Arabic Food Made Easy - Measuring Cups, Optional

Freekeh Soup [Green Wheat Soup]

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Arabic Food Made Easy, Posts, Recipes, Soups

In an attempt to curb a cold, I thought whipping up some soup might do the trick. 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.

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Freekeh Soup [Green Wheat Soup]

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

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

Instructions

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.

Notes

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

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Arabic Food Made Easy Series: Imnazzaleh

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Arabic Food Made Easy, Posts, Recipes, Vegetables & Sides

Let’s face it, Arabic food takes forever to make. There are lots of steps and long cooking times, time I don’t have when I’m working full time and trying to conserve my culture simultaneously. That’s why I’ve decided to start a recipe series featuring traditional Arabic dishes, made much easier for those of us that have full time jobs and prefer to keep weekday cooking to 30 minutes or less. This is the fourth installment of the series. Don’t forget to check out previous posts in the Arabic Food Made Easy Series.

I’ve mentioned before my love for eggplant. I know for most it’s an acquired taste, but it’s a truly delicious veggie. A few months ago, I spent some time at my Tayta’s. My last night over, she asked me to come back the following night just for dinner. She was making a dish she had been craving for a while – Imnazzaleh (pronounced em-naza-lee). Well, she never got around to making it because she caught a bad case of pneumonia. I did, however, get her recipe and several weeks later I decided to try it out and bring her the dish she was craving.

Tayta’s Imnazzaleh Recipe

Ingredients

2 large Eggplants

1 can Diced Tomatoes

2 cloves Garlic (whole)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon Seven Spice

Sea Salt, to taste

Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes.

Coat the eggplant with olive oil and place on a baking dish (or two).

Bake for 40 minutes.

In a large skillet, over high heat sauté onions until translucent.

Add Eggplant, diced tomatoes, and garlic.

Add seven spice, and sea salt. Mix well.

Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 15 minutes.

Serve with Arabic Bread.

Servings: 6

Nutrition Information: Cals 157. Carbs 13g. Fat 12g. Protein 2g.

Arabic Food Made Easy Series: Mjaddara [Brown Lentils and Rice]

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Arabic Food Made Easy, Posts, Recipes, Rice & Grains

Let’s face it, Arabic food takes forever to make. There are lots of steps and long cooking times, time I don’t have when I’m working full time and trying to conserve my culture simultaneously. That’s why I’ve decided to start a recipe series featuring traditional Arabic dishes, made much easier for those of us that have full time jobs and prefer to keep weekday cooking to 30 minutes or less. This is the third installment of the series. Don’t forget to check out previous posts in the Arabic Food Made Easy Series.

Mjaddara pronounced EM-JADARA isn’t really a hard dish to make. It’s quite simple, actually and is perfect for those “vegetarian days.” You know, at least once or twice a week when you have dinner sans meat. The last time I made mjaddara it turned out great, despite my issues cooking rice. I had a small problem though, mjaddara is usually served with plain yogurt. The last time, I had picked up nonfat vanilla yogurt instead of nonfat plain yogurt. It was a small disaster — but now I pay extra attention at the grocery store.

Mjaddara Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup Brown Lentils

2 cups Basmati Rice

1 medium Onion

Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon Cumin

1 tablespoon Cardamom

1 tablespoon Seven Spice

Vegetable Oil

Directions

Go through the brown lentils, picking out any stones or dirt then wash them and boil them in a pot until they are soft and edible (15 minutes on medium heat.)

Wash the rice three times, then soak in hot water until the lentils are done.

Cut the onion into long strips and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Remove half with a slotted spoon.

Drain the water from the lentils and from the rice as well. Place the rice on top of the lentils in the pot and mix together.

Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil, and mix the ingredients together over medium heat for two minutes.

Add salt, pepper, cumin, and cardamom and seven spice.

Cover with hot water (1 cm above the mixture). Once it boils, cover and let simmer on low heat until the water evaporates (about 25 minutes).

Turn over (like a cake) in a big plate, and cover the top with the fried onion stripes.

Serve with plain yogurt.

Servings: 4

Nutrition Information: Cals 352. Carbs 46g. Fat 14g. Protein 12g.

Fattoush [Arabic Salad]

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Arabic Food Made Easy, Posts, Recipes, Salads

Fattoush has become my Tayta’s favorite salad in recent days. I don’t blame her. It’s a pretty simple salad with tons of flavor. At my parent’s house, we’d usually have Fattoush everyday in Ramadan preceded by lentil soup. I could seriously make a meal out of Fattoush. They two key ingredients: Garlic and Pita Bread. Yes, pita bread. They serve as Arabic-style croutons with much less fat.

The original recipe calls for frying up the pita bread. However, my mother, and Tayta both have been baking their pita bread for Fattoush since as long as I can remember. We’d only get the fried ones for a special treat, namely when my mom hosted her dinner parties.

Fattoush Recipe

Ingredients

1 Large Pita Bread, cut into 1-inch squares

3 Green Onions, chopped

Romaine Lettuce

1 large Tomato

1 Cucumber

Vinegar, to taste (I’d say a couple tablespoons, if not more)

4 cloves Garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon Sumac

1-2 tablespoon Olive Oil

Sea Salt, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place pita bread pieces on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes, until hardened.

Mix together the vegetables.

Then add the garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt and sumac.

Top the salad off with the pita bread.

Servings: 4

Nutrition Information: Cals 95. Carbs 11. Fat 5. Protein 2g. Sodium 108mg. Sugar 2g.

Chicken Shawirma

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Arabic Food Made Easy, Chicken, Posts, Recipes

The best chicken shawirma I’ve ever had was in Amman, Jordan. Back when we used to spend our summer vacation abroad, my sister and I would make our way to our then favorite spot Al-Daya’a (I’m sure there are newer places that have set up shop). It was amazing – 4 or 5 years ago. Tender chicken, wrapped in warm pita bread stuffed with turnips and garlic sauce. The garlic sauce is something I won’t forget. But it wasn’t special to Al-Daya’a. Every shawirma and Kabob place had this magical sauce – a sauce that goes with all meat and perfect for dipping your fries. Well, I found a really easy way to create that same garlic sauce taste.

All of a sudden, I was craving some chicken shawirma. And while Washington, DC is not short of shawirma shops like Shwarma King, Shawarma Spot, and DC Shawarma Food Truck, I wanted to make it at home and in enjoy it in the comfort of my warm home without having to battle city traffic.

Adapted from Mama’s Lebanese Kitchen

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Chicken Shawirma

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

1 lb -1.5lbs of thinly cut skinless boneless Chicken Breast
1/4 cup of Lemon Juice
¼ -1/2 teaspoon of crushed Thyme
1/2 teaspoon of Paprika
2 tablespoons of Plain Nonfat Yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons of Vinegar
4 crushed Garlic Cloves
1 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/2 tablespoon of Salt

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together and marinate the chicken overnight in the fridge.
Using a Panini grill, grill the marinated chicken for 15 minutes, or until done.
Serve rolled in pita bread with pickled turnips and Garlic Sauce.

Easy Garlic Sauce Recipe: Mix together 3 cloves Garlic, smashed, 1/2 cup Nonfat Plain Yogurt, and Sea Salt to taste.

Notes

Nutrition Information: (With ½ Large White Pita Bread) Cals 388. Carbs 24g. Fat 10g. Protein 50g. Sodium 754mg. Sugar 5g.

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