Tabbouleh - Salad

Tabbouleh - Salad

Tabbouleh salad is an all time favorite of the Middle East and has become a favorite all over the world. People have always thought tabbouleh salad is one of those dishes that you just cannot duplicate at home. Until the popularity of this salad has been ignited by the health gurus, people now are not afraid of trying to duplicated this dish at home. Even though there are lots of Tabbouleh recipes out on the Internet and in cook books, I am going to give you my families recipe to making the most delicious authentic Tabbouleh salad you will ever taste. Let's get started.

Ingredients:

4 bunches of coarse parsley
2 large tomatoes
1 bunch of green onions
1 cup Bulgar #1 found at any Middle Eastern Market http://www.jonsmarketplace.com/
3 lemons
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. salt

Directions:
 
First you will need to soak the bulgar in water. Take the 1 cup bulgar and add it to 1 cup of water. The bulgar needs to soften so soaking it for about 15 minutes should do the trick. Then wash all the parsley and pat dry. A simple and quick way to chop the parsley is by leaving the rubber band at the stems of the parsley, and just below the parsley florets, chop off and discard the parsley stems. You now can start chopping the parsley florets until finely chopped. Next chop the green onions also finely but only use the green part of the onions and discard the white part. Chop the tomatoes into very small diced pieces. Once you have chopped the parsley, onion, and tomatoes you will add them into a large bowl. By now, the bulgar should have expanded and become soft. Discard any water from the bulgar and add the bulgar to the tabbouleh mix. Add the juice of the 3 lemons, olive oil, and salt. Cover the tabbouleh salad and put in the fridge for about 15 minutes until the salad chills.


Recipe serves 4 to 6.

Muhammara-Hot Pepper Dip

Muhammara - Hot Pepper Dip



This dish is one of my favorite. Muhammara which means roasted in Arabic, is made of roasted peppers and walnuts and pomegranate juice. It has a nutty, sweet, tangy taste with a kick of spicyness to it. Muhammara has the appearance of a thick paste and is served with pita bread as an appitizer or as a side dish to your main course. This dish is so delicious and very simple to make and a true favorite for those who are vegitarian or watching their carbs. I am dedicating this post to my friend Ilene who asked me for the recipe.

Muhammara / Mouhamara - Spicy Red Pepper Dip with Walnuts

Muhammara / Mouhamara - Spicy Red Pepper Dip with Walnuts


This is a delicious dip that will hit your pallet in an amazing way. You will taste the favors of spicy, tangy and sweetness with each bit of Muhammara you take. Muhammara which is also spelled as Mouhamara, in Arabic means "Roasted". This is a wonderful side dish to accompany your main course, or can be a dip served with pita bread. This dish is also a favorite amongst vegetarians and for those watching their carbs. Let's get started.

Ingredients:

7 oz. can or jar of roasted red peppers
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup walnuts
3 cloves garlic
2 tbs. lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs. pomegranate paste or juice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. toasted pine nuts - optional


Directions:

You will need a food processor for this recipe. In the food processor you will blend the drained roasted peppers, bread crumbs, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, pomegranate paste, ground cumin, and salt. Blend all these ingredients together for about 1 minute or so and then slowly add the extra virgin olive oil. Once your mixture looks well blended transfer the Muhammara to a nice flat dish and garnish with the optional toasted pine nuts.
Serve with pita bread as an appetizer. Wonderful as a main vegetarian dish or even as a side dish to your main course.


This recipe serves 4.

Baba Ghanoush - Eggplant Dip

Baba Ghanoush - Eggplant Dip

Ingredients:
1 medium to large Eggplant
4 tbs. tahini sauce
2 cloves garlic -mashed
1 lemon - juiced
1 tsp. salt

3 tbs. olive oil to garnish

Directions:

preheat oven to 325 degrees. First, with a fork, poke one side of the eggplant. place the poked side up on a foil lined pan and place in the oven. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the eggplant has become a dark black color. To check if the eggplant is done first look at it and if it has collapsed then poke the eggplant with a fork and if the fork goes through the eggplant easily then it is done. Remove the eggplant from the oven and put under gentle running cold water. Once the eggplant has cooled, peel off all the skin and discard the skin. Then place the eggplant on your cutting board and chop finely. In a food processor add the eggplant, tahini sauce, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Blend just until the ingredients are blended together. There you go...Baba Ghanoush ready to serve.

Add the Baba Ghanoush to your favorite flat dish and garnish with the olive oil. Serve the Baba Ghanoush with a few loaves of pita bread. This is also a great low carb recipe by using celery instead of pita bread to scoop and eat the Baba Ghanoush. Enjoy!

This recipe serves 4.

Hummus - chick pea dip

Hummus - Chick Pea Dip

This recipe is easy to make and very delicious. Why buy a store bought hummus when you can make your own authentic Hummus at home within minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can 15 oz. garbanzo beans
4 tbs. tahini sauce - found in the Middle Eastern isle at your local grocery store.
1 garlic clove, mashed
1 tsp. salt
1 lemon
1 tbsp. olive oil garnish
1 tsp. paprika

DIRECTIONS:

First you will need to drain the garbanzo beans and rinse off the liquid from the can and set aside.  I recommend mixing the tahini sauce with the lemon juice and salt first in a bowl just until the mixture becomes at a whipped consistency.  Add the mashed garlic to the tahini sauce mixture. Using the blender or food processor, add all the garbanzo beans and blend on high for about a minute.  Add the tahini sauce mixture to the blender and blend for another 2 or 3 minutes until the ingredients become creamy. If you find the mixture is too thick add 1 or 2 tsp. of water to the mix. Mix until the hummus is not clumpy but rather has a creamy consistency.  Pour the hummus into a contain, cover and store in the fridge for about an hour so that the hummus settles.  Once you are ready to eat, garnish with the olive oil and paprika. You can serve with pita bread, pita chips, celery or carrots. Hummus always tastes better the next day after being in the fridge.

This recipe serves 4.