Italian Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Next week is British Egg Week (5-11 October), and to mark the occasion I've recreated a classic egg dish, with a twist. Scrambled egg is one of the first things I learnt to cook growing up, and as this was before we had a microwave, it was cooked in a saucepan on the hob. Cooking scrambled eggs on the hob is still my preferred way of cooking it, but as this is also the husband's 'speciality' it's usually cooked in a jug, in the microwave, with little stirring (he says the kids prefer it that way!)

I've jazzed my eggs up with a little Italian touch and served them on a toasted ciabatta roll, instead of the usual sliced white. This recipe can serve 1-2, depending on how hungry you're feeling.

Italian Scrambled Eggs on Toast - serves 1

olive oil

4 cherry tomatoes

small knob of butter
3 medium free range eggs

salt & pepper

splash of milk

fresh basil

ciabatta roll, lightly toasted

parmesan

• heat the olive oil in a small saucepan
• add the tomatoes and cook for a few of minutes over a med/high heat until they soften
• remove the tomatoes from the pan & set aside
• add a little butter to the pan and heat until melted
• beat the eggs, salt & pepper & torn basil leaves together
• add to the pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring & scraping the bottom of the pan (I like to use a wooden spatula for this), until the eggs are cooked
• serve with the tomatoes on the ciabatta roll & top with freshly grated parmesan

 

To keep up to date with new recipes next week, follow #BritishEggWeek on twitter.

This recipe has been created for a #shortcuteggsperts challenge. I have been provided with shopping vouchers to cover the cost of my ingredients. More egg recipes can be found here.

Wild Garlic & Chilli Frittata

After a little over indulging at the weekend it's back to the healthy eating to get ready for my little break in Spain in a couple of weeks. I've also joined a new bootcamp with some friends, and we're on full on diet and fitness mode for the summer, especially now that Spring has finally arrived with some warmer weather.

Frittata's are great for eating at anytime of the day, and can be whipped up in minutes using leftover cooked vegetables or meats. For this one I used wild garlic that I had left over from my Riverford recipe box.

As I made this healthy I only used a small amount of parmesan cheese on the top, which could be left out completely or replaced with cheddar.

Wild Garlic & Chilli Frittata - serves 2/3

drizzle of olive oil

bunch of wild garlic, chopped

1/2 green chilli, finely chopped

6 eggs

100ml skimmed milk

salt & pepper

25g grated parmesan cheese

• Heat the oil in a non stick omelette pan
• Add the garlic & chilli and fry for a couple of minutes to wilt the garlic
• Whisk the eggs together with the milk & a pinch of salt & pepper
• Pour the eggs into the pan and cook over a medium heat until almost cooked through
• Sprinkle over the cheese and place the pan under a hot grill for a couple of minutes to brown off & finish cooking

Serve warm or cold with a fresh salad

Weight Watchers Filling & Healthy - if you use the olive oil from your healthy oil allowance then this would be free on the filling & healthy plan, with the exception of the cheese, which would be 1 point per 1/3 of the frittata

One Pan Egg Ratatouille

This year I'm continuing to work with British Lion Eggs as a 'Shortcut Eggspert', where I'll be sharing my own family recipes using eggs. We eat a lot of eggs as a family, and I'm particularly partial to one or two for breakfast, and if the husband is in charge of dinner (which doesn't happen very often) you can guarantee that it will include eggs as they're quick and easy to cook.

The brief for the first challenge of 2015 was to cook something 'quick and healthy' with eggs as a main ingredient. As I'm trying to shed a few pounds at the moment this challenge was an easy one for me, and I chose to make something that is great as a lunch for one, or served to the whole family (just increase the quantities accordingly).

One Pan Egg Ratatouille - serves 1

olive oil
1/2 small red onion, sliced
1/3 courgette, sliced
1/4 red pepper, sliced
1/4 green pepper, sliced
1/4 aubergine, sliced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
tsp dried thyme
4 mushrooms, sliced
cherry tomatoes
tbsp tomato puree
tbsp hot water
1 egg

• Heat a little olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan
• Add the onion & fry for 2-3 minutes
• Add the courgette, pepper, aubergine, garlic & thyme
• Fry for approx 5 minutes, stirring regularly
• Add the mushrooms & tomatoes & cook for a couple of minutes longer
• Mix together the tomato puree & water & stir into the pan
• Make a well in the middle of the vegetables & crack the egg into it
• Place the pan in a preheated 180C oven and cook for approx 10 minutes, or until the egg is cooked to your liking
• Serve in the pan to save on washing up!

Here are my previous #shortcuteggsperts recipes :

Chicken & Egg Fried Rice


Omelette Fajitas


Roast Dinner Tart

I was provided with vouchers to cover the cost of ingredients used

#shortcuteggsperts - Roast Dinner Tart

For the final #shortcuteggsperts challenge for British Lion Eggs I have been challenged to create a recipe that uses up leftovers as well as eggs. With 5 of us in the house (including one teen with a bottomless pit for a stomach) we don't often have much in the way of leftovers, but if we do they are always put to good use, and never thrown away.

New research by British Lion eggs ahead of British Egg Week (6-12 October 2014) has found that today’s mums are increasingly committed to reducing food waste to save food, time and money - but their biggest challenge is how to feed the family on leftovers and random ingredients at the end of the week. A study of 2,000 mums* found that with the most common days for food shopping being Monday and Saturday, and 55% of mums running out of food 4-5 days after their shop, 67% admit they end up living on scratch meals using leftovers towards the end of the week, peaking on Fridays.

I can definitely relate to these results, and quite often at the end of the week I make random meals to use up the vegetables left in the fridge, be in it a curry, a soup or ratatouille (my favourite). If you have meat and vegetables leftover from your Sunday dinner this recipe is an easy way to use them up, and of course it includes a couple of large free range eggs.

Roast Dinner Tart - serves 4/5

1 sheet of puff pastry

butter for greasing

leftover meat, veg & stuffing - I used roast pork, broccoli, courgettes and mini stuffing balls

1/2 small red onion, sliced

2 large eggs

150g cream cheese

salt & pepper

• Roll out the pastry into a rectangle that would cover a baking tray with raised sides
• Lay a sheet of baking paper onto the baking tray, and grease with butter
• Lay the pastry sheet onto the tray, making sure that the pastry reaches up the sides of the tin
• Prick the base of the pastry with a fork
• Bake in a preheated 200C oven for approx 5 minutes (to avoid a soggy bottom)
• Cut the leftovers into bitesized pieces and scatter over the pastry along with the onion slices
• Beat the eggs and cream cheese together, and season to taste
• Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables
• Return to the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown

I have been provided with shopping vouchers to cover the cost of my ingredients

#shortcuteggsperts - Omelette Fajitas

With Summer almost upon us *stares out of window at the rain*, it's time to be thinking about picnics and outdoor eating.  I have been challenged again to come up with a recipe using eggs for the latest #shortcuteggsperts challenge, this time for something speedy that can be taken on a picnic, cooked on a barbecue, or just eaten out in the garden.

Since eating the paleo way I have struggled to find portable meals. If we have a picnic I tend to take a salad in a box, until I figured that a thin omelette could be used in a similar way as a wrap.

These omelette wraps can be used to hold salad, but here I have used them to make fajitas, which can be eaten hot or cold.

Omelette Fajitas - serves 1

2 Eggs, beaten
Olive oil
1 chicken breast, sliced
1/3 Green pepper, sliced
1/3 Red Pepper, sliced
half a red onion, sliced
fresh chilli slices (to taste)*
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
half an Avocado, sliced

• Heat a non stick pan and add the beaten egg
• Fry over a medium heat until almost set on top, then flip over briefly to cook the other side 
• Set the omelette aside whilst the rest is cooked
• Heat a little olive oil and add the chicken
• Fry until browned and cooked through
• Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside
• Add a little more oil to the pan and add the peppers, chilli and paprika
• Fry until softened, and then add the chicken back into the pan
• Lay the chicken and vegetables across the middle of the omelette
• Place the avocado slices on top, and then roll up
• Serve with chilli sauce and/or sour cream

*TIP : store your fresh chillies in a plastic container in the freezer and slice off the amount needed, this will prolong the life of the chillies

I have been provided with shopping vouchers to cover the cost of my ingredients