Pasta with chicken

I made this recipe as I went along today. It came out really good (alhamdulillah). Sorry I can't provide exact measurements but you kinda have to taste it as you go along and add more of taste enhancers as you see fit :)

Ingredients:

Boiled pasta (I used bow-tie, farfalle), I used one whole package

4 cubed chicken cutlets

broccoli, chopped into small florets

grape tomatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size)

sliced fresh mushrooms

olive oil

2 minced garlic cloves

1 chopped medium onion

-After boiling the pasta, set it aside in a strainer (and save the boiled pasta water if you plan to make a white sauce, recipe below)

-In the same pot, saute the chicken in some olive oil. Once the chicken becomes opaque add the onions and garlic. Saute until onions are cooked then add mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, and salt and pepper.

-Once the veggies are cooked add the pasta to the pot and mix well.

Note: You can practically stop at this step, eliminating the white sauce. It tastes nice and light. But if you want a creamy dish, add the following:

for the white sauce:

milk

Pasta water (saved from boiling)

3 tablespoons of flour

3 tablespoons of butter

2 minced garlic cloves

parmesan cheese

-melt butter in saucepan, saute garlic a bit then add flour, mix well with wire whisk. Add milk slowly, mixing well after each addition. You're trying to achieve a creamy sauce that's not too thick or too thin. Once the sauce reaches the consistency you desire, add some garlic powered, parmesan cheese to taste and salt if needed. Add some of the pasta water to use less milk and to thicken the sauce if you need to. Add white sauce to pasta mixture and enjoy! :)

(a fattier version of this is to just saute some garlic in butter then add heavy cream and pasta water until the sauce reaches the consistency you like, it's easier to make but heavier)

Basboosa (a.k.a. Hareeseh)

Ingredients:

2 cups semolina

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup shredded coconut

2 heaping teaspoons baking powder

1 stick of unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup yogurt (or milk)

sliced or slivered almonds

Syrup ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/8 cups sugar (i'm halving the original recipe so please excuse the 1/8 )

few drops of lemon juice

Instructions:

for the syrup:

-in a sauce pan, bring wanter and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar desolves completely. Once mixture starts boiling add a few drops of lemon juice and turn off heat. Let sit at room temperature. Syrup must be at room temperature before it's added to the hot basboosa (I usually make it a few hours ahead or even the night before)

Basboosa:

-Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (or 350 fahrenheit)

-Mix semolina, sugar, shredded coconut and baking powder together, then add melted butter and yogurt. Mix well and spread in 9x13 ungreased pan, press firmly and evenly into pan. Spread almonds as desired (don't put too many or the basboosa won't brown).

-Let sit for about 15 minutes then place in preheated oven. bake for 30 minutes or until sides are lightly browned. Broil for a minute or two until you get a nice golden color (sometimes you might not need to broil, it depends on your oven).

-Take out of oven and pour syrup evenly on top of it. The syrup will seem like a lot at first but the basboosa will soak it all up within minutes. Leave it to cool and enjoy! :)

Lazy Cake (a.k.a. Mosaic cake)

Ingredients:

• 32 Rectangular tea biscuits, coarsely crushed (I usually use the ulker brand)
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
• 6 tbsp Powdered sugar
• 6 tbsp unsweetened dark cocoa
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Instructions:

• Mix sweetened condensed milk, sugar, melted butter and cocoa until smooth. Add mixture to biscuits.
• Form mix into log or press into loaf pan that has been lined with plastic wrap. Secure the log, and press to combine very well and wrap. Cover with more wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour.
  
  P.S.: You can also add 100 grams of melted bakers chocolate to the mix to make it more chocolatey

No-fry eggplant parmigiana

Large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices, skin on

bread crumbs seasoned with salt and pepper

egg-wash (scramble an egg into a bowl with some milk and salt)

olive oil

Pasta sauce (made your way)

Shredded Mozzarella cheese

-Coat baking sheet with olive oil.

-Dip eggplant into eggwash, the coat with bread crumbs. Place in baking sheet. Spray top of eggplant with olive oil. You can also not coat the pan and just dip the eggplant very lightly in olive oil before laying it in the pan.

-Place baking sheet in middle of oven. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden.

-Layer the eggplant with a little bit of tomato sauce, and cheese then bake for about 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

Enjoy with some pasta.

Pizza dough

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp. dry active yeast

1/4 tsp. sugar

2 TBs warm water

-Start off by mixing the yeast and sugar into the warm water. I usually use a mug for this then put it in a dark place (cupboard) for about 20 minutes. The yeast will at least double or triple in size.

-Mix the flour and salt together, then add the oil and yeast mixture. Knead dough well, you may need to add a bit of extra warm water if it's too dry but be careful only add one tablespoon at a time so your dough doesn't become too sticky.

-Cover the dough with a moist towel and let it sit for half an hour, the longer the better. It will double in size.

-Spread the dough into a greased pan (I usually use a cookie sheet). Let it sit for another 15 minutes it will rise a bit more. Add your toppings and bake in the lowest oven rack for about 15 minutes at 400 degree or until the edges are golden.

Note: Bake time really depends on your oven. I used to have an electric oven and I"d back the pizza at 500 degrees for about 9 minutes. It would come out perfect. Now with my gas oven it takes a longer time. Just test it out the first time until you get used to your oven :)

Homemade Hummus

1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, heated

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs Tahini sauce

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup water

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp. salt

Blend and enjoy! :)

Bilyana's Lentil Soup

1 cup red lentils, washed

2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 stick of butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp pepper

- Melt butter in sauce pan, add onions and fry until wilted, then add garlic and stir for a minute. Add tomatoes, when the tomatoes start to cook down a bit (after about 5 minutes) add lentils and stir. Add water (about 3 cups).

-Bring to a boil, then simmer and let cook until the lentils are soft. Add spices.

-Place soup in blender and blend until smooth, return to heat, cook for a few more minutes, add water and salt if needed and serve! :)

This soup is really delicious with some olive oil, lemon, and pita chips.

For the true middle eastern version: Take out the garlic, replace spices (except for salt and pepper) with ground cumin. And replace butter with 1/4 cup olive oil.

Enjoy! :)