Chickpea Scotch Egg Recipe #vegetarian

I have been challenged by British Lion Eggs to come up with a family recipe using eggs as the main ingredient. As a vegetarian, eggs play an important role in my family's diet, being a good source of protein, vitamin D and iron.  I love how versatile they are and that they can be added to so many recipes in so many different ways

This is a recipe for vegetarian Scotch Eggs using a chickpea falafel style mix to cover hard boiled eggs, before coating them in golden breadcrumbs and oven baking.  I usually use a vegan sausage mix to make Scotch Eggs, but this recipe creates a much lighter Scotch Egg with a pleasant hint of warming spices.  Oven baking makes them less greasy than their deep fried counterparts, and keeps the calorie count down.  They are perfect served hot as part of a meal, or can be served cold for a picnic or a buffet.

Ingredients 

4 free range British Lion eggs

1 400g can chickpeas (drained)

1 small red onion

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons parsley

ground black pepper 

pinch salt

2 slices wholemeal bread as crumbs

1 egg beaten

golden breadcrumbs

Method

Boil eggs by placing in cold water, bringing to boil and boiling for 5-6 minutes.

Remove from heat and transfer to sink.  Run cold water into the pan until cool.

Put chickpeas, onion, garlic and seasoning into food processor and blitz.

Add breadcrumbs to thicken using the pulse setting.

Shell the eggs and wrap a quarter of the chickpea mix around each one. (Flour hands if it gets too sticky!)

Dip covered egg in beaten egg and then roll onto a plate of golden breadcrumbs to coat.

Cook at GM6 for 15 minutes.

I only ever buy eggs which are free range, where the hens are well looked after and given freedom to roam outdoors.  I also look out for the British Lion safety mark which guarantees the egg has been produced in accordance with a strict code of practice (which has virtually eradicated salmonella in the British egg industry).

To find our more information about using eggs, such as advice on eggs and pregnancy, egg safety, recipes and nutritional information visit the British Lion Eggs website at egginfo.co.uk.

Easy Lentil & Egg Nests Recipe

Eggs are such a versatile ingredient and something we regularly use in our main meals.  Being vegetarian, eggs provide us with an excellent source of protein and iron.  Brit Mums are challenging bloggers to share their favourite egg recipes, looking for the easiest, quickest and most inventive main meals that incorporate an egg in each portion in their Main Meals Linky Challenge sponsored by British Lion Eggs.

I have adapted a rather complicated and time consuming baked egg recipe that I only use for special occasions into a very quick and easy midweek meal idea.  It takes just minutes to make, is filling, nutritious, cheap and very tasty.  The kids enjoy it too which is a real bonus.  Unlike the oven baked eggs which have a tendency to go a bit leathery on top, this recipe produces a delicious, soft result which is far more palatable.  It uses basic store cupboard essentials so can be made very easily, providing a delicious egg based meal for your family, even if you're short of time.

So this is the recipe I am sharing for the #eggmainsinminutes linky.

Lentil & Egg Nests 

(recipe listed serves 2 but can be easily doubled up to serve 4)

Ingredients

1 400g can of green lentils drained

1 finely chopped onion

1 dessertspoon of tomato puree

oil for frying

pinch of Italian seasoning

2 free range eggs

Method

Fry the finely chopped onion in a lidded frying pan until soft.

Add the drained can of lentils, the tomato puree and the seasoning and stir well.

Heat through.

Make two wells in the lentil mixture and break in the eggs.

Put the lid on the pan and cook gently on a low heat for about 8 minutes until the eggs are fully set.

We love this meal as the lentils make a deliciously, moist base for the yummy soft, baked egg.  They are a perfect culinary pairing.  For a variation on this recipe, you could add curry powder and cumin to the lentils, giving an Indian twist instead of an Italian one.  Either way, it is a very quick and tasty main meal that is excellent served with a portion of fresh green vegetables or a side salad to add some colour.

Find more egg recipe ideas at www.eggrecipes.co.uk/mainmealsinminutes or check out the Brit Mums linky where you can see other bloggers' egg recipes or enter your own idea.

This post is an entry for the #eggmainsinminutes Linky on BritMums.

Take A Box Of Eggs

When I was a child, I remember my mum getting the Dairy Diary every year from the milkman.  It was a much trusted and regularly used book filled with recipes for dishes that my mum would make.  I have fond memories of pouring through the pages and I'm sure that was the basis for my love of cookbooks that I have now.  I love the glossy pages, the images of delicious food, the culinary inspiration and the promise of great meals!

Take a Box of Eggs is the latest in the Dairy Cookbook series and contains 100 triple-tested egg recipes of varying degrees of difficulty – from classic boiled eggs through to Spanish omelettes, creme caramel and soufflés.  As a vegetarian, free-range eggs are an important part of our diet, so I was pleased to see so many interesting ideas for using eggs!

The book features lovely colour photography of every appetising dish and all recipes have a QR code linking to an ingredients shopping list. The book includes colour coded sections including a dedicated Vegetarian section and a lovely, tempting Bakes section.  The wire ring binding, which keeps the pages open, is a godsend when following a recipe and the red, ribbon page marker makes it easy to mark your favourite page.

The book is £9.99 including P&P but there is a special offer where you can buy it for £7.49 during October at www.britisheggweek.com.  The website also includes a selection of the recipes including my favourite Eggs Au Gratin, a wholesome, hearty dish!  Plus there is a competition to win one of 100 of the Take A Box of Eggs cookbooks...but hurry it closes on October 31st 2012.