Eggs are a wise choice in everyone’s diet – especially that of pregnant women as eggs contain choline, a nutrient essential for the development of a baby’s brain. Yet, despite the well-known benefits of choline during pregnancy, a Bloemfontein study found that more than eight in ten expectant mothers eat less than the recommended amounts of choline each day.
The egg yolk is where much of the choline is contained, so it is important to not toss the yellow.
Eggs are great for babies, too. One study found that 148 babies ranging from ages six to nine months old, from a low-income community, and who were fed one egg a day for six months had higher intakes of protein, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, cholesterol, phosphorous, vitamins B5, B7, B12, D, E, and iron than babies in the study who did not eat eggs. Additionally, none of these babies developed an egg allergy.
Here is a great, easy recipe:
Egg and Rice Baked Peppers
Serves: 4.
Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
- Leftover rice, samp or other small grains can be used as a filling in this recipe,
- 2 large peppers, halved and deseeded,
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil,
- 500 ml (2 cups) cooked rice,
- 4 eggs,
- a 400 g can of spicy tomato and onion mix or Sheba sauce, and
- fresh, chopped herbs to garnish.
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the pepper halves in a casserole dish and drizzle with olive oil. Spoon the cooked rice into the pepper halves.
- Pour 125 ml (½ cup) of water into the bottom of the pan, cover with foil and bake in preheated oven until the peppers are soft and the rice is heated throughout, roughly 15 to 20 minutes.
- Using the back of a spoon, make an indentation into the rice and crack an egg into each indentation. Spoon tomato and onion mix around the peppers.
- Bake uncovered until the eggs are cooked to your liking and the sauce is heated throughout, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Find more recipes at sapoultry.co.za.
