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)

Cravings and Addictions Begin Somewhere-- Healthy Snacks

Usually, I counsel patients on healthy eating and balancing their plate, eating enough vegetables, limiting sweet drinks, and daily physical activity. Oftentimes I counsel my patients on nutrition for specific disease states like Diabetes or cholesterol, but these days, I see a lot of obesity in adults, teens and children. The quality of the obesity is also getting scarier: I am seeing more patients with fatty liver issues(and a higher risk of non-alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis due to the fat content overpowering the liver), higher rates of diabetes in children, and higher rates of cholesterol and malnutrition. It is scary. I honestly believe the life expectancy of generations born in 1995 and beyond will have a much shorter life expectancy given the poorer average quality of diets and larger variety and availability of junk foods than previous generations.

So I'm hoping some healthy snack advice and great recipes might help.

If a sweet or creamy snack is desired, offer

• Smoothie made from blending 1 cup of low fat milk with 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen fruit
• Fresh apple slices dipped in peanut or almond butter
• Homemade souffle if you feel daring
• Fat free cottage cheese or yogurt with pieces of fresh or frozen fruit.
• Homemade sweet or savory baked sweet potato fries
• Homemade fruit chips you can dip in fat free vanilla yogurt
• Baked apple slices with cheese and honey
• Homemade candied nuts
• Homemade milk pudding, a family favorite for adults as well as the kids!

If a salty snack is desired, offer

• Pretzels with fat free cream cheese
• "Baked" potato chips with pico de gallo salsa
• Homemade popcorn with oil and spices instead of butter
• Slices of fresh fruit, jicama or cucumber with fresh spices (Hispanic around here use chile powder and/or lemon or lime, but Arab friends & family often feed kids the same veggies but with Arab-style spices-- zaatar (dried thyme & sesame), or cumin, sumac, salt and/or lemon)
• Homemade (savory version) baked sweet potato fries
• Whole wheat crackers with guacamole
• roasted peanuts or almonds
• Carrot, celery or broccoli sticks with light or fat free ranch dressing or guacamole 

*steps on little soap box, clears throat*
So, I find it scary that I've been seeing a 28 year-old mom regularly for 3 months now for diet management: her diet is weakened by her addiction to sweet and salty snack foods, and oftentimes replaces her meals with these. She has developed pre-diabetes, cardiovascular disease and the beginnings of fatty liver that are giving her blurred vision, night sweats, urinary frequency, unusual amounts of fatigue, chest pains, and scarily vivid dreams. Meanwhile, she still doesn't mind feeding her 4-year-old child top Ramen for lunch, Doritos for a snack on the way to see the dietitian, and after finishing the bag of Doritos in my office the child was promised ice cream if she is a good girl. Wait what? A junky treat after eating junk for lunch and snack?
I don't care if the child is thin, nor do I care if she will "burn it off," it is a poor quality fuel, and will cause problems internally after a year or two before mom even sees that child start to gain weight.
I know children should be allowed to be children, have an ice cream for a treat, have a candy with friends... I agree they should enjoy life rather than worry about what they eat. This is true.
Please, parents, if your child asks for something unhealthy and you know that they've eaten nothing but junk, then tell them sorry, not today, you've already had a lot of special foods today. You can have some in a couple weeks. Save the special food for a special day. If you do, that special day will be so much more special! They will understand if you spend 20 seconds explaining to them. Offer them a variety of healthy choices, like grapes, apples and peanut butter, strawberries, carrots, wheat crackers, yogurt, low fat milk or a string cheese, and give them the freedom to choose one of these healthy options they like best. If they are truly hungry, they'll eat  what is offered. If they keep begging, chances are that they aren't really hungry, they just want to see how far they can push your authority. They have the right of freedom to choose, but its your job to provide them with guidance of what to choose from. Please don't feel bad, they will get over it.
Your body deserves more than unreal snack foods that exist just to get you addicted. You are too good for that. You deserve better. And so do your children.
*steps off soap box, somber, deflated*

I love Nuts

Many arabs like to offer guests that visit a cup of tea or coffee and oftentimes bowls of salted or raw nuts for  snack with fresh fruit or sweet pastries. I get bored offering my guests the same thing as all the neighbors, so I have a little twist to make my snacks memorable and unique.

Roasted nuts with a little attitude.

So nuts, though they are high in fat, are also very healthy. You'll obtain from them alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based omega-3 essential fatty acid, required by the human body. Many people take Omega-3 or Omega complex pills made from fish oils as a supplement for heart health. This type of fat aids in improving the HDL (good) cholesterol, and some studies suggest it helps the brain development of the fetus during pregnancy. Of the nuts, walnuts are particularly high in these fats, and are also high in antioxidants and provide a convenient source of protein and fiber. I prize walnuts as essentially the king of nuts for this reason, and I'd encourage using primarily these in recipes involving nuts. Also high in these healthy fats are almonds and cashews, which can also be used especially in families where a walnut allergy is an issue (like for my niece).

Sugar-and-Spice Candied Nuts

Makes approx 16 1/4-cup servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dark-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar (or splenda)
• 1 Tsblespoon paprika
• 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
• By replacing the first 4 ingredients with 2/3c white sugar and 1/3c unsweetened cocoa powder, you can create some chocolate-candied nuts that are also quite amazingly delicious.
• 1 pound walnuts, pecans, cashews, or raw almonds
• 1 egg white, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon water

Chocolate/sugar powder (left), and cinnamon/sugar powder after coating some pecans (right)!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Mix sugars and spices in a large bowl that has a lid; set aside. 
3. Beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add nuts, and stir to coat them evenly. 
4. Remove nuts from the egg white, strain them momentarily to make sure they are not too drippy. 
5. Place them in the bowl of sugar and spices, put the lid on, and shake or toss until evenly coated. 
6. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper or foil. Bake for 15 minutes, shaking the sheet occasionally to stir up the nuts. 
7. Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. When completely cool, pour the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.
8. And now munch delightfully!

Nutrition Facts for 1/4-cup of candied walnuts:
202 total calories, 10g total carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 4 g protein, 16g fat
(0.5 Carbohydrate, 3 Fat, and 1 protein exchanges)

Sweet Potato Fries-- Just like the South, but not!

So I don't have a working heater in my house, and the space heaters are sold out. Thankfully, this gives me an excuse turn on the oven to warm myself up.

And there's nothing better on a cold winter weekend than warming up with some good, old fashioned comfort food like sweet potato fries. The difference? These fries are not fried, but baked. They also have a touch of added protein, and are nearly fat free. And they are absolutely delicious as a guilt-free comfort food!
For the savory option: I also make these with 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp dried oregano instead of the sugar and cinnamon.

Step 1: Cut the sweet potato into thin slices.

Step 2: Dip the sweet potato slices in egg white mixed with cinnamon and sugar. Then bake.
Now I only need to learn self-control. *wink* 

So... Now you want to know how to make it? Here's the recipe. Munch, munch, munch...

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Makes two servings per sweet potato.
Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato, sliced into sticks or wedges
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp sugar (optional, but if sugar is wanted, splenda also works well as a calorie-free replacement)
• enough oil to coat the baking sheet

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil and spray lightly with oil.
2. Place sweet potato sticks on a microwave-safe plate and cook for 1-2 minutes or until they’re flexible.
3. In a shallow bowl or container, whisk egg whites cinnamon and sugar together. Toss sweet potato sticks in mixture but drain off drips before placing them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip pieces and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more.

Nutrition Facts for 1/2-cup of sweet potato fries:
80 total calories, 15g total carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 1 g protein, 1g fat
(1 Carbohydrate, 0 Fat, and 0 protein exchanges)

Apple Chips

When your parents go to a farming community known for its apple orchards, and they get awed and excited by wall-to-wall apples, the results might sometimes be overwhelming. In my case, the situation is alarming.

My parents returned from Apple Hill in Northern California with two cases (approximately 18 lbs) of apples mixed between Fuji and Granny Smith varieties. I've had two apples every day for the last 2 weeks, and I'm really getting sick of them. Meanwhile, I am bringing home persimmons from friends that want me to make them into persimmon chips for a healthy snack, so I decided last night to try making chips from a few of the apples I've got.
I use usually the mandoline attachment for my food processor to slice the apples horizontally. But you can also purchase a small mandoline slicer for cheap.

Here's my Cuisinart food processor, with the regular blade removed and the mandoline slicer blade attached.

The horizontal cross section of the apple makes a cute little star shape where the seeds would be, and the slicer can slice directly through the seeds, so you only need to shake off any seeds and bake the slices for a couple hours. These apple chips are a great treat for little kids because of the rewarding little star in the center. :-) One small apple makes approximately 15 chips.

Soon I'll post another nice snack with baked apples (and an elegant appetizer with white wine or sparkling cider) involves roasting them with honey, cheese and fresh sprig of spice.

So here's the recipe for apple chips

Ingredients:

• 4 small granny smith or fuji apples

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees, or 200 degrees on convection if your oven is capable.
2. Thinly slice off the top and bottom of the apple, and peel the skin off with a potato peeler.
3. Using a mandolin or food processor attachment, slice the apples into thin 1/16 inch thickness (you can use a knife for this process, but for me it takes some time, and I have trouble getting my slices a uniform thickness, so I prefer to use the machine)
4. Place them on trays with holes for adequate ventilation, my version looks like flimsy aluminum chicken wire, but it works. Dry them in the oven for around 1 hour and 45 minutes, rotating the trays after the first 45-60 minutes of drying so they all cook evenly(if you use a convection setting on the oven, rotating is unnecessary).

You can buy grilling trays/pans for drying food or making chips in the oven here (I waited until spring for grillling season and found some at the dollar store).

Nutrition facts for a serving size of around 12 chips:
60 calories, 15gm net carbs, 4gm fiber, 0g fat, 0g protein (1 diabetic carbohydrate exchange, 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)

Persimmon Overload?

I guess it's obvious what fruits are in season at the moment! We're starting to get colder, in need of some warming up, so I felt the need to make use of my persimmons in a healthful, non-traditional dessert format. I'm getting tired of pie, cake, cookies and pudding. So I started by pureeing persimmons, and eating some before the idea of a nice, hot baked treat popped up in my head-- in a 6oz ramekin, just the right size for my little belly. I hoped to enhance the flavor of my persimmons and cut their sweetness with a little spice, and imagined that the ginger would give it just the right kick! Cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla are all too common this time of year, so I'll pass on those for now! If you are looking for other non-traditional healthy uses for your fruit desserts this season, try Spiced Poached Pears, apple chips, apples baked with cheese and honey, or a sorbet using your fall and winter fruits.

Persimmon-Ginger Soufflé with homemade persimmon chips!!

• 1 1/2 cups low fat 2% milk
• 1 tablespoon minced, peeled fresh ginger
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 small persimmons, diced
• 8 large egg whites

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. In medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to boiling.
• Place the ginger in a cheese cloth or a tea strainer. Add ginger to the milk, remove pan from heat, cover, and let steep 30 minutes.

• 

  Milk should become foamy while whisking over the heat.

• Discard the ginger from the milk, and set aside.
• To purée the persimmons, dice them into small cubes so they are small enough for the blender to handle. Add 2 tbsp water, and purée on high until they are smooth.
• In large nonreactive bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 4 tablespoons of sugar.
• Whisk in flour until well combined. Gradually add hot milk, whisking constantly to prevent it from curdling.
• Return yolk mixture to saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until custard boils and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, around 3 to 5 minutes.
• Transfer to large bowl, whisk in the puréed persimmon, and set aside.
• Beat egg whites until foamy and slightly opaque. With mixer running, add remaining 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat until stiff but not dry.

I buy egg whites, and they work perfectly well.

• Fold 1/3 of egg whites into persimmon mixture to lighten, then add mixture to remaining whites, folding in gently but thoroughly.
• Butter 8 6-ounce ramekins. 
• Spoon batter into ramekins, filling almost to the top, and lightly run finger around inside rim to create a "moat." Place ramekins in large baking pan, and arrange the baking pan on the middle oven rack and add hot water around ramekins as deep as you can make it.

Before cooking!

After cooking!

• Bake until soufflés have risen well above the rim and tops are golden brown, about 45 minutes.
• Garnish with sifted powdered sugar and a persimmon chip for a zazzy little dish to make you and your guests giggle with delight!

Happy Fall!
Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts for one 6-oz ramekin:
137 total calories, 13gm total carbohydrate, 2gm fiber, 10gm protein, 5gm fat
(1 Carbohydrate (1 NET carb), 01 Fat, and 1.5 protein exchanges)

Make your own yogurt

Like most things homemade, yogurt you make yourself is better for so many reasons:

• It's better for you (no preservatives, sugar or chemicals added) 
• The bacteria are active, so you can be sure that your yogurt has active probiotics 
• It's less expensive 
• It tastes amazing 
• There's no packaging to waste (or to try to find ways to save and reuse) 

Plus, you only need a cooking thermometer and a container with a tightly fitting lid. There's no need to buy any special equipment.

Ingredients:

• 1 Half gallon of milk 
• 2-3 Tbs of plain yogurt (as a starter) 
• 1 8-10 Qt stock pot 
• 1 4-5 Qt pot with lid 
• 1 Metal or plastic spoon (so you can sterilize it) 
• 1 Dial thermometer (it should have a range of at least 100°-185°F, and ideally, a clip for your pot's rim) 

Notes:
However much milk you use, is how much yogurt you will get in return: using 1/2 gal milk gives you 1/2 gal yogurt. You can use regular, reduced or non fat milk, but with nonfat milk, your yogurt will likeky turn out too watery. My sister adds whey protein powder to thicken the fat free milk during cooking and add extra protein.
For your first batch, you will need to purchase plain yogurt with active cultures, like Dannon, Pavels, or Stoneyfield (all future batches you will use your own). Alternatively, you may use freeze-dried yogurt starter cultures.

Step 1-- Make a Double Boiler:
You can skip this step and boil the milk directly in a pot-- but if you do, you have much higher chances to burn the milk on the bottom before it has the chance to heat fully.

1. Create a double boiler by putting the smaller 4-Qt pot inside the larger 8-qt one, and fill the larger one about halfway with water to create a water-jacket effect. 
2. Put a lid on the smaller pot, and heat the water in the big pot (surrounding the smaller pot) until boiling. 
3. Sterilize your thermometer and a tablespoon by putting them in the boiling water for about 15 seconds and removing them. 

Step 2-- Sterilize Your Milk:

• Fill the small pot with milk. Make sure the level of water is at about the same line as the level of milk in the smaller pot. This will ensure the milk is heated evenly. 
• Clip your thermometer to the inside of the milk pot, stir frequently, and wait until the temperature reaches 185F. 
• Once the temperature reaches 185F, remove it from the double boiler and let it cool. 
• Note: The milk will naturally create a type of skin on the top of the milk as its heating and cooling. Try to leave the skin as intact as possible (this skin is like a natural barrier against airborne bacteria from getting inside the milk, so if you don't have a lid on the pot as its heating or while it cools, this layer becomes super helpful)

Step 3-- Cool Your Milk:

• While the milk is heating, you can prepare a cold water bath in your sink using another 8-qt pot or extra large bowl. You may want to add ice to help the cooling process. 
• After the milk has reached 185F, remove it from the boiling water, turn off the heat, and transfer the hot milk to the ice water bath. 
• Keep the thermometer inside, and continue stirring the milk until the temperature reduces to 110F. At this temperature, the bacterial cultures will be able to consume the lactose and grow. 
• Remove the sterile milk from the ice water bath. 

Step 4: Prepare and Add Your Yogurt Culture:

• Prepare your yogurt culture by removing some of your warm, sterile milk and adding it to your yogurt starter to dilute it. This makes the yogurt more watery so it disperses better in the milk. 
• Add your diluted yogurt culture to the pot of 110-degree milk. 
• Stir the yogurt culture and warm milk with your sanitized spoon. 

Step 5: Incubate it and Give it Time:

• Place the lid on the pot, making sure it fits tightly so heat will not escape. 
• Wrap the pot in warm towels to help ensure that the mixture stays a more constant temperature or decreases in temperature more slowly. 
• Place your newly cultured milk in a warm, consistant-temperature area (I use the oven when off and barely warm as the incubator in my house). 
• Hold the pot in this situation for 6-8 hours, or overnight. Refrigerate your finished yogurt for use! 

* to make a second batch, just reserve a small amount of yogurt from this successful batch so you don't need to buy yogurt cultures again from the store.

Moroccan Braised Lamb Shanks

When I get the itch to pamper myself, and a sincere itch to cook, I'll do something with lamb.  Its not easy to find fresh lamb meat, usually its frozen, and not often halal. But when an opportunity arises to get good, grass-fed fresh lamb meat, I definitely suggest you do it quickly. Lamb has a slight game-like flavor, similar to goat and deer meat, but it is a few degrees milder, but also lamb that is farm-raised is degrees less gamey than its grass-fed counterpart. I prefer to use lamb over beef in most dishes, including those with ground meat.

I love lamb because it has a heavy, warm flavor, that even after a bite I feel pampered when I need it most. It is rich and delicious.  But be forewarned, lamb is a very fatty type of meat. 

Lamb shanks as they begin to boil with water, browned onions, garlic, and spices. 

With my family's history of a lemon surplus, I even had to preserve a lot of my extra lemons. I adapted a method that I got from the whole foods store, and made my own recipe for preserved lemons here.
Combining my love of lamb with an overabundance of and passion for lemons, I made a beautiful braised lamb shank. This dish involves a lot of time and nursing. You can be passively revisiting your pot every 30 minutes or so, but you should be nearby. After starting my dish, I ran a few errands at the post office, came back to turn my lamb, responded to a couple emails, returned to turn the lamb, cut my vegetables, returned to turn the lamb, etc. If you start at 3pm, you'll have dinner by around 7-7:30. Do this on your days off from work! Otherwise, you'll eat dinner at 10pm and die from exhaustion! I paired the lamb with sauteed fingerling potatoes and my recipe for roasted beets.

This dish pairs well with rice flavored with saffron and turmeric(not pictured) or some pan-fried potatoes seasoned with allspice and roasted beets. 

Hang in there, if you don't like lamb but love lemon, I'll give you other recipes to make with the preserved lemons, like one with chicken & olives, or I'll have more on my post about preserved lemons.

Moroccan Lamb shank with Vegetables and Preserved Lemons
Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads
• 1 tsp allspice
• 3 lamb shanks
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Preserved Lemon, thinly sliced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into coin shape.
• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-circles

Directions:

1. Use a wide, ideally shallow pot for this dish. Lamb shanks are large and they should ideally sit flat on the bottom of the pot. For this dish I use a wok or large, 4"deep pot or skillet that has a lid.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring constantly, until they become soft and slightly clear, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes longer until garlic has browned slightly.
3. Stir in the four spices and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Add lamb shanks, arranging in a layer on top of the onions. 
5. Add enough water to cover the lamb about halfway, then season with salt and pepper (alternatively, I use beef or lamb stock with black pepper and leave out the salt for a boost of flavor).
6. Bring to a boil, uncovered over high heat. Reduce heat to low, partially cover the pot, and simmer for 3 hours, turning your shanks about every 30 minutes to keep them moist. 
7. Scatter preserved lemon slices over meat and top with vegetables. Cover pot and cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
8. Arrange meat and vegetables on a large serving platter. Skim and discard fat from sauce, pour a little sauce over meat and vegetables, and serve remaining sauce on the side. 

Nutrition Facts for 1/2 lamb shank and 1c carrots and zucchini:
460 total calories, 7gm total carbohydrate, 5gm fiber, 27gm protein, 16gm fat
(1 Carbohydrate (1 NET carb), 3 Fat, and 4 protein exchanges

Shishbarak (meat dumplings in cooked yogurt sauce)

Shishbarak is originally a Turkish dish. It was named after the meat dumplings which looked like the large dresses of traditional Turkish female dancers when they twirl and sit down, allowing their dress to puff up behind them. Oh how pretty!
But to make these little dumplings is such a headache. I start cursing that the dough becomes too dry because I'm so slow, screaming if my dough breaks as I'm trying to stretch it over the filling, and playing loud music to drown out my sorrows of the yogurt beginning to separate because I stopped stirring it for just a moment. As I walk out of the house, scissors in hand, to go pick some cilantro from the front yard, the neighbors all give me shifty glances-- 'there goes that insane neighbor again, thrashing at her herbs.' (This just shows you how much they really know about making shishbarak)

Women usualy gather together to make this, creating a large amount of shishbarak dumplings quickly, making enough for 3 families. To make it by oneself is surely a task! A woman may devote an entire day to making it, preparing enough to have leftovers for her family for a few days because its so delicious but so time consuming. When its gone, its gone. The family may not get another batch for 6 or 12 more months because of its laborious process.

The meat is usually ground lamb, but a leaner meet like 97% fat free beef, ground turkey, or ground bison can also be used. Vegetarians may also use dried soy 'meat' for the filling, I find this dried in clear bags from the Mexican market nearby (they call it 'carne de soya'). The filling is made by browning pine nuts, sauteeing onions and meat together, then mixing the pine nuts with the meat mixture.

The dumpling dough is made from semolina flour (a type of grain used in pasta dough). We usually use the opening of a turkish coffee cup to cut circles from the dough that are correctly sized and uniform for our dumplings. I usually pre-cook the dumplings in dry heat like the oven so they don't become mushy jelly when I put them in the yogurt sauce.

This dough recipe can be used for making ravioli, cut into thin strips for pasta, or wide strips for lasagna. 

The glory of making one's own pasta is seriously unparalleled. But once I realized I could do it, the novelty of making non-unique forms of pasta wore off, and I continued to buy my spaghetti and lasagna in a box. From the store.  The specialty items like ravioli and dumplings I prefer to still make myself. I really don't like all the salt and fat and preservatives from the purchased ones. Plus, after baking them lightly to make the dough firm, you can always freeze the extra for another time.


You can also easily use fat free yogurt, though I use my 2% fat homemade yogurt, instead. I really don't think there's a comparable taste to the amazing cool, sourness of homemade yogurt.  The yogurt is cooked with corn starch to thicken, the dumplings are added, then sauteed cilantro and garlic are added to flavor the dish before serving it hot.

The recipe, as expected: 

Shishbarak: 

Makes 8 servings

The dough: 

• 2c semolina flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2c water

1. Mix the flour together in a bowl with some salt. Gradually add the water and knead together to form a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let set for 30 minutes. 
2. Prepare your dough-rolling surface by dusting it with semolina flour. 
3. Roll out dough into a large, 1/8-inch thick sheet. 
4. Cut out small circles using a 1.25-inch diameter circle (I used the opening of a turkish coffee cup).

The filling: 

• 1/2c pine nuts
• 1/4tsp olive oil
• 1lb ground meat
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp seven spices
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Brown the pine nuts first in olive oil, stirring constantly over medium heat. This takes about 3-5 minutes. Be careful, they can burn in the blink of an eye!
2. Remove them from the pan, and in the same pan sautee the meat. 
3. Then add onions and spices and continue cooking until the onions become translucent. 
4. Remove from the heat and add the browned pine nuts, stirring to combine.
5. Place half a teaspoon of filling into each round circle of dough, making sure that the filling stays in the center of the dough. 
6. Fold the dough in half, making a half-circle around the filling, and pinch the edges to seal the half-circle.
7. Bring the endpoints of the half circle around to touch each other and pinch them together. 
8. Repeat this until you run out of dough and filling.
9. Dust a baking sheet lightly with semolina flour, and place the dumplings here. 
10. Bake the dumplings in the oven at 250 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until they are firmer and slightly dry to the touch.

The yogurt sauce:

• 2 quarts fat free yogurt, or homemade yogurt, recipe here
• 2 TB corn starch
• 1 tsp butter
• 1c finely chopped cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic

1. Sautee the cilantro with the butter and garlic for about 10 minutes on medium heat until the garlic browns slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Mix the corn starch into the yogurt, beating with a whisk or an electric mixer. Heat this in a large sauce pot until it thickens, stirring constantly so the yogurt won't separate.
3. Once the yogurt begins to bubble, add the slightly dried dumplings. Continue stirring constantly for about 5 minutes more. 
4. Add the cooked cilantro/garlic and continue to stir on low heat for about 5 minutes more, then remove from the heat.
5. Serve in bowls, garnished with a sprig of fresh cilantro or mint.

Nutrition facts for 1.5 cups of shishbarak containing ~6 dumplings:
370 total calories, 45gm total carbohydrate, 4 gm fiber, 28 gm protein, 8gm fat
(3 Carbohydrates (3 NET carbs), 2 Fat, and 4 protein exchanges)

A Most Decorated Salad

Tabbouleh is a parsley and tomato salad popular during the summer months. It requires extra time and effort to chop the variety of ingredients, so it is usually done when there is extra time to spare. Tabbouleh differs from kitchen to kitchen, with many people adding their own touches, like allspice instead of seven spice, or additional vegetables such as radishes lettuce or cucumber, or simply different ratios of ingredients, most commonly, more bulghur (cracked wheat).

My tabbouleh I prefer unaltered, moist with vegetables and tomatoes, and plenty of lemon.
This dish is filled with plenty of antioxidants, vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium, monounsaturated fats, and fiber.

Tabbouleh
Makes enough for 6 people
Ingredients

• 1 cup water 
• 1/2 cup bulghur (cracked wheat), fine or medium ground
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped fine 
• 3 stalks fine green onion, chopped fine
• 2 bunches fresh parsley, chopped with stems removed (approx 3 cups)
• 10 fresh mint leaves, chopped (approx 1/2 cup)
• 3 medium tomatoes, diced fine
• Juice from 1 lemon (approx 1/4 cup)
• 2 TB olive oil
• 1/2 tsp seven spices
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. start by rinsing the burghul, and soaking it in water for about 30 minutes.
2. While the burghul is being soaked, chop the vegetables and combine them together in a salad bowl, chopping the tomatoes last. 
3. Fold the burghul gently into the vegetables to prevent the tomatoes from being smashed.
4. Garnish with diced tomatoes and sumac or sliced radishes and paprika and serve!

Nutrition facts: 

Nutrition facts for 1 cup of tabbouleh:
60 total calories, 7gm total carbohydrate, 4 gm fiber, 1oz protein, 1gm fat
(0.5 Carbohydrates (0 NET carbs), 0 Fat, and 0 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)