All kinds of deliciousness

I did indeed go to Sunflower yesterday and bring back loads of organic fruits and veggies. I feel healthier already.

I got strawberries, bananas, kiwi and plain yogurt for the Hubs to make his famous breakfast smoothies. Anything you want to say about those, Hubs?

Don't forget a little slice of fresh ginger and a couple spoon fulls of wheat germ to add complexity of aroma and digestive benefits.

He makes me laugh. Anyway, he throws all of the above (you can put the kiwi in whole) plus some ice or frozen fruit and some orange juice into the blender. Oh, and sometimes he adds baby carrots too. And/or oranges. The result is delicious.


Moving on, I'm also planning to make my own version of Chakchouka, which is an Algerian dish that I do not know how to pronounce. Here is my adaptation of the recipe from Mediterranean: The Beautiful Cookbook. (Now I sound like Chanelle.) (Except for the fact that she would have improved the recipe, whereas I'm just giving you a lazier way to make it.)

Ingredients:

2-3 TBS olive oil

1 eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 red or yellow sweet pepper (or a mix of both), seeded, deribbed and cut into long, narrow strips

1-2 tomatoes, chopped

1 clove garlic, run through garlic press

2-3 TBS chopped fresh parsley or cilantro if I have it, otherwise a sprinkling of dried parsley

4 eggs
optional (I usually leave this out): ½ lb. sausage, cut into 1-in. pieces

sea salt and pepper

Directions:

• Salt eggplant on paper towels for approximately ½ hour before cooking. (If you forget/don't have time for this, the world won't end)
  
• In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 1-2 TBS of the oil.
  
• Add the eggplant and fry, tossing and stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. (When you’re all done, the eggplant should just melt in your mouth.)
• Meanwhile, in another sauté pan, warm the remaining 1 TBS oil over medium heat. Add the peppers and sauté for 5 minutes.
  
• As soon as they are ready, add the peppers to the eggplant.
  
• When the eggplant is tender, add the tomatoes, garlic and parsley, stir well, cover and simmer over low heat, until all the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes longer.
• In the pepper pan over medium heat, sauté the sausage until browned and add it to the eggplant mixture.
• Remove the lid. Using the back of a spoon, make 4 hollows in the vegetable mixture.
  
• Break 1 egg into each hollow. Cover and cook until the eggs are set, 4-5 minutes.
  
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately - or as soon as your hubby can set the table. ;)

Really good stuff.



Speaking of Chanelle (and really good stuff), I also got ingredients to make the pasta recipe she posted this week. Olive oil was on my list anyway, but I thought I might as well get the "good quality fruity" kind her recipe calls for. However, since she didn't respond to my question (I gave her like 5 minutes before I was off to the store), I trusted this bottle's claim to have a "rich fruity taste." Hopefully, it works.

Now I'm getting hungry, so I'll stop there. But I'm always on the lookout for good recipes that are at least semi good-for-you. If you have any faves, feel free to share. The recipes, I mean. But bringing me dinner would be ok too.