Phyllo dough is a great invention. It has been claimed by many ethnic groups, so the origin is somewhat of a mystery – most likely goes back to the Ottomans. In Lebanon, a lot of desserts revolve around the use of Phyllo. Some are stuffed with ashta, some with sweet cheese, and a lot of it with nuts like all …
Roasted Spaghetti Squash and Chanterelle Confit
December. Absolutely my favorite month of the year (well that and June, my birthday month). Love everything about it and the cold weather too. Just more reasons to bake and cook, as if I needed anymore. And that brings me to: confit n. a piece of meat cooked in its own fat. The Levantine version of confit is made with …
Apple Jam with Walnuts and Mastic
I woke up one day recently and realized that I had turned into my mother. Staring at a 50lb box of apples, scratching my head as to what to do with them. I clearly remember our kitchen as a child being covered with boxes of fruits at the end of the season, and seeing my mother chop, peel and preserve …
A Childhood Snack – Pomegranate Salad
I have never met a pomegranate I didn’t love, then eat. It’s the fruit that I wait for from year to year. I even wonder why it’s not available other times during the year like all the other fruits. For me, it feels like home. There was a pomegranate tree just outside my bedroom window in my parents’ house …
A warming Lentil Squash Soup
Phew! I’m back. It’s been a busy two weeks with lots of birthday cakes, cupcakes, cookies and much more. We just celebrated my husband and two kids’ birthdays all within seven days. Now I really need a warm bowl of soup to relax with. The weather is colder, the air is crisper and I can’t get enough of squash/pumpkin flavors. …
Roasted Cauliflower and Tomato Salad
Cauliflower has to be the most under-appreciated of vegetables. Its bland flavor doesn’t appeal to many people, although it has a very high nutritional density = a very healthy food. Aside from cooking the florets in a stew or boiling them (which I am not a fan of), frying them turns them golden brown and delicious. I’m not afraid of …
Pumpkin Apple Smoothie
I have realized one thing over the years. The closer I get to the source of the food, the closer I want to be. We are blessed in Raleigh, NC to have a year-round-seven-day state farmer’s market. It’s gigantic and dynamic. The bounty changes with the season, farmers rotate based on specialties and we love all of it. It’s been …
Roasted Red Kuri and Shiitaki Dumplings in a Hearty Lamb Sauce
It’s an incredibly beautiful Fall day. I’m writing this outside listening to the birds on the trees, the neighborhood kids screaming with joy and my tummy rumbling from hunger. Adding these pictures to the post isn’t helping either. These dumplings are my take on a very traditional dish made with lamb-stuffed dumplings in a dehydrated bulgur -yogurt sauce (kishk). After …
Aromatic Jute Mallow Soup with Fennel and Tomato
The picture above was taken yesterday on the campus of my kids’ school, where leaves are gloriously changing colors and carpeting the grounds. However, I find it a bit unsettling that we have welcomed Fall with a 101ºF. Dear Mother Nature, what the heck is going on? For now, I am pretending is a cool day, perfect for a nutritious …
Coconut and Fig Smoothie
Now that everyone is back to their routine, I’m still attempting to find mine. It’s taking me longer than I thought to get a solid schedule together for my newly found free time. I have decided to resume writing for NaturalNews.com among other things. And my brain is crowded with recipes that are itching to come out. I don’t know …