Tabbouleh Salad (Parsley Salad)

Tabbouleh is a staple in Middle-Eastern cuisine. Originally from Lebanon, Tabbouleh is spelled several different ways, i.e.; Taboulli, Tabooleh, Taboulee. Any way it's spelled, it's simply a parsley salad.  Not only is it tasty, it's healthy, and quite easy to make requiring only a few ingredients.

3 bunches Curly parsley
1 bunch green onions
2 large hard tomatoes diced small
1 cup small cracked wheat
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tbsp ground cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Start off by removing parsley from stems. Soak parsley in cold water to clean out dirt. Transfer to a colander and allow it to dry well. About 2 hours.

Once parsley is drained well, finely chop and place in a large bowl. Next dice tomatoes into small pieces and add to parsley. Rinse green onions and remove brown ends, slice thin and add to parsley and tomatoes.  Rinse the cracked wheat and then soak for about 10 minutes in cold water.  Once drained, squeeze any excess water from wheat and add to mix. Blend well and refrigerate.

Add olive oil, juice of lemons, cayenne pepper, and salt to mixture 10 minutes prior to serving and mix well and enjoy.

Herbed Chicken Thighs

I typically use Chicken breasts, but the less used chicken thigh is something I am creating more dishes with.  Chicken thighs tend to be more fatty, but what I've done here is cut off most of the fat and used as little olive oil as possible.  I also used a good amount of herbs and greens.


6 pieces boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 tbsp fresh Rosemary, chopped
2 sprigs of fresh Thyme
1 medium onion diced
3 cloves chopped garlic, divided
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 lbs baby spinach
1/2 lbs Swiss chard leaves cut in half (stalks completely removed and discarded)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Start of by marinating chicken thighs in the vinegar, thyme, rosemary, 1/2 of the garlic, oil,  red pepper, salt and black pepper for about half an hour.  Next, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and a large deep non-stick pan and add the the onions. Saute for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Once soft, add mushrooms stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes then add the garlic and reduce heat so the garlic doesn't burn. Slowly pour in the wine and remaining lemon juice. Continue to stir for another 2-3 mins on med heat. Add the Swiss chard, once wilted add the spinach a time, adding more once the previous bunch wilts a little. Once the greens are wilted, spread the mixture on the bottom of a casserole dish and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the same non-stick pan well and sear each thigh well 2-3 minutes on each side. Try to brown the thighs nicely and only turn once. Once browned, neatly place each thigh over the mixture in the casserole dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!

Fragrant Saffron Rice

This is a favorite among my friends. I get a lot of family and friends calling me and asking for this recipe or request me to make this for our next gathering. I make this rice and serve it with anything from Roasted Chicken to Lamb or Curry  stew. My sister eats it alone. This is what you need:

3 cups Basmeti rice
3 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp canola oil
3 threads Saffron (use 1/8 tsp turmeric if you can't get your hands on Saffron)
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp Rose water (found at most international or middle eastern markets)
salt to taste

Rinse the rice thoroughly and soak  in cold for about 30 minutes.  In a 4 qt pot, bring chicken stock to a simmer and add the saffron allowing it to dissolve while your rice is soaking. This may take about 25 minutes, just make sure the saffron has completely dissolved.

Next add oil, cardamom, and Rose infused water. Mix together well. Drain and add the rice. Cover, and bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat to medium for about 7 minutes. Stir the rice once, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook covered for another 10 minutes or until all the liquid has completely evaporated.  Then, remove from heat, fluff the rice, and let it sit for another 5 minutes, and then serve!

Beef Curry Stew with Rice

This is an authentic Babylonian dish that has never really changed as years and generations pass, It is still a favorite meal. Preparing this dish might seem a little tricky first time around, but with practice it will seem like a second nature. The full flavors will tantalize the taste buds and will defiantly satisfy. 

For the stew:

1/2 lbs chuck roast cut into stew size pieces
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
3 medium potatoes (peeled, quartered, and soaked for about 30 mins in cold water)
2 tbsp authentic curry powder (found at most Middle Eastern and Indian markets)
1/2 lemon juiced
salt to taste

Rinse the beef chunks and place in a 6qt pot with 5 cups water and bring to a boil.  Skim the top of the water once it starts to boil.  Add 1 tsp salt, garlic and onions and simmer on low to medium heat for about 1 hour making sure liquid is still available. Next, add the tomato paste and curry powder. You can add water if most of the liquid has evaporated, adding anywhere from 1 to 2 cups and  bring to a rolling boil for about 20 mins. Then add the potato, and lemon juice. Continue to boil on medium heat for another 30 to 35 mins until potatoes have softened. Reduce heat heat again and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. The stew will thicken but if you want a thicker stew, let it simmer a little while longer uncovered.

I have it served here with Fragrant Saffron rice. But you can serve over plain white Basmeti rice.

Chicken Piccata

This is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE Italian dish of all time. The flavors of Chicken Piccata explode in your mouth. It doesn't take much to make this restaurant quality meal. Here is what you need:

6 pieces thin skinless chicken breast
1 lemon juiced
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 small onion sliced thin
2 tbsp capers (rinsed twice)
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups drained artichoke hearts
1 tsp fresh chopped parsley
flour for dredging
salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large stainless steel pan. Season your flour with salt and pepper. Rinse your chicken. While moist dredge in flour and shake off excess. Sear the chicken making sure the pan and oil are hot so the chicken will sizzle once it touches the pan. Once all the chicken is in the pan, reduce the heat to medium and keep uncovered. Brown the chicken cooking for 3-4 minutes on each side making sure to only turn the chicken once.

Transfer chicken to casserole dish that has been greased with non-stick spray. Once all the chicken is out of the pan, add butter, remaining olive oil, and onion and saute for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and add the garlic. Saute garlic making sure the heat isn't too high. You want the garlic softened but not browned. Then add artichoke, capers, lemon, wine, parsley, salt and pepper and continue to stir. Scrape off the the browned pieces off the bottom of the pan while stirring the sauce. If the liquid starts to evaporate, add more wine a little at a time. Sauce will thicken but you want it to form a nice creamy consistency.
Next, drizzle the sauce all over the chicken and cover the casserole dish. Place in oven at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Serve hot and enjoy with pasta with basil and garlic sauce!

Crudites Platter

When at someones home for a gathering, do you ever find yourself picking vegetables from the crudites platter like a robot?  Always expecting the same 'ole broccoli and cauliflower. Boring!  Take a look at my Crudites Platter.  I incorporated fresh roasted vegetables with traditional favorites. It takes a little more time, but it's a center piece sure to impress.

1 eggplant peeled but with alternating stripes and then sliced
3 Italian zucchini skin left on and sliced length wise
2 cups fingerling potatoes (I used purple, red, and white)
1/2 lbs green beans (ends trimmed)
1 cup Spanish olives
1 cup black olives (pitted)
3 Cucumbers quartered length wise
1 bunch radishes ends trimmed
3 stalks celery cut in 3inch stalks then in half length wise
2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 cups baby carrots

3/4 cup olive oil divided
salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Be sure to rinse all of the vegetables.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Season the eggplant and zucchini with salt and pepper in two separate bowls. Add 1/3 the olive oil to the bowl with the eggplant and the other 1/3 to the zucchini. Coat well and then place in an oven safe dish. Roast for about 10 minutes and then turn the broiler on for another 5 minutes making sure eggplant and zucchini are browning. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool

Boil water for blanching, and prepare a large bowl of ice water. Rinse all vegetables well. Once water is at a rolling boil, add the green beans and boil for 30 seconds, remove from water and immediately put into the ice bath. Next, boil the potatoes for 7 minutes and then the ice bath to stop the cooking process. The potatoes will still be firm, but you don't want mashed potatoes. Once cooled from the ice bath, halve them and season with salt and pepper and coat with 1/3 of the olive oil. Place in the oven to broil for 5 minutes enough to brown.

Arrange the rest of the vegetables on a platter covered with your favorite greens. Then once your roasted vegetables have cooled, add them to the platter making sure it stays neat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with your favorite dip.

Beef Shawarma

Making beef Shawarma requires a cut of beef with a good amount of marbling. I usually get a cut of chuck roast and trim off as much fat as possible, and then cut the beef into small thin strips. 

1/2 lbs Chuck Roast trimmed of most of it's fat and then cut into small thin strips

Marinade:

1 tsp Baharat (allspice)
1/4 tbsp ground cardamom
1/4 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tbsp ground coriander
2 bay leaves crushed
1 tsp salt (more if desired)
1/4 tbsp ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic crushed
1 small shallot sliced into rings
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Tahini dip:

1/4 cup Tahini sauce
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup water
1 tsp salt

Mix the tahini ingredients well and refrigerate.


Coat the meat well with the marinade and refrigerate overnight.  Heat a non-stick pan very well, add the meat and reduce the heat to medium for 5 minutes. Saute and lower heat again to medium for 15 more minutes stirring frequently. Drain excess oil and place the meat on a plate lined with pita bread.

Serve hot with pita bread, tahini dip, and pickles or pickled turnips.

Chili Fry

Chili fry is a traditional Chaldean "stew" style dish eaten with bread that's easy to make.  Most people make this for breakfast, but can be made for any meal.

1/2 lbs diced beef
1 green pepper diced ( I prefer red, yellow or orange pepper)
1 large onion chopped
1/2 cup diced potato (optional)
1 tsp baharat
salt to taste
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/3 cup water

Cook beef with 1/3 cup water on medium heat and skim off top once you see the film forming on the boiled water. Continue cooking until water evaporates and add olive oil. Next, saute the red and yellow peppers and onion with beef for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Add the tomato paste and saute with mixture for 1-2 minutes and then add the remaining water, baharat, salt, fresh cracked black pepper, potato. Mix well and cover. Reduce heat and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Make sure liquid does not completely evaporate. If it does, you can add small amounts of water (1/4 cup at a time) and stir well. Serve hot with French of Italian bread.

Chicken Florentine

Sometimes I have a hard time getting my family to eat spinach. So I have to improvise. Here's what you need for Chicken Florentine.

4-6 Thin cut boneless skinless chicken breast pounded
1/2 pound fresh baby spinach
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 cup fresh mushroom chopped in small pieces
1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter
1 lemon juiced
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
salt and fresh ground black pepper

Heat 2 tbsp oil and add the onion and garlic. Saute until soft but not brown for 2 minutes and add the mushrooms for 3 - 4 minutes on medium heat stirring occasionally. Next add spinach in batches and saute until wilted for about 5 minutes.  Transfer mixture to colander and using a spoon or spatula press on mixture to drain excess liquid.  Once drained, put mixture to a large bowl and add 1/3 cup of the cheese and 1/2 of the bread crumbs, mix well and let it cool about 5 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Using non-stick pray, coat a casserole dish well. On a flat work surface, lay the chicken breast and place a piece of saran wrap over each breast and pound lightly until breast is about 1/3 inch thick. Try not to shred the breast by pounding to hard or too many times. Sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper. Spread the spinach mixture over the breast and roll forming a log and tuck sides inward to avoid mixture coming out. Repeat with each breast. Make sure logs fit snug together.

Once all breast have been placed, begin making your sauce. Melt the butter, add remaining lemon juice, parsley and wine. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes then pour over chicken. Sprinkle rest of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese over each breast and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 25 min then lower heat to 375 for 30 more minutes. For a more golden color, broil on low for 4-5 extra minutes. Make sure not to broil too long as this can dry out the chicken. Serve hot and enjoy!!

Spicy vodka cream sauce with lobster ravioli

Although I adore Italian food, (pasta's, pizza, cured meats, etc, etc) I prefer my own sauce.  Nothing wrong with jar sauce at all, and some are quite tasty. But I like making mine just the way I like it.  Doesn't necessarily mean its gonna take hours simmering on the stove.  Here is a quick recipe for a really flavorful sauce. You can make a large amount of this ahead of time and freeze some for later.


1 28oz can crushed Italian plum tomatoes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5-6 cloves of fresh garlic crushed
1/2 cup light cream ( I use milk if I don't have cream handy )
1/3 cup vodka
1 medium onion diced
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1/3 tsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
1/3 tsp crushed red pepper
salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Frozen lobster ravioli

Begin by boiling water for the ravioli. You would want the sauce and the ravioli to be ready at the same time. Frozen ravioli needs about 13 minutes to cook once water is boiling.

Heat the oil in pot or dutch oven and add onion and garlic stirring for about 2 minutes until soft. Next add the tomatoes. Bring to a quick boil, add the vodka and let simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Next, add cream, sugar, parsley, salt, black and red pepper and basil.  Reduce heat and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.
Serve hot with lobster or cheese filled ravioli.

Antipasto Platter

Antipasto or meat and cheese trays are great for any get together.  Especially larger gatherings. I like to incorporate different cured meats with a variety of cheeses.

Genoa salami
Hot capicola
Sopressata
Gouda Cheese
Havarti Cheese
Marinated artichokes (drained)
Spanish olives (rinsed and drained)
Large pitted black olives (drained)
Peperoncini (drained)

Arrange neatly on a beautiful platter and alternate placing cheese between the meat.  Place a bed of firm lettuce leaves in center and add the olives, artichokes, and peppers.  Remove from fridge just before serving.

Roast Beef

My family and friends always enjoy this roast. I love a lot of flavor, so I use a marinade to give it that bold, savory taste.  Sometimes, I serve this roast with saffron rice or make sandwiches with mini french baguettes. Here it is with fingerling potatoes.

3 lbs Chuck pot roast. Trim off excess fat
1 large onion sliced in thin long strips

1 lbs rinsed unpeeled fingerling potatoes

Marinade
1/4 cup Bordeaux wine
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
3 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp allspice (preferably baharat)
3 cloves chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and coat entire roast. Layer sliced onions on bottom of roasting pan and then place roast on top. Marinade for at least 6 hours. Preferably overnight.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover the meat and roast for 1 hour at 400 degrees and then reduce to 370 for 1 more hour.  Add fingerling potatoes covering again and put back in the oven for another hour. Take out of the oven and let it sit in roasting pan for another 10 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings

Chicken Artichoke

Although I love chicken, It can get quite boring.  We try different spices and herbs, but sometimes it can still be bland.  This dish on the other hand gives bursts of flavor and really gets your mouth watering.  Quite easy to make and healthy too.
Be sure to prepare all your ingredients before your cooking starts.

4 thin skinless chicken breast
4 tbsp olive oil
1 cup marinated quartered artichokes
1/2 red onion sliced thin
1/2 white onion sliced thin
1/2 lemon juiced
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups fresh sliced bella mushrooms
4 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt and fresh cracked pepper
3 sprigs thyme

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large sauce pan and begin sauteing your onions for 10 minutes.  Add mushrooms and continue to saute for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Heat your pan well again and add remaining olive oil. Gently add chicken breast and cover partially. Cook for 3 minutes on one side and turn only once. Now add salt and pepper, garlic, wine, lemon juice and artichokes. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes and the thyme and parsley. Cook for another 5 minutes to make sure flavors are incorporated. Serve hot and enjoy!

Champagne Shrimp Scampi with Red Sauce

One of my favorite foods is pasta, my favorite seafood is shrimp.  So Shrimp scampi defiantly has my vote. Especially since I also love garlic.  But I decided to get a little more creative with this meal. By adding a couple extra ingredients, I was totally impressed with the unique new flavor but still tastes like scampi.

It's a good idea to have all of your ingredients prepared before beginning to cook. This dish cooks rather quickly, so the better prepared the better the flavor.

This is what you need:

1 lbs extra large shrimp 26-32, peeled, deveined, and tails off
1 tbsp tomato paste
5 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 cups champagne
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 chopped shallot
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 pinch sugar
salt and fresh cracked pepper
1/3 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup liquid reserved from boiling pasta water
1 lbs linguine

While boiling the pasta, heat butter and oil in a sauce pan. Do not use non stick. Add tomato paste stirring occasionally on medium heat. Once tomato paste starts to dissolve, toss in shallot and continue to stir add garlic and keep stirring until it becomes soft and fragrant. Slowly pour in the champagne and lemon juice. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes and then reduce heat. Add sugar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Raise heat again and add the shrimp. Let the shrimp cook in the sauce for 1 minute and add the reserved pasta liquid. Continue to cook at medium to high heat for 2 more minutes or once the shrimp turns opaque.

Remove from heat and toss in the pasta coating well. Let it sit covered for 2 more minutes so the pasta absorbs the sauce.  Serve in deep dish and garnish with remaining chopped parsley.

Yields 4 serving

Prep time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes



Juicy grilled Chicken tenders

This dish is so tasty you wont even realize how healthy it is.  I love skinless chicken breast tenders. They are extremely tender and juicy, and the portions are just right.  I first made this when I was short on time (as usual) and just used whatever I  had in my pantry.  Turned out great.  I then made it when my family came over for a BBQ one night and it was a hit.  Now, it has become a favorite with family. Even my picky little ones finish their plates. I love mine spicy like most of my food, so I add extra red pepper flakes

Enjoy...xoxoxo

You will need:

2 lbs fresh skinless chicken breast tenders

Marinade

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 tsp mustard
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 lemon juiced
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
1/8 cup Kraft ranch dressing (optional)
1 sprig thyme

Mix all above ingredients well and add chicken.  Marinade for at least 2 hours or overnight. Can also be put into freezer bags and frozen for later grilling.

Generously apply non stick spray on your grill and heat to 400 degrees.  Grill for 2 to 3 minutes each side turning only once. Each piece is rather small so watch carefully not to burn.  Transfer on top a bed of arugula and goat cheese crumbles and lightly drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Beef Bourguignon 2 (Beef Burgundy)

I love, love, love the French. Whether its perfume, shoes, or champagne, the French have contributed so much to our everyday lives.  And French food should be no exception. When in the mood for something hearty on a cool day and you've had your share of the usual chili or soup, Beef burgundy, or Beef Bourguignon, will fire up your taste buds. I have made this dish with many different red wines, and substitute different ingredients, but the most important ingredient that should stay consistent, I think, is burgundy wine that gives an aroma that makes this meal so appealing.  So here you go.

1 lbs stew beef (preferably chuck roast)
flour for dredging
3 tbsp butter
5 carrots chopped
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
2 cups fingerling potatoes
1 cup fresh mushrooms quartered
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
3 cups burgundy wine
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup pearl onions
salt and pepper

Start by adding 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper to flour and mix well. Dredge the beef chunks and shake off excess flour.  Melt 2 tbsp butter in non stick pan. Once pan has been heated well, sear 1/3 of the chucks at a time making sure to brown on each side and transfer into a dutch oven or 6qt pot.

Once all the beef has been browned and put into the dutch oven, melt 1 tbsp on butter in the same non stick pan. Saute the chopped onion, carrot and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Next add the garlic for another minute. Pour wine over the vegetables and let boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Then transfer to the dutch oven with along with 1/2 cup water, thyme, parsley and bay leaves and simmer at low for 1 1/2 hours.

Now combine potatoes with mixture for another 30 minutes.  At this point you need to blanch the pearl onions. Peel them once cooled and saute with remaining tsp butter for 2 minutes in the same non-stick pan as the other vegetables and then add to the dutch oven.  Remove dutch oven from heat and let sauce thicken by partially opening the lid. Make sure to discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Bon Appétit!!!

Yield 4 servings

Potato Parsley egg rolls

This lent I have been trying to figure out what quick fixes I can come up with.  Something I can prepare and freeze so when later when I'm limited on time, I won't slave over the stove.  So, I came up with these potato parsley egg rolls. So easy to make and sooo satisfying:

Potato parsley egg rolls:

1 pack Egg roll wraps

1 lbs Idaho potato, boiled, peeled and diced into small pieces

1/2 cup fresh coarsely chopped parsley

1/4 tsp ground paprika

1 fresh squeezed lemon

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Canola or vegetable oil for frying in a small sauce pan ( 2 qt )

In a 3 qt mixing bowl combine potato, live oil, lemon, paprika, parsley, fresh cracked pepper, and salt

and mix well.

Place spoon full of mixture on an egg roll sheet. Moisten edges of the egg roll sheet well with cold water using your fingers. Fold up bottom corner first, then sides and roll making sure the egg roll is completely sealed.  If you find the edges have come loose, just moisten again with water and make sure it's sealed well.  

Make sure you heat the frying oil very well and that you have enough to completely submerge each roll.
**MOST IMPORTANTLY**  use a deep sauce pan because oil expands and we don't want any hot oils spills or burns. 

Once each roll is fried, place on another flat plate lined with white plain towel paper to absorb excess oil.

These can be frozen after frying and can be re-heated in a toaster oven. They still taste great!!

Servings: 8
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 5 minutes

Baba Ganoush (roasted eggplant dip)

Middle eastern cuisine incorporates a variety of different vegetables. One favorite is the regal eggplant. Weather roasted, grilled, fried, or baked; eggplants have a very unique and potent flavor that will get your mouth watering. It is also used as a main dish and not just as a side.

 Now here is my all time fave eggplant dish.

I love, love, love baba ganoush. It's fantastic with toasted Indian Na'an bread.  Sometimes I  even use in chicken shawarma sandwiches and as a spread on my pita or on artisan bread. I also use it in a crudities platter. To make my dish look even more creative, I take a red or yellow bell pepper, clean out the inside and use it as the bowl for the baba ganoush. Yumm!!

• 1 eggplant
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish 
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (optional for garnish)

- Place eggplant in the oven for 30 minutes at 250° F, turning occasionally.

- Peel the eggplant and mash in a bowl with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Add remaining ingredients (garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and tahini) and mix well and cool in fridge for about 1 hour.  Can be prepared no more than 2 days in advance for best flavor and freshness
Enjoy in good health...xoxo

Avocado Lime Salad

 A refreshing Avocado-lime salad.  You will need:

• 2 Hearts of romaine lettuce rinsed well and chopped
• 3-4 firm Roma tomatoes diced
• 2 ripe avocados cut in 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 small to medium red onion sliced into thin long strips
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed twice
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 can julienned beets (optional)

Make sure the salad is cooled in the fridge for at least 20 min after preparing.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4


For the dressing:

• 1 small lime, juiced
• 1 small lemon, juiced
• Salt and pepper, to taste...I only use sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper for best flavor
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, add more if you feel the need to after the salad and dressing are mixed

Let it sit a few minutes before serving so the flavors blend well and transfer to a beautiful salad bowl. This is always a winner, so save some for yourself on the side.


Enjoy it in good health..xoxoxo