Chicken Fajita.

Hello everybody.

Another full of events weekend,last night was the Henna party for our lovely bride Tara,lovely alive party and delicious food catered by Gourmet,wish the bride and groom an everlasting love and happiness. Today we’re invited to a wedding at the Four Seasons,best wishes to newlyweds as well!

Well lunch today was chicken fajita,very hot weather and dinner out needs a light lunch.

Ingredients and method:

* 1 large shredded boneless chicken breast.

* 1 shredded green or dry onion.

* shredded carrots.

* shredded colored peppers.

* fajita spices ready or homemade like the ones I made for quesadillas.

* pitta bread.

* marinate chicken in a bit of lemon juice or vinegar and 1 tablespoon of spices .

* heat some vegetable oil then add chicken and stir till dry and colored.

* add the onions,carrots and peppers and stir fry till all done.

* before serving add some sour cream or labaneh or avocado dip on the pitta bread then add chicken mix.

* wrap and toast a bit on the toaster.

Serve with simple lettuce vinaigrette salad or any of your choice.

Kushari and Baked Pumpkin.

Hello everybody.

Didn’t know what to cook today till late noon,as usual nobody gave an answer,as you wish they all said, I already wanted a no meat or chicken dish so choice was mujadara then I thought why not try to do kushari.

Kushari is a traditional Egyptian dish that you can find in special restaurants or even carts in the road all over Egypt, it’s healthy full of protein,very fulfilling yet light at the same time. It’s made of lentils,rice,chickpeas ( though I forgot them today) ,small pasta with hot tomato sauce and fried onions on top. In some recipes small pasta (شعيريه)is cooked with the rice and lentils or you can do without. This is the first time I cook it,turned out a success,everybody loved it.

I also roasted a pumpkin I have since last week with some garlic,lemon juice,rosemary,salt,pepper,herbs and olive oil.

Ingredients and method:

* 1 cup cooked brown lentils ( a new tip from my sister’s husband to soak it in green tea and cumin before cooking it so as not to reduce stomach bloating) .

* 1 cup rice.

* cooked chickpeas.

* cooked small size pasta, seasoned with salt and pepper.

* hot tomato sauce ( sauteed garlic,onions,1 can chopped tomato,cumin,salt,pepper,dried chili powder) all cooked together till thick.

* fried onions.

* cook rice with lentils as you make mjadara.

* before serving assemble all ingredients together as layers, rice and lentils,chickpeas,pasta,sauce then the onions.

Really yummy.

Shepherd Pie.

Hello everybody.

Feels like Autumn today,cold and cloudy,never had a Summer this strange,very cold at night and only few hot days.

Lunch today is a bit wintry but it suits the clouds!! it’s usually done cause it’s fulfilling and hot in cold days. I also made some mushroom soup with it .

Ingredients and method:

* cooked ground beef.

* chopped onions and garlic.

* some veggies,peas,carrots,corn and mushrooms.

* 3-4 boiled potatoes.

* soy sauce,ketchup and Worcestershire sauce ( i didn’t have it today so I used HP)

* bread crumbs.

* salt and pepper.

* Saute onions,garlic and meat in some oil or butter.

* add the veggies and sauces and simmer till done.

* mash the potatoes with some butter and milk,salt and pepper.

* pour the potatoes over the veggie meat mix.

* bake in a medium heated oven for 30-40 minutes.

* sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and toast.

* Serve hot with ketchup and salad.

Mloukhieh <3

Hello everybody.

Today early in the morning I picked my share of fresh mloukhieh that I usually buy from a lovely lady,all cleaned and packed ready to use,both kinds coarse and fine, and to store for all year long.

People differ in liking or not liking this dish,you may find some who simply love it like my uncle,who can eat it anytime or very frequently,and some who can’t eat it at all like my brother ! Well it’s a matter of taste,my opinion it’s a delicious meal specially with lemon juice,pickles and hot peppers,easy to do and a good solution sometimes if you’re in a hurry!

I also made eggplant fatteh,watermelon juice and usual soups.

Lamb Pasties.

Hello everybody.

Last night I remembered this recipe from my Greek cookbook, I always make it in Ramadan,light and easy, since I already have cooked meat cubes in the freezer so it’ll even be a super quick thing to do,suitable for crazy shopping Saturday.

Greeks do it with thin pastry and use lots of butter but I usually use puff pastry and omit butter completely.

Ingredients and method:

* cooked lamb cubes.

* squared puff pastry.

* small chopped onion.

* 2-3 cloves garlic.

* 2-3 cubed potatoes.

* feta cheese.

* saute onions,garlic and potatoes with some oil then add salt and pepper till golden and soft.

* spread the puff pastry a bit.

* add a cube of meat then a spoonful of potatoes.

* add a piece of feta cheese on top then close the pastry as a parcel.

* bake for 30-40 minutes in a low heat oven till pastries are puffed and golden.

* serve with sauteed veggies and salad.

See very quick and easy and tastes good as well 🙂

this is the book’s photo.

Shawerma Fatteh.

Hello everybody.

Last night my dear cousin Samar posted this dish she made for dinner,kindly she also posted the recipe which is perfect to do today with the lasagna leftovers, I needed something light and small and this was just it.

Remember I did meat shawerma before,you can use same spices and marinate for chicken also.

Ingredients and method:

* shredded chicken breasts.

* salt,pepper,all spice,pinch of cinnamon,cardamon,cloves.

* small tsp balsamic or white vinegar.

* sliced onions with summaq.

* chopped tomato.

* tahini sauce ( yogurt,tahini,lemon and salt mixed together)

* chopped parsley to garnish.

* fried or toasted pitta bread.

* saute chicken till almost done.

* add tomatoes and onions,cook all together till most water evaporates.

* line a deep dish with toasted pittas then add chicken mixture just before serving.

* add tahini sauce and parsley.

Thank you dear cousin for this recipe,a new addition to my cookbook “Samar’s Fatteh” great for Ramadan also.

Lamb Cubes with Honey and Saffron.

Hello everybody.

Today I had absolutely no idea what to cook at all,nobody gave me a clue what they want, I took out some lamb cubes to defrost and went out for an errand,then on my way back home I remembered this dish.

Since a I have new fresh saffron from Turkey,thought I’ll do this old recipe I have.As I recall this dish is from the Moroccan cuisine,I saw it in TV long time ago during Ramadan cooking programs,they called it “Qumama” or “عسليه” if I’m not wrong. I did search for it today but didn’t find a recipe with this name ,if anybody has an experience in Morroccan food or knowledge or heard about it please inform me.

It’s a very easy basic recipe with little ingredients but saffron and honey are a must.

Ingredients and method:

* lamb cubes.

* 2 large chopped onions.

* 2 chopped garlic cloves.

* 1 tsp saffron.

* 1 tablespoon honey.

* salt,pepper,all spice,cinnamon stick,cardamon seeds,bay leaves,and some cloves.

* In the pressure cooker or regular pan,saute meat till brownish then add onions and garlic.

* add all spices including saffron which must be soaked in some water before usage.

* add the honey then enough water to cover.

* cook for 20-30 minutes then transfer to a deep oven pan.

* put it in the oven on low heat till water is lessened and sauce is thick.

* keep stirring it while in the oven so that all meat pieces are well roasted from all sides.

* serve with rice or bread.

Though my family were surprised cause I usually make this dish only in Ramadan,but it was really good,enjoy 🙂

Lentils in Cooked Yoghurt (مقطعه ).

Hello again.

I’m sure many of you specially youngsters never heard of this dish. Actually it’s a very very old traditional dish from Irbid (Northern Jordan) our late grandmas used to make it whenever they have a leftover cooked yoghurt (jameed) after a mansaf.

Of course many people still do it nowadays but not like before. I still have some jameed from last lunch gathering so I called a dear auntie who still makes this dish and took the recipe. Thank you auntie Um Rakan, everybody loved it.

Ingredients and method:
* cooked yoghurt or jameed.
* 2 cups cooked brown lentils.
* 2-3 cups plain dough meaning only flour, salt and water. You can add a bit of instant yeast also.
* 2-3 thinly sliced onions.

* boil yoghurt then add lentils.
* devide dough to 4 parts then start rolling it to very thin pieces as wide and thin as you can.
* slice dough to thin stripes and keep adding flour so that they seperate.I used the pasta machine. Easier aa lot.
* add dough stripes to yoghurt mixture slowly and keep stirring so that they won’t clot.
* season with salt and pepper if needed.
* leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
* fry onions till brown and krispy to decorate dish in top.
* served hot.

Enjoy ♡♥♡♥

Cooked Brown Lentils (حراق اصبعه )

Hello everybody.

We’re ordering food today but thought I’ll do a side dish this is a Syrian appetizer, I always thought it’s hard to make or needs too much ingredients and steps..but then I found this basic recipe in an old book called ABC of cooking ( الف باء الطبخ),, been doing it since then by the book, very easy and nutritious.
Lentils are rich in iron and protein, can be a very good substitute for meat to vegetarians.

Ingredients and method:
* 1 cup brown lentils.
* 2-3 cloves garlic
* 3-4 onions.
* bunch of coriander.
* 1/2 cup lemon juice.
* 2 spoons pomegranate sauce ( دبس رمان ).
* 1 cup small size pasta.
* cubed fried pitta bread.
* salt, pepper, cumin powder.

* wash lentils then boil in 4 cups of water , add salt and 1 spoon cumin.
* add the pasta and leave to simmer till done.
* add lemon juice, pomegranate sauce.
* fry the onions in oil till golden.
* crush garlic and chop coriander then saute them in some oil.
* add half the amount of onions and garlic to lentil pasta mixture. Leave to simmer till it thickens and homogeneous. You might need to add some water.
* upon serving,, in a deep dish put some of the bread in the bottom.
*add the lentil mixture.
* decorate with the rest if garlic, onions and bread cubes.
* serve hot.