Cauliflower Rice with Lentils

July 8, 2016 by Yasemin Ari Leave a Comment

This is a healthy, gluten free variation of a classic bulgur (cracked wheat) pilaf with green or brown lentils. Cauliflower rice is substituted for bulgur, giving the pilaf similar texture with a rich taste.

Ingredients:

1 cup dry green or brown lentils (or 2 cups cooked lentils)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups cauliflower rice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon dry chili peppers (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, soak lentils in cold water and vinegar overnight or at least for 1 hour. Overnight soaking is recommended since lentils will be more nutritious when sprouted by overnight soaking.

Wash and cut cauliflower into florets. Feel free to use the stems as well. Using a food processor prepare cauliflower rice by pulsing the processor. If overdone, cauliflower will become very fine like snow, which will not give the desired texture to the pilaf. You can buy cauliflower rice (Trader Joe’s) if you don’t want to prepare it yourself.

Drain lentils. You can also use precooked green or brown lentils for a shortcut (Trader Joe’s). If you are using cooked lentils rinse them to separate the lentils properly and drain.

In a medium size pot, sauté onions in olive oil until onions are golden brown, 5-7 minutes. If you are using uncooked lentils, add them into the pot. Add 1 cup of boiling water, peppers and salt . Cover the pot, bring to a boil on medium heat. Reduce heat to low, let it simmer until lentils are cooked, about 7-10 minutes. Add the cauliflower rice, let it cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Transfer to serving plate. Serve hot.

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

Cauliflower Rice

Caulifower Rice Ingredients

Sautéed onions

Lentils added

Cauliflower Rice with Lentils cooking

Cauliflower Rice with Lentils

Artichokes Stuffed with Avocados

July 2, 2016 by Yasemin Ari 3 Comments

Artichokes Stuffed with Avocados

Here’s a perfect example of an Aegean-California fusion dish, if there is such a thing. Although the Mediterranean climate is perfect for growing avocados, they are fairly new in the Aegean region. As people get more familiar with avocados, they are creatively integrating them into their local cuisine. Artichokes, however are widely used in the Mediterranean as main courses, appetizers or salads. This is a fairly easy recipe that adds the creamy texture of the avocados to the tangy delicate flavor of the artichokes. The main thing that takes time in this recipe is the avocado filling which has to be marinated at least 2-3 hours.

Ingredients:

12-15 frozen artichoke bottoms
1 cup lemon juice, divided
1 clove garlic, mashed
1 table spoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Salt to taste
3-4 medium avocados
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped, or sliced
3/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 cups boiling water
½ teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste
Fresh dill weed for garnish, finely chopped

Directions:

Fill a large bowl with tap water, add 1/2 cup lemon juice. Remove frozen artichoke bottoms from the package, place them in the lemon water, set aside to let them thaw.

To prepare the marinade sauce for the avocados, in a medium size bowl mix lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, mashed garlic, mustard, honey and salt with a whisk until it slightly thickens. Peel the avocados, remove seeds, and cut them in small cubes (about ½ inch in size). Place avocados in the sauce. Gently stir with a spoon, making sure the sauce covers the avocado pieces well. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least for 2-3 hours.

Cut a small slice from the bottom of each artichoke to make sure the bottoms are flat, not pointy. This is needed to properly stuff them with avocados later. In a large sauce pan, place remaining olive oil and coarsely chopped onions. Spread the onions in an even layer. Place artichokes over the onions in the pan. Sprinkle with sugar and salt. Drizzle the remaining lemon juice ½ cup) evenly over the artichokes. Lemon juice will prevent the color of artichokes from darkening. Add the hot water to the pan and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, let it simmer until artichokes are tender, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat, let it cool to room temperature. Remove artichokes from the pan and place them on a serving plate. Discard the remaining onions. Using a spoon, carefully fill the artichokes with avocados. Sprinkle chopped fresh dill over the avocados. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Bon Appetit! Afiyet Olsun!

Artichokes in lemon water

Cut the bottom of the artichokes

Chopped dill

Olive oil and onions in pan

Artichokes cooking

Cooked Artichokes

Artichokes ready to be served

Carrots Braised in Olive Oil

January 10, 2015 by Yasemin Ari 1 Comment

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.

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Quinoa Pilaf with Garbanzo Beans

December 12, 2014 by Yasemin Ari Leave a Comment

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!

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Eggplants, Peppers & Tomatoes in Olive Oil – Kırlı Kızartması

October 30, 2014 by Yasemin Ari Leave a Comment

Eggplants, Peppers & Tomatoes in Olive Oil

Literally meaning “peasant fries”, Kirli Kizartmasi is a local dish from Aydin province in the Aegean region of Turkey. It is traditionally made with summer vegetables first fried in olive oil and then simmered in a pot to blend all the tastes together. Once I tasted a healthy version of this at my friend Ayla’s house, I was not going back to frying, since it was absolutely delicious. The trick was to let it simmer for about an hour and a half to two hours over very low heat.

Ingredients:

6 small to medium size Japanese eggplants
2 sweet red or green bell peppers
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and sliced
2 large onions, sliced
2 heads of garlic (yes, not cloves), peeled
½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup yogurt for serving (optional)

Directions:

Wash and dry the eggplants. Remove tops, peel eggplants lengthwise in stripes (see the picture below). Starting at the non-stem end, cut it lengthwise until about 1 1/2 inches from the stem. Do not cut all the way through. Make another cut lengthwise at 90 degrees to the first cut. Place eggplants on the bottom of a large port.

Wash peppers, remove stems and seeds from inside. Cut the peppers lengthwise into about 1/2 inch thick strips. Put the pepper strips over the eggplants as the second layer.

Peel and cut the onions in half. Then cut each half into 1/8 inch thick slices. Place onions over the peppers.

Peel garlic cloves. If the cloves a very big, cut them in half. Place garlic cloves evenly on the top.

Wash and peel the tomatoes. Cut them in quarters, then slice each piece into 1/4 inch slices. Place tomato slices over all the vegetables evenly.

Drizzle olive oil over the layers of vegetables. Then sprinkle salt and pepper over the tomatoes.

Turn on the heat to medium. Once it starts to simmer, lower the heat to very low and let it simmer for about an hour and a half to two hours. You won’t need to add any water to the pot since it will simmer in vegetables’ own juices. However, if you are in a hurry, you can add a cup of boiling water and simmer on medium heat. It takes about 20 minutes to cook. Check to see if the vegetables are very tender. Once it is cooked, remove from the heat. Transfer to a serving dish. It can be eaten hot or at room temperature. Can be served with plain yogurt on the side (optional).

Bon Appetit! Afiyet Olsun!

Garlic peeled

Sliced Onions

Eggplants peeled

Add peppers (red)

Add green peppers if you prefer

Add onions and garlic

Add tomatoes

Eggplants, Peppers & Tomatoes in Olive Oil

Yasemin's Kitchen

Mediterranean Recipes with a Turkish Flair

Cauliflower Rice with Lentils

Artichokes Stuffed with Avocados

Carrots Braised in Olive Oil

Quinoa Pilaf with Garbanzo Beans

Eggplants, Peppers & Tomatoes in Olive Oil – Kırlı Kızartması

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