Baba Ganushe
By poisoneyes | October 23, 2008
A popular dip called “baba ganushe” is made with eggplant. Wash and then pierce with a fork one large or two medium-small eggplants. Bake on an oiled tray at about 350° for about 30 - 40 minutes or until soft. Cool. Remove and discard the skin and tough stem-end. Combine with these ingredients in a blender or food processor:
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cloves peeled garlic, quartered
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Blend until smooth.
Put this into a serving bowl and garnish (add for decoration or color and taste) with a little olive oil and sprigs of parsley.
Serve with pita bread.
Chicken Shish Kebab
By poisoneyes | October 23, 2008
Ingredients for a class of 26 students:
3 large bell peppers (green, red, and yellow for color) or 4 medium bell peppers
3 1/2 lb. chicken breast, boneless. (Cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes and marinate in a little lemon juice, olive oil, pepper - Let it stay in the liquid for at least half an hour.)
two or three medium onions
2 large boxes of cherry tomatoes or five - six large tomatoes
skewers (wooden sticks to put the ingredients on)
small mushrooms (or cut larger mushrooms in half) - Optional
chunks of pineapple - optional [NOT from the Middle East] from 2 cans
Preparation:
Chicken: Cut the chicken into 1 1/2 inch cubes of meat on a clean cutting board. (You need 3 pieces of meat for each kabob.) Discard all the bones, fat and gristle. Put pieces into a large bowl. Marinate in lemon juice, olive oil, and pepper for at least half an hour. CHICKEN PIECES NEED TO BE COOKED BEFORE THE VEGETABLES, SO PUT THE PIECES INTO A PAN AND BAKE AT 350° FOR ABOUT 12 - 15 until no longer pink. Then put onto the bamboo skewers along with the following vegetables and marinate again before barbecuing:
Bell peppers: Wash, cut into halves, then take out the seeds and stem and discard. Cut into approximately 1 inch squares. [Not originally from the Middle East!]
Onion: Peel off the outer layer of the onion. Cut the onion in half around the middle, then cut into chunks about 3/4 inch wedges or squares to put onto the sticks.
Tomatoes: Wash and remove the stems from the cherry tomatoes. If using large tomatoes, wash and cut out the stem and then cut into 1 - 1 1/2 inch pieces. [Not originally from the Middle East!]
Mushrooms [Optional], and chunks of zucchini squash and/or eggplant
Chunks of pineapple [Optional - and not from the Middle East]
Put the cooked meat, tomatoes, onions and bell pepper pieces onto bamboo sticks (skewers) by alternating the ingredients. Leave more than one inch at the ends to pick up kabobs.
Keep the kabobs covered and refrigerated until ready to cook.
Barbecue or grill the kabobs for approximately 10 - 15 minutes until the meat and vegetables are done.
Low Fat BBQ Chicken Pizza
By poisoneyes | October 8, 2008
INGREDIENTS:
1 Whole wheat tortilla
1/2 Chicken breast (grilled)
1/2 Red onion
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup Low fat cheese
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
DIRECTIONS:
Grill and slice chicken breast, toss in a skillet and marinate with the BBQ sauce and red onions. Pour mixture onto whole wheat tortilla and sprinkle with your favorite low-fat cheese. Grill the “pizza” for 5-6 minutes, preferably in a toaster oven. If using conventional, set the oven to broil. And . . voila! A delicious meal in no time flat.
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