Healthy Lunch in Less than 5 minutes…

I’ve mentioned before how authors are stereotypically shown as not taking care of themselves, forgetting to eat, or when they do- eating poorly- as they write. I’ve also mentioned how it’s important to take care of yourself- even when you’re busy. This applies for all people, of course, not just writers. 

So- here’s my lunch (hot lunch!) in less than five minutes. No microwaves are used and admittedly, a stove is and so this is best for people who work from home… or near a stove, or at least a burner.

What is this mystery dish?
It even sounds literary!

Eggs in Purgatory

There are many different recipes for this simple dish. Here’s mine.

Take a small frying pan and pour about a teacup’s saucer’s worth of your favorite tomato sauce into the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Crack an egg into the middle of the sauce. Add cheese- mine is a white cheddar, but whatever you prefer is fine. Add however much you want- shredded or just in small pieces is fine- it’s going to melt. Then cover with a lid. I use my pasta pot lid, because it’s the right size and because it’s a built-in-strainer and so the steam can escape but still keep the heat in to cook. Now, the cooking time will vary based on your stove, but will be approximately 2-3 minutes. The way I can tell when it’s finished is that the yolk of the egg is no longer visible as all of the egg white has solidified and meshed with the cheese into molten white lava on top of the tomato sauce. 

Now, pick what you’d like to serve your eggs in purgatory on top of. You could use pasta or rice, though that will take longer unless they’re already cooked. I tend to use either corn tortilla chips or bread. Today’s bread is a walnut olive wholemeal baked at my local supermarket. 

And presto! You’re finished– grains (can be gluten free!), vegetables, protein (suitable for vegetarians as well!) all served up in a delicious plate (or bowl!) in less than five minutes.

Bon Appetite!