Eggs & Za'atar Chickpeas in Red Pepper Sauce

Adding a little punch, protein and fiber to routine eggs with za'atar spiced chickpeas in a smooth and sweet roasted red pepper sauce. You can grill/roast your own sweet peppers, or use jarred peppers from the store, just be sure there's enough liquid left after the roasting process to allow for a smooth blend. Za'atar is a blend made of roasted thyme, sesame seeds and sometimes other spices like cumin and sumac. It works very well with chickpeas and eggs, but feel free to experiment with your own spice blend if unavailable.

Ingredients

• Red Pepper Sauce

  • 1/2 cup of Roasted red peppers

  • 2 Tbsp Pine Nuts

  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

  • Salt

• Eggs - cooked your way!

• Chickpeas 14oz - already cooked, strained

  • Olive Oil

  • Salt

  • Za'atar or substitute like garam masala, tan-tan seasoning, curry powder.

  • Sumac

• Optional

  • Yogurt/ labneh

Steps

Roast your own sweet peppers, red bell peppers on the grill , about 5 minutes on each side, in the broiler or saute for 5-10mins. Then place in a glass container/pyrex and cover to allow them to steam.

Blend the roasted red peppers, pine nuts, olive oil and salt together. Aim for a smooth baby-food like texture. Add the sauce to a sauce pan and set to low heat and keep warm for plating.

The eggs and chickpeas can be cooked separately, or together based on your egg and method preference. Saute the chickpeas in olive oil, za'atar and salt for about 5 minutes.

You can also bake the eggs and chickpeas in the red pepper sauce in a saute pan or skillet like Shakshouka.

Plating: In a shallow bowl, add the red pepper sauce (you'll need less than the picture below), the eggs and top with the chickpeas and more za'atar. Optionally, add yogurt, aleppo pepper, sumac.