Shakshuka is Maghrebi Arabic for “mixture,” and is traditionally a North African dish made with eggs poached atop a bed of tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and spices such as cumin. Many variations of the basic recipe are possible, and this one is oil-free, and filled with nutrient-rich ingredients. Enjoy for breakfast or any meal, with or without a side of wild rice or quinoa. (Typical Shakshuka is served with crusty bread, but we recommend a grass such as wild rice or quinoa, rather than a grain.)

Ingredients (all organic/biodynamic)

Serves 4

1 medium acorn squash
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 c. shredded sweet potato
½ c shredded carrot
1 Tbsp. chopped currants or raisins (optional)
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion (or ½ large onion), chopped
2-3 cloves garlic (2 medium/large cloves or 3 small-medium cloves), minced
1 tsp. cumin (or more to taste)
½ tsp. dried thyme
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp Celtic Sea Salt® (or to taste)
Pinch black pepper (or to taste)
4 eggs (duck or quail* preferred; or organic/biodynamic, free-range, grass-fed chicken eggs)
Fresh chopped parsley or thyme for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F
2. Halve acorn squash and remove seeds. Pour 1 cup of vegetable broth into a small baking dish and place squash into the thin layer of liquid, cut side down. Place into pre-heated oven and cook for 45 minutes or until soft.
3. While cooking, you can shred the carrot and sweet potato. Listed amounts are approximate, so feel free to use a teeny bit more or less.
4. In a small pot, combine the shredded carrot and shredded sweet potato (and optional currant/raisins) and 1 cup of vegetable broth. Cook over medium heat until softened; around 12-15 minutes and remove from heat.
5. In a large sauté pan, combine the orange bell pepper and onion over medium heat. You can add a splash of vegetable broth if they stick to the pan. Cook until soft, then add garlic and spices. Stir to combine and continue cooking for 5 min; add a splash of broth if the mixture begins to stick to the pan. If the acorn squash has not finished baking at this point, remove pan from heat.
6. Remove acorn squash from oven. Let cool slightly. Cut into chunks and remove from skin.
7. Place sauté pan back over medium heat. Add the acorn squash chunks and the carrot/sweet potato mixture and stir to combine. Add splashes of remaining vegetable broth as needed. Mixture should look like this:

8. Create 4 wells in the mixture and drop in the eggs.

9. Cover and cook on medium heat until poached eggs are cooked to your desired consistency.
10. Top with fresh chopped thyme or parsley. Serve one egg with surrounding vegetable mixture, with or without a side of wild rice or quinoa.

*If using quail eggs increase the number accordingly since quail eggs are much smaller than duck eggs