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Vegetarian Hoppin’ John

  • 5 C vegetable broth
  • 2 C long grain rice
  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 1 T garlic, minced
  • 4 (15 oz.) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 t Cajun seasoning
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/4 t pepper

Bring broth and rice to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender (20 minutes).

Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion in hot oil until translucent. Stir rice, black-eyed peas, and spices into the onion, cover and cook until flavors blend (about 10 minutes).

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Falafel Patties

  • 1 C chopped fresh parsley
  • 12 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 t ground cumin
  • 1 t ground coriander
  • 1 t salt
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 4 (15 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 C chopped sweet onion
  • 1/4 C flour
  • 4 eggs, beaten

Mix spices in a small bowl. Coarsely puree garbanzo beans one can at a time adding some of the spices to each batch. Combine the pureed beans in a large bowl.

Wrap onion in cheese cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Add onion to the bean mix. Stir in the flour and egg. Shape mixture into 16 large patties and let stand for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. (Consider using an oven-safe skillet so you can transfer it to the oven.)

Bake the patties in the oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.

adapted from allrecipes.com

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Easy Chicken Shwarma

  • 1 1/2 t ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 t turmeric powder
  • 1 1/2 t ground coriander
  • 1 1/2 t garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 t paprika
  • 1 t ground cloves
  • 1 t onion powder
  • 1/2 t cayenne pepper
  • 3 pounds boneless chicken
  • salt
  • 2 large lemons, juiced
  • 1/3 C olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix the cumin through cayenne pepper. Set aside.

Cut chicken into chunks; sprinkle with salt in a roasting pan. Add the spice mixture and toss to coat. Add the lemon juice and olive oil. Toss again.

Cover pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Serve on pitas with Rice and Spice and Mediterranean Salad.

based on recipe by The Mediterranean Dish

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Mediterranean Salad

  • 5 Roma tomatoes, diced (about 3 C)
  • 1 large English cucumber, diced
  • 1/2 to 3/4 C chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 1/8 t salt
  • 2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 t ground sumac
  • 1/8 t pepper

In a large mixing bow, place the diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley. Season with salt and toss. Set aside for 5 minutes or so.

Add the lemon juice, olive oil, sumac, and pepper. Give the salad a gentle toss. Enjoy!

based on recipe by Suzy Karadsheh (She added 1/2 t pepper.)

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Authentic Cincinnati Chili (two-day prep)

  • 3 pounds lean ground beef
  • 3 pints water
  • 3 onions, finely chopped
  • 1 (15 oz.) + 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 3 T vinegar
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1 T minced garlic
  • 6 T chili powder
  • 1/3 C cocoa powder
  • 2 1/4 t salt
  • 1 1/2 t ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 t ground cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 t ground cloves
  • 1/2 t ground allspice
  • 2 small bay leaves
  • 2 pounds spaghetti noodles, cooked
  • shredded (orange, for color) cheddar cheese
  • oyster crackers, optional

Place the ground beef in a large pot. Cover with the water. Bring to a boil, stirring and breaking up the beef to a fine texture. Cover and slowly boil for 30 minutes (until the meat is thoroughly cooked). Remove from heat, cool, refrigerate in the pot overnight.

The next day, skim the solid fat from the top of the pot. Discard the fat. Place the beef mixture over medium heat, and stir in the onions and other ingredients (through bay leaf). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 hours. Add water if necessary to prevent the chili from burning. Makes 10 servings

Serve over spaghetti noodles and top with shredded orange cheddar cheese. Serve oyster crackers on the side. 🙂

slightly adapted from allrecipes.com

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Homemade Tortillas

  • 1 3/4 C flour
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/4 t baking powder
  • 3 T olive oil
  • 1/2 C hot water

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Stir in the oil with a spoon. Stir in hot water. Transfer to a flat surface and knead for about 30 seconds until it forms a smooth ball. Start preheating an ungreased cast iron pan to medium-high. Cut dough into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a smooth ball. Roll each ball super thin. (Try to use very little to no flour as this helps the dough stick to the counter a bit so it’s easier to roll thin.) Place each tortilla in the hot pan and cook about a minute, turning once. (You can press down any large bubbles.) Place under a kitchen towel. Once cool, store in an airtight bag.

Makes 8 eight-inch tortillas

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English Jacket Potatoes

Wash and salt the potatoes. Slice a cross shape about 1/4″ thick into each potato.

Bake at 400 degrees for nearly 2 hours. Cut deeper into the slices you made initially. Bake 10 more minutes.

Push open the crispy, crackly, salted skin. Drop butter into the lightest, fluffiest baked potato you ever made. Salt and pepper to taste.

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Glazed Carrots

  • 4 pounds carrots
  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 1/4 C honey
  • 2 T Dijon mustard
  • 2 t crushed rosemary
  • 1 t salt
  • 1 t black pepper
  • 1/2 t garlic powder

Clean the carrots and half lengthwise. Place in a single layer on a parchment-lined jelly-roll pan.

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and pour over carrots. Coat the carrots evenly.

Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes until the carrots are tender. Serve immediately.

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Matzah Candy

  • 3-4 salted matzah squares
  • 2 T butter
  • 1/4 C honey
  • 1/2 t vanilla
  • 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 C roasted peanuts

Line a large jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Arrange the matzah squares on the pan, breaking them as needed to fit.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the honey and vanilla.

Coat one side (or both sides) of each matzah with the honey mixture, and place on the parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. The caramel should be bubbling on the tray (if you coated the bottom side) and the matzah golden. Be careful not to overcook.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips on the matzah pieces. Spread melted chocolate evenly on the matzah.

Sprinkle on the peanuts.

Place in the freezer or refrigerator until the chocolate is hardened.

Break in pieces and store in the refrigerator.

~adapted from http://blogofjoy.com/

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Breakfast Cookies

  • 2 large ripe bananas
  • 1/3 cup peanut butter
  • 2/3 cup applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups oats
  • 1/2 nuts, raisins, coconut, and/or chocolate chips

Mash bananas and peanut butter together in a bowl. Stir in applesauce and vanilla, then remaining ingredients. Let sit 10 minutes before dropping cookies on a baking stone. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, or until firm. Leave cookies on stone for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy at any temperature.

Makes 32 cookies

Thank you, Nancy, for sharing this recipe!

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