Sunday brunch is a big deal at our house. One dish in particular is a staple on our sunday brunch and that is Foul (Fava Beans). This dish has excellent source of fiber and it’s delicious. Foul is a tasty dish any day, but the star of the brunch today was Shakshuka! I wanted to make something a little different than our ordinary brunch so I searched for inspiration and this got my attention. It’s traditionally made with just a few items but the adventurous person that I am,  decided to add things that would go great inside this dish. The recipe called for only onions, garlic, crushed tomatoes, and eggs, bell pepper, and a few herbs, but I didn’t have bell pepper. So, I added olives, feta, cilantro, potatoes and pine nuts . I’m sure you can find whatever you have in your pantry.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of organic crushed tomatoes
• 3 large cloves whole and 3 crushed & diced
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 large potato or 2 medium potatoes
• 1/4 cup of olive of your choice (I used green & black marinated olives)
• 1 chicken bullion (optional)
• 2-3 eggs (add more if you are serving more people)
• handful of cilantro
• 1 tsp of salt & pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• handful of toasted pine nut  for garnish
• Olive oil

Start off by having all your ingredients at hand. I used a cast iron skillet but you can also use a large nonstick skillet. On medium high heat add olive oil (just enough to coat the pan) and  the chopped onions. Saute for a few minutes and add the potatoes, garlic, salt & pepper. cook for another 5-6 minutes until the potatoes are well browned. Now add the chicken bullion if you choose to use it and crushed tomatoes & cumin. Mix well and let it cook for a good 5-10 minutes. Add a little water if it becomes too thick in the process. Once the potatoes are cooked add in the olives and cook for few more minute. Now crack in the eggs sunny side up; season with a little salt & pepper on top and cover with a lid. Cook until eggs are done or serve sunny side up. As the eggs are cooking, toast up the pine nuts in a little olive oil until light golden brown. Once the eggs are done to your liking, garnish with pine nuts, cilantro and you’re done! right before serving add a little olive oil on top. Serve with hummus and pita bread.

FOUL Recipe (fava beans):

Ingredients:

• 1 can of Fava beans ( I use the California brand from a middle eastern store)
• 2 cloves of garlic smashed into a paste
• 1 large lemon
• 1 medium tomato
• handful of parsley
• 1tsp of cumin
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1/4 cup of olive oil ( use only half at first and the rest at the end for topping)

Open the can of fava beans and use its water as well, pour into a sauce pan. Boil until the water is absorbed. Combine the fava beans, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, tomatoes, cumin & salt and half of the olive oil into a serving bowl. Mix everything well. Taste to see if any seasoning is needed. If all tastes good then sprinkle a little cumin over the top and olive oil and serve with pita bread, hummus and cucumbers. That’s it, so easy. This is one version of making this dish. In the future I will introduce another style of making this dish with yogurt and tahini.

Enjoy & savor every bite!