Grilled Veggie Hummus Wrap

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

1 cup store-bought hummus

4 pieces whole-wheat wrap bread (about 9 inches in diameter) 

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 ounces baby spinach leaves (2 cups lightly packed)

1/2 cup red onion thinly sliced into half moons

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

Directions

1. Preheat the grill or grill pan over medium heat. Brush both sides of the zucchini slices with the oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Grill until tender and slightly browned, about 4 minutes per side.
2. Spread 1/4 cup of the hummus over each piece of bread. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of pine nuts on top. Top with 3 slices of zucchini, 2 pieces of red pepper, 1/2 cup of the spinach, a few sliced onions, and 1 tablespoon of the mint. Roll each of them up and cut in half on a diagonal.
 

Chicken Shawarma

Ingredients

Chicken:

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice                          
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 16 (3-inch) strips

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt (such as Fage)
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Remaining ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 4 (6-inch) pitas
• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
• 8 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. To prepare chicken, combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss well to coat. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes.
3. To prepare sauce, combine yogurt and next 4 ingredients (through 1 garlic clove), stirring with a whisk.
4. Thread 2 chicken strips onto each of 8 (12-inch) skewers. Place kebabs on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until done.
5. Place pitas on grill rack; grill 1 minute on each side or until lightly toasted. Place 1 pita on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1/4 cup lettuce and 2 tomato slices. Top each serving with 4 chicken pieces; drizzle each serving with 2 tablespoons sauce.

 

Jerusalem Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• 1 bunch parsley                                                        
• 1 bunch radishes                             
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 1 bunch scallions
• 2-3 Tomatoes
• 1 white onion (optional

Dressing 

• 1/2 C. olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice                     
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper (optional)
• mint (optional)
• sumac (optional, can be replaced with cumin)

Directions

1. Chop all vegetables (including parsley) into relatively uniform, small pieces.  Toss and add the dressing ingredients to taste.  Can be served as a side salad, or tastes great with rice. 
    
    

Arayes ( Meat stuffed Pitas)

Ingredients

1/2 large white onion, roughly chopped                                 

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1/2 small bunch fresh parsley

1 pound ground beef

1 small tomato, diced finely

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Kosher salt

4 pieces pita (whole wheat or regular), cut into quarters

Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a food processor, combine the onions, garlic, and parsley until finely minced. Remove to a large bowl and add in the beef, tomato, garam masala, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Season with salt. Mix with your hands until well combined.
3. Arrange the pita quarters on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Fill each quarter with about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture, flattening it out so the filling is even. Brush each quarter on both sides with a little olive oil. Sprinkle salt on top.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, turning once halfway through. Pitas should be browned and crispy.

Kousa Mahshi

Ingredients

• 7 oz Ground beef or turkey meat
• 8 Medium zucchinis
• 1 cup short grain rice
• 1 32 oz can chopped canned tomato, drained   
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• 4 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

Preparing the Zucchini:

• cut stems off with a paring knife. Remove the inside creating a hollow
  center (leave approximately ¼ thick shell intact). Wash zucchini
  thoroughly and retain the filling for other uses.

 Preparing the filling:

• Cook rice according to directions on the package.
• 3. In a lightly greased frying pan, fry 2 minced cloves of garlic for 30
  seconds or until fragrant. Add the meat and brown with constant stirring
  (approximately 5 minutes on medium heat). Remove from heat and let
  cool for 10 minutes.

Preparing the sauce: 

• in a medium bowl, mix the olive oil, the tomatoes, the black pepper, the salt, the lemon juice, and the remaining garlic

Finishing up:

• Preheat oven to 375F. Mix the meat and the brown rice thoroughly.  Stuff each zucchini with the mixture. Arrange stuffed vegetables and spoon sauce over them.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Lamb Kebab

Ingredients

2 lbs lamb, chopped into cubes

2 medium yellow onions, quatered or cut into large chunks

2 green or red peppers, chopped into chunks

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges or 1 pint of cherry tomatoes 

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

3/4 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon cumin

dash cayenne pepper (if desired)

Directions

Prepare Marinade

• Place spices, oil, and lemon juice in medium bowl. Mix together. Add lamb and cover. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, no more than 3 hours.

Assembling the Skewers

• Place meat and veggies on skewers, about 5 pieces on each. You can alternate by placing meat, then vegetable, or however you would like to assemble them.
• Place on heated grill for 5-7 minutes on each side or until cooked. You can also broil them for 5-7 minutes on each side in your oven.   Serve!

Chocolate Baklava

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups butter, melted

1 package (16 ounce) phyllo dough, thawed

4 cups pecans, finely chopped

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted   

¾ cup sugar

1 ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon lemon peel, grated

Glaze:

1 ¼ tablespoon butter

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Directions

1.  Butter a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan.  In a bowl, combine chocolate chips, cinnamon, pecans, lemon peel, and ¼ cup sugar.

2.  Take eight sheets of phyllo dough and layer them in the pan, spreading each sheet with melted butter. Spread about half of the chocolate chip mixture over the phyllo dough and cover with a buttered sheet of phyllo dough.

3.  Layer five more sheets of phyllo dough, buttering each sheet. Add remaining chocolate chip mixture and layer with remaining sheets of phyllo dough, buttering each sheet.

4.  Using a knife, cut the baklava into 1 ½” diamonds.  Bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes or until golden brown.  About twenty minutes before Baklava is finished, combine ingredients for glaze in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Allow the mixture to simmer for twenty minutes.

5.  When Baklava is finished cooking, drizzle syrup over top and let cool.

Ghorayeba (butter cookies)

Ingredients

• 2 cups butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar                                           
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups blanched almond halves
• 1 teaspoon clear almond extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat butter in mixing bowl for 5 minutes, or until fluffy. Cream in sugars. Add almond extract. Slowly add in flour. If you do not have a heavy duty stand mixer, you may want to mix in half of the flour with the mixer, then the remaining with a spoon. You don't want to burn out the motor on a hand mixer.
2. Chill in the refrigerator for up to one hour.
3. Roll out chilled cookie dough on a floured surface. Roll into a rope that is 1 1/2 - 2 inches thick.  Cut diagonally into diamond shapes.  Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Place one almond in the center of each cookie.  Bake for 12 minutes. Remove and cool on cooling rack.

Awamat (Doughnut Balls)

Ingredients

• 3 cups of pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp dry yeast
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Oil for frying
• Simple syrup

Directions:

1.  In a large bowl mix pastry flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Slowly add water until dough forms.  Knead dough.  Spoon dough by teaspoonful and form ball shape with hand.
2.  In a frying pan add oil, enough so that the dough will be submersed.  Heat oil until hot. Carefully add dough into oil, only a few at a time. When  dough is cooked it will rise to the top of the oil and become golden brown. Remove from oil and place on plate covered with paper towel to cool and absorb excess oil. 
3.  once dough is cooked and slightley cooled, toss and coat with simple syrup.  Serve and enjoy:)

Sfeeha ( Meat Pies)

Sfeeha ( Meat Pies)

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 packetdry yeast                                                
• 1 cupwarm water                                                      
• 1 tspsugar
• 2 tbsolive oil
• 3 cupsflour

Sfeeha

• 1 lb ground beef or lamb
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup finely chopped tomato
• 1 tbs red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbs all spice
• Olive oil or olive oil spray
• Melted butter (optional)

Directions

1. Combine yeast, water and sugar and let sit for ten minutes, add olive oil. In a mixer or large bowl, add yeast mixture, slowly add flour, half cup at a time until all combined, add a tsp of water if needed to combine dough, add olive oil. Coat a large clean bowl with oil and add dough ball to it, let dough rise for 1 hour then knead and use as needed.
2. After you Prepared the dough recipe then form dough into 1 inch small floured balls and cover with plastic wrap, set aside. Preheat oven to 400F. degrees.
3. In a large bowl, mix meat, onions, tomatoes, All spices, salt, black pepper and red pepper until well combined. On a floured surface roll out the dough balls into 4-6 inch circles. Place 2 tbs of the meat mixture in the center, pinch opposite sides of the dough and form a square by pinching 4 sides together.
4.  Place the sfeeha squares on a nonstick sheet pan, or on a sheet pan sprayed with olive oil spray. Bake the meat pies for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. 
5. Remove meat from oven and paint the pies with melted butter or spray with olive oil spray to give them a nice gloss.
6. Serve with Mediterranean yogurt and slices of lemon. Reheat in an oven or toaster oven for 5-8 minutes to keep the dough soft and crunchy.