Middle Eastern chicken salad

I have no idea if this is actually Middle Eastern, but with the yogurt, mint, cumin and parsley... sure tasted like it to me!

2-3 cups rotisserie chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pot plain yogurt
1 small tart apple, chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 small handful chopped mint
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Let marinate 2-3 hours before serving.

You can serve it with crackers, as sandwich wraps in tortillas, in pita bread pockets, etc....

Chickpea falafel with cucumber yogurt sauce

I need to come clean up front and say that I'd never had falafel before making these, so had no idea what I was aiming to copy. I've since had falafel at an amazing Lebanese restaurant and would say that mine were close, but the shape was flatter, the consistency was smoother and more moist (less hush-puppy-ish), and the taste was more flavorful than those at the restaurant. Both were very good, but I think I'll stick with this version!

Falafel
1 large can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1/2 tsp dried garlic)
2-4 Tbsp tahini (opt)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup flour

Purée all ingredients with stick blender/blender/food processor. Shape into balls and flatten slightly with palms.

Pour just enough oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan. Heat to med-high and cook falafel 'patties', flipping once browned. This method is much healthier than the traditional deep fried version, but the taste is still wonderful because of the garlic, lemon juice and tahini.

Serve falafel hot with:
bunch of parsley, rinsed and chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
lemon slices
bunch of mint leaves
lettuce leaves
pita bread or Turkish bread

Taziki sauce
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped finely
1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Honey, fig and mint pizza

1 batch favorite pizza crust
1 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsps honey
5-6 figs, cut into wedges
thin slices of dried sausage
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
mozzarella

Make pizza dough according to instructions thru to spreading out on pizza stone or baking tray. Brush crust with milk and bake in hot oven at 425° until just golden.

Carmelize the onions in a frying pan with a few drops of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Cook over low heat until soft and translucent.

Remove crust from oven and brush with honey. Top with figs, carmelized onions, sausage and then mozzarella.

Bake for another 15 minutes. Sprinkle freshly cut mint over top. Salt lightly and serve hot.

Spicy marinated Moroccan carrots

There are many variations on this Moroccan salad called 'Salatat al-Jazar', including both hot and cold varieties. I chilled this one, but we actually preferred it at room temperature. Definitely a new favorite!

1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 clove garlic, pressed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
fresh mint leaves (opt)

First, make the dressing.

Place the carrots in a saucepan, cover with water and add pressed garlic clove. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat about 5 minutes, just until the carrots are crisp-tender. Do not to overcook.

Drain the carrots and place in a bowl. Toss with the dressing right away. Let marinate at room temperature a few hours, or refrigerate overnight and bring to room temperature. Snip mint leaves over top, then serve.

Kendra's hummus with roasted eggplant

Here's the recipe I make every week...and it disappears every week! It's super cheap and takes 5 minutes and is soooo good. My good friend Kendra gave me the recipe. It pretty much sealed the friendship :)

1 large can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1/2 tsp dried garlic)
1/6 cup water
2-4 Tbsp tahini (opt)
1 Tbsp olive oil
pinch salt
Lemon juice - start with 1/2 lemon and add to taste
1 eggplant, roasted and scooped from peel*

Dump. Purée with stick blender/blender/food processor. Dip.

* The eggplant is optional but SO stinkin' good. It's so creamy. Just wrap the eggplant in foil (well!) and toss it in the oven the next time you bake something. When it soft, it's done. Let cool completely in foil, then unwrap and add to hummus.

Chawarmas de Rodaïna

The other day I was craving the Lebanese chawarmas I grew up eating in West Africa. I got this recipe below from a childhood friend. this is as authentic as it gets! I've translated her recipe, and at the end of the post is the version I adapted from hers based on ingredients I had on hand.

Pour 1kg de viande de boeuf émincé:
2 tomates émincées
2 oignons émincés
1 filet de vinaigre de vin
1 filet d'huile végétale
2 cuil à café de 7 épices
du sel

Bien faire mariner la viande avec tous ces ingrédientspendant 1h avant de l'enfourner pendant 1/2 heure.

For 2.2 lbs of chopped beef:
2 chopped tomatoes
2 chopped onions
splash of red wine vinegar
splash vegetable oil
1 tsp 7 spice mix
salt

Marinate meat with the ingredients above for 1 hour before baking in the oven for 30 minutes.



Pour la sauce (le tarator):
2 cuil à soupe de Tahiné à diluer dans le jus d'1 gros citron et 1 grand verre d'eau
du sel
un peu de persil haché

For the sauce, called tarator:
2 tsp tahini diluted in the juice of a large lemon and 1 cup water. Salt to taste. Chopped parsley.


Adapted recipe



For the meat:
1 turkey leg, roasted and meat pulled off the bone
1 tsp spice mix (cloves, cinnamon, thym, black pepper and ginger)
1 tomato, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil

Toss turkey with oil, vinegar and spices. Spread out on a baking sheet and layer onions and tomatoes on top. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.


Crushing spices

Toppings:
1 tomato, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
sliced cucumber (opt)
dill pickle (opt)
mint leaves (opt)



Tarator sauce:
1 Tbsp tahini
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Blend well.

Serve with fresh pita bread. Place turkey down the center, then add toppingss and tarator. Roll up like a burrito and go to town!

Borders family pita sandwiches

1-2 sliced smoked or Italian sausages
1 medium carrot, cut into thin rounds
1 large zucchini, cut into thin rounds
1-2 sliced red bell peppers
1 sliced onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
¼ c Italian dressing
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
Goat cheese (or feta)
Pita bread

Heat a non-stick skillet to med-high. Cook sausage and carrot slices in Italian dressing for 3-4 minutes. Add remaining veggies and sauté until tender crisp. Sprinkle on vinegar or lemon juice. Serve in pita bread pockets with goat cheese.

Grilled shish kebabs with Merguez

4 Merquez sausages* cut into inch long pieces
2 onions, halved then quartered
1 red pepper, rinsed and seeded, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 slender zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds
4 skewers

Start the grill and get some coals going.

Skewer the veggies and sausage, alternating to get a nice mixture on each. Don't pack them too tightly. - just touching is good.

Grill the kebabs, rotating to cook evenly, until the veggies start to soften a little and the edges are nicely done.

*Merguez is a sausage originating from North Africa that is made from lamb or beef, paprika, cayenne, or harissa, a hot chili paste that gives it a red color.

Cool cucumber tabouleh

This one is a spin-off from traditional tabouleh salad. It's very refreshing and light, perfect for picnics.

1/2 cup bulghur, medium
1/2 of an English cucumber, chilled
1/3 golden raisins
juice from 1/2 lemon
10-15 fresh mint leaves
2 tsp olive oil

Soak bulghur in cold water for 20 minutes or until soft. Squeeze out excess water from bulghur using hands or paper towel.

Soak the raisins in hot water for about five minutes to allow them to plump up. Drain well.

Cut the cucumber into quartered strips (like a pickle spear) and then slice them into small pieces.

Pour the bulghur into a serving bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice over it. Using kitchen scissors, snip the mint into the bowl. Stir in the raisins and cucumbers. Toss well. Taste and add more of of something if it's missing!

Serve immediately or, if you prefer, chill first.

Lebanese tabouleh salad

Tabbouleh is the national Lebanese dish. In Syria and in Lebanon it is often eaten by scooping it up in Romaine lettuce leaves. In the Middle East, it is truly a salad with the green ingredients dominating. In North Africa it is made with couscous in place of bulgur.



2 bunches of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp of fresh mint, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
6 ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup bulghur, medium
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil

lettuce leaves (optional)
pita bread (optional)

Optional add-ins: chopped cucumber, chickpeas, chopped bell pepper, lentils, chopped green onions, cinnamon, allspice, crushed garlic


Bulghur, fine grain

Soak bulghur in cold water for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until soft.. Squeeze out excess water from bulghur using hands or paper towel. Combine all ingredients, stirring to mix. Serve immediately or, if you prefer, chill first.

Serve tabouleh on a bed of lettuce, accompanied by extra lettuce leaves, lemon wedges and warm pita bread.

Roasted eggplant dip

Also known as Baba Ghanoush, this Middle Eastern dip is made from roasted eggplant and eaten with pita bread.

2 large eggplants (about 2 lbs)
3 Tbsp olive oil + a little more
2 garlic cloves, crushed
juice from one lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
parsley

Rinse the eggplants and dry well. Rub with olive oil. Poke small holes into them so the steam will be able to escape. Place in a baking dish, then in a preheated oven at 475°.

Roast until very tender, about 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Once the eggplants have 'deflated' remove and let cool.




Scoop the flesh out of the dark skin. Combine olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Pulse with stick blender until the eggplant for a few seconds until smoother, but still textured.

Let the dip sit for an hour. Taste, then season with lemon juice and garlic as needed. Serve with pita bread, crackers, baguette or veggie sticks.

Bulgur and wild rice pilaf

1 cup wild rice
1 cup long grain brown rice
1 cup bulgur
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup diced celery
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
6 dried apricots, coarsely chopped
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
3 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp chicken bouillon
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions until soft and translucent. Add garlic, mushrooms and celery, cooking until fragrant. Set onions and garlic aside.

Heat another Tbsp of oil. Stir in the rices and bulgur. When rice grains become clear, pull off heat.

In a large saucepan, combine rices and bulgur with onions, mushrooms, celery, garlic and chopped apricots. Add water to cover, plus an additional 3/4 inch. Sprinkle in bouillon and herbs. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let cook, covered, until all liquid has been absorbed. Check for doneness once absorbed. If still a bit hard, add another 1/2cup water. Cook another 10 minutes, then check again.

Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Spiced butternut squash stew

I admit the photo doesn't do much for me either - but this stew is amaaaazing. Such an exciting blend of tastes (sweet, spicy, savory and tangy) that it's really not like anything else I've ever had.

1 lb pork roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Hungarian paprika
1 tsp beef bouillon
dash ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
1-2 carrots, sliced into rounds
2 cups cooked white beans or chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 large tomato, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
Salt
1/4 cup lemon juice (crucial - do not skip this!)

Sprinkle pepper on the meat. In a large skillet (with tight-fitting lid), heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil. Add the meat and cook over mediumheat, stirring, until all the juices evaporate, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook stirring, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Add tomato paste, 1 Tbsp of paprika and 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring until the mixture begins to carmelize. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes.

Add the squash, beans, tomato, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and enough water to just cover the ingredients. Cover and cook until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

Using a ladle, pull off as much liquid as you can into a deep container. Add about 1 cup of cooked squash pieces and lemon juice. Puree using a stick blender (or electric mixer). Pour back into stew - and you're ready to serve!

Beef tagine coucous

This recipe originally called for lamb and the addition of turmeric, which I didn't have. It did not call for carrots or prunes, but we had both and thought, "why not?". In the end, we prefered the prunes over the apricots. I tweaked a few amounts of ingredients to our taste, but overall this is a basic beef tagine. Serves two, ready in two hours.

1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, diced
1 lb beef, cubed

Spice mix:
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder

Sauce ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 carrots, sliced into rounds
small handful dried apricots, chopped
small handful raisins
4-5 prunes, pitted
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp beef bouillon
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup water
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt to taste

Mix together the spices and coat the meat.



Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the onions well, then add the meat. Stir often until nicely browned. Add all remaining sauce ingredients. Stir well, bringing to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer 1-2 hours or until the meat is very tender. Serve over coucous.

Middle Eastern pita bread

Major advantage of this recipe: bread in under an hour. The yeast is used for flavor, not as a rising agent.

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp yeast
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 3/4 cups flour
3 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a baking sheet or pizza stone in the oven.

Heat water to about 110 degrees (hot, but not so hot that you can't keep your finger in it) in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar, then yeast. Let sit about 10 minutes or until foamy. Whisk in olive oil. Add flour one cup at a time. When it forms a ball, pulling away from bowl, turn it out onto a floured surface. Knead well until smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Cover gently with plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes.

Knead in salt. Cut into 12 pieces and shape into balls. Cover again and let sit another 20 minutes.
Cut a piece of aluminum foil about 8x8 inches. Spray lightly with olive oil.



Roll out one piece to the thickness of a slice of processed cheese. Gently lift up the dough and place it on the foil. Put it in the hot oven on the baking sheet or stone. Let cook about 5-8 minutes or until puffed and brown. Once browned pull it out and immediately put it in a sealed ziplock bag. This will soften the bread as it cools to make it chewy rather than tough.



Repeat 11 times.

Fresh cucumber salad

1 English cucumber, chilled
1-2 purple onions
1 round fresh goat cheese (chevre)
Balsamic vinegar

Wash the cucumber well. Peel strips off, making stripes of green and white. Slice the cucumber thinly and place in a bowl. Peel and slice onions, adding to cucumber. Pour about 1-2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar, or to taste. Toss to coat. Sprinkle on goat cheese and serve.