Smooth Italian Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. tomatoes
• 1/2 small onion
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1/2 recipe white sauce " recently added"
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

1 In food processor, blend onion and tomatoes and basil to a fine puree.

2 Stir puree into the white sauce, bring to the boil and season to taste.

Onion Side Dish Dipping Sauce

Onion Dip

This is a dipping sauce, it's great to use with toasted Pita Bread, taco and taco salad, also a good side dish for steak or Kofta Kabob

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. Fine chopped onions
• 2 oz butter equal to 1/2 stick
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tbsps. flour
• 1 pinch of sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Method:

In heavet skellete heat the butter and toss the finely chopped onion, and sauté till lightly brown.

Add the seasoning and mix for very well for another minute.

Sprinkle with flour, and keep stirring

Add the stock and sour cream, then whisk it and allow to simmer for another two minutes.... enjoy

Sweet Apple Sauce

Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb Apple
• 3 cups water
• 1 strip lemon rind
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornflour
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice or wine

Method:

1 This is a basic recipe for apple. Peel the apple partially, seed it and cut it cubes

2 Blend the prepared apple to a creamy consistency with a little water.

3 Boil up the apple puree with the remaining water and lemon rind, add the sugar, and thicken with the cornflour which has previously been blended to a smooth paste with cold water.

4 Add lemon juice or wine according to taste and serve hot with lamb shops, roast beef or ham or cold with pancake, waffle or Ice cream.... enjoy

Authentic Baba Ganouj

Baked Eggplant

Ingredients:

• 1 medium large eggplant
• 2 jalapeno pepper
• 2 glove minced garlic
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoon Teheni
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method:

1 1 Bake the eggplant an jalapeno at 400F for 20 - 35 min until very soft, also could be broil on charcoal grill for smoked flavor

2 2 Add all other ingredients and mix them throughly by fork or use food processor, keep some lumps and texture

3 Spread the mixer in shallow plate, top with olive oil and pomegranate if desired... enjoy

Fast Vegetable Spring Soup

Spinach Gnocchi

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots
• 1 chopped onion (very small)
• 1 sprig parsley (about one cup)
• 1 stick celery
• 1 potato
• 3 cups chicken stock (or water for vegan)
• 2 tomatoes peeled
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and fresh pepper

Method:

1. Place all vegetables, parsley, carrots, celery, and potato in blender with the water or stock, and blend for 1 minute till gravel. You may leave one teaspoon of parsley for garnishing.
2. In a heavy saucepan, add the olive oil, chopped onion and minced garlic, stir on medium heat for 2 -3 min.
3. add the mixture above and let it simmer for 10 - 15 min.. enjoy!

Eggplant Cauliflower Pan-fried with Teheni sauce

ffWash the vegetables and slice diagonally across the grain If using broccoli or cauliflower, break (or cut) off florets.

Blanch sliced eggplant and cauliflower first cooking in boiling salted water(see times below), and cook after 1 min add the zucchini and continue to cook for another 2 min then drain.

In a large non-stick frying pan, saute blanched vegetables in 2 tablespoons veg. oil and 2 tablespoon of of olive oil for 1-2 minutes. Add a pinch of crushed dried chillies, salt and pepper to taste, and cook for 2-3 minutes longer. Serve immediately with teheni sauce on the side "see recipe".

• Cauliflower----3 min

• Eggplant----3 min

• Zucchini----2 min

Pizza Vigan Artichoke Mushroom Recipe FoodImake

Authentic Tabbouleh Salad Recipe

Refreshing Teboleh Salad Anytime

Called " Taboli, Teboleh or Tabouleh" however this salad became very well known lately, therefore it's easy to find it almost at all super markets and food stores. Tabouleh is a cold famous dish mainly made of parsley and bulgur, it comes from the kitchen of the Levant, including Lebanon, considered a top side and salad dish for the meals.  It is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Also the olive oil is an essential ingredient for this salad, and probably for all the Syrian Lebanese salads . Tabouleh has undeniable health benefits, basically for all it's ingredients. Therefore vegetarians are good friends of this dish, not to mention the slimming diet all well served... Great! Eating a piece of cheese with romaine lettuce at the end. Life is good!!!!

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups chopped parsley
• 4 Tablespoons bulgur, soaked in water for 30 minutes.
• 1 Cup diced onion leaves
• 2 Cups of tomatoes cut into cubes.
• 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 Tablespoons of olive oil

Method:

Soak in 1/2 cup of water the bulgur about 30 min till become really soft, add it to chipped tomato with lemon juice and other ingredient, and mix all very well. finally drizzle the olive oil on top and continue mixing.

Let it set for 15min before you serve. For the best result parsley must be chopped by hand not using any kind of processors... enjoy!

Mujadarah Vegan Recipe Lentil FoodImake

Mujadarah Lebanese Syrian Old food

This dish is one of the main diet among the the people at different parts of Syria and Lebanon. The major ingredients at the Mujadarah is the lentil and onion. The lentil may have been cultivated in the Middle East early as 4000 a.c, which certainly make it the earliest cultivated legume. It's little difficult to keep track of, because there are many varieties cultivated in many different countries.

Broadly speaking, there are five distinct groups of lentils in the marketplace. Most common are green lentils and brown lentils, the browns are little smaller then the greens and have slightly deeper taste. Whole red lentils are relatively large, deep-flavored, salmon-colored red that turn yellow when cooked. Red lentils are whole red lentil have been peeled and split, they are less earthy then green and brown lentils, but a little spicy. However the lentil used with the Mujadarah is the green or brown lentil, but not any of the peeled one.

Vegetarian Falafel Veggie Burger Recipe - Food I Make

Falafel is very old traditional dish and sandwich at the Middle-East, some say the name Felafel, but I prefer Falafel as we originally pronounce it. Falafel's major ingredients is typically consist of chickpeas and other spices, however in Egypt it's made of fava beans instead of chickpeas and called "Taameah". Falafel is originally made for sandwiches, and here in the US served now in a plate with the sauce and vegetables all comes separately. what's in the sandwich, and what made it so great! Normally couple pieces of "Felafel", Tahini sauce, parsley, tomato and left"pickled turnip" the last item people some times eat it on the side.
People consider the falafel as the fast food of the Middl-Eastern countries, it's easy to make and healthy, so you find there are so many small restaurants, fast food places and food buggies, almost everywhere. Falafel wasn't widely introduced  in the USA till the last 15 or 20 years! Thus started being the king among vegetarians, probably for the same reasons: Healthy, delicious and easy to make. 

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups of check peas soaked overnight 
• 1 small bunch of parsley
• 1 Mediume onion
• 5 Gloves of garlic
• 1 Tblspn of cumin
• 1 Tblspn of coriander
• 1 Tblspn of salt
• 1 Tspn of cayenne
• 1 Tspn of baking soda

Methode:

Soak the check peas over night or at least 6 hrs. Then in a mixer blender combine the parsley, onion and the garlic and mix it, tel became  smooth gravel, don't over mix them! add the the rest of the pieces , cumin coriander cayenne and the salt, then at the end add the baking soda, mix them all together well, cover the mixture and let it rest for one hour.
Heat good amount of vegetable oil in deep saucepan at about 350F chap in your hand the felafel as small patties "Please watch the video" and fry them batch till become golden brown, enjoy it with Teheni sauce, parsley, tomato and pickles.

Ratatouille Gratin Vegetable Recipe - Food I Make

Ratatouille Love Spring Veggie Gratin

The recipe changes from time to time, this last virgin is preferred now! However I add sometimes potato or artichoke. The idea of the tomato bed and covered with the olive oil bring the magic, mixed flavors of the vegetable, oregano and olive oil is fantastic! The cheese could be more or less, however I like it sometimes without cheese. Simple light dish could be served hot or cold.

Ingredients:

• 1 Eggplant
• 3 tomatos
• 2 zucchini
• 2 Tblspn of Tomato past
• 5 Tblspn of olive oil
• 2 Tspn of oregano
•  5 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion
• 1/2 cup of gruyere cheese "optional"

Method:

Saute the garlic with olive oil for 1 min, add the shopped onion, stir for another 4 min, then add the tomato past and mix it with one cup of water and let it cook for 3- 4 min. 

Spread the mixture on even tray, cut slices Zucchini, eggplant and tomato. Arrange it all on the top of the sauce, bake cover at 350F for 30 min, uncover sprinkle the cheese if desired, and return to oven for another 10min.. Hop you enjoy it.

Yield: Medium tray, serving 4 - 6 

Beets Avocado Fresh Salad with my Guitar Background

Spring Vegetable and Balsamic Dressing

Spring is almost here in Washington D.C. Top priority food to prepare is salad and salad and salad... No matter where you are or where you go, to the lake to the river or picnic, always salads fits. Noodle salad, tabouli, fettoosh, and greek salad one most be always ready to enjoy the food and the place as well!
Salads are easy to make, however the secret always is selecting the correct combination of greens with the right dressing and then you're good to go.
Here I used cooked beets and avocado with sweet pepper, the cheese was Halloomi, but other kind of cheese will work, as I did try it with Feta and tasted great!
The aged balsamic vinegar is a good choice always with similar kind of dressing, I mixed balsamic with olive oil, oregano and roasted sesame seeds, and finally black pepper.

Falafel Veggie Berger is Food of Heaven!

No meat or slaughtering.. may be that's why I said heaven!! Where suppose to be the most peaceful and safe place for all.. oh that's is a big introduction for the falafel, or some people still twist the name a little and call it "felafel" but no matter how you call it, it's a great dish and sandwich should everybody try. 

It's amazingly getting popular the last few years in the Washington D.C area, and people loved it, so now you find it every where at the big/small super market. 

I cal falafel the fast food virgin of the Middle East, we grew up on falafel, remember use to eat it twice a week at least. The small little shop near the school was own by "Hael Rad" the man Hael wasn't a business type of guy, rather a carpenter as in the back of his house, he use to sell bamboo and wood lugs, but he found his gold mine -I think- by selling the falafel sandwiches and chewing gums for the nearby elementary school. I don't think he was a good cook, as his wife use to hand him the falafel ready and hot from the small little delivery window connected directly to his house. 

The genius idea of his sandwiches, that you don't have to buy the whole sandwich, you may buy a quarter of the sandwich, something to fit you allowance for the day, like "quarter of pita bread and one piece of falafel inside with parsley and tahini sauce for topping"  and you're good to go.

Falafel is completely vegetable made of garbanzo or fava beans, with selected aromatic spices, storm your appetite before you start eating. Added to the flavor the pita bread vegetable and the great tahini sauce. We will have an excellent recipe for the Falafel next week hopefully will see you then. 

Homemade Syrian Pita Bread

Pita read pocket for sandwiches

This is one of the few recipes for pita, is very simple and easy to make. I've found that, it's important to use unbleached flour for this recipes, additionally I mixed the white flour with the whole wheat flour, therefore I used two cops of white and one cup of whole wheat, you may use the same amount of flour with white only, if you're white flour fanatic!! However I've found myself had to add an extra half cup of the flour to reach the right consistency after all.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb chicken breast
• 1 tbsp of yeast
• 2 cups of lukewarm water
• 3 +1/3 cups of flour
• 1 Tsp of salt

Method:

Pour the lukewarm water in mixer container,  add the yeast and mix till dissolve, you may leave the mixture for 5-10 min, then add the flour plus the salt. Let kneed for 5 - 7 min, at the this stage you may add some flour if needed. Normally it's easier to add the flour then water at this step. You may finish kneeling by hand or until the dough is smooth and silky. Make it even small pieces and roll it about 1/4 in thick. Bake it at 450F oven  7- 9 min...Enjoy!!