13
Aug
2010

Crab Egg Roll with Dipping Sauces.

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Some say egg rolls, some say spring rolls. Based on research, rice based sheets are called spring rolls and the flour based sheets that I’m using for this recipe are called egg rolls. I used Americana’s spring roll sheets… it’s flour based so I’m confused heh..  let’s just say it’s a roll and leave it at that :)

OK, let’s start!

those egg rolls are sauteed with less than 1 tbs of olive oil and the rest of the ingredients are fat free, then its brushed with olive oil and baked in the oven until it’s crispy and delicious. To retain some of the moisture, we are serving them with two different types of sauces.

 

Ingredients:

  1. 12 Crab sticks
  2. 1 TBS light mayo (optional, its 10 calories per tbs and doesn’t contain any trans fat)
  3. 2-3 TBS fat free yogurt
  4. Crushed garlic Read the rest of this entry »

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11
Aug
2010

مبارك عليكم الشهر

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This month’s theme is going to be all about healthier meals with simple delicious flavors.

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Stay Tuned :)
Basma.

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09
Aug
2010

Chili Oil

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Having a decent chili oil in the kitchen comes very handy sometimes. It revives most meals.. just imagine adding this oil to a plain pasta with Garlic and basil, or sauteing veggies with it or even drizzling it over labnah. yumm! excellent with meals and as dipping oil as well.

Ingredients:

  1. Olive oil
  2. Fresh red chili peppers
  3. Garlic
  4. A pinch of Parsley
  5. A pinch of Coarse salt
  6. A pinch of Black Pepper
  7. A pinch of Paprika

Directions:

There are two ways to make this oil. You can either heat the oil and add crushed chili peppers along with everything else I mentioned then pour it in the bottle, or soak chili and spices with olive oil for 2 weeks without any type of heat.

This time, I used fresh chili, whole garlic and chopped garlic, sea salt, dried parsley, and paprika. it smells great! it’s the first time I ever use fresh chili peppers, so I don’t really know the shelf life of it. but I’ll let you know if it gets spoiled or not.

Can’t wait to use it :)

One very important tip: when dealing with fresh chili, USE GLOVES. The oil and juice gets stuck in your hands and burn them.

Bon Appetit!

Basma

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05
Aug
2010

Key Lime Pie

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I finally did it.


kept this recipe for a little bit over a year. every now and then, I pay it a visit and modify it a bit. Today was the day to test try this recipe and it was a success :)

I can’t believe how easy and delicious it was. My dad loved it


here’s how it goes:


Ingredients:

Crust:

  1. 2 Cups of crushed Light Digestive biscuit
  2. 1/3 to 1/2 Cup of sugar
  3. 1 Stick of butter

Filling:

  1. 2 Large cans of sweetened condensed milk
  2. The Juice of 20 limes (3/4 cup), you can increase it to 1 cup if you want it more tart, but I prefer 3/4 cup
  3. Half a cup of yogurt Read the rest of this entry »

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02
Aug
2010

Stuffed Eggplants باذنجان محشي بالزيت

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I’ve tried this dish about 5 or 6 years ago. An old friend of the family brought the tiniest, softest, most delicious stuffed eggplants ever. Tasted like stuffed vine leafs ورق عنب. She left the country before we were able to get the recipe from her. This is my way of imitating it.. I kinda miss her!

Ingredients:

  1. 1 cup of rice
  2. 1/2 cup parsley
  3. 1/4 cup tomato
  4. 1/4 cup onions
  5. salt
  6. black pepper
  7. potato slices
  8. small eggplants (the light purple and white ones.)
  9. half a cup of lemon
  10. 1/4 cup olive oil
  11. 1 Garlic clove

Directions:

  1. Wash the eggplants and snap the head off.
  2. Carve all the flesh out, leaving about .5 cm of flesh. (I stuffed 6 small eggplants, 4 small zucchinis and there was still more stuffing left, so if you want, you can cut use 3/4 cup of rice instead of 1 )
  3. sprinkle the eggplants with salt from the inside and leave them for 5 minutes. Read the rest of this entry »

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31
Jul
2010

Shrimp Pasta with sundried tomato cream sauce.

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I’m a seafood person. Not knowing what a certain seafood dish tastes like would definitely haunt me forever.. I was given surimi products as an inspirational ingredient for my next dishes.. crab sticks, surimi shrimps and surimi lobster tails. This is trial #1 with the surimi shrimps.. They don’t quiet taste like

shrimps but they’re delicious :)

Ingredients:

  1. Tagliatelle Pasta
  2. Shrimps
  3. 1 tbs butter
  4. Olive oil (or use the sundried tomato oil)
  5. 1 big white onion
  6. Garlic
  7. 2 cans of cream Read the rest of this entry »

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29
Jul
2010

Food you don’t want to miss in London.

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Ask Restaurant. South Kensington st.

 

I don’t mind traveling back to UK just to eat this pizza again. it has just the right amount of cheese and tomato sauce. Topped with 4 different types of filfil =). roasted bell peppers, crushed chili peppers, fresh red chili peppers and something blended with the tomato sauce.. I think it was Tabasco but I’m not sure.. if you love spicy food, give it a shot :)

 

Strada Restaurant. Kensington High St.

I went into a seafood coma right there. voices started to fade out, and I couldn’t smell anything other than the sweet aroma of this dish. and I unconsciously did my “I’m happily stuffed” dance. the only think that was left from this fish was the head and bones.. just like what you see in cartoons heh.  YES it was that good!

It’s a poached trout, belly nicely cleaned and stuffed with rosemary and onions. drenched in butter, parsley and infused with the flavor of those gorgious olives. the only thing I would change is the boiled tomato slices. if I’m ever going to make this dish, I’d substitute them with oven roasted tomatoes. YUM!

My friends ordered pizzas. were amazing as well.. Thin crispy crust and very fresh ingredients. Their garlic bread was to die for.. didn’t even have the time to take a picture <3

 

Buttercup cupcakes. Read the rest of this entry »

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28
Jul
2010

Roasted Red Bell Peppers.

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If you haven’t tried it before, then you’re missing a whole bunch of new flavors.

If you have, then you’ll understand why is it special to me.

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I do not like eating bell peppers in any dish, unless they’re roasted.. they become all soft, glossy and sugary. Just amazing!

It can be eaten alone with a light tangy sauce, wrapped around feta cheese and herbs, puréed and added to tomato sauces, in salads or pastas. Very versatile. Mix it with any dish and it will give it  an extra oomph.

Here’s how you start,

Place the bell peppers on open fire. Keep turning it until it turns black.

Place it in a small bag or a plate covered with plastic wrap. Let it cool Read the rest of this entry »

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24
Jul
2010

Gordon Ramsay’s Shepherd’s Pie

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I cannot believe how much time it took me to finish this dish! all you got to do is put the meat in a skillet, mix it up with spices and herbs, boil potatoes, mash them and place them on top of the meat and you’re done :) easy and delicious.

It took me a whole week to finish this pie. I placed the meat in the fridge for two days. Day 3, I cooked the meat. Day 5, I boiled the potatoes. Day 6, put the meat back on the heat to add what’s missing. Today is day 7, I’ll finally eat the pie for dinner :)

I believe I redefined the term slow cooking ;)

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Today’s dish is very easy, all kids adore it. I’ll leave gordon ramsey to explain how its done :), followed the same recipe with different ratios. I didn’t add as much olive oil as he did and added less stock and ofcourse no red wine. the rosemary really did make a difference.

tip: if you find the mashed potatoes a bit dry, add skimmed milk to the mixture. you decide whether you want more meat or more potato in the dish.

 

Bon Appetit!

Basma.

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16
Jul
2010

Coffee Infused Crepe with Nutella Filling

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I never really liked crepe, up until I went to an amazing crepe house in my trip to UK. there was something about the banana and nutella mix that made me feel home. Turned out that it was my favorite dish when I was 3 years old. my dad used to stay in a really long line in Germany just to get me this delicious chocolate treat :)

here’s my way of saying I miss home:

 

Ingredients:

  1. 2 shots of espresso, or half a cup of instant coffee. I <3 nespresso *hugs* :)

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