Well, we're in the second week of Ramadan and the fasts are going well. They are long and it's been really hot here in Denver but we're managing. The air conditioning has been turned on, I held on as long as I could because I do enjoy the electric bills when the AC and the heat are off. Alas, when the temperature reached 85F/29C on the thermostat, I decided it was time to turn on the cold air! The fasting is not terribly difficult, really. I can manage without the food but it's the no water and heat that does one in. We manage though, the rewards of the month make it all tolerable. Ramadan isn't all starvation, crabbiness and hardship, we do enjoy some great evenings where we open our fasts with our friends. Last two weekends we've been invited to iftar (breaking of the fast) by our close friends and both evenings were incredibly pleasant with good friends, good conversation and good food. I'll be having them all over this Friday. I happen to be off this weekend for July 4th so it was a good weekend for me, Though once again, when I have a weekend off from cooking, I'm spending the day cooking for even more people! It's all good. I'm still working on my menu but it will ... continue reading...
Search Results for: kale soup
Kale, Feta and Potato Phyllo Rolls
Having totally derailed the eating healthy train the other day by consuming ghastly amounts of Eton Mess, I tried to redeem myself by eating greens again. In my defence, the Eton Mess was not "unnatural," I mean it was all real food with organic cream, fresh strawberries and low fat meringue cookies. I don't feel totally guilty... I'll keep telling myself that. Kale is an incredibly healthy green and lucky for me, I actually quite like it. Most of the time we eat it just baked in the oven with some sea salt, like kale crisps. They get devoured very quickly at our house and are made two to three times a month. I like kale crisps but I wanted to use kale in something else other than just crispy leaves. I find a lot of soups and stews that use kale but I am not very fond of the chewiness of kale in that preparation. I decided on a kale and feta pie, like a spanakopita but with kale instead of spinach. It would have been easier to make the pie, but I figured the children would like the rolls better because they are neat little packages and everyone gets their own and it's not as messy. They were not too difficult to roll as long as they were moistened with some olive oil. ... continue reading...
Kale Chips
Kale Chips2 big bunches of curly kale1/4 cup olive oil 1 teaspoons salt per panpepper to tastePreheat the oven to 375 deg F/ 190 deg CTear the leaves off the hard stem of the kale.Tear them in bite size pieces and wash them.I use a salad spinner to get the leaves dry.Once the leaves are washed and dry, place them onto a baking sheet.I use two baking sheets for two bunches.The pans are pretty full but reduce in quantity once they are baked.Divide the oil between the two pans and toss to coat the leaves.Add the salt and pepper.Place in the oven for ten minutes, stirring once or twice.After ten minutes check to see if leaves are crisping.Bake for another five minutes to get the kale brown and crispy on the edges.Take out of the oven and let cool.Enjoy as a snack or part of a meal.Kale chips are delicious and loved by my children.Kale is a member of the cabbage family and is thought to be the most nutritious vegetable in the world. What great reason to include it in your diet. I also like to use in soups but I think the favourite way is still to bake it till it's crisp. Have a great day and thank you for reading. ... continue reading...
Lentil Soup with Pita Crisps
I think I have mentioned before that I like to make vegetarian meals almost every other day. We rarely eat meat two days in a row. However, by vegetarian I mean exactly that, vegetables or legumes must be included. I try to avoid the whole carb loaded vegetarian meal. Unfortunately, though there are many vegetarian meals out there, it's hard to find ones that the whole family will like and also, whether I have most of the ingredients in my pantry or fridge.Last week, I ended up making two kinds of soup for my vegetarian meals. Soups are one thing my whole family will consume. I usually buy or bake a nice, crusty loaf of bread to go along and everyone enjoys dipping and slurping.Our first soup of the week was a hearty, yet light lentil soup. It was filled with brown lentils, carrots, celery and onions. Some cumin, garlic and a squeeze of lemon rounded out the earthy flavours. I served the soup with pita crisps and kale chips.The soup is quick to make (I make it in my pressure cooker in eight minutes) even on the stove top. You can purée it if you wish, but I like the diced vegetables; they add a hearty, chunky quality to the soup. While the soup is cooking, you toast the pita bread ... continue reading...
Ramadan Favourites Roundup
Hello Friends! It's that time of the year again; a most blessed and eagerly awaited time for the Muslims around the world: Ramadan. Ramadan starts next week either on June 6th or 7th, depending on the new moon sighting. This is the fun part of Ramadan; everyone eagerly awaits the official word whether the moon has been sighted or not and whether we have to get up for our morning breakfast(suhoor) before dawn or we can sleep in one more day. Yes, there are scientific methods of calculating new moons and such but where is the fun in that? Where is the fun of knowing EXACTLY which day we should start fasting :) NO, we Muslims are a fun lot; we like excitement, mystery, living on the edge.... ... continue reading...
Spinach and Potato Curry | Palak Aloo
I decided it was finally time to post a somewhat healthy recipe now that we're in the second week of the new year. Greens are always healthy, and we're told at every turn that we need to eat more of them. I like green leafy vegetables, but I cannot seem to eat them all the time and my biggest challenge is trying to fix them in different ways. There has got to be more ways than just sautéed greens with garlic. We eat a lot kale and usually, I like to bake kale chips first and then use them crumbled on top of soups and stews. I find baked kale chips texture more appealing than straight up stewed or sautéed kale. I like the chard too but can never get creative with them. I've curried them before and added them to stews but I'm never inspired. It's a bit sad really because I see mountains of them in the farmers markets during spring and even the shops have decent bundles. The fresh, young spring greens are easy, because to preserve the flavour of the young tender leaves, we eat them in spring mix salads or toss them gently and stir fry. But then I lose interest. Every year, I promise I'm going to get inspired! I probably use spinach the most as far as greens go. It's easy to have ... continue reading...
Mushroom Strudel
I love mushrooms, all kinds; wild, domestic, exotic. When I am at Costco, I cannot pass by the huge pack of portobellos without putting one in my trolley and I cannot walk by the mushroom stand at the farmers market without buying a very expensive bag of exotics. Most of the time I have a vague idea of what I am going to with them, unfortunately, they always just end up in the same old thing. As much as I love mushrooms, they always stump me (kinda like artichokes). The exotic mushrooms I don't mess with them too much. I usually prepare them very simply and we have them as a side or as bruschetta on some rustic bread. The poor portobellos always end up in either soup or beef stew. This was going to be the fate of the pack of portobellos in my fridge the other day. They were destined for a pot of stew when their path was miraculously changed (only because the beef was used to make another dish and I didn't have any more) To introduce a vegetarian dish into the weeks menu, I decided upon a mushroom strudel. I was also out of phyllo sheets so I made my strudel dough. I have made it before and it's surprisingly easy but a little time consuming and does require some patience to roll ... continue reading...
