Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Ingredients:

whole grain fettuccine, spaghetti, or angel hair
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups baby spinach
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
crushed red pepper, to taste
parmesan cheese

Boil the pasta until al dente.

Meanwhile, stir ricotta cheese with lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

When pasta is cooked, drain, reserving 1 cup of the water.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and add bell pepper. Allow to cook for 3 minutes then add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds longer then mix in the pasta, most of the water, and ricotta mixture. Stir well and add more water if pasta is too dry. Add spinach and cook until partially wilted.

To serve, top pasta with more crushed pepper and black pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Kisir (Turkish Bulgur Salad)

Ingredients:

1 cup fine bulgur
10 mint leaves, chopped finely
red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 green onions, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cucumber, finely chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
hot pepper sauce, to taste
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon paprika
lettuce leaves or fresh grape leaves, for serving

Soak bulgur in hot water until al dente.

Combine remaining ingredients, adding salt and lemon just before serving.

Serve kisir with a heaping spoonful in each lettuce or grape leaf.

Cauliflower and Yellow Lentil Curry

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils or yellow split peas

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons ginger, minced

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 cup red curry paste

hot pepper sauce, to taste

3 cups vegetable stock

water

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces

salt, to taste

8 dried apricots, sliced

3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Soak lentils or split peas in some water for an hour.

Saute onion, garlic, and ginger in the oil until the onion is soft. Add turmeric, curry powder, curry paste, and hot pepper sauce and stir until fragrant.

Add the lentils and vegetable stock and enough water to cover the mixture by about an inch. Allow the lentils to cook for about 20 minutes, adding water as needed if the mixture begins to dry. 10 minutes before removing from heat, add the cauliflower. Cook until tender-crisp. Add salt and more hot pepper sauce if desired. 

Serve curry with basmati rice or naan and plain yogurt. Garnish with the apricot slices and cilantro. Sprinkle with coconut milk if desired.

Honey Soaked Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

quinoa, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup dried apricots, slivered
1/3 cup dried cherries, halved
1/4 cup red onion, sliced
1 head lettuce, chopped or torn

Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk.

Toss all salad ingredients together. Combine with dressing before serving.

Sesame Crusted Lemongrass Tofu

Ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 stalk lemongrass, micrograted and chopped finely
1/2 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
3/4 cup panko
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
grapeseed oil
green onion, chopped


Cut tofu into thin 1 inch squares. Arrange on a flat plate. Stir soy sauce with hot pepper sauce and lemongrass and pour mixture over tofu. Allow tofu to marinade half an hour.

Meanwhile, stir egg with hot pepper sauce and put in a shallow bowl and toss panko with sesame seeds in a deep bowl.

Press tofu between two paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. Drench each piece of tofu in egg and then coat in the panko.

Fry all the tofu until golden brown on both sides. Garnish with green onion. Serve with dipping sauce.

For dipping sauce, combine half a lime, 1 teaspoon sugar, hot pepper sauce, 1 small clove garlic, minced, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil.

Kenyan Curry

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil
half a yam, cut into 1 inch cubes (optional)
1 carrot, diced (optional)
2 green chilies, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons curry powder
pinch of cinnamon
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons fenugreek
hot pepper sauce (optional)
1-1/2 cup chickpeas or kidney beans
1-1/2 cup coconut milk
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1x1/2 inch rectangles
1-1/2 cups brown or cremini mushrooms, sliced
2/3 cup pineapple, cut into 1x1/2 inch rectangles
1/4 cup roasted cashews
salt
juice of half a lemon (optional)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Cook the yams in a little bit of oil until almost cooked through. Add onion and carrot and cook until soft. Add garlic, bell pepper, and chilies and cook another 30 seconds. Sprinkle in curry powder, cinnamon, garam masala, coriander, paprika, chili flakes, and fenugreek and stir fry until aromatic.

Pour in the coconut milk and the tomatoes and bring to simmer. Simmer and cover for 15 minutes. Add mushrooms and cashews. Simmer 10 minutes. Finally add pineapple and salt to taste. Simmer an additional 5 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice.

Garnish with shredded coconut and serve curry with naan or freekeh and a lemon wedge.

Zatar Potato Wedges

Ingredients:

Potatoes, cut into wedges
olive oil
salt
zatar seasoning
fresh mint, chopped

Soak potato wedges in salt water for half an hour. Pat dry.

Toss potatoes in olive oil and salt.

Coat each potato wedge with zatar seasoning and place on greased baking sheet.

Bake potatoes at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until they are golden and crispy, flipping over once during baking. Remove from oven.

Garnish potatoes with mint and serve with wedges of lemon and yogurt.

Moghrabieh Zatar Salad

Ingredients:

moghrabieh, boiled and drained
olive oil
red wine vinegar
lemon juice
zatar
mint, chopped
oregano
cumin
thyme
salt and pepper
celery, chopped finely
parsley, chopped
cucumber, chopped finely
cherry tomatoes, cut in half (optional)

Allow moghrabieh to cool slightly. Add olive oil and refrigerate until it is completely cooled. Toss with remaining ingredients. Add more olive oil if needed.

*Variation: can use orzo, penne, or shells in place of the moghrabieh

Coconut Cleicha Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon powdered cardamom
1-1/2 tablespoon rosewater and orange blossom water combined
1 egg, separated

Sprinkle sugar and yeast over lukewarm milk and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Mix flour and salt and cut butter into it. Then stir in the yeast mixture and mix well until ball forms. Allow dough to sit in warm area for half an hour.

Meanwhile prepare coconut filling by combining coconut, sugar, cardamom, and flower essences with the egg white. Set aside.

Separate dough into two halves. On a floured surface, roll out balls of dough and use rim of a glass to punch out circles. Fill each circle with some of the coconut filling and seal edges firmly. Place each cookie on a sprayed nonstick baking dish. Brush cookies with the egg yolk mixed with a little bit of milk.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until tops of the cookies are golden brown.

*Variations:
- replace flower essences with vanilla extract
- replace coconut with walnuts

Matcha Mochi Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 pound glutinous rice flour
1 tablespoon matcha
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg white

Stir all ingredients together. Spread in well greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Allow to cool completely before cutting and removing from pan.

Vegetable Stuffed Grape Leaves

Ingredients:

grape leaves or swiss chard
short or medium grain rice
onion, chopped
pine nuts, roughly chopped
garlic, minced
carrot, shredded
red bell pepper, finely chopped
green bell pepper, finely chopped
tomatoes, chopped finely
pomegranate molasses
salt and pepper, to taste
ground dried lemon
cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
allspice
parsley
mint
basil
dill
potato, sliced into 1/3 inch pieces
1/4 cup tamarind paste
juice of 1 small lemon

Soak rice in water for a few hours or overnight.

Cook onion, pine nuts, and carrot in some oil until soft. Add garlic, bell peppers, and tomato. Saute until slightly softened and stir in rice, tomatoes, and a little bit of water. Cook until liquid has evaporated and tomatoes are pureed into the mixture. Rice should be al dente. Add salt, pepper,  pomegranate molasses, dried lemon, cayenne pepper, and allspice. Allow to cool then stir in parsley, mint, basil, and dill. Mix in bulgur if desired.

Wash brine from the grape leaves. Prepare a nonstick saucepan by coating the bottom and sides with oil and covering with potatoes. Place a tablespoon of the rice mixture into each grape leaf and roll into a cigar. Layer the grape leaf rolls into the saucepan. Drizzle with olive oil. To cook, add tamarind paste and lemon juice to the pot and then add enough water to the pot to cover the rolls. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low until the water is absorbed. Serve hot or cold.

Salsa

Ingredients:

6 roma tomatoes, cut in half OR 4 roma tomatoes and 1 cup cherry tomatoes, roasted or raw
1/2 small onion
1/2 cup cilantro
1 or 1-1/2 jalapenos
2 small cloves garlic
juice of a large lime
salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a food processor add all the ingredients except half the tomatoes and pulse until they are chopped. Adjust seasoning as needed. Chop the remaining tomatoes and stir into salsa. Store in mason jar to preserve freshness. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

*optional mix ins: black beans, corn, green bell pepper

Carrot Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups carrots, finely chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups basmati rice
soy beef crumbles (optional)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon ground dried lemon

Soak the rice to soften.

Saute the onion and carrot in some vegetable oil until softened. Stir in turmeric. Cook for 30 seconds and add the rice and water. Cover and cook on low heat. Halfway though, add crumbles, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper, and dried lemon. Allow rice to cook through and serve hot.

Moroccan Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric
6 cups vegetable stock
1 can tomatoes in juice
1 turnip, peeled and diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
a pinch of saffron
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 large or 2 small zucchini, sliced
2 ounces moghrabieh
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
salt and pepper, to taste
paprika, to taste

Seep saffron in boiling water for a couple of hours.

Heat oil and add onion, carrots, celery, and turnip. Cook until slightly tender. Add tomatoes and vegetable stock. Cover and bring to simmer.

Add saffron infused water, cardamom, salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir in zucchini and moghrabieh. When the moghrabieh is cooked through, remove from heat and garnish with cilantro and parsley.