Author: maggie black

middle-eastern meat and potatoes

dinner

ingredients

for the baked kibbeh:

  • 1 cup bulgur
  • 1 lb impossible beef
  • 1/4 cup grated onion
  • 2 cups sliced onion, 1/4 inch thick
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

for the potatoes:

  • 2 pounds potatoes, cut into 2″ chunks
  • 4 garlic cloves peeled and halved
  • 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
  • 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • roasted veggie of your choice (broccoli, green beans, asparagus, etc.)

instructions

  1. To make the kibbeh:
    –
    Rinse the bulgur well, then cover with cold water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain well.
    –
    Put the drained bulgur, lamb, grated onion, cumin and cayenne in a large mixing bowl. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well with your hands to distribute the seasoning. With a wooden spoon, beat in about 1/2 cup ice water. The mixture should be smooth and soft.
    –
    Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and fry gently, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Raise the heat and add 1/4 cup of the lamb mixture. Continue frying, allowing the meat to get crumbly and the onions to brown nicely, another 10 minutes or so. Stir in the pine nuts and taste. Let cool to room temperature.
    –
    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking dish, then press half the remaining lamb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Spread half the onion-pine nut mixture over the meat. Add the rest of the meat to the pan, patting and pressing it with wet hands to make a smooth top. If desired, score the top with a sharp paring knife to make a traditional diamond pattern at least 1/2-inch deep.
    –
    Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden. Spread with the remaining onion-pine nut mixture. Serve warm, at room temperature or cool, with a dollop of yogurt.
    –
  2. To make the potatoes:
    –
    Bring a pot of water to boil. Add cubed potatoes and halved garlic. Boil until potatoes are tender.
    –
    Add yogurt, broth, and butter; mash gently with potato masher. Serve!
    –
  3. To make the veggie:
    –
    Toss 1lb of veggies with a tsp of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake at 425 for 15 minutes.

Kibbeh recipe from: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013841-baked-lebanese-kibbe
Potatoes adapted from: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/healthy-mashed-potatoes/
Green bean recipe from: https://cookieandkate.com/roasted-green-beans-recipe/

(O)mega healthy one-pan dinner

dinner

ingredients

  • 2 filets frozen salmon (or fresh if you can ofc)
  • a green veggie, like broccoli, asparagus, green beans
  • brown rice, cooked and tossed with 1 tsp olive oil

instructions

  1. Lay veggie and and rice in a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil and bake, loosely covered with foil) at 400 for 20 minutes.
    –
  2. Reduce heat to the directed temperature for the fish.
    _
  3. Push rice and veggies to the side and bake with fish for cooking time recommended on package.

quinoa tortilla soup

dinner, mexican

ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa, cooked
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 14oz can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 quarts chicken stock, vegetable stock, or garlic broth
  • 6 corn tortillas, cut into strips or some tortilla chips
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tbsp lime juice

instructions

  1. Heat a little olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and chili powder and stir together for a minute, then add garlic and continue to cook, stirring, for another minute, until fragrant.
    –
  2. Add tomatoes, stir well to deglaze bottom of pot, and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Add stock or broth, bring to a simmer, cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
    –
  3. While soup is simmering, toast tortilla strips in batches in microwave. Place in a single layer on a plate and microwave at full power for 1 minute. Turn strips over and microwave for another minute. Repeat if necessary for 30 seconds, or until crisp and light brown. Set aside.
    –
  4. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. Bring back to a simmer and stir in cilantro. Simmer for 1 minute. Taste and adjust salt. Stir in lime juice.Distribute toasted tortilla strips and quinoa among soup bowls and ladle in the soup. Top with crumbled cheese and serve.

Lightly adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017116-tortilla-soup-with-roasted-cauliflower-rice

fish tacos w/corn salsa

dinner, mexican

ingredients

  • 2 servings of a fish of your choice
  • tortillas and brown rice for serving
  • 4-6 ears sweet corn
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 diced, ripe avocado
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 1-2 medium jalepenos, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp cumin

instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place fresh/defrosted salmon on a lined baking sheet and sprinkle with panko, chili powder, and cumin, maybe a squeeze or two of lime juice. Bake 18-20 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside. (if using a different fish, cook in the way that particular fish should be cooked)
    –
  2. In a large bowl, combine the sweet corn kernels with the remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
    –
  3. Serve with brown rice and tortillas. Option to serve also with a sriracha-mayo as fish tacos often are.

Corn salad from https://cookieandkate.com/fresh-corn-salsa-recipe

Broccoli Brown Rice Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce

asian, dinner

ingredients

  • plain brown rice, boiled and drained
  • 1-2 heads broccoli
  • one package of a protein of your choice (tofu, seitan, etc, meat maybe)

For the peanut sauce

  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • pinch red pepper flakes

instructions

  1. Rinse the rice thoroughly. Boil in water and drain like pasta after 30 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Set aside.
    –
  2. Make the sauce. Combine all the ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Set aside.
    –
  3. Stir ya fry. Sautee your protein until it’s ready to go. Set aside. Sautee broccoli on medium-high heat for about 8 minutes (higher heat and shorter cooking time is the key to a good vegetable stir fry).
    –
  4. Add the sauce. Add the sauce to the stir fry and stir until combined over medium heat. Serve over the brown rice.

With some help from:
– https://www.thekitchn.com/brown-rice-pasta-technique-22997438
– https://themodernproper.com/tofu-stir-fry-with-peanut-sauce
– peanut sauce adapted from Love Real Food, Cookie + Kate

Easy Pretzel Rolls

basics, bread

ingredients

  • 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (around 100°F)
  • 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active dry yeast 
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 egg white, whisked
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • 3 and 3/4  – 4 cups (469-500g) all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
  • coarse sea salt for sprinkling
  • 1/2 cup baking soda in 9 cups water for waterbath

instructions

  1. Whisk yeast and warm water together. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Next, add salt, brown sugar, and melted butter. Finally, slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon or dough hook attached to stand mixer until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more, as needed. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
    –
  2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and shape into a ball. (At this point, it dough can be frozen. See freezing instructions below.) Place in a large greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm environment for 1 hour or until nearly doubled in size. (If you like, preheat oven to 200°F, turn it off, place the dough inside, and shut the oven.)
    –
  3. Once risen, punch dough down to release any air bubbles. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and, with a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 8 sections and shape into balls.
    –
  4. Preheat oven to 400. Line a 9×13 baking sheet (or pan!) with parchment paper, lightly grease and set aside.
    –
  5. Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzel rolls into the boiling water for 20 seconds on each side (do not overdo this). Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel roll out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel rolls onto prepared baking sheet or close together in the baking pan. Using a sharp knife, score a couple slits into the top of each.
    –
  6. Lightly brush the tops of the buns with the beaten egg white and top with a little sea salt.
    –
  7. Bake for 22-26 minutes or until a deep golden brown on all sides.

Adapted from https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/easy-pretzel-rolls/

mom’s baked french toast

breakfast, Seitan

ingredients

  • 4-5 cups cubed french bread
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup milk/buttermilk (for buttermilk, mix some greek yogurt into your milk to the consistency of heavy cream)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp salt

instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8×8′ pan with pam. Arrange bread cubes in pan evenly.
    –
  2. Beat egg. Add milk, sugar, cinnamon, and salt to eggs and beat again.
    –
  3. Pour egg mixture over bread. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes.
    –

dad’s buttercream birthday cake

dessert, holiday food


ingredients

cake

  • vanilla cake mix
  • 2 sticks butter, room temperature
  • 8 oz powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

*NOTE: dad said the frosting was too chocolatey and next time make frosting lathe way it says to on the powdered sugar box

instructions

  1. Make the cake.
    –
  2. Frost with chocolate buttercream. To make the buttercream, beat the butter, milk, cocoa powder, and half the powdered sugar on medium for several minutes, until mixture is smooth. Add in more powdered sugar (perhaps all) and more cocoa powder as needed.
    –
  3. Frost the cake at room temperature with frosting at room temperature.

With some help from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11467-magnolia-bakerys-buttercream-vanilla-icing

Brown Rice Pilaf

dinner, new american, pasta/grains

ingredients

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups long grain brown rice
  • 1 small/medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cups stock (chicken or veg)
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • salt & pepper

instructions

  1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet with a lid. Add the rice and onion. Saute until the rice the becomes opaque and the onion starts to become translucent.
    –
  2. Add the chicken broth and parsley and bring to a slight boil. Cover and reduce the heat. Cook for 40 minutes, covered, until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

From: https://goodcheapeats.com/simple-rice-pilaf/