Sweet Pepper with Eggs

(Biber Tava, Black Sea Region)

1 long red sweet red pepper, discard the seeds, cut in medium size
1 cubanelle pepper, discard the seeds, cut in medium size
1 tbsp butter
Eggs
Grated mozzarella or crumbled feta cheese
Salt
Pepper

Lightly fry the peppers with butter in a pan at medium heat. Stir occasionally. Break the eggs and sprinkle some cheese. When the egg white is cooked, remove it from the heat. Do not overcook the egg yolk! Season with salt and pepper.

Simit with Salad for Breakfast

(Simitli Kahvaltı Salatası)

Simit (Turkish bagel), cut in bite size
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Feta cheese, cut in cube
Turkish black olive
Parsley

Dressing:
Salt
Pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Place all the salad ingredients on a serving platter. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper, then serve... It is a great salad for breakfast!

Fried Green Beans with Eggs

(Yumurtalı Fasulye Kızartması - Black Sea Region)

250g flat green beans, trimmed, cut in medium-sized chunks
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
3-4 tbsp yellow corn meal
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Garnish:
1 tsp crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes)

Boil the green beans for about 20 minutes, drain. Sauté them with olive oil and salt for about 10 minutes at medium heat. Stir occasionally, don't let them burn. Sprinkle the corn meal over the beans, stir. Add the beaten eggs. Flip the omelette over when the first side is done.

Season with some crushed pepper. Serve as a light lunch with Turkish bread and your choice of salad.

Goat Cheese Seasoned with Roasted Sesame Seeds

(Kavrulmus Susamli Keci Peyniri)

Directions:
Sprinkle the goat cheese with roasted sesame seeds, wild thyme and sumac. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil. Goes well with cucumbers, tomatoes, black and green olives...

It is a perfect breakfast but also can be served with Turkish bread and freshly-brewed Turkish tea at any time of the day.

With Honey, Walnuts and Goat Cheese...

(Ballı, Cevizli, Keçi Peynirli...)

Toasted bread sliced
Goat cheese
Fresh walnuts, crumbled
Organic Honey

Spread some goat cheese on toasted bread slices. Sprinkle with some walnuts and drizzle with organic honey...Afiyet olsun!

Ground Beef with Eggs and Vegetables

(Kıymalı Menemen)

~200 g regular or medium ground beef
1 small size onion, sliced
1 cubanelle pepper, discard the seeds, sliced
2 large size tomatoes, peeled, diced
Salt
Pepper
~
2 eggs

Saute the ground beef with onion at medium-low heat until all the water evaporates in a pan, while stirring. Add the tomatoes, cubanelle pepper, salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes are tender. Make sure you don't overcook, otherwise it will be dry.

Then, make room and break the eggs. When the egg whites are cooked, remove it from the heat. Do not overcook the egg yolk!

Serve with freshly baked Turkish bread as breakfast or brunch or lunch or dinner:)

Sujuk (Turkish Sausage) Stuffing

(Sucuk İçi - Kayseri)

500 g ground veal from breast meat (brisket), medium or regular
1-2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
Black pepper
~
1/2 cup hot water

Mix all the ingredients with your hand and knead. Start to saute in a large Teflon pan using a wood spoon to break up the ground veal at medium heat. When the colour of the veal turns, add the hot water and continue to cook until there is no water in it while stirring at low-medium heat. Serve immediately with the freshly baked Turkish bread or pide on the side.

It is a great dish for brunch at weekends:)

Actually, “Sucuk içi” is a mixture of meat to stuff the casing and to make a sucuk.
It is also eaten without the casing; just cook the sucuk ici and eat with the Turkish bread.
You can eat it either with a fork full of the meat and bite of bread, or by stuffing the corner of the bread with the cooked sucuk ici. Have it with Turkish tea!

Kavurma with Eggs and Vegetables

(Kavurmalı Menemen)

1 cubanelle pepper, cut in bite size
2 medium-size tomatoes, diced
2 eggs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Kavurma
Grated mozzarella or crumbled feta cheese

Saute the cubanelle peppers in the pan with olive oil at medium to high heat. Then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for another 7-8 minutes stirring occasionally at medium heat. Make sure you don't overcook, otherwise it will be dry. Add the kavurma, stir.

Then, make room and break the eggs. When the egg whites are cooked, sprinkle some cheese over the top. Then remove it from the heat after a minute or so. Do not overcook the egg yolk!

Serve with freshly baked Turkish bread as breakfast or brunch or lunch.

Zucchini with Eggs

(Yumurtali Kabak Kalye - Aegean Region)

2 small zucchinis, cut in medium size
1 small onion, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, diced
5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt
Pepper
~
One handful grated mozzarella
Red pepper flakes

Saute the onion with olive oil in a small pan. Then add the zucchinis and tomatoes, continue to saute, stir occasionally. Do not overcook! Then add the eggs, salt and pepper, stir. Sprinkle the cheese and red pepper flakes over the top.

Cover and cook until the eggs are done at low heat. When the eggs are done, turn the heat off. Do not overcook the eggs! Serve immediately.

2 servings.

Labne Cheese with Seasoned Olives

(Labne ve Çeşnili Zeytin)

Labne cheese
Turkish black olives, chopped
Turkish green olives, chopped
Red pepper, crushed
Oregano
Mint
Extra virgin olive oil
Walnuts or hazelnuts, crumbled

Spread the cheese on the serving platter. Season the olives with red pepper flakes, mint and oregano. Sprinkle the cheese along with the nuts. Drizzle some olive oil.

Serve with the dried yufka or pide or a slice of Turkish rustic bread.

*Labne cheese: a soft, cream cheese made from strained yogurt. Labne is easy to make and low in calories, making it the perfect alternative to traditional cream cheese. Labne can be used just as you would normally use cream cheese, as a spread on bagels or a dip for your favorite fruit and vegetables.

Swiss Chard Saute with Eggs

(Pazı Kavurması - Aydın - Aegean Region)

Bunch of red Swiss chard stems, washed and cut in 1 cm long
Bunch of red Swiss chard leaves, washed, chopped
1 small size onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp canned crushed tomatoes
1 tsp red pepper paste
~
Egg
Red pepper flakes

Saute the onion with olive oil until lightly caramelized. Add the stems, crushed tomatoes, red pepper paste, garlic and salt. Saute until the stems are tender at medium-low heat. Stir occasionally. Add the chard leaves and cook until the leaves are soft.

Then, make room and break the egg. When the egg whites are cooked, remove it from the heat. Do not overcook the egg yolk! Season with salt and red pepper flakes.

Serve with freshly baked Turkish bread as breakfast or brunch or lunch.

Turkish Sauteed Vegetables with Eggs

(Menemen II)

1 cubanelle pepper, cut in bite size
2 medium-size tomatoes, diced
~1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Saute the cubanelle peppers in the pan with olive oil at medium to high heat. Then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for another 7-8 minutes stirring occasionally at medium heat. Make sure you don't overcook, otherwise it will be dry. Add the feta cheese, stir.

Then, make room and break the eggs. When the egg whites are cooked, remove it from the heat. Do not overcook the egg yolk!

Serve with freshly baked Turkish bread as breakfast or brunch or lunch.

Grilled Cherry Tomatoes-Ricotta Cheese & Toasted Bread

(Közlenmiş Domates-Lor Peyniri ve Kızarmış Ekmek)

Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Fresh ricotta cheese
Oregano
Extra virgin olive oil
Turkish black olives

Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C).

Arrange the tomatoes on an oven tray. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil. Place the tray on the middle rack of the oven and grill.

Spread some fresh ricotta cheese on the toasted bread slice. Place the roasted tomato halves on it. Season with oregano and olive oil. Serve with Turkish tea and black olive on the side.

Potatoes with Yogurt and Poached Eggs

(Borana - Antalya)

2 medium size yellow potatoes, peeled, diced
Sunflower oil
Salt
Pepper

Garlic-Yogurt Sauce:
1/2 cup plain Turkish yogurt, at room temperature
1 garlic clove, mashed with salt

Poached Eggs:
2 eggs
2 cups water
1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp butter
Red pepper flakes
Salt

Fry the potatoes in sunflower oil. Afterwards, place on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.

In the meantime, boil the water with salt and vinegar in a medium pot. After bubbling, turn down the heat to medium-low. Crack the eggs into the water side by side. Cover and let the eggs cook for 3 minutes.

Place the potatoes on a serving platter, season with salt and pepper. Arrange yogurt on top of it. Take the eggs out of water with a perforated spoon, place them over yogurt.

Melt the butter in a small skillet. Pour over the eggs when it starts bubbling. Season with salt and pepper flakes.

Serve this dish while still hot with the freshly baked Turkish bread. It is great to have as breakfast or as light lunch:)

Grilled Peppers with Feta Cheese

(Şile Paprike - Thrace Region)

Cubanelle peppers (or sweet twister peppers)
Salt
Pepper
Feta cheese, crumbled
Extra virgin olive oil

Roast the peppers and peel off the skin. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a skillet and sprinkle some feta cheese and drizzle the olive oil all over the top. Cover and heat at low fire until the cheese is melted. If you like sprinkle some red pepper flakes over the top.

Serve immediately as breakfast or hot appetizer.

Roasted Pepper and Black Olive-Feta Cheese

(Közlenmiş Biber ve Zeytin-Peynir)

Bell peppers (red or green or yellow or orange)
1-2 garlic cloves*, mashed with salt
Lemon juice or vinegar
Feta cheese, cut in cubes
Turkish black olives
Oregano
Parsley, chopped
Plenty of extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Arrange all the ingredients on a serving platter as seen in the picture. Season the roasted peppers with salt. Serve as breakfast or appetizer.

*If you serve it as a breakfast, you can skip the garlic:)

Salad for Breakfast

(Kahvaltı Salatası)

Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Cucumber, cut in bite size
Red onion, sliced
Feta cheese
Egg, hard boiled, sliced
Oregano
Salt
Pepper

Dressing:
Lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

Place all the salad ingredients on a serving platter. Season with lemon juice and olive oil. It is a great salad for breakfast!

Swiss Chard Stems with Eggs

(Yumurtalı Pazı Sapı)

Bunch of red Swiss chard stems, washed and cut in 1 cm long
1 small onion, sliced
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tbsp pickled hot pepper rings
2 eggs
Salt
Pepper

Garnish:
Cayenne pepper or red pepper

Saute the stems and onion with olive oil for 5-6 minutes. Stir in the hot pepper rings. Then, make room and break the eggs. When the egg white is cooked, remove it from the heat. Do not overcook the egg yolk!

Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Serve immediately as a breakfast or light meal with freshly baked Turkish bread.

Labne Cheese with Tomato Paste

(Labneli Domates Salçası)

Fresh tomato paste
Labne cheese
Oregano
Paprika
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Walnuts, crumbled, lightly roasted
Pine nuts, lightly roasted

Place the Labne cheese and tomato paste on the serving platter. Season with the oregano, paprika and a little salt. Sprinkle the nuts and drizzle extra virgin olive oil all over them. Serve with bread, pide or lavash bread on the side.

Eggs with Creamy Yogurt

(Tuzlu Yoğurtlu Yumurta - Hatay)

1 tsp butter
4-5 tbsp creamy yogurt
2 eggs
Salt
Red pepper flakes

Melt the butter in a small size pan at low heat. Add the creamy yogurt in it. Season with salt. Heat at low until the juice is absorbed. Make room and crack the eggs. Cover and when the egg white is cooked, remove it. Do not overcook the egg yolk!

Season with some red pepper flakes and serve the Eggs with Creamy Yogurt with freshly baked Turkish bread for breakfast or lunch.