Delicious low-carb vegetarian breakfast lunch or dinner

Sexy Shakshuka

Written by on in Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

I’m a bit late to the party but I had my first shakshuka experience in March at the The Good Egg in Stoke Newington, which inspired me to have a go making up my own version. This classic Middle Eastern dish is a perfect low-carb option for a luxurious weekend breakfast, a lazy lunch or a light, tasty supper.

Traditionally served with a variety of delicious breads depending on which part of the world the recipe is from, I prefer to dish mine up with half a sliced avocado per person for a zero-carb accompaniment. Finish the avocado with a squeeze of lemon and a grind of black pepper.

There are a huge number of different methods and ingredients to use in a shakshuka – check out this fascinating Guardian article ‪ for a thorough overview.

While tomatoes are fairly low in carbohydrates and have a low glycemic index, large quantities of tomato sauce raises my blood sugar levels so I tend to inject 1-2 units of insulin (depending on my pre-meal blood glucose) to cover this meal if made for 2 rather than 4.

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tin of plum tomatoes
  • A handful of cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
  • 1 red pepper, grilled and de-skinned
  • A handful of chestnut mushrooms
  • 3 spring onions
  • A handful of kalamata olives, deseeded and halved
  • A teaspoon of paprika
  • A teaspoon of cumin
  • A pinch of cayenne pepper (or to taste)
  • A handful of chives, finely chopped
  • Avocado to serve
  • Squeeze of lemon
  • Black pepper
  • Olive oil

Method

  1. Place a large frying pan on a medium heat with a glug of olive oil.
  2. Slice the spring onions and chestnut mushrooms, and add them to the pan. Sauté for around 5 minutes.
  3. Slice the red pepper into strips and add to the pan with the kalamata olives and the cherry tomatoes.
  4. Add the paprika, cumin and caynne pepper to the pan and give it all a good mix together so the vegetables are coated then add the tinned plum tomatoes, season with some black pepper and simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. Next, make 4 small pockets in the tomato sauce then gently crack the eggs into each. Cover and simmer for around 10 minutes or until the egg whites are no longer translucent.
  6. Meanwhile halve and slice your avocado and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and some black pepper.
  7. When the eggs are baked sprinkle over the chopped chives and serve the shakshuka with the avocado slices.

Leave a Reply