The Italians know what they’re doing when it comes to food. For them, it isn’t about throwing together tons of ingredients. It’s about simplicity and flavor. That’s why I love Caprese Salad. It has the simplest ingredients and yet is packed with so much flavor. Be sure to choose only the freshest ingredients – I go for organic or veggies from Whole Foods. For Italians it’s also all about presentation. I’m all about presentation of food. It makes it so much more appetizing. (more…)
My mom makes an amazing fruit salad, and that’s because of her secret ingredients (namely the sauce). I’ve only made her fruit salad on two occasions. It’s not complicated but it packs in a lot more calories than you’d suspect. So don’t be fooled by the word “fruit.” Although I’ve measured out the amount of condensed milk and orange juice, you may have to adjust to your taste. I will warn you, however that you don’t need to add more than 1/2 tsp of orange blossom water. Too much will be flavor overload on your senses. (more…)
In general, I don’t go out of my way to make lunch unless I’m home around lunchtime on the weekend, or a three-day weekend. That’s because during the week in my morning rush, I grab something on my way out the door or simply pick up lunch at work.
The nice thing about lunch is that it’s easy. Throw together a salad, or a sandwich and ta-da! Lunch is served. This weekend, I wanted to take a stab at making some better for your chicken salad. You can trade off some of the additions, but stick with the light mayo. Mine only has 20 calories per tablespoon, without compromising taste. A nice combination could be one tablespoon each of chopped walnuts and dried cranberries. Test it out, try it out and see what works for you. I like the crunch of celery and carrots but it’s your prerogative. (more…)
The great thing about having 7 aunts and uncles is that they and their children provide so much diversity to the family dynamic. Yes, we’re all essentially Arab/Middle Eastern, but we’ve grown up all over the world, some of us are American, others are Italian, Australian, Dutch, Jordanian, Egyptian, Algerian, English and Brazilian. And some of us have lived in places like London, Malaysia, Kuwait, Dubai, Oman, and Singapore. But we all bring something to the table – literally and figuratively. We may face some language barriers and be able to hold a conversation, but we all understand good food. And with so many cuisines to choose from, we’re lucky enough that our table is always full. (more…)
Salads are meant to be simple. That’s my philosophy, at least. So why complicate a salad with way too many ingredients and fat-laden salad dressing? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told, or have read, that just because you’ve ordered a salad at a restaurant, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being healthy and cutting calories. That’s because they’ve added fried ingredients and added a dressing that has 500 calories (that’s dressing without the actual salad). You’d be better off ordering yourself a burger and fries. At least that way you can justify the 500 calories without trying—unsuccessfully—to convince yourself what you’re eating is actually good for you. (more…)
I love spending time with my mom, and more importantly getting recipes from her. Lucky for me, she doesn’t live too far away. Over the weekend, on one of my weekly visits, she was going on and on about a new salad she’d tried out – something about corn and avocados. At the word avocados my ears perked up (think small puppy ears) and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the recipe. Next thing I know, she pulls out a Tupperware with leftover salad and starts going down the list of ingredients. That’s when I started my menu planning for the week, Sunday afternoon. It’s a really light salad, as the dressing is super simple. I’m not really one for complicated salad dressings. My dressing of choice is olive oil and lemon juice on most occasions. (more…)