Simple summer melon salad

We are still at the beach. A local olive oil merchant recommended this simple recipe: peel and cut cantaloupe and watermelon into bite-sized pieces, then drizzle with peach-infused white balsamic vinegar and basil-infused olive oil (in a 4:3 ratio). Lightly toss, then serve. This was refreshing and delicious. If we were home with our full… Continue reading Simple summer melon salad

Ghanaian eggs with tomato relish (kosua ne meko)

I am a huge fan of Ghanaian cuisine. We decided to try this intriguing recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024548-kosua-ne-meko?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share The dish is delicious, with layers of complex, briny, and refreshing flavors. It also is very simple to make, using humble ingredients. It would make a wonderful appetizer for a summer dinner party. Our modifications: first, because we didn't… Continue reading Ghanaian eggs with tomato relish (kosua ne meko)

Cottage cheese pancakes

I first heard about cottage cheese pancakes from a NYT interview of renowned food editor Dawn Davis. We decided to try this recipe: https://www.acouplecooks.com/cottage-cheese-pancakes/ This was delicious. We cooked the pancakes in ghee (instead of standard butter). We served this with a simple fruit salad (summer fruit tossed with honey and lime juice). (July 2023)… Continue reading Cottage cheese pancakes

Moroccan chick pea and lentil soup (harira)

We have made harira before, but we were intrigued by this recipe's use of two different types of lentils (red and green) plus chick peas: https://www.feastingathome.com/harira-soup/ We followed the recipe pretty closely, and it turned out well. Our minor modifications: first, instead of cayenne pepper, we used 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili, a lower heat ground… Continue reading Moroccan chick pea and lentil soup (harira)

Lebanese lentils and bulgur with caramelized onion (mujadara hamra)

We had a craving for mujadara, and we tried this version with bulgur instead of rice: https://www.maureenabood.com/lebanese-mujadara/ We followed the instructions pretty closely. Our minor modifications: first, we cooked the onions in our Ultimate pan, and we found that it took more time (35 mins) and more canola oil (about 1/2 cup total) to properly…… Continue reading Lebanese lentils and bulgur with caramelized onion (mujadara hamra)

Egyptian fava beans, version 3 (ful mudammes)

We tried this recipe for a quick lunch: https://moribyan.com/ful-medames-vegetarian-fava-bean-stew/ We followed the instructions, except we used 1 tsp smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. This was a mistake because the smokiness overpowered the dish. The next time we will use regular paprika and may reduce to 1/2 tsp. (June 2023)

South Indian vegetable lentil tamarind soup (sambhar)

I love masala dosa, and this weekend I had a craving for sambhar (the soup that accompanies the crispy dosa). We used MTR sambhar mix as a shortcut, but this recipe ended up still being quite involved and multistep. https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/andhra-sambar-recipe-how-to-make-south-indian-sambar/ Our modifications: First, we made the mistake of buying tamarind concentrate and tamarind powder instead… Continue reading South Indian vegetable lentil tamarind soup (sambhar)

South Indian hot lentil rice mixture (bisi bele bhath or bisi bele huli ana)

This is one of my favorite dishes from Nirvana, a local vegetarian Indian restaurant that closed many years ago. At Nirvana, they called it bisi bele huli ana. After consulting a few online recipes, we tried this recipe: https://hebbarskitchen.com/bisi-bele-bath-recipe-bisibelabath-rice/ Our modifications: first, based on tips from https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/bisi-bele-bath/, as a shortcut we used MTR brand bisibele… Continue reading South Indian hot lentil rice mixture (bisi bele bhath or bisi bele huli ana)