Breakfast: Delicious Scrambled Eggs, Rice & Bell Peppers

After reading one of Yotam Ottolenghi's foodie articles on the Guardian's website (which you can find here), I was inspired to recreate my own version. Eggs are a staple breakfast in our house but there are only so many ways one can take eggs before they become a little boring. Eggs, boiled hard or soft, scrambled, poached or even an omelette will usually suit me fine but when you have three kids it's not always so easy to please the entire clan. Lightly scrambled, cheesy eggs are my personal, all-time favourite; there truly is something so comforting (childhood nostalgia kicking in here) about scrambled eggs.

If you click on the link in this post, you will find that I have sort of amalgamated two of Ottolenghi's recipes and, having dropped a few ingredients here or there, created one of my own.

You will need:

• 6 medium free range eggs, beaten
• 3 cloves of garlic, skins removed and minced in a garlic press
• 2 medium red onions, skins removed and sliced lengthways
• 1 red bell pepper, cores and seeds removed, sliced lengthways
• 1 orange bell pepper, cores and seeds removed, sliced lengthways
• 1 cup of frozen green peas
• 2 cups of cooked basmati rice
• 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
• 1/2 a teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, plus some extra to scramble the eggs
• A bunch of freshly chopped coriander leaves, stems included
• 1 green chilli, seeds removed and sliced
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Serves 5-6

1.  Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk them with a fork until smooth, leave to sit.

2.  Heat the coconut oil in a large non-stick pan/wok and add in the garlic, peppers, peas and onions. Cook them until soft (feel free to leave a bit of crunch if you prefer), add in the sweet paprika, ground coriander and cumin. Stir until the spices have evenly coated your vegetables.

3.  Now you can add in the cooked rice and fresh coriander. On a low heat, stir the ingredients gently to mix well. Add any salt or black pepper.

4.  Make a well in your pan by pushing your vegetable rice aside to line the outskirts of the pan. It should look like a hollow ring. Turn the heat up slightly and add in a little more coconut oil. Once it has melted you can pour in the eggs. Be careful not to burn anything as you will need to scramble your eggs in the well you made.

Once you have the right consistency, you can serve the entire pan at the table for everybody to help themselves. Don't forget to serve it with some fresh orange juice. A great tuck-in weekend breakfast for the whole family to enjoy!

Vegetarian Eggs & Rice

For those of you who may have overindulged a little during the festive season and happen to be looking for more health conscious meal ideas, then this one is for you... A hugely satisfying, family friendly rice dish for anyone who wants to give it a go! It was inspired by my friend's Romanian potato salad; I thought I'd give it a try with rice. This recipe with definitely feed a family of 4-5.

If you're taking part in the whole 'Veganuary' movement then just substitute the eggs with some black eyed peas, which is how I prefer this recipe, to be honest. I just didn't have any in the cupboard but would absolutely recommend using beans as an alternative to egg.

You will need:

• 2-3 cups of easy-cook Basmati rice (regular rice will work just fine), cooked according to instructions
• 1 Large white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 20 black pitted olives, sliced
• 2 Handfuls of mixed green leaves (I've used coriander, spinach and rocket), roughly chopped
• 1 Cup of steamed sweetcorn
• 1 Tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar
• 1 Level teaspoon of salt
• Half a teaspoon corsely ground black pepper
• 3 Medium sized, free-range, organic eggs, boiled and then sliced

How To:

1. To make life easier, have your eggs boiled (peeled and sliced) and rice already made and sitting aside (in separate bowls) all ready for the rest of the ingredients to be added.

2. In a separate bowl add your onions, olives, green leaves, black pepper and salt. Evenly drizzle the vinegar on top and give the ingredients a stir.

3. Add in the rice and stir, taking care to get an even mixture. You can now gently fold in the sliced eggs.

*Adding some freshly diced tomatoes would also be splendid with this dish.