Thanks For Your Help Ethan

In keeping with my challenge from yesterday , I have to use things from my pantry. In an effort to help me clean up yesterday, my son opened a bottle of tomato sauce to "check for freshness", not realizing that by opening it, it had to get used almost immediately. As it was a relatively new bottle, I was a bit annoyed. Either way, tonight's meal had to include tomato sauce.

We weren't in the mood for pasta - too heavy. I had been planning on maquing my Greeque Quinoa Quiches, but that was foiled by my kid and the unfortunately opened bottle. Still, eggs sounded nice and easy. Finally, it came to me. Shakshouka! It is a really yummy Israeli dish where you poach eggs in tomato sauce. It takes about 5 minutes to prepare (heaven!) and 5 more minutes to poach the eggs, and Bob's Your Uncle, dinner is on the table.

DANIELLE'S EASY WASTE NOT WANT NOT SHAKSHOUKA

First you chop up an onion and some garlic and fry them in a pan with a wee bit of EVOO, salt, pepper, chilis and a bay leaf for good measure. The smell of onions and garlic frying is always a heady and beautiful aroma.

Pour in about half of cup of wine (I used Merlot, it was what we were drinking with dinner) and stir. Reduce for a minute or two, and inhale all that lovely wine steam.

Add the unfortunately opened bottle of tomato sauce. Add a small pour of balsamic vinegar to combat the acidity of the unfortunately opened bottle.

Let it simmer lightly until you are actually ready to cook. In my case, I used the time to recharge my iphone, walk the dog and yell at the kids to get their crap off the kitchen table and set it for dinner.

Once you are ready to cook, bring the tomato sauce (no longer unfortunate) up to a beautiful simmer and crack in your eggs, being careful to not break the yolks or drop some shell in the tomato sauce. It's a bitch to get out shell. I use 2-3 eggs per person, depending.

I also like to shred a little cheddar (or whatever cheese you have handy and want to get rid of before it turns green) on top of the eggs. Put the lid on, and let it poach. It only takes a few minutes.
Voila! Danielle's Easy Waste Not Want Not Shakshouka!

While the shakshouka was cooking, I put in my rice cooker a cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water to get an early start on quooking tomorrow's Greeque Quinoa Quiches.

Cook your quinoa, and beat into it however many eggs you will need to feed the family. Chop up several handfuls of spinach, lots of feta cheese (I like sheep's feta - it has the best flavour), some minced black (pitted) olives, oregano and pinch of pepper. It probably doesn't need salt, as the feta has a briney loveliness that gives you that salty flavour.

Heat the oven to 350, spray a muffin tin and add the egg mixture to 3/4 full. Bake until done, probably around 20 minutes.

This is an easy recipe to change up. Start with your base of eggs and quooked quinoa, and add whatever you fancy. Different cheeses, different veg, different spices.. It all works!

These also make great little tarts for the kids to take to school for lunch.