Archive from April, 2012
Apr 15, 2012 - Posts    1 Comment

Mint Lemonade

It’s been almost a year now since we said our “I Do’s,” and although the year has gone by rather quickly, we’ve enjoyed every minute of it! Since our anniversary falls on a weeknight, we decided to celebrate this weekend. Our baker made us a special anniversary cake that we took with us to our mini vacation at the hotel where we held our reception. It was great to get away. Of course, we didn’t do away with an anniversary dinner. It’s hard to believe a whole year has gone by — hopefully many Many more years to come.

What better way to end an anniversary weekend, than by having the Hubby wash our cars and the balcony furniture. It was hard to resist, since the weather was somewhere in the 80s this afternoon. As he washed the cars, I did my part by making the balcony furniture easy to access for washing. Then I made my way into the kitchen to whip up some refreshing lemonade — a simple way to treat the Hubby for his hard work.

 

 

 

Mint Lemonade Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
3 cups Water
1 cup Sugar
1/2 – 3/4 cup Mint Leaves
 

Directions

Mix together lemon juice, water and sugar. Stir well.
Add mint leaves and ice. 
Keep refrigerated for at least 30 minutes.
Serve with sliced lemons. 
 

Servings: 4

Nutrition Information: Cals 196. Carbs 53g. Sugar 50g.

Apr 14, 2012 - 500 Calories or Less, Arabic Food Made Easy, Posts    1 Comment

Freekeh Soup [Green Wheat Soup]

My husband came home from an overseas trip with a bit of cold last week. Usually, when he gets back from out-of-town travel, I try to whip up something for him to eat. That, in and of itself is a pretty tough thing to figure out. Sometimes he comes home hungry, and most of the time, he comes home without an appetite. I figured since he had a cold, why not make him some soup. Something that would make him feel better. I’m pretty sick of chicken noodle soup. So I decided to try something different. Freekeh.

For those who don’t know what Freekeh is … it’s not freaky. It’s basically a type of green wheat that goes through a roasting process in its production. It’s very healthy and very popular in the areas of the Levant, Arabian Peninsula and found in North African and Egyptian cuisine.

 

 

Freekeh Soup Recipe

Ingredients

3 pieces Chicken, skin off
Water
1 Onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Seven Spice
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 cup Freekeh
 

Directions

Prepare the chicken stock by sauteeing the onion with olive oil in a medium saucepan until translucent.
Add the chicken and cover with water (to desired amount). Add salt to taste and boil for about 20 minutes.
Drain. Do not discard the chicken water. Set it aside.
Meanwhile, pick out the stones from the freekeh, wash with lukewarm water and then soak in water until ready.
In a medium saucepan, boil the freekeh with fresh water. Once the water is absorbed, add the chicken stock and simmer on medium-low until the freekeh is soft.

 

Tip: Don’t discard the boiled chicken. You can bake it in the oven (with veggies if you so desire) on 350 degrees for 20 minutes and serve with the soup.

 

 

Servings: 6

Nutrition Information: Cals 106. Carbs 2g, Fat 1g. Protein 1g. Sodium 58mg.