Couscous tabouleh with avocado

1 bunch of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
4 Tbsp of fresh mint, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
3 ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2-3 cups cooked couscous, cooled
1 avocado, chopped
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



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.

Cucumber water

My sister-in-law introduced me to this drink: cucumber slices in water. It's so easy, so refreshing, and a great way to get me to drink more water!

1 glass cool water
2-4 slices of cucumber

Voilà!

Marinated mushrooms with red peppers

1 pound white button mushrooms, rinsed and trimmed, cut into quarters
1/2 red pepper, chopped
3-4 Tbsp Italian dressing
black pepper to taste
snipped fresh basil and/or fresh mint (optional)

Toss well in a large bowl. Let marinate 20 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally.

French toast with apricot compote

Yum!

Compote:
8-10 apricots, pitted and cut into slices
1/6 cup sugar
3 Tbsp oranje juice

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer 10 minutes.

Toast:
6 slices stale bread
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 pat butter

Break eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate; beat lightly with a fork. Stir in milk and vanilla.

Over medium-low heat, heat a little of the butter in a skillet.

Place a slice of bread in the egg mixture for a few seconds, then carefully turn to coat the other side. Transfer the egg-soaked bread to the skillet., cooking it slowly until bottom is golden brown. Turn and brown the other side. Repeat with remaining slices.

Serve French toast hot with apricot compote poured over it.

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.

Grandgarden salad

big handful of mixed lettuces
1 ripe tomato, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
6-8 mint leaves, snipped
2 rounds fresh goat cheese
freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tsp Italian dressing


Garden fresh!

Baked pork chops and wild rice

Mmmm... comfort food!

6 bone-in pork chops
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
2 onions, peeled and quartered
1 cup brown rice
1/4 wild rice
1/4 cup quinoa
2 Tbsp onion soup mix
1 packet dried mushroom soup mix
1 tsp sage
3 cups water

In a large baking dish mix together rices, quinoa, soup mixes and sage. Add water and stir. Place pork chops on top of rice, then add carrots and onions over them. Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 1 hour. If it begins to dry out, add more water (1/4 cup at a time). The onions and carrots should roast and brown. if they start getting too done, cover dish with aluminum foil.

Thin-crust pizza margherita

We make pizza every Friday, sometimes more often during the summer when I don't feel like slaving over a hot oven. By my estimates, I've made more than 300 pizza crusts in the past four years. We decided to try a thin crust pizza recently and are hooked! Bonus: it can be made in about an hour.

What you'll need:
a large bowl
strong spatula or wooden spoon
2 tsp sugar or 3 tsp honey
2 1/4 tsp yeast
11/4 cup warm water
3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp oil
paper towel
pizza stone or baking sheet

Pour the water into your large bowl.



Heat in the microwave to about 120 degrees, or until hot to the touch, but you can stand to keep your pinkie finger in it.



Dissolve the sugar/honey in the hot water.



Pour in the yeast.





Let stand 5 minutes or until 'fireworks' bubble to the top of the water.



Wait until the entire surface is covered with foam. Stir well to dissolve any remaining yeast granules on the bottom of your bowl.





Add half of the flour, stirring until blended. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to get it all mixed in. Your dough should have a batter-like consistency.

Add another cup of flour and stir until mixed in completely.



Sprinkle salt on the dough. Using the spatula, lift the dough up from the bottom and fold it over the top to trap the salt within the dough.



Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.





Knead until smooth and elastic (about 4 minutes). Add 1 Tbsp of flour at a time as needed to keep it from sticking. When you can knead it ten times without sticking to your hands, it's probably ready.



Shape it into a ball.



Place dough in a large bowl coated with oil, turning to coat top. Cover lightly with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for 15 seconds. Repeat ten minutes later, and again ten minutes later. During this time, preheat the broiler.

Cut dough in half and roll out on parchment paper. Thin, thin, thin!





Top with marinara sauce and cheese.



Broil for 7-10 minutes until browned. Snip basil over the pizza.

Spiced carrot zucchini bread

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 cup purée carrots
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs

Combine flour and the next 5 ingredients (through cloves) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add shredded zucchini to flour mixture; toss well. Combine canola oil, buttermilk, carrot purée and eggs in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined.

Pour batter into a loaf pan coated. Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack then remove from pan.

Lait caillé potato salad

3 large potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2-3/4 cup lait caillé (or plain yogurt)
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
pinch of salt

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Cover, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook 6-10 minutes until just softened, but still firm. Drain water and spread potatoes out on a baking sheet to cool.

In a large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust as needed.

Once potatoes have stopped steaming, pour them into the bowla nd stir to coat. Chill well before serving.

Basil shrimp scampi

Oh. yum.

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/6 cup butter
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt to taste

Rinse shrimp and set aside. Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic 1 or 2 minutes or until softened but not browned. Add shrimp, green onions, wine and lemon juice; cook until shrimp are pink and firm, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Do not overcook. Add chopped basil and salt before serving.

Fresh spring rolls

1 zucchini, grated
1 carrot, grated
1/4 head cabbage, grated finely
1/4 cup fresh herbs (basil, mint, and cilantro are great!)
5-6 green onions, chopped
1-2 cup glass Vermicelli noodles (cooked, drained, cut and cooled)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
pinch ground ginger

1 head leaf lettuce, washed
Spring roll rice papers (galettes de riz)





Toss together all ingredients together (except lettuce and wrappers) in large bowl. Submerge wrappers in hot water until pliable, about 15 seconds. Place about 2 tablespoons of vegetable mix on wrapper and roll them like a burrito.

Place on lettuce leaves to serve (and keep from sticking!). Serve with a dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce recipes

French toast with zucchini bread

Cut one loaf of zucchini bread into 1/2 inch slices.

In a pie plate, mix:
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of cinnamon

Melt 1 tsp butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Dip zucchini bread slices in mixture to coat both sides. Place coated pieces in pan, frying until brown on both sides.

Serve with...all kinds of stuff! Powdered sugar, maple syrup, sliced fruit, sauce caramel, whipped cream, crème fraîche...

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!

Albondigas soup

This came from Simply Recipes, my favorite recipe site.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup of tomato sauce (I used more)
3 quarts of chicken stock or beef stock OR water
2 large carrots, sliced
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup of raw white rice
1 raw egg
1/2 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves and/or parsley
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cup of frozen or fresh peas
Dried oregano, crumbled
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in large (5 qt) heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and broth mixture. Bring to boil and simmer. Add carrots and string beans.

Prepare meatballs. Mix rice into meat, adding mint land parsley leaves, salt and pepper. Add raw egg. Form beef into 1-inch meatballs.

Return soup to gentle simmer. Add meatballs to soup, one at a time. Cover and let simmer for 1/2 hour. Add peas towards the end of the 1/2 hour. Add a few pinches of oregano and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish soup with chopped fresh cilantro.

Play-dough

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons of cream of tartar
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 cup salt
2 cups boiling water
food coloring

Mix together the first four ingredients in a bowl. Pour in boiling water over it and stir with the strong wooden spoon. Once cool enough to handle, knead well. You can add a few drops of food coloring if you want .

Asian cucumber soup

2 English cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tsp chicken bouillon

Dissolve the chicken bouillon in 1.5 litres of water. in a large saucepan. Heat to boiling, then add the chicken. Cook for five minutes. Add cucumbers. Cook until just soft.

That's it! Trust me - it's surprisingly good and every bit as simple as it sounds.

Aunt Betty Ann's broccoli salad

I set out to recreate my Mom's brocoli salad, a recipe she got from her Aunt Betty Ann. The end result omitted the Cheddar cheese, used my father-in-law's recipe for coleslaw dressing (plus 1/4 cup buttermilk and 1/4 cup sour cream), added carrots and cabbage. (Oh, and I blanched the broccoli for 20 seconds to perk up the color a bit.)

1-2 heads broccoli, cut into florets, raw or blanched
1/2 cup chopped onion, red onion if you have it
6-8 slices bacon, well-cooked and crumbled
2-3 carrots, grated
1 rib celery, chopped
1 wedge cabbage, chopped

Dressing: Whisk until smooth.
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream or crème fraîche
1/2 tsp yellow mustard
freshly ground pepper

Mix vegetables. Pour dressing over top and stir until coated. Refrigerate at least two hours. Kiss your fingers and say 'Mwah!'

Sweet and sour chicken

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 green pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced into 8-12 wedges
1 can pineapple chunks or rings, with juice
1 Tbsp oil

Sweet and sour sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice from can
1/4 cup ketchup

First, make the make sweet and sour sauce. In a large frying pan, mix vinegar, sugar, salt, orange juice, pineapple juice and ketchup. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until it has evaporated to the consistency of maple syrup. Add pineapple chunks to the sauce and set aside.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cook in frying pan until no pink remains. Add green and red peppers, carrot and onions for three minutes. Add to sweet and sour sauce and heat.

Serve the chicken over hot white rice, with sweet and sour sauce pour over the top.

Buttermilk oven-fried chicken

I was looking for a recipe for oven-fried chicken that a) didn't have a crumb coating à la Shake-n-bake, b) wasn't a pain to make, c) taste like real fried chicken. Tada! This recipe from Cooking Light is it.

1 cup low-fat buttermilk
4 bone-in chicken breast halves or legs, skinned
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup finely crushed crackers OR biscottes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 425°.

To prepare chicken, combine buttermilk and chicken in a shallow dish, turning to coat.

Combine flour and crushed biscottes in a shallow dish. Transfer chicken from buttermilk to a work surface. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Working with one chicken breast half at a time, dredge chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess; set aside. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken and flour mixture.

Melt butter in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan, meat side down; cook 4 minutes or until golden brown. Turn chicken over, and bake at 425° for 32 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°.