Armenian Eggplant Salad

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Ingredients:

• 4 green chili peppers Anaheim
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 medium eggplants
• 3 -4 ripe tomatoes
• 1 purple onion chopped finely
• 2 garlic cloves pressed
• 1 bunch parsley chopped finely
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• salt and black pepper to taste

Steps:

• Roast all the peppers and eggplant under broiler turning so all sides are roasted evenly
• When the skins are charred remove from broiler and allow to cool
• Placing them in a paper bag allows them to steam so the skins may be easily removed
• Peel seed and dice the peppers and place in a salad bowl
• Peel and dice the eggplant and add to bowl
• Add the tomatoes onion garlic parsley and seasonings
• Toss all ingredients well cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill
• This salad can be made 24 hours in advance and will taste even better when the flavors are allowed to blend

Chickpea Salad

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Ingredients:

• 16 ounces chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 4 stalks celery finely diced
• 1/2 red onion finely diced
• 1 bunch parsley coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together
• Allow five minutes for flavors to mix

Fragrant Orange Curry

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Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon ghee or 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger peeled and grated
• 2 green cardamom pods seeds from
• 1 quart orange juice freshly squeezed

Steps:

• Heat ghee or butter in a medium pot over low heat Add spices and stir until fragrant
• Stir in orange juice and cook slowly for 15 to 20 minutes
• Serve hot in small bowls or cups with or without spoons

Iranian Sugar Pickled Garlic

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb garlic peeled around 5-7 heads
• 1 large red bell pepper chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper chopped green or red
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 -15 peppercorns

Steps:

• Place garlic cloves in a medium bowl
• first cutting the large cloves in half Mix in the red bell pepper
• In a large saucepan over medium high heat
• place the vinegar and white sugar Place ground dry mustard and celery seed in the liquid mixture Add salt and peppercorns Bring to a boil Boil 5 minutes Stir in garlic and peppers Continue boiling 5 minutes Remove from heat
• Place garlic and peppers in sterile container to within 1 inch of the top Fill with remaining liquid to within 1/4 inch from the top Seal and store in the refrigerator approximately three weeks before serving
• Note
• If you blanch the garlic you wont have to wait the whole three weeks

Lentils and Spinach

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 lbs chopped fresh spinach or 1 1/4 lbs frozen chopped spinach
• 1 medium onion sliced in half rings
• 5 tablespoons oil
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup red lentil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Steps:

• heat onion and garlic for 2 min
• add lentils and 3 cups water and bring to a boil
• cover and simmer on low for 25 min
• add spinach salt cumin and bring to simmer for another 5 minutes

Lubya Bi-Zayt Lebanese Green Beans

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 heads garlic peeled
• 1 kg green beans string and snip off the ends snip each bean into two
• 1 kg peeled chopped tomato
• 1/2 cup olive oil or 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt as desired
• 1 dash ground allspice
• 1 dash sugar
• 1 fresh chili pepper optional green or red
• 1/2 cup water

Steps:

• Fry onion and garlic cloves in oil over high heat stir for 5 minutes
• Add beans cook for 10 minutes stir occasionally
• Add tomato salt sugar chile allspice and water Cover Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cook for 35 minutes or till tender
• Remove chile before serving

Rahat Al-Holqum

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 tablespoon orange extract or 1 tablespoon creme de menthe
• red food coloring looks nicer with it
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted pistachios add along with your choice from above or 1/2 cup almonds add along with your choice from above
• 1 cup granulated sugar 1 c equals 250 ml or 1 cup desiccated coconut for dusting 1 c equals 250 ml

Steps:

• Combine sugar
• 1 c water
• cream of tartar
• and flavorings in a small saucepan and bring to a boil
• In a separate bowl
• combine cornstarch with remaining water
• mix completely
• and slowly stir into sugar mixture
• Boil over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes
• until the mixture reaches Firm-ball stage
• or 248 F 120C on a candy thermometer
• Apply non-stick cooking spray to a form ice cube trays will do nicely or an 8x8 pan
• Pour the hot mixture into the pan or form and allow to set When cool
• release from form or cut into cubes as applicable and roll each piece in powdered sugar
• granulated sugar
• or coconut
• Store at room temperature in airtight container

Simply Spiced String/ Green Beans

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Ingredients:

• 3 lbs fresh string beans
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Steps:

• Wash and trim the string beans
• I usually start out with more string beans than the 3 pounds called for in the recipe since I eat a lot raw and not all of them make it into the pot
• Combine with all the other ingredients in a 3 quart pot and mix
• Cook covered on a small flame for 30 minutes
• Drain
• Serve warm or chilled

Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
• 1 cup olive oil
• salt
• freshly-ground black pepper
• 2 green zucchini quartered lengthwise
• 2 yellow zucchini quartered lengthwise
• 6 asparagus spears trimmed
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper quarteredseeded
• 1 yellow bell pepper quarteredseeded
• 1/4 cup basil chiffonade
• 1/4 cup coarsely-chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb israeli couscous
• vegetable stock heated

Steps:

• In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar mustard and garlic slowly add the olive oil and whisk until combined
• Season with salt and pepper
• Pour 1/2 the marinade over the vegetables and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes
• Preheat the grill
• Remove the vegetables from the marinade and grill the vegetables until just cooked through
• Cut the zucchini and peppers into 1/2-inch pieces cut the tomatoes in half
• Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat add the couscous and toast until lightly golden brown
• Cover the couscous with the hot stock and bring to a boil; cook until al dente and drain well
• Place in a large serving bowl add the grilled vegetables and herbs and toss with the remaining vinaigrette
• Serve at room temperature

Turkish-Ish Salad

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Ingredients:

• 6 ounces israeli couscous
• 1/2 cup spring onion thinly sliced
• 1/2 persian cucumber can leave unpeeled if you prefer
• 3 small ripe roma tomatoes diced small
• 2 ounces raisins
• 2 tablespoons Italian parsley freshly chopped
• 2 tablespoons of fresh mint chopped
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sumaq to taste
• 1 lemon juice of
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Steps:

• Cook the couscous according to package directions Drain and set aside to cool
• In a salad bowl combine the spring onions cucumber tomatoes and raisins with the cooked couscous along with the herbs Pour over the lemon juice and olive oil Season to taste with salt and black pepper
• Toss ingredients together lightly Cover and chill until required