Carrots Braised in Olive Oil (Zeytinyağlı Havuç)
Carrots and onions sautéed in olive oil is a simple dish. Easy to prepare and takes less than 15 minutes to cook. Typically a table spoon full of rice is also added to the dish, however, I always omit the rice. This recipe calls for fresh dill for garnish, parsley would work just as well.
…
 |
| Quinoa Pilaf with Garbanzo Beans (Nohutlu Kinoa Pilavı) |
OK, I admit I did not know what quinoa was until just a few years ago. But then, who did? I was trying to stay away from white rice and was very proud to use bulgur (cracked wheat) as an alternative for pilafs. After all, bulgur is whole wheat and has low glycemic index, it was all good. Since I add vegetables and garbanzo beans to it, I was very happy to cook nutritious bulgur pilafs. That is until we all learned about gluten and what it could do to our bodies, our brains. Naturally, I got myself a bag of “organic quinoa” and cooked it exactly per the directions on the bag. It was soggy and pretty much tasteless. My husband’s comment was “this is bird food, why did you cook it?“. I had to experiment with the way I cooked it. First lesson to learn was “not to follow the instructions” on the bag. You actually need less water than they tell you to cook with. I wanted enhance the taste, so I added lots of onions, bell peppers and garbanzo beans, black pepper and turmeric and voila! The result was a delicious alternative to rice and bulgur pilafs. Now all of my family (including the hubby) are not only used to it, but they actually like it a lot. This is a very simple recipe, but it will make quinoa an everyday dish on your table. Enjoy!
…
 |
| Hummus with Red Beets |
Ingredients:
Garnish:
Directions:
Place beet and water in a pot, bring to a boil over medium high heat. Lower the heat to medium and let it simmer until the beet is tender (15- 20 minutes). Let it cool to room temperature. Peel, cut into 1/2 in cubes and set aside.
Place all ingredients other than the garnish ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a serving plate. Drizzle olive oil over the hummus. Sprinkle with pistachios and fresh dill. Serve with pita bread wedges or crackers.
Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!
 |
| Red beets |
 |
| Ingredients ready |
 |
| Hummus with Red Beets |
 |
| Weaved Puff Pastry Cheese Rolls |
If you want a very easy recipe for borek, this is it!
You’ll use puff pastry right out of the freezer.
It’s not only easy to prepare, but it looks very appetizing.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
For the filling, mix cheeses and chopped greens in a small bowl, set aside.
Place frozen puff pastry on a clean flat surface to allow it to thaw just for a few minutes. You don’t want it to thaw to room temperature since it gets sticky when as it gets warm, becoming hard to handle.
Leaving the middle 1/3 of the dough intact, cut 4 horizontal lines on both right and left sides of the dough as shown in the photo below. Place a spoonful of cheese filling in the middle of the square dough. Starting at the top right, fold down the first strip on the right hand side towards the middle of the dough at a 45 degree angle, covering the filling. Then, do the same with the top strip on the left hand side. Repeat these steps until you wrap the strips criss-cross over the filling. Place the pastry on parchment paper. Prepare the other pastry squares the same way, set aside.
In a small bowl, using a whisk, thin the egg yolk with a teaspoon of water. Brush it over the pastry rolls. Sprinkle caraway seeds on top. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. First transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any excess grease, then transfer to a serving platter.
Serve hot or warm.
Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!
 |
| Cheeses, parsley, dill and egg yolk |
 |
| Make cuts on each side 1 inch apart |
 |
| Start folding down the strips at an angle over the filling |
 |
| Fold down all of the strips and secure the end by pressing |
 |
| Brush egg yolk and sprinkle caraway seeds |
 |
| Weaved Puff Pastry Rolls with Cheese filling |
 |
|
|
 |
| Green Lentil Salad with Herbs |
My friend Zinnur, ever so busy, somehow always finds time to get the friends together at her house. This salad was everybody’s favorite at the last dinner party she had. Simple, yet delicious lentil salad. Cumin gives the salad its authentic Middle Eastern flavor and of course as a natural remedy for gas and indigestion, it goes very well with lentils as it does with beans. Cumin also has antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-diabetic properties. So, enjoy the flavor and feel good about eating this salad.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Bring water to a boil in a pot over medium high heat. Add rinsed lentils and a teaspoon of salt, stir. When it starts to boil, reduce heat to low and let it simmer until lentils are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain, do NOT rinse lentils; place them in a bowl. Add olive oil while lentils are still hot. This allows lentils absorb the flavor. Wait until lentils cool down to room temperature. Taste the lentils, if they need salt, add salt to your taste. Add all other ingredients, gently stir with a spoon. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with a few sprigs of parsley. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Afiyet olsun! Bon Appetit!
 |
| Dry Green Lentils |
 |
| Green onions, parsley and cumin |
 |
| Green Lentil Salad ready to be tossed |
 |
| Green Lentil Salad with Herbs |
I love cooking, especially cooking with friends and family.
I believe that some of the best conversations take place around the kitchen counter... [Read More]
