Latest Banan Cooking Orders.

Hello everybody.

Sorry for the delay in posting new stuff, lots of work and events.

I’d like to show you my latest orders, many cakes, trays and cookies.

Made two lovely Lemon Velvet cakes with berries on top, really loved them

and these two all fruits tart and mini baked cheesecakes.

with some with chocolate, recipe same as knafeh cheesecake but different toppings.

Another lemon velvet with shivered almonds and berries

A selection of cookies for a charity bazaar in my hometown including rock cookies,oatmeal and cranberries, ginger raisin, aniseed and brownies.

and last thing was a colorful healthy cheese platter and sandwiches for a breakfast.

Beetroot Hummus.

Hello everybody.

Boiled some beetroots yesterday , it’s the season you know, so today I searched for something new to make with them other than salads .Since I have a box of ready made hummus this mix seemed a good option.

Mix is so easy ,all together in the food processor :

*boiled beetroots.( I used 2 large ones)

* half cup of hummus or 1 cup boiled chickpeas.

*1 tablespoon tahini sauce.

*1 tablespoon lemon juice.

*1 tsp of each, salt, cumin and chili powder.

*1 clove garlic.

That’s it! see super easy especially if you have ready hummus. By the way one can find many kinds and flavors of them these days, all good .

you can decorate dish with anything you like, today a added spring onions, sesame and black seeds.

A really healthy cheerful dish that works great as dip with chips or veggies and of course a great option for kids as a trick to eat healthy stuff.

Anise Biscuits ( قرشله).

Hello everybody.

Woke up to an empty cookie jar this morning, something that rarely happens in our house!

Well though I was busy preparing today’s order which was steak with mushrooms along with mashed potatoes, lasagna, chicken pie and rocca mushroom and pomegranate salad. I searched my old cookbook for something light and healthy to refill the jar.

Came across this old recipe from a dear aunt, anise biscuits or what we call in Arabic ( قرشله), though they’re always available in all bakeries but homemade ones are definitely different.

Ingredients are very basic and simple, all done in minutes. I wonder why I don’t do them often!

Ingredients and method :

* 4 eggs.

* 1 cup sugar.

* 1 cup vegetable oil ( or half olive oil and half vegetable)

* 1 tsp vanilla.

* 3 tablespoons anise seeds.

* 2 tablespoons sesame seeds.

* 1 tsp baking powder.

* 4 cups flour.

* Beat eggs and sugar well till creamy

* add vanilla, anise seeds and sesame.

* add oil.

* add baking powder and flour.

* Beat all well till dough is smooth.

* you can either shape dough as logs or circles as you wish, I formed it as a log, rolled it in sesame seeds then cut them to one inch circles.

* bake in a medium heated oven for 20 minutes or till bottom is golden.

* roast surface a bit till biscuits are dry and golden.

And since I was in the baking mood, I did some raisin oatmeal cookies, all so yummy 😋

Here’s the recipe but I didn’t use cranberries today:

Ingredients and method:
* 1 egg.
* 1/2 cup brown or regular sugar.
* 1/2 cup red currents.
* 1/2 cup raisins.
* 1/2 cup crushed walnuts and almonds.
* 3/4 cup butter.
* 3/4 cup oatmeal.
* 3/4 cup flour.
* 1 tsp baking powder.
* 1 tsp vanilla.
* pinch of salt.
* cinnamon and ginger powder.

* beat butter with sugar till creamy then add egg and vanilla.
* mix all dry ingredients together.
* mix batter with dry ingredients to form a firm dough.
* scoop a small spoonful and line them on an oven tray .
* bake in a medium heated oven for 10-15 minutes.

Old and New Vegetarian Dishes.

Hello everybody.

Today is no meat or chicken day, a break is in need sometimes.

One dish was a new recipe, steamed broccoli flowers with garlic tahini sauce on top and a sprinkle of summaq,though all said sauteed is much nicer but it’s not bad, healthy and light.

The other was my favorite “Chili Potatoes” my kind of dish,hot with some lemon juice, great with the stuffed pickled peppers .

Ingredients and method of chili potatoes.

3-4 large potatoes peeled and cut to medium sized cubes.
2 cloves garlic minced.
1 bunch of fresh coriander.
salt,pepper,paprika,chili powder.

* deep fry the potatoes till golden.

* when still hot season with salt,pepper,paprika and chili.

saute garlic in some olive oil till golden then add potatoes and mix all well.
leave on to cook together over very low heat for 10 minutes.
add fresh chopped coriander just before serving.

nice combination.

chili potatoes.

Artichoke Cherry Tomato Chicken.

Hello everybody.

Another new chicken recipe today since I have lots of cherry tomatoes so this one is the choice.

Chicken breasts seasoned with salt, pepper, herbs then sautéed in some olive oil.When almost done add the tomatoes and artichokes.

Leave all to simmer for 20 minutes then sprinkle with parmesan cheese and roast a bit in the oven.

Healthy light and easy.

simple three ingredient dish.

Healthy Lunch For Two.

Hello everybody.

Only me and youngest son are home for lunch and since he started going to the gym again a healthy high protein is needed.

Skinless chicken breasts with veggies sauteed in some olive oil, garlic and oregano.

Did a salad and corn on the side.

Light No Bake Fruit Cheesecake.

Hello everybody.

It’s Summer time, fruits of various kinds and colors are abundant everywhere, this morning I got some fresh from the farm peaches on my way back from the lovely town Fuheis where we had a nice breakfast.

Back home I decided to try this dessert, kind of my own invention, small cups of no bake cheesecake with fruits on top,so yummy and light great in this hot weather.

Ingredients and method :

# crust :
# 1/2 pack of plain biscuits.
# 2 tablespoons oats.
#2 tablespoons coconut.
# 1 big tablespoon butter.
# 1 tsp jam.

Mix all these together till crumbly.

# cheese layer :
# 1 pack cream cheese.
# 1 pack cream ( قشطه)
# 1/2 cup caster sugar.
# 1 tablespoon butter.
# 2 tablespoons labaneh.

Mix all ingredients together till creamy.

# put some crust in small bowls or cups.
# add cheese filling.
# top with any fruits you like.
# keep in fridge for couple of hours then serve.

Oh and lunch was regular kofta with vegetables and a big salad.

elegant for a dinner or lunch party.

Try it,really good you won’t regret.

Lovely Authentic Gifts.

Hello everybody.
Nothing feels better than a genuine real gift right from the source and these past couple of days were full of them thank God.

When my mother in-law asked me what to bring you from Beirut told her nothing but an original bottle of pure rose water from the famous shop Al-Hallab, you can smell the fresh roses once you pop the cork, really different than commercial ones,and as usual she got us a box of plain pistachio filled marzipan or lozina as they call it,my favorites.

Another original thing is Chinese tea brought by my sister who’s here on vacation from China, again it’s much more fresh and aromatic than ones in stores and perfect with green mint and few drops of rosewater,couldn’t be happier.
Thank you lovely ladies for the good stuff

simply the best.

green tea with mint and rosewater.

Family Flavors January Post.

Hello everybody.

Family Flavors magazine January issue is in market now, in it you can find many interesting topics and recipes for kids and adults.

My contribution this month and hopefully months ahead will be a calender planner and some recipes plus one healthy recipe for kids.

So hurry up go buy your copy now<3

Homemade Applesauce.

Hello everybody.

Applesauce is a puree made from peeled or unpeeled apples and spices,it has several uses as a side sauce with meat,in cakes or to add flavor to yogurts or ice creams or simply as baby food.

A very good use is a substitute for oil or butter in cakes so you can make a very healthy kind of cake by reducing both oil and sugar in ingredients. That’s why when I looked at the apples in my fruit basket that everyone refused to eat I thought of applesauce, why waste them right? will search for a good recipe for it tomorrow.

Lunch was Mujadara with burnt onions and salad.

Mujadara (lentils and rice) healthy easy dish.

finely chopped tomato onion mint salad is the usual one done with it.

Ingredients and method:

* 4-5 big apples.

* 1 1/2 cups water.

* 2 lemon slices.

* 1 tsp cinnamon.

* pinch of nutmeg.

* pinch of salt.

* Mix all ingredients and leave to boil and simmer till apples are tender.

* remove lemon slices.

* puree mixture in blender then sieve to remove rough parts and peel.

* store in a clean glass jar in fridge.

See very easy healthy useful thing to do with extra apples 🙂

applesauce.

final product.

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

healthy

Latest Banan Cooking Orders.

Like this:

Beetroot Hummus.

Like this:

Old and New Vegetarian Dishes.

Like this:

Artichoke Cherry Tomato Chicken.

Like this:

Healthy Lunch For Two.

Like this:

Light No Bake Fruit Cheesecake.

Like this:

Lovely Authentic Gifts.

Like this:

Family Flavors January Post.

Like this:

Homemade Applesauce.

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