakshuka recipe! We would love to hear from you, please leave us your feedback in the comment box below.

Have a delicious day! James (aka Zimmy) & Elaine

This recipe was made (and served) in my Hestan NanoBond 11″ Skillet.

Proud Hestan Culinary Ambassador. Opinions in this post are my own.