Suzy Eats

Rice with noodles or “RIZ BI SH’ARIEH” is my husband’s absolute favorite type of rice. It is great as a side dish. It can be served with your favorite stew or soup; it can even be served on its own with a great salad. When I first met Will, I had difficulty with getting the noodles just the right color, but I can finally say that I have perfected this dish 🙂

I have included my recipe below. If you haven’t tried it yet, I recommend it. Your guests will definitely be pleased, and they will notice that your rice looks and tastes special. I have decorated this one with carrots but you can serve it plain if you would like. Also, I use olive oil instead of butter….gotta stay Mediterranean Healthy 🙂 Read the rest of this entry »

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Pizza…a Mediterranean Staple. It is healthy for so many reasons and it is tasty for so many more 🙂 I have recently began to make pizza from scratch. It is a lot yummier, healthier and cost effective. Below is a recipe for the dough and the homemade pizza sauce. You can add any toppings you would like. Bake for ~20 minutes in the oven at 350F and you are set to go 🙂

 
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Thyme and Olive Oil was a VERY common breakfast food in my home growing up. At the time I never realized how healthy I was eating. My mom would prepare sandwiches of thyme & olive oil on fresh pita bread or flatbread. We called it “zait and zaatar”. It could also be used as a dip as well. You would dip a pita chip or piece of pita bread into the olive oil and then into the thyme. The thyme was dried and mashed so it easily stuck to the olive oil for dipping. It makes for a very filling and healthy meal. We know many of the benefits of the olive oil, but what are the benefits of thyme? What makes it so healthy to eat?

For all of the gardeners, thyme is a perrenial and can easily be planted at home. Also, insects do not like it so you are guaranteed it will stay fresh. In ancient times, thyme was used to give off an excellent Read the rest of this entry »

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Mujadarah Recipe

Serves 4 

Vegetarian, vegan (if you use oil or margarine instead of butter), and gluten free

Ingredients

6 medium yellow onions, sliced thin (yellow onions are healthier than white)
2 tablespoons of olive oil (can also use butter)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups green or brown lentils (GREEN is my favorite plus it has more fiber)….(red is not a good choice for this) 
2 cups white or brown rice (Brown is healthier but either is fine) 
1/2 teaspoon cinammon and 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

1. Slice the onions into long pieces (do not dice). Heat medium frying pan on med-high heat. Add Veg­etable Oil and  onions. Cook until onions are caramelized. (You can add one onion at a time to make easier)

2.  Boil 7 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Add lentils, salt and pep­per. Cover, reduce heat and sim­mer for approximately 20 minutes.

3.  Add rice, olive oil, cumin, cinammon and cover and sim­mer for an addi­tional 20 minutes.  Remove from stove

4. Once done with lentils and rice add the carmelized, blackened onions. 

Let me know how it turns out.

Tips:

Use same amount of cups of lentils and rice

Add flat leaf parsley or cilantro for topping when serving

Serve wtih yogurt, pita bread, salad, fruits or hummus

Ellen has also listed a recipe below in one of her comments. She said that Mujadara is one of her favorites.

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So the BEARS lost…. there is always next year I guess….but rough game for sure.

So here is a Mulukhiya Recipe. This is more of a healthy recipe as there are many variations. Egyptians make mulukhiya as a separate soup while other Middle Eastern ethnic groups may mix it with meat inside.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think. Remember it will definitely keep you looking and feeling younger and it is very reasonable! The whole meal should cost less than $8 and should feed 4 people.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 large skinless boneless chicken breasts, chopped into cubes
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 fresh cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 cups water
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 bag of frozen mulukhiya (can be found in ethnic grocery aisle)

Directions

1. Pour olive oil into large saucepan, add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the chicken cubes, water, lemon juice and bouillon cube.
3. Cook until chicken is no longer pink.
4. Add the frozen mulukhiya to mixture and put heat on low.
5. Cook for 2 hours on low. 
6. Serve with rice or bread.

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