Pumpkin Kibbeh - كبة يقطين

Pumpkin Kibbeh is one of my favorite recipes. It's very popular during lent. I personally like it all year long or even for Thanksgiving. This recipe can be made into Kibbeh balls and fried too. This time I decided to bake it in the oven. This vegetarian recipe is healthy and full of nutrients.

Makes about 5 servings (in a 9x9 inch baking pan):

For the kibbeh:
2 cups of cooked pumpkin ( I used the ready spiced canned pumpkin)
2 cups of fine bulgur wheat
1 cups of wheat flour
1 egg
Salt & pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of allspice

For the filling:
2 cups of cooked spinach
2 cups of cooked chickpeas
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup of pine nuts or chopped almonds
Some olive oil (about 2-3 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to rub the bottom of the pan (even if it's non-stick)

- Mix all the ingredients of the kibbeh and refrigerate for half an hour. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a skillet, add olive oil and onions and nuts let all cook for a couple of minutes or until the nuts start to brown a bit, then add the cooked spinach, then chickpeas, spices, salt & pepper. Cook until the ingredients combine together for like another couple of minutes.
- Get the kibbeh mix and divide in 2 parts and spread the first part in the baking pan, add the filling then add the second layer, making sure that the same thickness is applied, same as any kind of pie made.

Bake in a 400F oven until it's fully cooked and golden browned on top, which is from 30-40 minutes depending on the oven.

Serve with any green salad of your choice.

Vegetarian

12

Bulgur & Chickpeas Pilaf: Burghul Bedfeen (برغل بدفين)

Bulgur Bedfeen is a healthy healthy recipe, can be made with chicken, stew meat or simply vegetarian substituting the chicken or meat stock with vegetable stock or water. The one I chose today is with chicken. I used a couple of chicken breasts but you can use half a chicken or even a whole chicken depending on the amount of servings.

Ingredients: (About 4-5 Servings)
2 big Chicken breasts cooked, by covering them with water and adding 2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick, small carrot, black pepper, small onion, 2 cardamoms (I saved the broth for the rest of the recipe).
2 cups of Bulgur no.2 (not the fine one we use for tabbouli)
2 cups of cooked chickpeas or garbanzo beans
4 cups of broth
1 medium onion diced
2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
Olive oil (you can substitute with butter)
Salt, pepper, allspice to taste

After you cook the chicken, shred and set aside.
In the cooking pot, add onions, olive oil, spices. cook for a couple of minutes then add the washed and drained bulgur, mix and cook for a couple of minutes then add the chickpeas, tomato paste and broth. Bring to a boil then let simmer just like rice.
Serve with chicken on top. This meal is served with green salad or plain yogurt.

Middle Eastern

14

Baked Kibbeh - الكبة بالصينية

Serves 4
1 pound/lb or about 500g of minced lean meat
2 cups of fine bulgur wheat
1 onion chopped/diced
1 teaspoon of allspice or 7 spices
Salt & pepper (about half a teaspoon of each)
1/3 cup of vegetable oil

For the filling:
2 cups of minced meat
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 cup of chopped onions
Olive oil

Prepare the filling and let it cool while layering the kibbeh, so in a pan, add some olive oil, onions and pine nuts, after 1 minute add the minced meat and the spices, salt and pepper and mix. when the meat is cooked, set the cooked filling aside.

Preparing the kibbeh:
Wash the bulgur and drain, mix with the lean meat, onions, spices, salt & pepper and place in the food processor on low until the ingredients get mixed up together then place in a bowl and divide into 2 equal portions. Damp your hands in cold water (keep a small container next to you while layering the kibbeh, cause wet hands help even layering the kibbeh in the tray). When you finish the first layer add the filling, distribute evenly, then add the second layer of kibbeh, even the layer with your wet hand. Add 1/3 cup of vegetable oil on the top, and bake in a 375 degrees F oven until it's golden and the meat is cooked. Before serving you can get rid of the excess of oil. Kibbeh needs to have enough oil to cook and brown otherwise the surface burns quickly. Serve with plain yogurt or a salad (or both :D like I do).

Meat

4

Eetsh (Armenian bulgur salad) - ايتش

Serves 4 or more

Ingredients:
1 cup of fine bulgur
1 diced tomato
1 small onion or shallot, diced
Lemon juice (1 big or 2 small)
1/3 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of tomato sauce mixed with 1/3 cup of water
1 teaspoon of allspice or 7 spices
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley to top it
Cabbage leaves (optional)

In a pan, add the tomato sauce and the lemon juice and bring to a boil. Once they start boiling, turn the heat off, and add the spices, bulgur, chopped onion and tomato, cover and let it sit for half and hour. Mix in the olive oil then transfer into the serving dish. Add the chopped parsley. If you like to add some fresh chopped onions and tomatoes, you also can, it will give it extra flavors. I like to serve in cabbage leaves boats or cabbage on the side. It goes well with it but it's optional.

This salad can be served warm or cold.

Vegetarian

0

Tabbouli (Lebanese Parsley salad) - تبولة

Ingredients: (makes 2 servings)

1 bunch of parsley (washed, finely chopped, try not to include the long stems)

1 medium onion (optional: some green onions are good too)

1 tomato

Juice of one lemon

Few fresh mint leaves (washed and chopped)

1/2 teaspoon of 7 spices (or allspice)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2-3 tablespoons of fine burgul (or wheat germs)

6 tablespoons of olive oil (or eye ball it depending on taste)

Dice the onion and mix it with salt and allspice and put it the serving bowl. Dice the tomato and add it to the onion, then add the chopped parsley and mint, bulgur (soak the bulgur in a little bit of water if it's not fine, no need to soak wheat germs, just add it to the ingredients). Add lemon juice, olive oil. Mix all together and serve.You can garnish it with some diced tomatoes.

Tips on how to eat it:In Lebanon we serve it with romaine lettuce hearts or white cabbage. Take a soft leaf of lettuce, fill it with Tabbouli and enjoy a tabbouli boat!

Salads

0