Avocado and Chickpea Salad

The first time I had avocado, it was in this form. My friend made it for us for a lunch,and got the recipe from a Bobby Flay show. I kid you not, you will make this recipe every time you get an avocado.

Its healthy, nutritious, light, and filling. Although it's a salad, it doesn't taste like one, because of how solid and flavorful it is. It also takes about 10 minutes to put together, which is always a plus. The dish is very versatile, if you like a certain ingredient more, add more of it. Instead of one avocado or one tomato, add two. Make it your own.

Ingredients:
1 medium-ripe avocado
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 medium tomato
4 sprigs of green onion stalks
1/4 crumbled of queso fresco spanish cheese
Juice of half a lime or more if needed
salt and pepper to taste

Add the chickpeas to a dish, and sprink on pepper and salt. Chickpeas need salt to bring out the flavor, so I always like flavoring them first.

Next add all the other ingredients, and sprinkle some more salt and pepper on top.

Mix it all up and serve with tortilla chips mixed in or used as a spoon.

Mini Spanakopita (Greek spinach) Pies

Traditionally this dish is made with layered phyllo dough, like baklava, but I wanted to put a new spin on it. I found puff pasty that cooks as a mini pie shell, so I thought using that would be perfect.

This dish is wonderful because although its vegetarian, its very filling and satisfying. The spinach is not bland at all, the addition of feta cheese and green onions gives it a kick.

Ingredients:
One package of puff pastry mini pie shells (available at almost any grocery store)
1 bag of baby spinach
1 standard sized container of feta cheese
1 egg
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of chopped green onions
1/2 cup diced white onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and add the shells to a non stick sheet pan, and place in the over for about half the time as it says on the package, about 11 or 12 minutes.

Set a pot on medium heat, and add the olive oil and the white onion. Cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Then add the green onion, and the spinach. Add some salt and pepper. Mix and cook until the spinach has cooked down, about 5 minutes.

Drain in a colander and let it cool for 10 minutes in the fridge. Once its cooled, add the mozzarella cheese and the egg, and mix it all up. Get the shells out of the oven, and remove the tops. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture into the shell, one tablespoon at a time.

Put the pies back in the oven for about 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven, let it cook for about 5 minutes, then serve!

Mushroom Alfredo Pasta

I have a habit where if I try a dish I really love, I have to recreate it as soon as I can from scratch. I went to an Italian restaurant a few years ago where I had this delicious penne pasta with a garlicky alfredo sauce and mushrooms. You could always buy a jar of alfredo sauce, but it always tastes better once you put effort into making it!

Ingredients:
1/2 a pound of dry penne pasta, or about two cups
2 cups of sliced button mushrooms
1/2 a cup of heavy cream
1/2 a cup of milk
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
3/4 tablespoon of flour
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
water to boil pasta in

Start by adding 5 cups of water in a pot, and heat until it boils. Once it boils, add the pasta, and cook until al dente, about 11 minutes. Drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, get a sauce pan, and turn the heat on to medium. Add the butter and let it melt, then add the flour and mix. Cook while mixing for about a minute.

Then add the cream, the milk, and the parmesan cheese, and mix.

Then ad the garlic powder.

Mix this using a whisk until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Once its done, set is aside.

Get the pan you cooked and drained the pasta in, and add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, and heat to medium. Add the 2 cups of mushrooms, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for about five minutes, mixing every few minutes, then transfer to a plate.

In the pot, add back in the pasta and mushrooms. Then add in the sauce, mix on medium heat.

Cook for about 2 minutes on the stove to throughly mix and heat everything up to the same temperature, then plate and enjoy!

Cheddar potato AND broccoli soup

I love cheddar broccoli soup and I love broccoli cheddar soup, so why not mix them??!! Well being the risk taker that I am, I did just that. And lemme tell you, the reward was worth the risk!

This soup has two parts: The vegetable broth portion, and the cheese sauce. Both are easy, and this soup takes less than an hour until its ready, but it tastes like its been cooking all day!

Ingredients:

2 medium potatoes
1 medium onion
1 1/2 cups of small cut broccoli florets
1 chicken broth bullion (omit this if you want it to be strictly vegetarian)
3 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

For the cheese sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
1 tablespoon of flour
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Chop up the onion, potatoes and broccoli into small pieces. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to a Dutch oven pot, and heat it up to medium. Add the onion, and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the potato and saute so it's coated by the oil. Cook for about 10 minutes more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the potatoes are a little soft, add the broccoli and saute for 2 or three minutes.

Add the cups of hot water, and the chicken bullion. Cook for about 15 minutes on medium heat, so the water reduces a little bit.

Now for the cheese sauce. Take a saucepan and turn the heat on to medium. Add the butter.

Once the butter has melted, add the flour and mix. Cook that for about a minutes. Then add the milk and cream. Grate the sharp cheddar cheese and add it to the liquid mixture, stirring the whole time.

Once the cheese has completely melted and the mixture has thickened, add it to the vegetable and broth soup.

Mix it well, and let it simmer it on low heat for 20 more minutes, until it has thickened.

Ladle until bowls and serve!

Everything Salsa

This salsa is a sure hit for a party or get together. Its fast, simple, healthy, and delicious. Best of all, you probably half most of this stuff in your fridge and pantry right now!

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small red onion
1 medium tomato, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

This recipe is pretty simple. Combine all the ingredients about, and mix well. Serve with tortilla chips! My favorite are the scoop shaped ones.

Squash and Lamb over Freekah

This is a dish my mother has made a few times, passed around from other Kurdish women in our community. It is not a Kurdish dish, but the way the freekah is made is very Kurdish. Freekah is wheat that is prematurely picked and dried using a fire roasting method, so it tastes a little smokey and nutty. This recipe is extremely healthy and pretty low in fat, but has a lot of original flavors that you do not come across often.

1 medium/large orange squash
1 medium/large yellow squash
2 medium sweet potato's
1/2 cup of baby carrots
1 pound of lamb pieces, with bone
1 teaspoon of curry powder
6 cups of hot water
salt and pepper to taste

For cooking the meat, add 2 cups of water to a pressure cooker. Salt and peper the lamb lightly, then add tot he slow cooker. Follow the directions on how to use it, and cook for 30 minutes. When the meat is done, set aside.

Wash the squash and sweet potatos.

Cut the squash in half and remve all the seeds using a spoon.

Cut the squash and sweet potatoes into large pieces, about 3 or 4 inches each.

Next, get a large pot and add the meat from the pressure cooker to it. Turn the heat to medium. Add four cups of hot water, and the curry powder, and mix. Add the squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes.

Cook for about 45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Now for the Freekah, which this stew goes on.

Ingredients:
2 cups green freekah
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Freekah is not prepared usually machinery, so you have to sort it out and remove any stones or pieces of hard material from it before cooking.

Get a tray and put all the freekah on one side. Take little bunches and look through them. Once you take out any pieces of rock, move them to the opposite side of the tray, and repeat.

Once you are done sorting, wash the freekah but running water through it. Add the water, oil, and salt to a pot. Once it boils, add the freekah.

Once most of the liquid is absorbed, turn the heat to medium, and cover the freekah until its ready, about 12 more minutes. Fluff with a fork to sperate it.

Now both dishes are ready, so finally time to plate!

Add the freekah to a serving plate. Start adding the vegetables and lamb on top of it.

Add the remaining liquid and vegetables to serve in bowls like soup, the broth is absolutely wonderful.