5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars,
Yes, the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes them also skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Ground beef and lamb skewers (Kafta kabob)
These kabobs are easy to make a full of flavor! I eat them on middle eastern pita bread with ketchup and some hummus and tabbouli on the side.
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef 80% fat
1/4 pound ground lamb (optional)
3/4 cup yellow onion, grated through a cheese grater or minced - make sure to squeeze out the liquid
1/2 cup finely chopped italian parsley leaves
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
tiny pinch ground nutmeg
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Make sure to mix well! Then take some metal skewers or bamboo skewers soaked in water for 30 min. and form cylindrical shaped patties around each skewer with the meat mixture, until all used up. You should use about a half cup of meat to each skewer. Heat an outdoor grill to medium high and place kabobs on grill - rolling them back and forth for a few minutes so they don't stick. You can use nonstick aluminum foil with a few holes poked in it on top of the grill if you like, then it's really foolproof. Grill until cooked through, then remove the skewers and wrap them in aluminum foil prior to serving. These taste great with some hummus and tabbouli!
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef 80% fat
1/4 pound ground lamb (optional)
3/4 cup yellow onion, grated through a cheese grater or minced - make sure to squeeze out the liquid
1/2 cup finely chopped italian parsley leaves
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
tiny pinch ground nutmeg
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Make sure to mix well! Then take some metal skewers or bamboo skewers soaked in water for 30 min. and form cylindrical shaped patties around each skewer with the meat mixture, until all used up. You should use about a half cup of meat to each skewer. Heat an outdoor grill to medium high and place kabobs on grill - rolling them back and forth for a few minutes so they don't stick. You can use nonstick aluminum foil with a few holes poked in it on top of the grill if you like, then it's really foolproof. Grill until cooked through, then remove the skewers and wrap them in aluminum foil prior to serving. These taste great with some hummus and tabbouli!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Little Spinach Filled Pastries (Fatayer bi sabanickh)
This is one of my all time favorite Lebanese foods! They taste so delicious either right out of the oven or at room temperature. The secret is to get the dough nice and thin without puncturing it. Also you need to get as much moisture out of the filling as possible before stuffing. Make sure to squeeze the spinach really well!
Ingredients:
Note: If you don't have time to make dough from scratch you can buy uncooked pizza dough. I definitely don't suggest using Pillsbury though!
For the Dough:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup plus 1 tbsp. warm water
Note: You can make the dough in a bread machine on the dough setting as well! I always do - it saves you some cramping in your hands!
Combine yeast, water and sugar in a small bowl. Cover and let sit until it foams.(about 10 minutes.) In a seperate bowl mix flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the proofed yeast mixture, followed by the olive oil. Mix and knead the flour to form a dough ball. Lift up the ball of dough and lightly flour the bottom of the bowl and then put the ball in the bowl and flour the top. Cover and set in a warm dark place for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Once the dough has risen it's ready to use.
For the filling:
2 pounds frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (you can use fresh spinach too but make sure to put it in a strainer over another bowl after mixing the ingredients so it doesn't get too wet.)
2 cups chopped onion
1 tbsp. salt
lemon zest from 1 lemon
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup and 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Nonstick aluminum foil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Mix all ingredients except 3 tbsp. olive oil just before you're ready to make the fatayer. Then roll out half the dough on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cover the other half of dough with plastic until ready to use. Cut the dough into circles with a 3 inch round biscuit or cookie cutter. Spoon about a tablespoon of spinach filling into the center of a circle of dough, then pinch it closed in the shape of a triangle. Try not to pinch any spinach or the pastry might come open when cooking. (Some of them will always open regardless.) Repeat until you use up all the circles, then roll out the other half of dough and repeat the whole procedure. Lay the triangles on a cookie sheet covered with nonstick aluminum foil. (If you don't have any you can sprinkle a bunch of cornmeal on a nonstick cookie sheet.) Brush each pastry with reserved olive oil before baking for 16-20 minutes until golden brown.
These freeze really well! Just keep them in a freezer bag. You can reheat them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Or, for less crispy fatayer just microwave them for a minute or so. Hope you like these as much as I do!
Ingredients:
Note: If you don't have time to make dough from scratch you can buy uncooked pizza dough. I definitely don't suggest using Pillsbury though!
For the Dough:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup plus 1 tbsp. warm water
Note: You can make the dough in a bread machine on the dough setting as well! I always do - it saves you some cramping in your hands!
Combine yeast, water and sugar in a small bowl. Cover and let sit until it foams.(about 10 minutes.) In a seperate bowl mix flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the proofed yeast mixture, followed by the olive oil. Mix and knead the flour to form a dough ball. Lift up the ball of dough and lightly flour the bottom of the bowl and then put the ball in the bowl and flour the top. Cover and set in a warm dark place for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Once the dough has risen it's ready to use.
For the filling:
2 pounds frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (you can use fresh spinach too but make sure to put it in a strainer over another bowl after mixing the ingredients so it doesn't get too wet.)
2 cups chopped onion
1 tbsp. salt
lemon zest from 1 lemon
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup and 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Nonstick aluminum foil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Mix all ingredients except 3 tbsp. olive oil just before you're ready to make the fatayer. Then roll out half the dough on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cover the other half of dough with plastic until ready to use. Cut the dough into circles with a 3 inch round biscuit or cookie cutter. Spoon about a tablespoon of spinach filling into the center of a circle of dough, then pinch it closed in the shape of a triangle. Try not to pinch any spinach or the pastry might come open when cooking. (Some of them will always open regardless.) Repeat until you use up all the circles, then roll out the other half of dough and repeat the whole procedure. Lay the triangles on a cookie sheet covered with nonstick aluminum foil. (If you don't have any you can sprinkle a bunch of cornmeal on a nonstick cookie sheet.) Brush each pastry with reserved olive oil before baking for 16-20 minutes until golden brown.
These freeze really well! Just keep them in a freezer bag. You can reheat them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Or, for less crispy fatayer just microwave them for a minute or so. Hope you like these as much as I do!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Salad with pita chips and sumak dressing (Fattoush)
This salad is tasty and extremely healthy. Make sure you get thin pita bread because it crisps better and doesn't get as hard. I use authentic Lebanese bread because I like it the best. Also, if you're not familiar with sumak, it is a spice used in middle eastern cooking. It is a reddish brown color and lemony in taste. You can find it at international markets.
Pita Chips:
1 large or 2 medium pita bread rounds
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sumak
salt to taste
Salad:
1 medium head romaine lettuce or about 2 cups
1 1/2 cups tomatoes cut into small wedges
3/4 cup cucumber chopped into small squares
1/2 cup radish sliced thin
1/3 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves or1 teaspoon dried mint
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (just the leaves not the stems)
Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons sumak
To Make The Pita Chips:
Heat the oven to 350. Cut pita bread into 1 inch squares and put on a foil lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake 15-18 minutes until they brown and are crispy all the way through. Then take them out and put in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil and sumak and some salt to taste. In a salad bowl mix together all the chopped vegetables. Right before you're ready to serve, toss the salad with the prepared dressing and pita chips. Enjoy!
Pita Chips:
1 large or 2 medium pita bread rounds
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sumak
salt to taste
Salad:
1 medium head romaine lettuce or about 2 cups
1 1/2 cups tomatoes cut into small wedges
3/4 cup cucumber chopped into small squares
1/2 cup radish sliced thin
1/3 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves or1 teaspoon dried mint
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (just the leaves not the stems)
Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons sumak
To Make The Pita Chips:
Heat the oven to 350. Cut pita bread into 1 inch squares and put on a foil lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake 15-18 minutes until they brown and are crispy all the way through. Then take them out and put in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil and sumak and some salt to taste. In a salad bowl mix together all the chopped vegetables. Right before you're ready to serve, toss the salad with the prepared dressing and pita chips. Enjoy!
Garbanzo bean dip (Hummus bi Tahini)
For The Beans:
1/2 cup water
1 15 or 16 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained (about 1 3/4 cups)
For The Hummus:
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup tahini (This is a sesame seed paste used in many middle eastern dishes. You can find it at a store that specializes in international food.)
Put beans and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over high heat and cook a couple of minutes at a rolling boil. (You don't have to precook the beans, but the texture will be smoother if you do.) Make sure about half the water evaporates. The less water, the thicker the hummus will be.
Pour the boiled beans and the leftover liquid into a food processor. (You can use a blender but it's harder to get everything to puree evenly. You have to keep turning it off and stirring the beans with a spoon so they all reach the blades.) Add the garlic and salt and process for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides with a spoon or spatula. Add the lemon juice and tahini and process another minute. Transfer the hummus to another container and refrigerate. Once it's cooled, you can serve it either cold or at room temperature. When serving, you can put the hummus in a dish and create a a circular indentation with a spoon and fill it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. You can garnish it with a few sprigs of parsley and a few whole garbanzos beans in the middle. Serve with raw vegetables, pita bread or crackers for dipping.
Variations: You can make many different flavors of hummus from the basic recipe above.
Sun-dried Tomato Hummus: Add 3/4 cup chopped and drained sun-dried tomatoes to the basic hummus and process until thoroughly blended.
Roasted Red Pepper: Mix in 3/4 cup roasted red peppers and process until blended.
1/2 cup water
1 15 or 16 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained (about 1 3/4 cups)
For The Hummus:
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup tahini (This is a sesame seed paste used in many middle eastern dishes. You can find it at a store that specializes in international food.)
Put beans and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over high heat and cook a couple of minutes at a rolling boil. (You don't have to precook the beans, but the texture will be smoother if you do.) Make sure about half the water evaporates. The less water, the thicker the hummus will be.
Pour the boiled beans and the leftover liquid into a food processor. (You can use a blender but it's harder to get everything to puree evenly. You have to keep turning it off and stirring the beans with a spoon so they all reach the blades.) Add the garlic and salt and process for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides with a spoon or spatula. Add the lemon juice and tahini and process another minute. Transfer the hummus to another container and refrigerate. Once it's cooled, you can serve it either cold or at room temperature. When serving, you can put the hummus in a dish and create a a circular indentation with a spoon and fill it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. You can garnish it with a few sprigs of parsley and a few whole garbanzos beans in the middle. Serve with raw vegetables, pita bread or crackers for dipping.
Variations: You can make many different flavors of hummus from the basic recipe above.
Sun-dried Tomato Hummus: Add 3/4 cup chopped and drained sun-dried tomatoes to the basic hummus and process until thoroughly blended.
Roasted Red Pepper: Mix in 3/4 cup roasted red peppers and process until blended.
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