All is vanity

[clevermanka]

I'm gonna make myself this for lunch today.
Harvest Shakshuka With Quail Eggs
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 spicy chilli pepper (jalapeño, serrano, anaheim), seeded and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Sprinkle fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup squash puree
1 cup fresh made tomato sauce (or use whole peeled canned tomatoes, pureed)
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit or add to taste if tomatoes are already salted)
6 quail eggs (or use 2 chicken eggs)
Cilantro and feta cheese for garnish
Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, chili, and bell pepper and sauté until softened. Add cumin, paprika, and black pepper and stir to combine. Stir in squash puree, tomato sauce, and salt (to taste) and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Gently crack quail eggs over sauce so they are evenly distributed. Cover skillet with a lid and cook until yolks are just set, about 2-3 minutes (longer for chicken eggs). Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and feta cheese.

Serve hot with salad, rice, or a crusty bread for dipping up sauce. This would also be great served over spiralized veggie “noodles."

I'm not gonna worry about the peppers I don't have on hand, and I'm gonna use carrot puree instead of squash (because I have carrots). I'll be using regular eggs, leaving off the garnishes entirely, and eating it as a soup , but...I bet it'll still be tasty.

I'm so happy to be able to eat chicken eggs again (as long as I don't make it a daily habit, things seem to be fine).

I did the first part of my roots last night and slept in the henna (leaves SUCH a nice color deposit even though nobody ever gets to see this stage) so now I have to apply the indigo and let it sit for about an hour. I told myself last night I could have my tea and internet until 10:00, but didn't count on the fact that I'd be lazing about in bed with mckitterick until 8:40. So now I'm a bit behind my expected morning schedule but it's Sunday and I feel like wah I just wanna relax but there is laundry and food prep to be done in addition to assuaging my vanity about my hair, so time to get to it.

Comments

[donutgirl.livejournal.com]

oh, I use henna too! though I leave it red. I sorta feel like I should touch it up soon but I never see anyone so... not much motivation.

where do you get yours?

[indybaggins.livejournal.com]

This shop has great quality henna, not cheap though: http://www.mehandi.com/shop/hairhenna.html

[donutgirl.livejournal.com]

that is indeed where I get mine... :) but I'm always worried one day they'll disappear or something. it's a bit funny that almost everyone who uses henna gets it from this one place. especially since it's been around for thousands of years.

[indybaggins.livejournal.com]

I have bought henna in Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Thailand, and in India, and the only one that compared in quality was the one in Thailand, the others just weren't as strong, giving only a vague colour. Possibly because they were older, cheaper, exposed to the elements before I bought them... I don't know, but I sure have tried to quit that store, I just can't seem to!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Ha! That's where I get mine, too! I use the Rajathani Twilight.

[indybaggins.livejournal.com]

I think I have the Jasmine this time, because it's easier to rinse from my dreads. They do sell awesome quality.

[write-out.livejournal.com]

I've always wanted to try that dish. Brian doesn't eat eggs (unless they are part of baked goods- he has a total aversion to them), so I would have to make a smaller amount just for me. This is the recipe (http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/04/shakshuka/) I've had bookmarked, but the one you shared also looks really good.

I hope you post hair pics when you are done!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Sadly, black hair photographs for crap. I try try try to get good pics of my hair, but without a professional lighting set up, it just shows as a big clump of dark.

[indybaggins.livejournal.com]

Henna! Doing my hair this week too, but I could never sleep with it, too much of a mess! I love it though, have been henna-ing for almost a decade!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you've got a lot more going on with your hair than I do. =D

When I don't sleep in the henna overnight, it takes a bit over six hours to do my roots since I do a two-step henna/indigo process. I'm allergic to hair dye (and RIT dye!), and since I'm not prepared to be gray, Henna and Indigo it is! I started coloring it when I started growing out my hair in 2004 (it had been super short for a while--see icon).

My first attempt was in August 2004 and it wasn't very successful. I found mehandi.com (and their helpful staff and instructions) around November. From there it was a pretty easy learning curve.

Here's how much gray I had right before I started coloring:


I'm about 75% gray/white on top, now. The back of my head and below my ears is mostly still black (according to the woman who helps me with those parts every six weeks).

[indybaggins.livejournal.com]

Oh I do love your grey hair, too! I only have a couple grey hairs so far, but I'm actually kind of looking forward to going all white, I think it's beautiful! (People think I'm crazy... ;))

Oh, and this is my hair before henna, it was very fine and golden blonde-ish:

(http://smg.photobucket.com/user/indybaggins/media/100_0550a_zpsukojatjh.jpg.html)

A very long time ago! *g*

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

If I was going to go all pretty silver-white or something, sure. But really, my graying hair just looked sort of like steel wool with wisps of white. Very dull and coarse. =( It (unlike my black hair, ironically) photographed better than it looked in person.

You look, like, twelve in that photograph.

[indybaggins.livejournal.com]

I was seventeen! But obviously much more naive and sweet than I am now ;)

And black hair never photographs as well as it looks in real life for some reason, it's not fair.

[gentlespirit.livejournal.com]

I LOVE shakshuka, but I have never attempted to make it. I've always just had it as a sort of soup/stew sort of thing. Even if it comes serves with bread, I don't really want that. It's all about the spicy tomatoes and the egg.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I wound up not being hungry enough to make it yesterday, so we're having it for dinner tonight. Which means I can get those peppers since I gotta go to the store to mail a package, anyway. YAY!

I'm a fan of soupy foods. Although I wouldn't turn down the ability to eat it with some crusty, spongy bread...

[1-rhiannon-1.livejournal.com]

That looks amazingly good! I hope it was delicious!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I decided I wasn't hungry enough for it yesterday and since I was only cooking lunch for one...but I'm making it for dinner tonight!

[1-rhiannon-1.livejournal.com]

Excellent! :D I hope it's super-delicious since you had to wait for it!