Spinach and Feta Shakshuka

Spinach and Feta Shakshuka

by | Jun 6, 2021 | 0 comments

Spinach and Feta Shakshuka ready to serve from a shallow braiser.

Spinach and Feta Shakshuka

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Meatless meals can be so darn good! Spinach and Feta Shakshuka is a quick and easy vegetarian meal that has a crazy amount of nutrition packed into it. Eggs on their own are very nutritious, add in spinach, leeks and legumes and you’ve got a healthy dose of vitamins A, C, K and D, not to mention loads of protein and fibre. This lovely dish packs a lot of flavour too, plus it’s prime for serving for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

The preparation of ingredients for Spinach and Feta Shakshuka.
Spinach and Feta Shakshuka in a shallow braiser ready to cook the eggs.

There are plenty of green shakshuka variations out there, but I love the classic feta and dill combination of this one. It’s bursting with fresh flavours of dill and lemon, and the spinach is a great pairing with the eggs. I’ve opted to use cannellini beans, however, other legumes such as chickpeas would be great as well. I find the beans round out the dish and make it rustic and very satisfying. I also suggest serving this dish with crusty, toasted bread. You’ll need it to dunk into the perfectly soft eggs and scoop up the saucy greens. Enjoy!

Spinach and Feta Shakshuka ready to serve from a shallow braiser.

Author:  Compelled to Cook

Spinach and Feta Shakshuka ready to serve from a shallow braiser.
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Spinach and Feta Shakshuka

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 3 people

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium leeks, well cleaned
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 7 ounces fresh baby spinach
  • 3/4 cup cooked cannellini beans, see note
  • 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/2 each lemon
  • 6 large eggs
  • 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • 2 each green onions

Instructions

  • Thinly slice the leeks and green onions. Heat oil in a large shallow skillet or braiser. Add leeks and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften. Stir in broth, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Simmer for 4-5 until leels are tender and most of the broth has cooked out.
  • Add spinach and toss gently with leeks until wilted. Stir in beans, dill and squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Make 6 large indentations and crack an egg into each. Sprinkle evenly with feta cheese. Cover and cook on medium heat until egg whites are just set and the centers still jiggle, about 4-5 minutes.
  • Sprinkle with sliced green onions and the remaining tbsp of fresh dill. Serve with toasted bread.

Notes

-I used cannellini beans for this recipe and enjoyed them in the dish.   Chickpeas would be another great choice.

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Roasted Tomato Pumpkin Soup

Roasted Tomato Pumpkin Soup

by | Jan 18, 2017 | 0 comments

Today I am very excited to share with you my collaboration with The Jungle Farm, creating easy and delicious recipes using fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables.  The Jungle Farm, centrally located in Alberta is a family orientated farm committed to providing locally grown quality fresh produce.  Along with grain farming, The Jungle Farm offers a gorgeous array of herbs, bedding plants, hanging baskets, lettuce gardens, preserves and of course fruits and vegetables. They don’t stop there; you’ll also find family and group activities such as wagon rides, corn maze, farm animals and field trips.   You can find out a whole lot more about The Jungle Farm at www.thejunglefarm.com

My personal favourite is the U pick fruits and vegetables and the vegetable box programs.  Over the spring and summer months they offer a weekly vegetable box that includes that week’s seasonal bounty, cleaned, boxed and ready for pick up.  Along with each box is a weekly e-newsletter highlighting The Jungle Farm events and providing recipes for the items included in that weeks box.  This is where I come in, working with produce from The Jungle Farm providing a spattering of wonderful, easy to follow recipes to help you use the items in your weekly vegetable box. So be sure to check out the recipe links provided in your newsletter.  While I encourage all visitors to my site to roam around and look at all recipes, I know time is short for most people.  Therefore, I have provided a tab called “The Jungle Farm Produce” in the recipe index specifically for recipes using Jungle Farm produce.  So for those who don’t have time to browse but are in need of a recipe for your gorgeous produce, you can find it all under one tab any time you visit Compelled To Cook.

The first recipe I am sharing is Roasted Tomato Pumpkin Soup using The Jungle Farm sugar pumpkin, onions and leeks.  Healthy, luscious and delicious swirled with sour cream and topped with crispy leeks.  What I love about this recipe is the deep flavour that develops from roasting the pumpkin and tomatoes, then all ingredients are added to one pot to make it super easy to put together.  It makes a big pot and freezes very well too.  Although this is a simple recipe overall it does require a little extra time due to the roasting, so it makes for a wonderful weekend soup when you might have a little more time.

I look forward to creating and sharing many more recipes using local, quality fresh produce from The Jungle Farm and encourage those following today to find me on their favourite social media platform.  You can find my Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook links on the homepage.

Roasted Tomato Pumpkin Soup
Print Recipe
Thick, luscious and a little spicy with roasted flavour. Delicious swirled with sour cream and topped with crispy leeks.
    Servings
    6 people
    Servings
    6 people
    Roasted Tomato Pumpkin Soup
    Print Recipe
    Thick, luscious and a little spicy with roasted flavour. Delicious swirled with sour cream and topped with crispy leeks.
      Servings
      6 people
      Servings
      6 people
      Ingredients
      Roasted Tomato Pumpkin Soup
      Crispy Leeks
      Servings: people
      Instructions
      Roasted Tomato Pumpkin Soup
      1. Preheat oven to 300℉. Peel pumpkin using a vegetable peeler and cut off stem. Cut in half vertically and scoop out seeds (reserve seeds for roasting if desired). Cut into approximate 1 1/2" chunks and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Remove stem from tomatoes and cut into quarters. Spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle the pumpkin and tomatoes with 2 tbsp olive oil and roast in preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Add garlic cloves to the tray during the last 1/2 hour.
      2. Peel and chop onion into 1/2" chunks. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add onion and sauté until starting to soften, approximately 5 minutes. To the pot add roasted vegetables and all remaining ingredients, reserving 1 cup chicken broth to adjust consistency later. Cover and simmer for a minimum 30 minutes. Remove from heat and blend with a hand held emersion blender until smooth. Adjust constituency using reserved chicken broth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Ladle into serving bowls and swirl in 1 1/2 tbsp of sour cream and top with crispy leeks.
      Crispy Leeks
      1. Combine flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Trim ends from leek and rinse well, making sure to rinse under any loose leaves. Cut leek into 1/4" slices and separate rings. Toss leek slices in flour mixture to gently coat. Add oil to a shallow pot or skillet and heat until the oil sizzles when a sprinkle of flour is added. Scoop out half of the leek slices shaking off any excess flour and add to oil. Fry for 4-5 minutes until golden, turning once. Using a slotted scoop remove leeks from oil and allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat the frying process with remaining leeks. Keep uncovered at room temperature until ready to use.
      Recipe Notes

      In this recipe, two baking sheets were used to demonstrate the roasting of the pumpkin and tomatoes, however roast all on one baking sheet if desired. A stand blender can also be used to puree the soup.  Makes approximately 10 cups.

      Peppery Leek Flatbread

      Peppery Leek Flatbread

      by | Jan 15, 2017 | 0 comments

      Not that you need a reason to love hot crispy bread oozy with cheese but dunk Peppery Leek Flatbread into your favourite soup and you’ll want it for all your dunkable dinners. Peppery Leek Flatbread using Jungle Farm leeks is super easy using pre-made bread dough, but for those of you who have more time try the version with homemade dough. Either way you choose to go it’s a great crispy, cheesy side hot from the oven.

      I like to make fresh dough using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  It makes having fresh dough easy for recipes like this Peppery Leek Flatbread.  As easy and manageable as I believe it is to make the dough from scratch I know time is a precious commodity and therefore have included a variation using pre-made frozen bread dough.  Making meals day in and day out for your family can be daunting, so I would rather you have cheesy hot bread from purchased dough rather than no bread at all.  The reality is that sometimes convenience trumps homemade.  I’m okay with that.

      This recipe using pre-made dough or homemade dough makes two flatbreads that serve 3-4 people each depending on appetites. Any leftovers can be warmed and topped with a runny egg or be a side to your salad. The overdose of freshly cracked pepper marries well with the subtle sweetness of the sautéed leeks and the cheese brings creaminess and salt, and let’s faces it, cheese makes everything better. I love this Peppery Leek Flatbread because frankly, I’m to crispy and cheesy like a dog is to a cheese wrapper. Yup, a complete lover of the crispiest, cheesiest bite and I can get my fill with Peppery Leek Flatbread. Enjoy!

      Peppery Leek Flatbread
      Print Recipe
        Servings
        6-8 people
        Servings
        6-8 people
        Peppery Leek Flatbread
        Print Recipe
          Servings
          6-8 people
          Servings
          6-8 people
          Ingredients
          Leek and cheese topping using either dough method
          Using homemade dough
          Using pre-made dough
          Servings: people
          Instructions
          leek topping using either dough method
          1. Preheat oven to 450℉, position two oven racks in the most central oven positions. Rinse leek thoroughly, making sure to rinse any loose leaves. Trim ends of leek and cut into 1/8' slices. In a medium size skillet heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add leeks and 1/4 tsp salt and sauté until starting to soften, but do not brown, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
          using homemade dough
          1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir together water, yeast and sugar. Allow to ferment for 5-10 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of flour, 2 tbsp olive oil, black pepper and salt. Knead on low adding remaining flour by the 1/4 cup, allowing each to be absorbed before adding more. Knead for about 7 minutes or until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl. Place dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel. Allow to rise in a warm draft free area until double in size, approximately 1 hour. Knead dough with your hands 2-3 times to deflate and divided into two rounds.
          2. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and drizzle each with 1 tbsp olive oil. Using half the dough for each baking sheet, flatten out dough onto parchment using your fingers. Press and stretch dough into an approximate 9"x7" rectangle. If dough continues to shrink back after stretching, allow to rest for a few minutes and then continue to press out to desired shape.
          3. Sprinkle a quarter of the mozzarella cheese evenly over each dough round and top each with half of the sautéed leeks. Add another quarter of mozzarella cheese and half of the parmesan cheese to each dough round. Season both rounds with freshly cracked sea salt. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden and cheese is starting to bubble. Swap trays on racks for uniform baking half way through if baking both at the same time. Remove, cut into slices or wedges and serve immediately.
          using pre-made dough
          1. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and drizzle each with 1 tbsp olive oil. Using half the dough for each baking sheet, combine dinner rolls into one ball. Flatten out dough onto parchment using your fingers. Press and stretch dough into an approximate 9"x7" rectangle. If dough continues to shrink back after stretching, allow to rest for a few minutes and then continue to press out to desired shape.
          2. Sprinkle half the ground black pepper evenly over each dough round. Sprinkle a quarter of the mozzarella cheese evenly over each dough round and top each with half of the sautéed leeks. Add another quarter of mozzarella cheese and half of the parmesan cheese to each dough round. Season both rounds with freshly cracked sea salt. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden and cheese is starting to bubble. Swap trays on racks for uniform baking half way through if baking both at the same time. Remove, cut into slices or wedges and serve immediately.
          Recipe Notes

          Sand tends to be stuck in between the leek leaves so be sure to rinse very well. Alternatively you can rinse the leek whole, slice and rinse slices in a colander.  This recipe makes two 9"x7" flatbreads. You can easily cut recipe in half to make only one.  Roll extra room temperature dough into a ball, flatten slightly, wrap well and freeze for use later.

          Recipe Source:  Compelled To Cook