This is a rich, delicious dairy-free alternative to the classic béchamel sauce that can be used to top pasta dishes or moussaka. It is also gluten-free and grain-free, so if you have a gluten-free pasta, this would be perfect to top it. You could use coconut oil instead of the vegan butter, but it would have more of a coconut flavor, of … [Read more…]
Garlicky Asparagus Salad
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2″-3″ pieces 2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon minced garlic ½-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning ½ -1 teaspoon salt (I used pink Himalayan salt, but any would do) Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste Directions Steam asparagus 5-7 minutes until just fork tender, but still firm. … [Read more…]
Turmeric quinoa granola
The reason that this recipe came up is that I currently have two different brands of quinoa in my kitchen. One that I like and one that I am not in love with. I decided to try to use up the bag that I didn’t like and thought, “I’m sure that someone has made a granola with quinoa”. I did a quick search, and came across Minimalist baker’s quinoa … [Read more…]
Yorkshire Beef Pie | The Levantess
Yorkshire Beef Pie (gluten-free, dairy-free) Before you tell me that this recipe isn’t authentic…I’m not pretending it is. To be honest, I don’t know what authentic Yorkshire beef should taste like. All I know is that when we were kids, there was this recipe called “Yorkshire Beef” in an old Betty Crocker cookbook, and we had it for dinner … [Read more…]
Eggplant and Tomato “Stew”
We got some local eggplant and tomatoes at the farmer’s market. In the summer, I make this dish many times, using whatever vegetable I have on hand – eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, etc. It takes about 40 minutes, and doesn’t use a whole lot of ingredients. Fresh, seasonal vegetables taste best simply prepared. I don’t even use spices in this a … [Read more…]
Baked {Sweet} Coconut Black Rice
I almost named this recipe rice pudding, because that is what you think of when you cook rice with sugar and milk, but it isn’t quite a pudding. It is rather firm, but sweet, black rice. So it isn’t quite pudding-y. Plus, it isn’t cooked with dairy milk, it is cooked with coconut milk. A fellow blogger introduced me to Forbidden Black Rice. I … [Read more…]
Meatless Monday – Oatmeal Helba – Vegan Oatmeal Fenugreek Cake Bars
This is a reworked dessert/sweet recipe. It is made with fenugreek seeds. It is usually made with mostly semolina. I wanted to make these bars, but noted that I only had about half the required semolina. I had a hunch that oatmeal would taste great in this, and I was right. From the original posted recipe Helba is a traditional sweet, dense cake … [Read more…]
Kofta Kabob Under the Broiler
This is your basic kofta recipe, shaped into kabobs, and broiled. Once you do this, you can either serve with rice, or wrapped in flat bread or pita. Let me tell you, this recipe takes ground beef (or lamb) and elevates it way, way up. A little secret – My husband asked for this exact meal two days in a row. Shhhh. Broiled Kofta Kabob 1 1/2 … [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 … [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 … [Read more…]