It is common in the Levant region to forage for wild greens like Chicory, Dandelion, Watercress, and Purslane. So, when I saw that I had a couple of pretty lush dandelions outside, I thought to myself….”hmmm, I should pick those and cook them”. Then, cooler heads prevailed (my husband’s cooler head, to be exact) and reminded me that we don’t know … [Read more…]
Hummus
Warning – a bit of a silly rant ahead….. One of my pet peeves is the current fad of calling almost any sort of Mediterranean-looking dip “hummus”. These days, they don’t even need to contain tahini. Pinterest is FULL of pins to recipes for black bean hummus, avocado hummus, zucchini hummus – I am very particular with what I consider hummus. … [Read more…]
Helba – Fenugreek Cake Bars
This is my first dessert/sweet post on this blog. I think Helba is a good introduction to Levantine sweets.Helba is a traditional sweet, dense cake bar made of fenugreek seeds and sweetened with a sugar syrup. This is a completely vegan dessert. You will note that the cake itself only has 1 tablespoon of sugar that is dissolved with the yeast. That … [Read more…]
Hummus with Parsley
16 ounce canned Chickpeas, drained, reserving liquid 1 small clove garlic 2 tablespoons Tahini 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil Juice of half a lemon 1/2 cup parsley salt to taste More extra virgin olive oil for serving Pour chickpeas into blender. Add reserved liquid, to half the level of the chickpeas. Add garlic, tahini, olive oil, lemon … [Read more…]
Saturday Brunch : Fava Bean Dip – Ful
Fava beans (both fresh and dried) are very extensively used in the Mediterranean region, in cooking, salads, and dips. In Arabic (الفول) , it is pronounced fool, and can be spelled ful/fool/foul. I am choosing to go with “ful”, because well, it isn’t confusing with another, less-tasty, meaning 🙂 It is very nutritious, and very hearty and … [Read more…]
On Spinach pies (Fatayer/Aqrass bi Sabanekh) and Lent in the Levant
On Spinach pies (Fatayer/Aqrass bi Sabanekh) and Lent in the Levant In the Levant region, Lent started on either March 3 or March 5 this year, depending on denomination. Lent is the season leading up to Easter. It is a season of abstinence and fasting for many Christians world-wide, with different levels of abstinence. Eastern Orthodox … [Read more…]
Meatless Split Pea Soup
It has most definitely been sweater weather the past few weeks….and if you hate being cold as much as I do, that means you want nothing more than to hole up in a warm house, with some steaming hot soup. This is a very simple green split pea soup, using vegetable or chicken stock as the base, and no meat. I prefer my soups chunky, so I do not … [Read more…]
Black Beans with Potatoes
This is a simple side dish that I like to serve with stews, roasts, tray bakes, or grilled meats. Recently, I made it with the previously posted Chicken Fricassee. If I have a winter squash like butternut, calabaza, or acorn, I like to use that instead of the potatoes. Over rice, this is perfectly hearty enough as a vegetarian meal. Black … [Read more…]
Black Bean Soup
This is a simple black bean soup that we had for lunch, perfect for a cold, end-of-December day. It gets some color from the addition of potatoes, butternut squash, and carrots to the black beans. We served it with some cooked rice on top. Colorful Black Bean Soup 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 bay leaves 1 tablespoon … [Read more…]
Quinoajadara – Quinoa Mujadara (Lentils and Quinoa with Caramelized Onions and Sumac)
Mujadara is a very popular Levantine dish. It is a very hearty vegetarian dish, and very healthy too. It is great hot or at room temperature, making mujadara leftovers a good work lunch option. My husband and kids all love mujadara, so we have it often, and change it up sometimes. This recipe is a marriage of mujadara and quinoa. The onions, … [Read more…]