Falafel

سلام! بسم الله

I have experimented a few times with falafel. I still haven't found the PERFECT recipe, but this time turned out pretty good, so I took a few pictures.

Ingredients:
1 c dried chickpeas (DO NOT USE CANNED CHICKPEAS FOR FALAFEL!)
2 bunches parsley
1 bunch cilantro
1 onion
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp coriander (ground seeds)
squirt of lemon juice
salt & pepper

1. Soak beans overnight in water

2. Use a food processor to grind everything together (I usually start with onions and leafy greens, then add beans, then spices) If it is too dry to grind, you can add a SMIDGE of olive oil, but this stuff gets too wet really fast so be careful! If it is too wet, add a little corn starch or flour to soak up the extra water.


3. Form into little patties either with a tool or by hand. (I prefer to do this by hand actually. Just make a ball and then squish it a little bit)

4. Fry in 375F oil until browned on the outside. Make sure the oil is hot enough because if it isn't, the falafel will explode :-P


5. Wrap it up in bread with some veges and tahinah :-D


Enjoy!

Sushi!!

سلام! بسم الله

I made SUSHI!!!! It wasn't my recipe of course, I just looked up how to do it online, but I still wanted to share some pictures :-)










I didn't have any sushi-grade fish, so I made this from teryaki chicken and tempura shrimp with cream cheese and/or cucumber.

I made some extra seasoned sushi rice and tempura shrimp as sides.

The REAL secret to Shawarma

سلام! بسم الله

So a friend and I have been doing a bit more experimentation with shawarma lately. I thought I knew what was up with shawarma before, but my eyes have been truly opened :-P

NEW tips:
1. Invest in one of those pans with holes that you use over the grill. That way you get the smokey taste on the meat (mmm mmm good).
2. Use half beef and half lamb
3. Marinate it with a little vinegar and spices (cumin, lemon, coriander, salt, pepper, etc). You don't need the yogurt if you use the vinegar :-)
4. Cook it with some of the melted lamb fat so that it doesn't get dry
5. Eat it with turnip pickles (the pink things in the picture below). These usually made with some beet juice or pieces for color, vinegar, and salt water (brine).
6. Follow the cutting instructions on THIS post

My First From Scratch Cake

بسم الله


This is the first cake I ever made from scratch, the first icing I ever made from scratch and the first cake I ever carved!! :-D

The cake is this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Yellow-Cake-Made-from-Scratch/Detail.aspx Just a normal cake, nothing really special or spectacular. I was just looking for something easy :-)

The icing is this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Creamy-Chocolate-Frosting/Detail.aspx *Note* you will probably need to add a little more liquid for this recipe to get it the texture you want, but the taste is fantastic!

Since I have never made this stuff before, I didn't use my own recipes.

Lol also you can see my ONE baking dish and my lack of hand mixer or stand mixer. I made the whole cake with a whisk and a fork :-P I am such a college student...
alhamdulillah it works for me though!








I wanted to carve it to look like a big chocolate. *Note* the cake is easier to carve when it is completely cooled (even frozen!) Most people suggest wrapping the cake and leaving it in the freezer over night.



*Note* when you carve a cake, you should include two layers of icing. The first is the crumb coat which catches all those crumbs you loosened by carving it and the second coat is your final top coat (or you can cover with fondant).



It is good to pop it in the fridge for a bit between chocolate coats.



Enjoy!

Corn Bread

Once I brought corn bread to the masjid and they had no idea what to do with it...

HAHAHAHAHAHA

I <3 Culture

Banana Bread

بسم الله

This bread is really goooooood. I love banana bread!! In this batch I didn't add nuts, but I did make a batch with dates later that was pretty scrumptious as well.
Also I only have ONE dish that I use to make EVERYTHING that goes into the oven except for things that can be made on a cookie sheet. So basically bake it in what you want to bake it in, just watch to make sure it doesn't burn.

Ingredients:
2.5 mashed bananas
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)

cinnamon sugar
butter

Method:
1. Mix all the wet stuff: bananas, sugar, egg, oil, vanilla


2. Mix all the dry stuff: flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon


3. Mix the wet and dry stuff


4. Grease your pan with butter and then coat it in cinnamon sugar (mmmmmm delicious) then pour batter into pan.


5. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes or until you can pull a clean toothpick out.


Enjoy!

Lentil Soup: Two by Two Soup

Salam!

Bismillah

The base for this recipe was handed from my great grandma, to grandma, to my mom, to me. I tweaked it a little (a lot, :-P) to give it my own flavor. I LOVE Middle Eastern food and this soup definitely reflects I think. Hope you enjoy!!

Ingredients:
2 cup shredded carrot
2 sliced onions (any way or size you like)
2 tbsp thyme
2 cup lentils
2 boxes chicken broth (4 cups each) (can sub vege broth)
2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz each)
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp corriander
2 tsp Gulf Spice Mix (mine is from Saudi, but this recipe tastes similar)
2 tsp paprika
salt & pepper to taste

1. saute carrots and onion in soup pot with a little oil (for less fat, use a little broth) until they are soft
2. add the rest of the ingredients, boil
3. cover and let simmer until the soup looks a bit thick and all of the lentils are cooked
4. blend some or all of the soup to give a nice thick consistancy
5. enjoy! (we like to have it with cornbread, but flatbread is nice too :-) )