Arugula Beet Salad w/ Feta Cheese

                       

This recipe was created a couple hours ago mainly because I had some left over roasted beets from last night and I wanted to create something new from them. Thankfully, I had some great fresh ingredients to create this wonderfully balanced salad! Beets are an incredible vegetable, sweet, earthy, hearty, fibrous, and packed with essential nutrients like iron and potassium. Since the beets contribute sweetness I wanted to add a bitter, sour, fresh, and creamy element to the salad to make it well balanced. So, I used arugula as the base of the salad to add a little peppery/bitter taste, radishes for texture and slightly bitter taste, lemon juice for the sour element, mint leaves for freshness, and feta cheese for creaminess. One thing that I would have liked to have added but unfortunately did not have in my pantry was walnuts (next time). 

So overall I was so happy with this impulsive lunch that I just had to share it, hope you all enjoy :) 

Nutrition: 

-Good source of: Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Iron, Potassium, Calcium, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Dietary Fiber, Protein, Folate, Riboflavin, Magnesium, Phytochemicals, Vitamin D. 

-Very low in calories about 105 calories per serving, packed with nutrients, making this salad very nutrient dense! 

Time: 10 minutes 

Servings: 2

                                          

   

Ingredients: 

1 cup fresh Arugula 

2 roasted Beets (w/ salt, pepper, olive oil) 

1/4 cup fat free Feta Cheese 

4-5 Radishes 

6-8 fresh Mint leaves 

1 lemon 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

Salt and Pepper 

How To Make It: 

Roasted Beets- Since I roasted the beets last night I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of the process, but it is very simple! 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farhenheit using the Convection Roast  (if applicable)

2. Wash and scrub the beets thoroughly! and cut off both ends. 

3. Cut each beet in half and place on a baking sheet with foil. Add salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil enough to coat each beet (but not too much!) approximately one tablespoon total.  

4. Roast the beets for about 20-25 minutes flipping them over halfway through cooking time.  

5. Enjoy some now and refrigerate the rest to make this delicious salad. 

1. Add one cup of Arugula to a salad bowl 

                                 

    

2. Slice the mint leaves like you would Basil, folding all of the leaves and then slices to get long and thin slices, add to the arugula. 

  

3. Thinly slice the beets about 1/2 inch in thickness and add to the salad mixture. 

4. Wash and trim the radishes and then slice then thinly, add to the salad mixture. 

5. Make the Dressing: Juice of one lemon mixed with 1 tablespoon of olive oil whisked together.  Add the dressing to the salad 

6. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper to the salad and mix 

7. Lastly add about 1/4 cup of feta cheese and enjoy :) 

Complete Arabic Style Breakfast

                             

This is my take on a traditional Arabic breakfast! This breakfast provides a well rounded meal to satisfy you through the day. Fava beans add a great source of plant based proteins, olives and olive oil add a good of source "good" fats, and the meal is eaten with whole wheat pita bread to satisfy all three macronutrients. There are also a great deal of fresh herbs, vegetables, and the pomegranate seeds a great fruit source while providing high antioxidant content. The main star of this meal is the Fool Mdammas which is a fresh and lemony breakfast item made with tender fava beans and typically eaten with pita bread. The rest of the food items are supplementary and add to make this a complete meal! 

In addition to the Fool I included Kalamata olives, pomegranate seeds, Jordanian Zaatar, Syrian cheese with fresh arugula and tarragon leaves, and Labni with dried mint and olive oil. 

What You Need: 

(Fool Mdammas): 1 can Fava Beans, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 white or yellow onion, 2 roma tomatoes, 1/2 cup Italian parsley, 1-2 garlic cloves (depending on size and how much you like garlic :)), 1 lemon, salt. 

    

(Labni): Kefir Cheese Spread (Labni), 1/2 tablespoon  olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried mint leaves, salt. 

(Cheese Plate): You can use  your favorite cheese here, (I used a mild Syrian cheese made with cows milk and retains moisture), Arugula, pomegranate seeds, tarragon leaves. 

How To Make It: 

Fool Mdammas 

1. Boil the fava beans with the water and add more water to cover the beans. Bring these to a boil and then set aside. 

2. Squeeze the juice of one lemon and add it to the serving bowl. Then, using a garlic smasher, press in one clove of garlic to the lemon juice. 

3. Now we can started on chopping those vegetables, tomatoes, onions, and parsley. All of these need to be chopped very small, I provided a step by step picture of how I cut the tomatoes to get them small without smashing them. 

4. Add the tomatoes and onions to the lemon and garlic and add 1 teaspoon of salt. 

5. Add the DRAINED fava beans to the mixture. 

6. Finally add the chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 

7. The Fool Mdammas is now ready to be served! 

Lebni (this one is reeeeally easy) 

1. Spread enough Lebni on the plate using a spoon to create a well between the outsides and center. Top with 1 teaspoon of dried mint, and an olive for garnish. 

2. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the well portion of the lebni. 

3. Now the Labni is ready to be served! 

Cheese Plate 

1. Slice up your favorite cheese into 1 inch thick pieces. 

2. Place fresh arugula and Tarragon on the bottom of the plate. 

3. Add the sliced cheese to the center of the plate and add terragon and pomegranate seeds for garnish. 

Plate your Olives, Zaatar, and Pomegranate Seeds! 

Lastly, Heat up some good pita bread! 

And that's it! now just put everything on the table and enjoy your yummy and nutritious Arabic Style Breakfast :) 

Lentil-Vegetable Soup !

                             

This Easy-To-Make Lentil Soup is definitely a recipe to keep handy during this cold winter!

Lentil soup is a very special soup for me because it reminds me of my family, especially my grandma, because she makes lentil soup quite often and has her own authentic recipe. When I make this soup, I add more vegetables to it and leave it chunky, others (like my grandma) prefer to blend it up, which you can also do if you prefer to! This soup is packed with flavor and nutrients of course. I kept it light, simple, and used tons of vegetables and spices to contribute to the flavor and health benefits. Hope you guys enjoy it as much I do!

Health Benefits: LENTILS are amazing for you, they come from the legume family like a bean or pea, and are excellent tools for weight loss! These mighty lentils are packed with protein, fiber, iron, minerals, and vitamins, with virtually no fat! So for all of my vegetarians/vegans out there that are looking to add more iron and protein in their diet, here is excellent source you should consider! 

Servings: 6 people 

Total Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes 

Ingredients: 

1 cup brown lentils 

1 cup red lentils 

4-6 stalks of celery 

4 carrots 

1 yellow onion

1 tomato

1/4 cup parsley

4 garlic cloves

1 lemon/zest

4 cups chicken or veggie stalk 

2-4 cups water 

3 tablespoons olive oil 

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

2 bay leaves 

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

How To Make It: 

1. Wash the carrots, tomatoes, celery, and parsley, and peel the carrots. 

2. Chop the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and parsley, you can do a rough chop since it is a rustic soup, just make sure to keep all the ingredients a similar size. Next, remove the thyme leaves from the stem and then place all of these ingredients to the side. 

3. In a medium sized pot sauté the carrots, onions, and celery in the olive oil for about 5-10 minutes or until the veggies are a little browned. 

4. Add the garlic and tomatoes, stir and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Add the fresh thyme, oregano, cumin, ground pepper, bay leaves. Then, add the lentils and make sure to coat them with the oils and mix together well, cook for an additional 2 minutes. 

6. Add 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. 

 

7. Add the zest of one lemon straight into the soup. 

8. Cook on medium heat for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until the lentils are tender. Note, the red lentils are much smaller and cook much faster and may be barely visible once cooked, the brown lentils are larger and whole and will take a while to cook until they are tender. ALSO these lentil soak up a lot of the water so you will need to add water accordingly! 

9. Serve this soup hot and top it off with fresh parsley and lemon juice. 

Enjoy :) 

Sumac Salmon

Salmon is one of my favorite proteins to eat and cook, it's super flavorful and packed with tons of nutrients. Salmon is an excellent source of vitamin B12,  Vitamin D, and selenium, niacin, omega-3-fatty acids, protein, phosphorus, and vitamin B6. This recipe also uses sumac, sumac is a spice made from dried and ground sumac berries. Sumac is a lemony flavorful spice that is very high in antioxidants, may reduce cholesterol, help glycemic control, and improve cardiovascular health.

                                       

Ingredients: 

1 pound of wild salmon (I prefer to use wild salmon)

2 tablespoons ground sumac 

1/4 cup fresh dill

1 tablespoon lemon zest 

1/2 sliced lemon 

4 slices of white onion 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

salt and pepper to taste 

How To Make It: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farhenheit 

      

2. Obtain a small baking sheet, then line it with a large piece of foil (enough to wrap the salmon with), and brush the foil with some of the olive oil. 

                                            

                                             

3. Place the fresh salmon skin side down on the oiled foil and add all of the sumac spice you desire to the salmon, try to rub it in as evenly as possible. 

       

    4. Chop the fresh herb dill, zest about a full lemon, slice half a lemon, and 4 slices of onion. 

        

    

5. Add the zest, dill, salt, pepper, lemon slices, and onion slices. 

        

6. Wrap the sides of the foil around the salmon creating a tight environment for the salmon to absorb all of the flavors and cook effectively without drying out.

                                          

   7. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, keeping a keen eye while its baking, you definitely don't want to overcook it, because it will get dry, but you want to make sure the thicker pieces cook thoroughly as well. 

                                          

                                          

                                          

8. Remove the salmon when it is cooked to your liking and transfer to a serving plate, it is optional to keep or remove the onion and lemon slices as a garnish. Enjoy :)