Middle Eastern - Choice of Magic

Middle Eastern Vegetarian Dinner Food Lunch

The Most Delicious Creamy Butter Beans with Herb Oil

July 3, 2024

One more recipe from Ottolenghi – his butter beans with preserved lemon, chilli and herb oil, is an all time party favourite of mine so I just had to bring some minor adjustments to it and add it to my blog. You can find his original recipe in his book Shelf Love. And if you’re as big of a fan of his recipes as I am, you can find one more of my favourites which I published on the blog a few months ago. As to this one, just keep on reading for a fantastic dish that you can enjoy directly from the pan!

Middle Eastern Breakfast Food

Lahsa – The Delicious Breakfast From Yemen

June 19, 2024

This recipe is a delayed part two of what I wish to be a series of breakfasts from around the globe that have eggs as a base. You can find part one – Portuguese Peas and Eggs over here. Additionally find here my green version of shakshuka (which does not count for the series as I’m trying to brand the series as alternatives to the by now way too famous afro mentioned shakshuka). So we’re starting with lahsa – the Yemeni breakfast with eggs, tomatoes and cream cheese. You might have seen it on Instagram and TikTok already, personally I discovered it with Chef JJ over here. My recipe is pretty consistent with his, but since I couldn’t find it on any blog, here goes my blog written version of it.

Middle Eastern Vegetarian Dinner Food

Moroccan Inspired Carrot Salad

February 27, 2024

If you, like me, are not the biggest carrot fan but desperately want to introduce this vitamin packed veggie into your diet, this salad might just do it. You can make the dressing is bland or overpowering as you like, and play around with the ratio of the other ingredients, depending on your preferences. You can also incorporate the carrots in any way you like – I personally like to “shave” instead of shred them, because for whatever reason I feel they absorb the dressing better this way (and look cooler in pictures). Having said that, let’s get to the salad recipe.

Vegetarian Middle Eastern Food Lunch

Couscous with Fried Apricots and Halloumi

July 12, 2021

I´m typing this #homemadeMonday from the Hoxton´s lobby (take it as a great recommendation if you want to have a nice drink while you´re in Amsterdam). I´ve just head some poached eggs on an English muffin and half an avo toast, but my mouth is still watering at the thought of this week´s recipe – a couscous with fried apricots, halloumi, sundried tomatoes and mint. I just find the combination so utterly perfect, that I never want to try couscous any other way. Although, I will also continue making it in hubby´s favourite fashion – find the recipe here.

Middle Eastern Vegetarian Food

Easy No-Cook Tabouleh with Chickpeas, Feta and Mint

March 22, 2021

I remember the first bite André took out of the first couscous salad I ever made. I looked at him longing, and asked nervously: “So, do you like it? Shall I do it again?”. André took another bite and timidly said “Yeah… I mean you can keep doing these healthy dishes and I´ll do the ones we actually love, like fajitas and stuff”. I´m laughing now, but I was pretty upset then. And yet, I repeated the couscous and it rapidly became André´s favourite dish of mine. Growing confident, one day I thought I´d use the bulgur wheat tabouleh we´ve had in our drawer for a year and make a dish out of it. I looked for some inspiration online, and decided upon a tabouleh with chickpeas, cucumber, feta cheese and mint. I altered the recipe, as I usually do, and what came out was a delicious mediterranean-like salad that André actually liked, had it not been for the za´atar, a spice he doesn´t fancy as it turns out. So for this #homemadeMonday, I present to you a great recipe for when you want a light dish to detox after the winter holidays, or one to take to the beach with you on hot summer days.

Middle Eastern Vegetarian Breakfast Food

My Own Green Shakshuka

March 1, 2021

For the first few years of having had shakshukas, I had not the slightest intention in changing anything about this most perfect dish. That is, until I once found myself with some leek in the fridge and had no clue what to do with it. A spark of inspiration made me wonder if I couldn´t turn it into – why not? – “a shakshuka”. A green one, to be precise. So I threw in some baby spinach, a bit too much smoked paprika and came up with my first semi-green shakshuka (the smoked paprika made it kind of brownish instead). I tested and tried the recipe a couple of times, so that I could bring it to you this #homemadeMonday in all its green glory.

Middle Eastern Brunch Food

Hummus Toast with Three Toppings

July 6, 2020

Hummus is one of those magical dishes that I crave regularly and always make enough of so I can eat it for days. I can´t quite remember who taught me how to make it but i remember when I first made it for my parents. My mom was quite a fan already, but my dad was shocked at how delicious it was. He immediately asked my mom why she doesn´t make such dishes. My mom rolled her eyes as hard as she could while saying “I make it regularly and you always say you don´t want to try it.”

And since by itself it might seem too bland for some of you, this #homemadeMonday I made hummus toast with three easy toppings. To spice up your life.