Fool Proof Rice Pudding ارز بالحليب

Rice pudding is a decadent dessert enjoyed all over the Middle East. This recipe is fool proof, you just can't go wrong with it. Don't even bother trying those recipes that tell you to cook the rice in the milk (it never will and you'll end up with undercooked rice), or to add the sugar in the beginning (it will prevent your rice from having that melt in your mouth texture).

Anyone out there who knows how make rice pudding will give you a slightly different variation. I came up with this recipe after many different attempts. My goal was to achieve a rice pudding that is not too thick or too thin, not too sweet, and that has a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Here it goes...

Ingredients:
scant 1/2 cup short grain/Egyptian rice
1 1/2 cups water
4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sugar (or honey if you prefer)
dash of mastic gum (optional) or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- In a large sauce pan heat rice and water until they come to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is fully cooked.
-In another sauce pan, heat the milk. Don't bring it to a boil just make sure it's nice and warm before you add it to the cooked rice.
-Add milk to cooked rice. The water would've reduced by now and even if your rice is still wet it's ok. That water has the starch in it and it will help thicken the pudding.
-Cook the rice and milk on medium heat for about 45-60 minutes while constantly stirring with a wooden spoon. You don't have to stand and stir the whole time but every once in a while to make sure it doesn't stick.
-The rice and milk mixture will start to thicken. Once its reached the consistency you like then proceed to add the sugar and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Add a dash of ground mastic gum or the vanilla extract if you like.
-Pour into small bowls or into a large dish and let cool at room temperature. You can decorate your pudding with golden raisins, a sprinkle of cinnamon or any nuts of your choice. We like to keep it simple in our home and we usually stick to raisins and cinnamon.
-You can cover it and store it in the fridge for about a week but I doubt it'll last that long!

Vegetarian Harira (hareera) Soup حريره

Harira is a Moroccan soup that is traditionally made with lamb/beef. My recipe is simple, delicious, and doesn't necessarily call for any meat/meat broth but you can use it if you want to!

Ingredients:
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, minced
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 handful brown lentils
1 handful red lentils
1 quart vegetable broth
1 large handful chickpeas (or half of a 15 oz. can)
1 handful vermicelli noodles
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 can diced tomatoes, or 4 large tomatoes diced


- sauté onion in olive oil until golden brown, add carrots and celery and sauté for another 3 minutes or so.
- add lentils, broth, and spices. Bring to a boil, then simmer while covered for half an hour. Check on your soup, if it's too thick you can add more water or broth. Add chickpeas, vermicelli, cilantro, parsley, and tomatoes. Simmer for another half an hour and your soup should be ready!
- remember to add broth or water if the soup is too thick for your liking. You can also add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste to intensify the taste. There's no right or wrong way, be creative and enjoy :)

- to make this into a meal, you may like to make some couscous next to it and put a tablespoon or two in each bowl when you serve it.

Roasted Eggplant Salad

I really wanted to make Baba Ghanouj (or baba ghanoush) today but I wasn't in the mood for tahini. So I made up a recipe!

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
1 beef steak tomato, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 sprigs of green onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1.4 cup of finely chopped parsley
olive oil
salt (to taste)
a dash of Sumac spice for decoration
1-2 tsp. Pomegranate Molasses or apple cider vinegar (you can start with 1 and add more if you like it more tangy)

-Preheat oven to 400. Wash and dry eggplant, then poke holes with a knife in it (I did one  or two on each side). Bake eggplant for 40-60 minutes or until the skin starts to brown. Mine took 40 minutes. Let the eggplant cool.
-After the eggplant has cooled, peel off the skin on top with your hands then scoop all the pulp out with a spoon and into a bowl. Try not to mush it too much. I used my kitchen sheers to cut the eggplant into medium/small chunks but I didn't mash it.
-Heat some olive oil in a pan, add the onions and fry until they start to brown. Then add the garlic, and in about a minute you can add the tomato. Once the water from the tomato starts to reduce (in about 5 minutes on medium high heat) add the pepper. Saute until the pepper is a bit tender (about 5 minutes).
-Remove mixture from heat then toss over eggplant. Add parsley, salt, sumac, another drizzle of olive oil and the vinegar or molasses. Toss together gently and enjoy! :)

This salad goes really well with kabobs. 

Blackbean Salad

I'm on a temporary carb-fast. I'm avoiding bread, rice, pasta, grains of all kinds, and sugar. That means no processed foods, nothing with added sugar. I'm doing it to retrain my taste buds not to crave something sweet after every meal, and to cut down on the amounts of carbs that I have every day. I've never been a big carb eater in general but lately I've been having a sandwich for lunch more often than a salad and I knew that had to change. 

I made this salad today next to my roasted chicken dinner. I usually make rice, but today I had salad instead and not only was it delicious but also very satisfying!

Ingredients:

1 cup sweet corn, steamed from frozen organic corn

1 cup cooked black beans (you can also used canned, choose cans without bpa lining if possible)

1 cup chopped parsley

2 green onions with stems, finely chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1 English cucumber, finely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

1 lemon juiced

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

- Mix all ingredients and save in fridge until ready to eat. This salad gets tastier the longer it stays! Enjoy with some ripe avocado and a grilled protein of your choice :)

Chocolate Banana Muffins (gluten free)

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 TBs melted butter (or coconut oil)
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup almond meal 
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 cup chocolate chunks/chips

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with liners, or grease with butter or coconut oil.
2. Beat bananas until well mashed in bowl of electric mixer or with hand mixer.
3. Add oil, honey, egg, and vanilla, and beat on medium until well combined. 
4. Add almond meal, coconut flour, cacao powder, baking soda, and baking powder and beat on low until well combined. Stir in ¼ cup of chocolate chips. Scoop batter into the prepared muffin liners. 
5. Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

(adapted from http://www.yummymummykitchen.com/2013/10/paleo-chocolate-banana-muffins.html)

Honey Banana Bread

I've tried numerous Banana Bread recipes in the past, and they were all delicious. Banana Bread is one of those things that you just can't mess up. However, this recipe is my favorite thus far because it does NOT call for sugar. Instead, you will use honey to sweeten the bread. Here it goes:

Ingredients: 

• ⅓ cup melted butter (you can use coconut oil if you prefer)
• ½ cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1¾ cups sprouted whole wheat flour (or regular whole wheat/white whole wheat)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup hot water
• 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, mash bananas, then add butter and honey and mix. Add eggs and beat well.
3. Stir in vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Lastly, stir in the flour, just until combined.
4. Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then mix briefly into batter until it is evenly distributed. Spread batter into the greased loaf pan.
5. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (I used convection baking and it only took 45 minutes). Cool and serve! I recommend serving it with a dollop of your favorite nut butter.

Lunch Idea #1

We all run out of ideas sometimes but this is a nice quick salad that is very filling.

Ingredients:

boiled egg

baby tomatoes

sliced avocado

crumbled feta cheese

red leaf lettuce

cooked red quinoa

Dressing:

salt

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

you can also add:

chopped dry roasted pecan pieces

dried cranberries

sunflower seeds

be creative and enjoy :)