Appetizer: Apples with Goat Cheese and Oregano

Want an elegant, healthy appetizer for the holidays, but don't know what to offer? I enjoy making these apple appetizers because they are light, healthy and unlike most appetizers, they are lower in calories. These also taste wonderful as an accompaniment to a nice sparkling cider or Riesling. Offering a nicely decorated platter of these baked apples along with some low fat candied pecans will really wow your guests and leave them munching on more. Cheers to no leftovers!

Apples with Goat Cheese and Oregano

Ingredients:

• 4 small Gala apples
• 1/2 cup goat cheese or reduced fat Swiss or Gouda cheese
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4c fresh oregano sprigs

Directions:

1. Slice apples in half, dig out seeds with a mellon baller, leaving deep round wells in the half apples. divide half-apples into halves again.
2. Add 1/2 tbsp goat cheese into apple wells.
3. Drizzle each apple quarter with around 1 tsp of honey.
4. Add a sprig of fresh oregano on top of each round of cheese, or a bundle of around 3-4 leaves of oregano.
5. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Apples will become soft and cheese will begin to melt and also brown slightly.

Nutrition Facts for 2 slices (1/2 apple):
98 total calories, 18g total carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 3 g protein, 1g fat
(1 Carbohydrate, 0 Fat, and 0 protein exchanges)

Hosting Vegans: Roasted Kale and Lentils

Preparing dishes fit for a friend with preferences for vegan cuisine can be tricky-- no products from animals of any kind, oftentimes we forget about butter, chicken stock, and also milk and eggs. Literally, from start to finish, and regardless of the method of cooking, we are real carnivores! (And honestly, I like it!) But being so accustomed to cooking with animal products, it becomes a lot of fun and educational for me to make a completely vegan meal.

My vegan arsenal of ingredients couldn't get more colorful!

So the question becomes how to serve a hearty, soothing dish for the fall weather without adding all these hidden enhancements? Well let me show you and you'll see: I will fill your stomach with hearty legumes, satisfy your senses with an amalgam of complimentary spices, and hopefully make you love me with a little extra lemon!

Kale and Lentils cooked with Moroccan Preserved Lemons

Ingredients:

• 1c brown lentils, rinsed
• 2c vegetable stock
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2c kale, finely chopped
• sea salt
• 1/4 tsp sumac
• 1 tsp fresh winter savory leaves
• 1 tsp Seven Spice
• 2 TB tomato paste
• 1 tsp chile paste
• rind from 1/4 preserved lemon

Directions:

1. Boil lentils for 20 minutes in a vegetable stock on medium heat
2. Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium heat cook the onions, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes or until browned. Add garlic, and continue to cook, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes more.
3. Add kale, spices, rind from 1/4 preserved lemon, and sea salt.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover frying pan and let kale cook until softened and wilted (about 7 minutes more).
5. When lentils are cooked , drain any excess water, and mix the lentils with the onions and kale. You'll know they are cooked when you can easily squash one when you pinch it between 2 fingers).
6. Garnish with fresh lemon wedges and mint to serve.

Nutrition Facts for 1 cup of this dish:
260 total calories, 28gm total carbohydrate, 10gm fiber, 16gm protein, 2gm fat
(2 Carbohydrate (1 NET carb), 0.5 Fat, and 2 protein exchanges)

Healthy Lebanese Kabsa

Kabsa is a dish made from braising and stewing meat with spices, tomatoes, onions and rice. Some people mix more variety of vegetables to make it more like a spanish paella or a rice-based casserole in a pot.
It is usually cooked until the rice absorbs the water and the Kabsa is dry. That, however is not my style.

First I brown some of the onion, adding a bit of grated garlic towards the end. Meanwhile I rub the meat in plenty of spices and allow it to marinade. The most common meat to use is lamb and traditionally it is made with larger chunks of meat, like whole chicken pieces with skin and bone, or lamb shank or shoulder. My family prefers chicken.  I used boneless, skinless free-range chicken breast that I cut into small cubes to allow for a more dispersed flavor and more equal quantity of meat in every serving.

We sear the meat with the onions and then add peeled tomato, some tomato paste and more spices. We then add the water of meat broth and cook until the rice is ready and has soaked up the juices. I usually add carrots and extra water (sometimes also yellow squash if I have it) to keep my kabsa soft and juicy. From start to finish, it takes around 1 hour. I use brown rice, making the cooking time almost double, and very lean chicken. I also use fresh lemon for flavor in the end instead of adding salt to the dish. If fresh lemons are not available, I may use half of a preserved lemon instead. The recipe is below.

Chicken Kabsa

serves 6

Ingredients: 

• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 TB olive oil
• 2lb chicken
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 TB tomato paste
• 1c carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 cups brown rice
• 2.5 cups chicken broth or water
• 1 TB hot chili paste
• juice from 2 lemons
• 1 green onion chopped for garnish

Directions

1. Rub the chicken with the dry spices (cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, paprika, cumin) and set aside. 
2. Sautee 3/4 of the diced onion with oil on medium heat in a large pot until slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. 
3. Add 3 of the grated garlic cloves and sautee for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.  
4. Remove the onions and garlic from the pot. 
5. To the same oil and pot as the onions were in, add the spiced chicken and sear it for about 3 minutes on each side. 
6. Return the onion/garlic to the pot, adding also the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix these well with the chicken and onions. 
7. Add to this the carrots, brown rice and chicken broth and stir to combine. Boil on medium heat for 20 minutes with the lid on the pot.
8. Add the remaining 1/4 onion, and 1 clove of grated garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook for 1 hour. Remove lid and continue to simmer uncovered for the remaining 15 minutes on low if the recipe seems more watery than you prefer.
9. Dish out approximately 1-1.5 cup servings for adults, squeezing lemon over the plate and garnish with green onions to serve.

Nutrition facts for 1 cup of kabsa:
255 total calories, 30gm total carbohydrate, 6 gm fiber, 20 oz protein, 6gm fat
(2 Carbohydrates (1.5 NET carbs), 1 Fat, and 3 protein exchanges)

Lentil Soup

Lentil soup, otherwise known as Shourbat (soup) Adas (lentils) in Arabic, can make you feel satisfied no matter your quantity of hunger.
Nutritionally balanced even in its simplest form, the basic lentil soup consists of boiled lentils (providing for adequate protein and fibrous starch) mixed with browned onions, salt and pepper.

Some countries make it a tomato-based soup, others boil it with the bones of a chicken to impart flavor, while still some still vary from the basic recipe by adding a variety of vegetables like garlic, carrots, celery or crushed tomatoes. In many places where funds are low and food is scarce, some versions of the soup added rice or bread crumbs to the boiling lentils to increase the thickness of the soup liquid and improve their satiety.  In more affluent places, the creativity with the soup gravitates toward the use of meat in the soup like shredded chicken or red meats.  No matter the variety, the basic nutritional balance of lentil soup will satisfy hunger on a tight budget, and give the body the basic macro nutrients for survival. Plus, because of its well-rounded basic nutrition, it is great at the end of one's fast.

My lentil soup recipe that follows consists of just lentils, caramelized onions, water and spices. Most people like their soup pureed before serving to make the soup a more congruous consistency, but my family prefers theirs whole. As a teen, my dad would reminded me after each disastrous attempt at lentil soup, the secret to a great lentil soup is a to make it sweeter with a lot of caramelized onions.  Note the mound of browned onions in the picture. This one's for my papa.

One of my favorite versions of this soup involves adding crushed tomatoes (seeds and tomato skins removed), as well as cumin and a pinch of mustard powder. After mastering the basic soup recipe, feel free to elaborate with any additions, subtractions or substitutions you desire. Be creative! And let me know your results!

Lentil Soup
Makes 4 servings.

• 1 onion, diced finely, with 1/4 of the onion cut into long thin strings (for garnish)
• 1 TB olive oil for frying
• 2 cups lentils (brown or orange, or a combination of the two)
• 4 cups water (may use low sodium or homemade broth instead)
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp Seven Spices
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• Juice from 1 lemon (optional)

1. In an 8-quart pot on medium heat, warm the oil and add the onions. Stir them frequently, for about 25 minuets or until browned. 
2. Remove the browned onions from the pot and set aside. Keep any remaining oil in the pot.
3. Put lentils with water, salt and spices in the same 8-quart pot on high heat. When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and allow the lentils to simmer for about 30 minutes until a lentil can be squished easily between your fingers. (If you want yours pureed, now is the time to do it-- use an immersion blender or allow the soup to cool 15 minutes before putting it in the smoothie blender)
4. Mix in the diced, caramelized onions, reserving the caramelized onion strings as garnish.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls, placing the caramelized onions on top for garnish, and a lemon wedge if your guest desires added flavor in their soup.

Nutrition facts for 1.5 cups of lentil soup:
202 total calories, 30gm total carbohydrate, 8 gm fiber, 16oz protein, 2gm fat
(2 Carb (1.5 net carb), 0.5 Fat, and 2 protein exchanges)