Recipes

Arabic Food Made Easy Series: Mjaddara [Brown Lentils and Rice]

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Arabic Food Made Easy, Posts, Recipes, Rice & Grains

Mjaddara

Let’s face it, Arabic food takes forever to make. There are lots of steps and long cooking times, time I don’t have when I’m working full time and trying to conserve my culture simultaneously. That’s why I’ve decided to start a recipe series featuring traditional Arabic dishes, made much easier for those of us that have full time jobs and prefer to keep weekday cooking to 30 minutes or less. This is the third installment of the series. Don’t forget to check out previous posts in the Arabic Food Made Easy Series.

Mjaddara pronounced EM-JADARA isn’t really a hard dish to make. It’s quite simple, actually and is perfect for those “vegetarian days.” You know, at least once or twice a week when you have dinner sans meat. The last time I made mjaddara it turned out great, despite my issues cooking rice. I had a small problem though, mjaddara is usually served with plain yogurt. The last time, I had picked up nonfat vanilla yogurt instead of nonfat plain yogurt. It was a small disaster — but now I pay extra attention at the grocery store.

Mjaddara  

Mjaddara

Mjaddara Recipe

 

Ingredients

1 cup Brown Lentils
2 cups Basmati Rice
1 medium Onion
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon Cumin
1 tablespoon Cardamom
1 tablespoon Seven Spice
Vegetable Oil
 

Directions

Go through the brown lentils, picking out any stones or dirt then wash them and boil them in a pot until they are soft and edible (15 minutes on medium heat.)
Wash the rice three times, then soak in hot water until the lentils are done.
Cut the onion into long strips and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Remove half with a slotted spoon.
Drain the water from the lentils and from the rice as well. Place the rice on top of the lentils in the pot and mix together.
Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil, and mix the ingredients together over medium heat for two minutes.
Add salt, pepper, cumin, and cardamom and seven spice.
Cover with hot water (1 cm above the mixture). Once it boils, cover and let simmer on low heat until the water evaporates (about 25 minutes).
Turn over (like a cake) in a big plate, and cover the top with the fried onion stripes.
Serve with plain yogurt. 
 

Servings: 4

Nutrition Information: Cals 352. Carbs 46g. Fat 14g. Protein 12g.

Eggplant Parmesan

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Posts, Recipes, Vegetables & Sides

 

I love eggplant. I didn’t always love eggplant. When I was younger, I actually tried to avoid it at all costs. To me, it was unnecessary and had an after taste that didn’t particularly resonate well with me. I’m not sure what exactly transformed me from anti-eggplant to an all-out love affair with the vegetable. But it must have not been very dramatic – since I don’t remember the turning point.

This weekend, I was doing my usual grocery run and I spent a nice amount of time in the produce aisle. I found these big purple eggplants staring at me saying “buy me, buy me.” I looked away to think, what on earth am I going to make with eggplant that isn’t fattening and won’t throw my diet off track. I didn’t really come up with anything. I convinced myself I would grill them on our Panini press or roast them in the oven and bagged one large one up, tossing it into my cart.

Although grilled eggplant sounds absolutely delish, I decided to spice it up a little bit a make some eggplant parmesan with a side of spaghetti noodles. At the last minute I came up with the idea of makeshift garlic bread (recipe to follow). Let’s just say I rummaged through the freezer and found some bread that could be used.

Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

Ingredients

1 Large Eggplant, cut into 1 inch rounds
¼ cup egg substitute
3-4 tablespoons Olive Oil (more if needed)
1 cup Italian Breadcrumbs
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 can Tomato paste
¼ cup Grated Parmesan cheese
 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and cut the eggplant into 1 inch rounds.
Place the egg substitute in one bowl and the breadcrumbs in another.
Dip the eggplant in the egg mixture and then in bread crumbs.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
Brown the breaded eggplant on both sides before placing in a cooking-sprayed baking dish.
Mix together the tomato paste with ¼ cup water. And spoon over each eggplant.
Cover with mozzarella.
Then top with parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve with a side of Spaghetti
 

Servings: 4

Nutrition Information: Cals 311. Carbs 20g. Fat 22g. Protein 13g. Sodium 495mg. Sugar 5g.

Makeshift Garlic Bread

Ingredients

2 hotdog buns, halved
I can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light (about 4 tablespoons)
Garlic Powder
Dried Oregano
 

Directions

Spread a thick layer of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light on one side of each half.
Sprinkle with Garlic Powder and Dried Oregano
Spread I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light on the bottom of a baking dish. Then place the bread in the baking dish.
Broil on 500 degrees for 5-7 minutes, to desired brown-ness.
 

 

Servings: 2

Nutrition Information: Cals 200. Carbs 25g. Fat 12g. Proetin 5g. Sodium 460mg. Sugar 2g.

 

Filo-Wrapped Baked Chicken

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Chicken, Posts, Recipes

 

 

I bought a box of filo dough a week or so ago and I have been trying to figure out what to do with it. I’m not crafty with sweets, at all. I finally did some research about how exactly to handle filo dough and all that research did not prepare me for the actual handling. I’m warning anyone who plans to make this dish, filo dough is super fragile. Once I figured out how to deal with these thin sheets, making fillo-wrapped chicken was easy.

Filo-Wrapped Baked Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

4 sheets Filo Dough
2 Chicken Breasts
7 oz Chopped Spinach (I bought a 14oz can)
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 oz Goat Cheese
2-3 tablepoons I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter
Lemon Juice, to taste
Sea Salt, to taste
 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Mix together spinach, goat cheese, lemon juice, sea salt and pine nuts in a bowl. 
Cut a pocket in the middle of each chicken breast. 
Place one sheet of Filo dough on your work surface, brush with butter. Then place a second sheet on top of the first and brush with butter.
Place the chicken breast in the middle of the filo sheets, and spoon spinach mixture on top covering the surface. 
Carefully fold over the right then left side of the filo dough and carefully place into a lightly greased baking dish. 
Repeat with the second chicken breast.
Brush the top of each wrap with butter.
Bake for 60 minutes.
 

Servings: 2

Nutrition Information: Cals 395. Carbs 15g. Fat 16g. Protein 39g. Sodium 616mg. Sugar 1g.

 

Crab Parmesan Stuffed Mushroom Caps

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Appetizers, Posts, Recipes, Seafood

Crab Parmesan Mushroom Cap

I was browsing around the grocery store last weekend, hoping I’d come up with some brilliant idea for a weeknight dinner. That’s when I came across these mushroom caps. I’ve made cheesy stuffed mushroom caps in the past, but I wanted to try something new. I decided to fuse together one of my previous recipes to create delicious Crab Parmesan Stuffed Mushroom Caps. I’m thinking I can use these as appetizers for a dinner if I use smaller mushrooms.

Crab Parmesan Mushroom Cap

 

Print
Crab Parmesan Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Yield: 2 servings

Calories per serving: 335

Fat per serving: 11g

Ingredients

  • 2 large Mushroom Caps
  • 1/2 Package Crab Meat
  • 1/4 cup Low Fat Cream Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 tablespoon Fat-Free Sour Cream
  • 1 tablespoon Low Fat Mayo
  • Onion Powder, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Wash the mushrooms well, and carefully remove the the gills from each mushroom cap with a spoon.
  3. In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, mayo, shredded parmesan, sour cream, onion powder and crab meat. 
  4. Grease the bottom of a baking dish (I use olive oil spray).
  5. Fill each mushroom cap with the crab parmesan mixture.
  6. Carefully place in the baking dish. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. 

Notes

Nutrition Information: Cals 335. Carbs 21g. Fat 11g. Protein 24g. Sodium 903mg. Sugar 5g.

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Lemon Garlic Shrimp

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Posts, Recipes, Seafood

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
1 lb shrimp (I used pre-cooked, tail-off)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup egg substitute (egg beaters)
1/3 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
Garlic Podwer, to taste
Lemon Pepper, to taste
Dried Oregano, to taste 
Cooking spray 
Chopped Parsley and Lemon wedges for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Put the egg beaters in one bowl.
Mix Breadcrumbs with Garlic Powder, Oregano and Lemon Pepper and place in another bowl.
dip each shrimp in the egg mixture, then dip in the breadcrumbs and place on a baking sheet.
Spray the top of the shrimp with cooking spray. Bake for 10-15 minutes
Serve with Lemon Wedges and chopped parsley.
Servings: 4
Nutrition Information: Cals 137. Carbs 8g. Fat 1g. Protein 24. Sodium 642mg. Sugar 1g.

Fattoush [Arabic Salad]

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Arabic Food Made Easy, Posts, Recipes, Salads

 

 

Fattoush has become my Tayta’s favorite salad in recent days. I don’t blame her. It’s a pretty simple salad with tons of flavor. At my parent’s house, we’d usually have Fattoush everyday in Ramadan preceded by lentil soup. I could seriously make a meal out of Fattoush. They two key ingredients: Garlic and Pita Bread. Yes, pita bread. They serve as Arabic-style croutons with much less fat.

The original recipe calls for frying up the pita bread. However, my mother, and Tayta both have been baking their pita bread for Fattoush since as long as I can remember. We’d only get the fried ones for a special treat, namely when my mom hosted her dinner parties.

Fattoush Recipe

Ingredients

1 Large Pita Bread, cut into 1-inch squares
3 Green Onions, chopped
Romaine Lettuce
1 large Tomato
1 Cucumber
Vinegar, to taste (I’d say a couple tablespoons, if not more)
4 cloves Garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon Sumac
1-2 tablespoon Olive Oil
Sea Salt, to taste
 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place pita bread pieces on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes, until hardened.
Mix together the vegetables.
Then add the garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt and sumac.
Top the salad off with the pita bread.

 

Servings: 4

Nutrition Information: Cals 95. Carbs 11. Fat 5. Protein 2g. Sodium 108mg. Sugar 2g.