Baba G... What?!

Ahhh yes, Baba Ghanoush: difficult to say, oh so easy to make. It is a classic in the Arabic mezza and super delicious. Smokey eggplant is paired with nutty tahini, tart yogurt, sharp garlic, and bright lemon juice to create a unique and special dip. While some have chosen to reinvent Baba Ghanoush by adding things like roasted peppers to it, this recipe takes a really classic approach to the dip and is treated in a very traditional manner.



So whether you choose to spread it on bread or dip your pita chips in it, go ahead and make this spread; it is so simple to make, but really packed with a lot of flavor!

Baba Ghanoush:
Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Eggplant
• 1/4 cup Yogurt
• 1/2 cup Tahini
• 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• Salt to taste
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Chopped Parsley for garnish

Recipe:

Note: There are a number of ways to roast your eggplant. You could do this out on the grill, over a burner on your stove, or in the oven. I personally prefer to roast the eggplant over a grill or burner to really get a full smokey flavor from the eggplant; this recipe will utilize the oven to roast the eggplant for those who are uncomfortable with the other two techniques.

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Poke your eggplant with the tines of a fork, rub with a little olive oil, and roast until tender and the eggplant has released some of its juices (approx. 20 minutes). Place the entire eggplant in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to cool for approximately 15 minutes. Peel the eggplant and chop roughly until the eggplant resembles a mash, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic until smooth. Add the eggplant and mix together with a spoon. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to serving dish or bowl and garnish with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Parsley.
3. Enjoy!
   
   

I Scream, You Scream....

Well, you know how the rest goes, and in the hot, muggy days of August, there is nothing better than ice cream! This ice cream features a delicious vanilla base, but takes your basic ice cream a few steps further by adding deliciously ripe peaches and a brown sugar crunch! All together, this tastes like a classic peach crisp a la mode, only in a bowl rather than on a plate. An added bonus is that this ice cream is soooooo pretty!

 

 

See, I wasn't lying! If you love ice cream, then you have to give this recipe a try. Don't be discouraged by all of the components listed below, they may seem like a lot, but they are all really easy and take no time at all.

Peach Crisp Ice Cream:
(makes approx. 1 quart)

Brown Sugar Crisp:
Note: You will have more than you need for your ice cream, but you can freeze the extra for up to one month or use it in other treats like yogurt.
Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup of old fashioned rolled oats

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients, except for the oatmeal. Pulse, until the mixture resembles a coarse sand. Pour into a bowl, add the oats, and incorporate quickly with your fingers as to not melt the butter.
2. Spread out onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionaly, for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is golden brown. Set aside and allow to cool. Once cooled enough, break up any large pieces into a medium to fine crumb. Set aside until ready to use.

Peach Sauce:
 
Ingredients:

• 2 large or 3 medium peaches, peeled and cubed
• 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup of sugar, depending on how sweet the peaches are
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 stem of basil, leaves included
• 1/4 cup of water

Recipe:

1. Pour all of the ingerdients into a small saucepan. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until the peaches are tender.
2. Discard the basil stem and leaves. Puree or mash your peaches until your sauce is smooth and there are no whole peach pieces. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool. Set aside until ready to use.

Ice Cream Base:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1 tpsp and 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Recipe:

1. Prepare an ice bath. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese and salt until it is smooth and there are no lumps. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 2 tbsp's of the milk. Set these 2 bowls aside. 
2. In a saucepan, combine the milk, heavy cream, corn syrup, and sugar together. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil and let boil for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat an slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Return to the heat and bring back to a boil. Boil for 1 minute while stirring until the mixture thickens slightly.
3. Mix 1/3 of the hot milk base into the cream cheese and whisk out any lumps. Continue adding the milk base until it is fully incorporated with the cream cheese. Add the vanilla extract. Pour into a freezer bag and place in ice bath to cool for at least 30 minutes.
4. Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once frozen, in a air tight container begin to layer you 3 components. Begin with the brown sugar crisp, followed by the peach sauce, and then by the ice cream. Continue in this manner until the container is full. Cover with wax paper and then with a lid. Freeze for 4 hours.
5. Enjoy!

 

Bring On The Pasta!

I love pasta! Really, I enjoy it in all its different forms from deliciously stuffed ravioli to incredibly thin cappellini, the stuff is just YUMMY! And when you think of all the ways you can dress it up, well let's face it, the possibilities become endless. This particular pasta dish combines some of my favorite ingredients like woody mushrooms, parmigiano reggiano, and chicken. The pasta of choice is papparadelle; thick strips of lucious pasta are super hearty and really hold on to this light sauce. If you can't find papparadelle, wide pasta like tagliatelle or even fettucini will do. Together, all of these ingredients make a dish that is delicious, satisfying, and easy to make!


Come on, you know you want some for dinner tonight. Don't forget a piece of crusty baguette to sop up the sauce on the bottom of your plate.

Papparadelle with Chicken and Mushrooms:

Ingredients:

• 1 Bone-in Chicken Breast, split (2 large pieces)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tpsp canola oil
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/2 lb. of your favorite mushrooms, sliced
• 1 shallot chopped
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
• I package of papparadelle or your favorite wide pasta
• 1/4 cup Parmagiano Reggiano
• 3 tpsp chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Note: You will need a large frying pan with a lid to help finish cooking the chicken.

Recipe:

1. Place your pan over high heat and add canola oil. In a shallow dish, add the flour and season with salt and pepper: dredge the chicken breasts in the flour, shaking off any excess, and add to hot pan to brown on all sides.
2. Once the chicken has browned, drain on papertowel. Drain the grease out of the pan and return to the heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the chopped shallot and cook until translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and the garlic and cook until the mushrooms are tender, approxmately 7 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the chicken stock to the pan and return the chicken to the pan; reduce the heat to medium and cover and allow to cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Once the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pan and allow to cool. Continue simmering the mushroom sauce until it has reduced by half of its original amount. Shred the chicken and return to the pan.
4. Cook the pasta to aldente, reserving approximately 1/2 cup of the pasta water to thin out the sauce if necessary. Add the pasta to the pan with the mushroom sauce and chicken, add the parmigiano reggiano and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in parsley.
5. Enjoy with a piece of crusty baguette!

A Healthy Cookie?!

I know you must be looking at me like I'm crazy, but yes, there is such a thing as a healthy cookie. So, what is it that makes a cookie healthy. Well, the cookie I'm about to show you is full of fiber, protien, and is delicious!


So, what is this beautiful cookie called; why, it's an Oatmeal-Almond Crisp of course! So, if you want a snack that is not only healthy, but super delicious then here it is. You won't feel guilty after having a couple of these with your cup of coffee!


Oatmeal Almond Crisps:

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup packed Light Brown Sugar
• 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) Butter, melted
• 1 large Egg
• 1/2 teasoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup Sliced Almonds
• Vegetable Oil Cooking Spray

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, butter, egg, and vainlla, until smooth. Fold in the almonds and oats.
3. Using 1 level tablespoon per cookie, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, approximately 2 inches apart.
4. Coat the underside of a spatual with cooking spray; use to flatten cookies into disks measuring approximately 2 1/2 inches.
5. Bake, roatating sheets halfway through, until golden brown; approximately 14-16 minutes. Cool complety on baking sheets. Note: When moving these cookies, handle with care as they are fragile.
6. Enjoy!

Lentil Soup

I'm back! I know it's been a while, but it's been a crazy summer that has included approximately 15 out of country guests coming to visit and a wedding! All in all, it's been a crazy, super hot, fun-loving summer, but now it's time for some real fun: FOOD!

Now, I know you might think I'm crazy to come back to this blog with soup in the middle of summer, but I promise there's good reasoning. See, it's Ramadan and Muslims who fast the month of Ramadan know that soup is a necessary aspect to the meal, even in the dead of summer! Why, you ask?! Well, you need something to ease your stomach for the feast that is about to come and nothing does that better than soup and lentil soup is a classic.

This delicious soup uses red lentils instead of the brown lentils we are used to seeing in the United States, which makes for a beautiful golden colored soup instead of a muddy brown one. Plus, this recipe is super easy to make!



Don't you want a bowl of this yummy stuff right now?! Well, lucky for you, here's the recipe!

Note: Traditionally, a food mill is used to create a smooth soup; however, if a food mill is unavailable, then go ahead and use a blender to blend your soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Red Lentils
• 4 cups Water
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp. Lemon Juice
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pita Croutons (recipe below)

Recipe:

1. In a stockpot, combine the lentils with the water. Over high heat, boil the lentils until tender, approximately 20 minutes, skimming the top of the soup as foam builds. (Note: Watch your soup so that it does not boil over).
2. Working in batches, pour soup into a food mill or blender and mill or blend until smooth; work the remaining soup in the same manner.
3. Pour the blended soup into a soup pot and return to medium heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring the pot throughout to ensure you do not burn the solids that may settle to the bottom. 
4. Season to taste. If your soup has thickened too much, add water.
5. Add the lemon juice.
6. Top your soup with pita croutons and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
7. Enjoy!

Recipe for Pita Croutons:

Ingredients:

• 2 Pieces of Whole Wheat or White Pita cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 450° F
2. Combine the bread, olive oil, salt, and pepper until the bread is evenly coated.
3. Spread evenly on a bake sheet.
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bread has turned golden brown and crispy.

Sky High Biscuits

Let's face it guys, the best part of eating fried chicken is the bread! Don't lie, you know you love the biscuit that comes in your bucket of fried chicken. And do you know why you love that biscuit? Because there's something about the richness of that buttery biscuit that makes the meal uber indulgent! But ladies and gentlemen, I'm telling that after one taste of these Ah-mazing biscuits, you will be tossing those fast food ones to the side and declaring that biscuits made at home are not only tastier, but super easy!


I mean seriously, just look at that biscuit! You know what lies in there is a world of fluffy, buttery, layers that you simply cannot resist. Eat it with your fried chicken, eat it with an egg, or with your favorite gravy, the point is... just eat it!

Biscuits:
Ingredients:

• 1 cup pastry flour
• 1 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 sticks butter (cubed and chilled)
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1tbsp heavy cream or milk

Note: Having all of your ingredients cold will ensure a very fluffy biscuit

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place your pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter to the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles a course meal. Transfer to a large bowl and add the All Purpose Flour.
3. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and mix in the bowl until just combined. Turn out onto a floured surface and work until the dough just comes together (do not over work). Pat the dough out to 1 and 1/2 inches thick and cut out 8 biscuits, rerolling scraps if necessary. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
4. In a small bowl, combine the heavy cream or milk with the egg and whisk. Brush this mixture on top of each biscuit.
5. Bake the biscuits at 425° F for the first five minutes, then lower the temperature of your oven to 400° F and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
6. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before serving. Enjoy!

BROWNIES!

Is there anything better than a fudgy, rich, chocolatey brownie?! If you said yes, then might a suggest getting some help! No seriously, chocolate is one medicine in which no prescription is needed! Think about it, on happy days, having chocolate is just a treat that accentuates your good day. On unhappy days, chocolate is a little ray of sunshine that gives you the hope that tomorrow will be better day (don't lie, you know it does). It can bring a little extra joy to the day or help ease our pains and sorrows away! And, there is no better way to enjoy chocolate than in a brownie and these brownies are AWESOME! They have a few secret ingredients that will bring life to your chocolate and little extra flavor to your brownie. Add some whipped cream and your favorite fruit and you have the perfect chocolatey dessert!



Brownies (adapted from Martha Stewart Baking):
Ingredients:

• 8 oz semi-sweet good quality chocolate, roughly chopped - I like Valrhona
• 8 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp coffee
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F.
2. Grease and prepare your baking dish. Tip: Instead of using flour for the bottom of your baking dish, use unsweetened cocoa so that your brownies don't come out with white bottoms.
3. Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate, butter and coffee. Once chocolate mixture is smooth and melted completely, take off the heat to cool for 10 minutes.
4. In the meantime, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a seperate bowl. Add sugar to the chocolate and mix to combine.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing to combine. Add the vanilla.
6. Gently fold the dry ingredients into your chocolate, stirring until just combined.
7. Pour batter into your greased baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes.
8. Enjoy!

Watermelon!

I absolutely love it in the summer months. Sweet and juicy, you know you're in for a real treat when there's watermelon on the table! If you really want to add a twist to your watermelon, add something salty. As a child, I can remember sitting with my grandfather and eating sweet watermelon with salty white cheese, it was beyond delicious! So, I decided that the best way to encorporate my two favorite things would be with a Watermelon, Mint, and Feta salad. If you think you won't like the combination, I suggest you give it a try and you might be pleasantly surprised; in fact, it might become a favorite of yours. I would also like to add that not only is it super simple to make, but it's so pretty on the plate!


Now for the Ingredients:
Mint Simple Syrup:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 sprigs of mint

For the Salad:

• 5 cups watermelon cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup of feta cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint

Instructions:

1. Make the simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a saucepan. On a medium heat, bring the sugar mixture to a boil, then cut the heat and add the mint. Set aside and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
2. In a bowl, add the watermelon and 3 tablespoons of the simple syrup. Mix to coat all of the watermelon with the simple syrup.
3. Add the mint and feta to your watermelon. Chill or enjoy right away!

SUMMER IS HERE...

and there is nothing that reminds more of summer than iced tea and lemonade. Yummy and refreshing, they are the perfect thing when the temperature starts to rise. Now, while I love these two items seperately and sometimes mixed together (Arnold Palmer, anyone?!) the fact is, drinking them the same way day in and day out throughout the summer can get a little boring. So, I set out to find new ways to make these refreshing drinks new and delicious. While flipping through my June issue of Food Network Magazine (yes, I read Food Network Magazine, don't judge!) I came across Aarti Sequeira's recipe for Kuwaiti Cinnamon-Orange Iced Tea and since I'm a Middle Easterner myself, this definitely seemed like my cup of tea, literally! Let me tell you, it was worth the try! The mix of spices and flavors that goes into this iced tea is not only delicious and refreshing, but it also makes your tummy feel all warm and fuzzy at the same time, and boy is it pretty!



Now, how to change up lemonade? That was easy. Berries are so plentiful this time of year and so easy to find in your freezer section, so as you can imagine Raspberry Mint Lemonade was a natural choice for summer. This lemonade is tart and sweet and so delicious, you're not going to want to go back to plain old lemonade. You can also make this fun by adding a little fizz to your drink with some seltzer. Whether you like it flat or fizzy, you're going to fall in love and seriously, look at that color!!!



Now for the recipes:
Kuwaiti Cinnamon-Orange Iced Tea by Aarti Sequeira

For the Tea:

• 2 large pieces of Orange Peel
• 1 cinnamon stick, plus more for garnish (optional)
• 8 black tea bags

For the Syrup:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 quarter size coins peeled ginger, chopped
• 6 sprigs fresh mint

Directions:

1. Make the tea by combining 8 cups of water, the cinnamon stick, and the orange peel in a saucepan over low heat and bring to a boil. Add the tea bags, turn off the heat, and let it steep for 5 minutes (don't keep too long or it will get bitter). Remove the tea bags and chill, don't remove the orange peel or cinnamon stick yet.
2. Meanwhile make the syrup by combining the water, sugar, and ginger to a saucepan over low heat and bring to a boil without stirring. Once the sugar has dissolved, cut the heat, and add your mint, tearing up the leaves and stems. Let it cool to room temperature (about 20 minutes) and strain discarding the mint and ginger.
3. Strain the tea into your pitcher and add the ginger-mint syrup to your liking. Server over ice and enjoy!

Rasbperry-Mint Lemonade:

Raspberry Mint Syrup:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 bag frozen raspberries
• 6 sprigs of mint

For the Lemonade:

• 1 cup of lemon juice (approximately 6 lemons)
• 4 cups of water for flat lemonade, 3 cups water and 1 cup seltzer for sparkling lemonade

Directions:

1. Make the syrup by combining your water, sugar, and raspberries and bring to a boil over low heat. Once the berries have released their juices and popped, turn off the heat and add your mint. Allow to cool for at least a 1/2 hour.
2. Strain your raspberry-mint syrup through a fine mesh sieve, making sure you squeeze all the juice out of the berries. Discard the pulp, seeds, and mint leaves.
3. In your pitcher, add the lemon juice, the raspberry mint syrup, and your water. Pour over ice and enjoy!

Here's one more picture of both drinks side by side. I love the colors!

Pretzels Anyone?!

As a New Yorker, I love pretzels and in NYC you can find them practically on every corner. Large salted pretzels with globs of yellow mustard handed out on little white sheets of parchment paper or the scent of cinnamon-sugar pretzels while shopping within the mall make me super happy; but, let's be honest, all that white flour, butter, and sugar couldn't be all that healthy. So, I began thinking about how I could make the pretzel healthier and yes, whole wheat flour did make it into the equation. The dough for my pretzels would include the traditional bread flour and white flour, but I decided I would cut the white flour in half and subsititue it with whole wheat flour. Why, you ask? Well, because we all know the benefits of whole grain and this would add a little extra fiber into the mix, which means that it's going to keep you fuller longer and that means instead of you running to eat 2 of these, one is going to satisfy you just fine. So, how do you make the dough? Let's begin:

Ingredients for Pretzel Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups Warm Water
• 1 1/2 tsp. Yeast
• 2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 cup Bread Flour
• 1 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the warm water, yeast, brown sugar, and salt; set aside for 5 minutes or until the yeast mixture becomes foamy. If you don't have a stand mixer don't worry, you can knead your dough by hand.
2. In a seperate bowl, combine your flour.
3. Attach the dough hook to your mixer and begin to slowly add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture (make sure your machine isn't on high, unless you want to come out of the kitchen covered in flour). Once all of the flour has been combined with the water, let your mixer rip until the dough pulls away from the sides. If you're doing this by hand, don't worry, go ahead and begin mixing your flour and yeast mixture with a wooden spoon, once you have a solid mixture, turn it out onto your counter and knead by hand.
4. Now for a special note: Flour can be finnecky and depending on the type of day you have (humid or dry) you might find that you need a little more water to get your dough to the right consistency. Please don't go crazy and add water by the cup, but rather add it one tablespoon at a time until the dough has formed a smooth ball.
5. Cover and place in a warm, draft-free place for at least 1/2 an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

          Dough before the rise                                Dough after 30 minutes
Now that our dough has risen, we're going to need to of cours form our pretzels, but also create a baking soda water bath to dunk our pretzels in. This will give your pretzels a that chewy crust we're used to having not only in our pretzels, but also in our bagels.

Ingredients for Water Bath:

• 2 cups of Hot Water
• 2 Tbsp. Baking Soda

1. To form your pretzels, divide your dough into 12 equal balls. Then, form each ball into a long (approx. 12") rope and then twist and form into your basic pretzel shape.
2. Dunk into your water bath for no more than 30 seconds and place on your baking sheet and allow to rise for 15 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 450 degrees Farenheight and melt 4 Tbsp. of Unsalted Butter.
3. Brush your pretzels with your butter and top with salt.
4. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Another note: if you plan to make Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels, first bake off your pretzels and once the come out of the oven, brush with more butter and dip in cinnamon and sugar mixture.

MMMMM.... Pretzels....

Top Row: Parmesan and Black Pepper
Middle Row: Kosher Salt
Bottom Row: Cinnamon Sugar


Inside the Pretzel

 Now, you may be asking, why go through all the trouble of making your own pretzels? Well, first and foremost, because you know what's going into a soft baked pretzel made at home. Seconly, because now that you have the dough, you can have fun with these guys. You can make them any flavor you want (parmesan, garlic, sesame) all of these flavors work and the possibilities are endless. You can also stuff these bad boys with your favorite deli meats and cheese or your favorite sweet fillings: Chocolate stuffed pretzel.. yes, please! The possibilites are endless and delicious so go ahead and give these a try!