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Serves 4-5
5 potatoes peeled and medium cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 small chopped bell pepper
1 clove of garlic chopped
3 cups of chopped tomatoes (or can cubed tomatoes)
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of flour
1 tablespoon of sweet paprika
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of allspice or 7 spices
2 cups of fresh chopped cilantro
1 cup of lean minced meat (or 1/2 pound cubed stew meat)
An optional dash of red pepper flakes (or more depending on how spicy you want it)
Few cups of water
Salt & pepper to taste

For the plain white Rice:
The recipe is in most of my previous recipes of rice or stews

In the cooking pot, add the butter, chopped onions and garlic, minced meat and olive oil, let it cook on medium heat. Add salt & pepper to taste and red pepper flakes. Once the meat browns and cooks, add the tomatoes, let the ingredients cook for a couple of minutes then add the potatoes and let them all cook for few minutes. Add the flour to coat the ingredients. Now, add water enough to cover the stew, then add the tomato paste and stir a bit to dissolve it. Add the paprika, allspice and cilantro. Cook until the potatoes are done. Serve with the rice.

I chose minced meat this time, just for a change. Normally I use beef stew meat, or sometimes I make this without meat if I want it a vegetarian dish.
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I love Man'oucheh (or Mankoucheh). It's a Lebanese Thyme or Zaatar pie, knowing that in Lebanon we have some many kinds of man'ouchehs, like cheese, kishik, zaatar and cheese etc... and some places keep getting more and more creative everyday in serving this traditional breakfast. Since most of the time I keep dough ready in my refrigerator, I was craving man'oucheh this morning. It's very simple and easy. Roll the dough, I like it thin and crispy, then spread the zaatar mix(below) on top, pop it in an 450F oven for about 10 minutes or until gold and crispy (unless you don't like it crispy then take it out before). Cut and serve. Sometimes I like it with vegetables, like fresh mint, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, green onions and some olives and labneh too! Very tasty and filling, this is what we call in Lebanon 'Man'oucheh Extra'. So here are the ingredients:

I prepare this amount of dough to make a big pizza and a Man'oucheh, so it yields two pies. Or you can simply use a ready dough if you don't wanna prepare it yourself ;)

For the simple dough:
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of warm water
1 small pack of yeast
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Mix the dough, cover and let it rise then roll.

For the Zaatar spread: (I eyeball this)
- Some fine chopped onions (optional)
- Some Zaatar Mix (this mix can be found in Middle eastern stores or in healthy food stores, it's the one with sesame and sumac and spices)
- Olive oil
In a small bowl, add the onions, Zaatar Mix and drizzle olive oil and mix until you get a medium-thick paste, you don't wanna add too much olive oil but enough to spread the mixture on the dough without lumps.

Sahtein!
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I love homemade burgers! They're easy and tasty and you can adjust the flavors however you like them!

Makes about 4 patties:
1 cup of cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup small chopped carrots
1/2 cup small chopped bell pepper
1 mashed clove of garlic
1/2 chopped parsley
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg (optional)
1/2 tbsp of cumin
1 teaspoon of mustard
Salt & pepper to taste

In a food processor, add all the above ingredients except the egg and breadcrumbs, pulse few times until all the ingredients are incorporated together, the transfer into a bowl and add the breadcrumbs and the egg and fold all ingredients together. I like to refrigerate them for a bit, then form patties. In a non-stick skillet add about a teaspoon of canola oil (or any vegetable oil) or just enough to coat the skillet and cook the patties, few minutes on each side until done.

For the potatoes: (as much potatoes as you want)
Cut potatoes into wedges without peeling them (after cleaning them well). Marinate in olive oil, fresh thyme or rosemary or both, some garlic powder and some pepper. Let them sit for half an hour in a bowl or in a Ziploc bag. Then empty them on a baking rack and bake them in a 375F oven until golden brown.

To serve:
Cut a Hamburger bun in half and slightly toast it, then add on the bottom side, ketchup, then a lettuce leaf, add the veggie patty, then top with sliced onion and tomato and cover with upper part of the bun. Serve the potatoes on the side. I like it with mango salsa. It is a ready salsa that I buy, made of grilled bell peppers, mangoes, tomatoes and a lot of spices.
Hamburgers can be served in so many creative ways, this was a simple version. Caramelized onions are really good too instead of raw onions etc, etc...
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Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (or any parts of the chicken you want), cleaned, washed and cut
2 lemons
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and medium sliced
1 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of Herbes De Provence (or Italian herbs)
5 big cloves of garlic, mashed
Salt & pepper to taste

In a container, place the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and spices. Add the chicken to marinade. You can marinade for an hour, or you can do it overnight. Now, in a separate bowl and same marinade ingredients I marinated the potatoes. You can half-way fry the potatoes and let them drain on a paper towel or just marinate, for less calories.
In a baking dish enough to fit the chicken and the potatoes, add the chicken then add and distribute the potatoes too. Bake in a 375F oven, until the chicken is fully cooked and the potatoes too. It's better to cover the baking dish with aluminum foil for the first 20 minutes or so. Then remove the foil and let it bake and gold-brown. This way the chicken won't dry and will cook faster.
- However, some people prefer to sautee in a skillet with some vegetable oil, the chicken for few minutes on both sides, then transfer it to the baking dish and add the marinade and bake along with the potatoes. Both ways work.

I served it along with saffron-rice and a green salad, simple bed of lettuce, with a herb vinaigrette dressing.

My vinaigrette dressing consisted of some Herbes De Provence, olive oil, a little bit of mustard and balsamic vinegar. For the saffron-rice, very simple too, added a pinch of saffron while the rice was cooking.
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This is a very simple salad. It can be served with pita bread and a plate of fresh vegetables on the side: like green onions, fresh mint and radishes.

Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1 cup of lentils
1/3 cup of chopped onions
1 small clove of garlic, mashed
1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
About a 1/3 cup of Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Wash and drain the lentils, make sure that they're clean then add to a saucepan with 4 cups of water and some salt and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and let the lentils cook. After they're cooked, drain the water then transfer to the serving bowl, add the garlic, onions, parsley, salt & pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix the ingredients well and serve.
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Shish Taouk is marinated chicken cut into cubes or big chunks and marinated at least overnight then baked, grilled or even cooked on the stove surface. The main ingredient of the marinade is garlic!!! Shish Taouk is normally put on skewers and grilled but this time I wanted to bake it in the oven since we were not having a barbecue. I served it with home made french fries.

Serves about 4
Ingredients:
1 pound of chicken cut in cubes (I normally like chicken breasts)
1 cup of plain yogurt
5 or more cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon of tomato sauce
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup of Olive oil (or canola oil)
Salt & pepper to taste.

In a bowl add the chicken and all the ingredients above, mix all ingredients very well and place in the refrigerator overnight or all day. You can also stack this in the freezer and use it whenever you want.
Bake in the oven until the chicken is fully cooked but don't let it dry. Or put on skewers and grill (I will post the grilled version soon too). Shish Taouk can be served on pita bread or tortilla and rolled as wraps with coleslaw and fries. You can get creative!!!!!!
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This recipe is very common all over the Arab world and not only Lebanon. In Jordan, it is very popular and they prepare it with Lamb. In Lebanon, another version of this is popular also, but made with chicken instead of meat and without eggplant and nuts, I will post it one day as well. I personally prefer this one :) In arabic it is called (Makloubeh or Ma2loubeh= turned over, because you layer everything and turn the pot upside down to serve)

Serves at least 5
Ingredients:
1 eggplant
1 small cauliflower
2 cups of rice (long grain)
1 pound of lean medium cubed beef or lamb
1 cup of assorted raw nuts (like pistachios, almonds, pine nuts etc...)
1 big onion chopped
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
4 cups of wate
1 teaspoon butter
Vegetable oil for frying
Some olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste and some allspice

- Slice the eggplant into medium circles, sprinkle salt and let it drain its water for like half an hour (this way it won't absorb a lot of oil ;))Then drain on a paper towel and fry them half way until they begin to turn gold. Fry the cauliflower too and let drain ona paper towel as well.
- Now in a cooking pot, add chopped onions and some olive oil then add the meat, add salt & pepper to taste and allspice, cook until the meat is mostly cooked, then layer the eggplant on top of the meat and onions, then layer the cauliflower on top of that then the rice. Now mix the tomato paste with the 4 cups of water and add to the rice and all. Let everything cook on medium and until the rice is done and has absorbed the water. Meanwhile, in a pan, add a teaspoon of butter then add the nuts and toast them. To serve, place a rounded serving plate on top of the pot, hold it tight and flip upside down quickly. Be careful so that the whole thing doesn't fall apart. Top with the nuts and serve with any salad of your choice.
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We were craving fresh oysters my sister and I, so we drove to Byblos (Jbeil) and got from one of the fishermen fresh oysters. We bought 4 dozens, came back home, opened a bottle of 'La Dame Blanche' of 'Chateau Kefraya' my favorite Lebanese winery :) and then in no time, ate them all!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that they taste great with fresh squeezed lemons :)
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I am trying to get better on making desserts, I gave this recipe a try and it turned out well :) It is super easy too.

Serves 4-6 (depending on the size of the mold or pan)
Ingredients:
1 block of dark chocolate (250gr)
1/3 cup powder sugar
2 full eggs
2 egg yolks
4 tablespoons of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of butter
Vanilla ice cream to serve it with (I chose vanilla-mango)

In a bowl, add the 4 eggs and beat well until fluffy. Sift and add the sugar, and then do the same for the flour and add it to the mix. Break the chocolate and place it in another bowl with the butter, put this bowl on top of a pot half full with water and bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat, in order for the chocolate to melt along with the butter but not to cook. After the chocolate-butter mix is ready, add it to the mixture of eggs, sugar and flour while stirring. If you have the mold for the fondant that's great, but if you don't (like me :)) use the muffin tin :) yeah why not? Grease the pan and pour the mixture, and transfer into a 400F oven for 10-12 minutes. Serve with ice cream and drizzle some of the melted chocolate or some chocolate syrup. Don't let it cool off, serve immediately.
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I love salads :) Therefore I always experiment and mix and match whatever we have in the fridge. I personally love this one! I am trying to post other stuff besides Lebanese food thinking I could to show how cosmopolitan my country is and how much we love International cuisine :)

Ingredients:
2 heads of red and green frizzy lettuce
1 can of corn
2 cucumbers
2 green onion chopped
1 cup of fresh sliced mushrooms
Some smoked salmon to top the salad (I chose herb marinated ones)
1 tomato sliced and each slice cut in half

For the dressing:
1 tbspn of Herbes de Provence
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup of olive oil

Chop the lettuce and add to the serving plate then add the corn, cucumbers, onions, mushrooms. Top the salad with the smoked salmon, and distribute the tomatoes around the plate. You can mix the dressing and add it or serve it on the side in a small bowl. You can also adjust the vinegar and olive oil upon taste.
Sahtein!!! (= bon appetit in Arabic :))
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Moi!

authorHello, my name is MAG. I've been running this blog since 2007. Follow me on Social Media!!!
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