I’ll be honest, this recipe was supposed to be “red rice and chicken,” but, obviously, the rice isn’t red. It’s likely due to several factors; the brown spices I used, my not caramelizing the onions, pre-packaged chicken stock. Honestly, I can’t quite put my finger on the exact reason why my rice isn’t red, but I’m not even disappointed. Despite this being a red rice fail, it worked out perfectly as a modified kabsa. (more…)
It’s fall! Officially pumpkin season. And no, I did not jump on the pumpkin spice latte bandwagon back in September. Pumpkins, in my personal opinion, should be enjoyed once the weather gets crisp and just a little chilly. Sweater weather, if you will. So when we were hitting 90 degree temps in September, I was still rocking my sleeveless tops and French vanilla coffee.
Sweater weather has arrived, and with it everything pumpkin flavored. I may or may not be a little obsessed, seeing that I have a plethora of pumpkin themed recipes on the blog. Some of my favorites include: BBQ and Spiced Pumpkin Seeds, Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake, Pumpkin Brownies, Pumpkin Spice Pancakes, Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cinnamon Pecans and Pumpkin Jam. (more…)
I’m not a huge fan of Asian foods [and by Asian, I mean far-east Asian]. I’m extremely picky. Not because I’m not adventurous with food, but everyone has different tastes and mine just happens to not be extremely fond of the sauces. I usually have one or two go-to items when I’m stuck in a situation where I have to have Chinese, or Thai, or Japanese food – usually because I’m the minority. And usually, my go-to items are sauce-free or are pretty bland in flavor. Everyone’s entitled to their prerogative and this is mine. (more…)
The last time I made rice, it took me exactly 1 minute and 30 seconds. I basically pulled the plastic wrap off of minute rice, stuck it in the microwave and waited impatiently for one minute while it cooked. Needless to say, rice is not my forte. Even more needless to say, I barely eat rice at home, unless it’s minute rice of course. Despite this, I still decided to try my luck with a healthy, lower-calorie version of a rice casserole. I wasn’t sure. I’ve had too many experiences where the rice was either over (mushy) or under cooked. Trust me, if I can do this, so can you. (more…)
After spending some time with my mother this weekend, I decided to take some of her advice. Mom suggested I find a hobby to keep me busy since I’ve been getting bored lately. That would have been easy, if I could think of one activity that could keep me interested and entertained for a long period of time. Cooking can’t keep me busy all the time. That’s when I realized, it’s time to get cracking on my “Before I’m 30 List.” Yes. Such a list does exist. It started when I was 15 on a piece of college-ruled paper. When I got my first laptop, I digitized my list and have been crossing things off ever since. Some have heard about this list … not many have actually seen it, or know what’s on it. That’s probably because, I’ll admit, there are some things on there that I should have accomplished by now. (more…)
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 OilDirections
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.