Turkish Eggs

Turkish Eggs is a really lovely brunch or breakfast dish which is especially good after a night of over indulgence as it has a fiery kick to it. 

The below serves 2:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 large tomato
• 1 tsp pul biber
• 1 tbsp tatli (red pepper paste) - you can use tomato puree here if you're unable to find Tatli
• 4 tbsp fat free yoghurt
• 3-4 eggs
• 1 lemon
• Handful dill fronds

Boil a full kettle of water for the eggs and yoghurt. 

To make the sauce, finely dice the onion, garlic and tomato and saute in the olive oil on a medium heat until beginning to soften, then add the pul biber and tatli and season well with a pinch of salt and a generous amount of black pepper and allow to cook down for 15 minutes. 

Place the yoghurt into a bowl and place over a small pan of just boiled water to warm through, and stir. 

For perfectly poached eggs, I use the same method every time which results in a runny yolk - although not perfect rounds, we don't mind it rustic around here. Place just boiled water in a saucepan, add a pinch of salt and a drop of white wine vinegar and use a spoon to make the water swirl a little before cracking in each egg and cooking for exactly 3.5 minutes. 

To gently remove the eggs once cooked, I use a slotted spoon and place onto a plate with some kitchen towel or a clean tea towel to remove any excess moisture. 

Now spread the sauce over a plate or a bowl, add half of the yoghurt to each, right in the centre, then the poached eggs. Scatter over some dill fronds and squeeze over the lemon juice. 

Finish with a few more pul biber flakes and serve with some crusty bread or a slice of toast. Enjoy!

For some more brunch inspo I've included some favourites below:

Shakshuka

Smoky Sausage and Bean One Pot

Tomato and Feta Baked Eggs

Smoky Chorizo Beans on Toast

Pancakes

Salmon & Dill Pancakes

Yoghurt Berry Pancakes

Creamy Mushrooms on Toast

Crab Madame & Crab Monsieur

This is such a fabulous brunch dish; truly decadent; rich, creamy and full of delicious crab meat and yet aside from a few processes it's not hard to create well at home. 

Also it is still very much do-able if you're following Slimming World as I am which is a massive bonus as it feels like such a treat. If you use your Healthy Option A's for the reduced fat Cheddar and milk for the bechamel sauce and Healthy Option B for a slice of wholemeal bread then this will work out at 7 syns per portion. 

Crab Madame & Crab Monsieur

The below serves four. 

Here's how:

For the toasts:

• 5 slices wholemeal sliced bread
• Flora Light

For the bechamel (white) sauce:

• 1 tbsp Flora Light
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 200ml semi skimmed milk
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper
• Nutmeg 
• 2 tbsp double cream

For the crab mixture:

• 400g crab meat (I use a mixture of white and brown crab)
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• Handful dill
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of black pepper

Everything else:

• More dill to taste and garnish
• 70-80g reduced fat Cheddar
• 4-5 eggs (I don't eat eggs so mine was a Crab Monsieur)

Firstly you need to get two large pans on the hob on a low heat.

Now take the slices of wholemeal bread, and spread over just a slither of the Flora Light onto each, quite minimal to keep the calories down but enough so when added to one of the pans, it will take on a lightly golden toasted colour. Add each slice to the same pan, in batches of 2-3 and toast on each side then place into a baking tin. 

For the bechamel or white sauce; in the other pan, melt the 1 tbsp Flora Light, and once completely melted add the 1 tbsp plain flour and mix well with a wooden spoon or if it's clumping up you may need to use a whisk. Once combined into a kind of paste, add the milk and stir continuously for a few minutes until a sauce is formed. Season with a pinch each of salt and pepper and grate in some nutmeg. Cook this down for five minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken up and become quite glossy. Remove from the heat and stir in the double cream which will add to the glossiness and help to elevate your bechamel to a more luxurious, rich sauce. Set aside off the heat for now. 

For the crab, pour all of the crab meat into a mixing bowl. Stir in the Dijon mustard and squeeze over a little lemon juice. Add the paprika and season. Roughly chop the dill fronds and stir through until combined. Stir in 2 tbsp of the bechamel sauce too. 

Now take the crab mixture and spoon an equal amount onto each slice of wholemeal bread in the baking dish then spread across each until they are covered. Top each one with the remaining bechamel sauce. 

Finally add some of the grated reduced fat Cheddar onto each of the toasts and place into the oven for ten minutes. Set a timer for 7 minutes and then it will be time to fry the eggs for 3 minutes exactly and keep sunny side up (don't fry the yolk!). I fry these in just a couple of sprays of Fry Light. 

Remove the Crab toasts from the oven and place onto a board, or serving dish. Add a few additional dill fronds if you wish,  and a final sprinkling of black pepper and then use an egg slice to place an egg on top of each Crab Madame or keep it plain for a Crab Monsieur. Enjoy!

Crab Monsieur

If you're a fan of brunch-style dishes; here are ten more you may like:

• Shakshuka - Spicy Tomato & Pepper Baked Eggs
• Smoky Sausage & Bean One Pot
• Tomato & Feta Baked Eggs
• Healthy Cheese & Veggie Omelette Muffins
• Smoky Chorizo Beans on Toast
• Best Avocado on Toast
• Berry Yoghurt Pancakes
• Herby Courgette & Feta Fritter Cakes
• Creamy Mushrooms on Toast
• Deep Fried Halloumi with Chunky Guacamole