Healthy Egyptian Meal - This Is A Hit With The Kids!

Hi all!

Today I thought I would share a recipe I made last week, and which was a huge hit, despite the fact that there was no meat in sight!

Now we’re not vegetarians by a long shot, but I do make vegetarian meals occasionally.

This recipe in particular is actually based on an Egyptian recipe I remember one of my brothers used to make when I was a child. He always loved making exotic dishes. 😀

I don’t actually have that recipe written down anywhere, so I just used my basic cooking instincts plus my memory of what the different elements were: green lentils, tomato sauce and poached or fried egg – sunny-side up.

I can’t remember if we used to have a base with it when we were younger, but I used quinoa as a base.

This is because my husband and I follow a low-carb diet and one of our high-carb exceptions is quinoa due to its amazing health properties (click here to read about those). However, you can swap the quinoa for bulgur, couscous, or rice.

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s both delicious and healthy, which means it’s always a win-win.

So, here goes:

Level: Easy Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

6 eggs
250 grams quinoa (see notes)
200 grams green lentils (see notes)
3 cloves of garlic
400 grams diced tomatoes (fresh or tinned)
2 tablespoons olive-oil
1 teaspoon sweetener of choice (stevia, brown sugar, erythritol)
Half an onion
1 teaspoon oregano, thyme or basil (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

First, rinse and drain the quinoa and the lentils and put them in separate pans with water, rock salt, and the garlic cloves. For the quinoa use a 2:1 ratio, so two cups of water for every cup of quinoa. For the lentils use a 4:1 ratio, so four cups of water to one cup of lentils.

Bring the water in the pans to the boil and then reduce down to a simmer and cover.

Start on the tomato sauce. Dice up the onion and add it to a pan with a tablespoon of oil and soften for a few minutes. Meanwhile, dice up the other garlic clove and add it to the pan and let it golden for a couple of seconds before adding the cubbed tomatoes. Then add the salt and pepper, the sweetener, and the herbs. Add water if necessary. Mix well and let it come to a boil, before turning the heat down to low.

When the lentils and the quinoa are ready (15 minutes for the quinoa and around 20 for the lentils), fry the eggs in the other tablespoon of oil or poach them, if you prefer.

Finally plate everything up, with the quinoa as the base, then the lentils, then the tomato sauce, and finally the eggs. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the eggs, and that’s it!

Notes:

I recommend you soak the lentils and the quinoa for around 8 hours before cooking, as this helps remove anti-nutrients such as lectins and phytates, making them quicker to cook and easier to digest.