5-Minute Homemade Harissa Paste is a garlic-chili condiment with a complex smoky flavor…use it any way you’d use sriracha or even ketchup! When you’re trying to clean up your eating (and honestly, who isn’t trying to eat a little healthier now with summer upon us?), it’s easy to see the big picture. (We all know to cut back on things like greasy fast food, right?) But sometimes there are sneaky little foods that add gluten or sugar in unexpected places…like condiments!...
Gluten-Free Coconut Almond Flour Cake (Inspired by Middle Eastern Cake Harissa)
This dense, moist, and sticky sweet Gluten-Free Coconut Almond Flour Cake is subtly scented with rose water (or vanilla, if you prefer). It was inspired by the Middle Eastern Cake Harissa, Basbousa, or Namoura. If it snowed where you live over the weekend, I hope you stayed safe and warm and had the chance to enjoy the snow. Or at least bake something delicious! Mike and I are in DC and we’ve been hunkered down since Friday enjoying the snow. This weekend we had our second snowfall, which was actually a doozy: winter storm Jonas! Being from Buffalo, I am in my element. Although we […]...
Peanutty Thai Curry Hummus
This Peanutty Thai Curry Hummus is full of some of my favorite Thai flavors: peanut, coconut, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and fresh lime! It was the strangest thing. I woke up on a day like any other…ate my regular breakfast, did my normal workout, showered, replied to a few emails, and headed to the fridge for a post-workout snack. I grabbed what I saw first, hummus and a carrot. Happy as a lark, I dunked the carrot into the hummus, only to discover that I was over it....
Tangy Arugala Salad with Sumac (Salatat Jarjeer)
Rocket lettuce is the star of this Tangy Arugala Salad with Sumac (Salatet Jarjeer) that I learned how to make in Kuwait! I’m not a long-time fan of peppery “rocket” lettuce. In fact, it’s only within the past couple years that I started to enjoy arugala. In Kuwait arugala is widespread, which isn’t surprising because arugala thrives in sandy soil. When Mike and I lived there, he had a habit of ordering from his favorite Persian restaurant (which was literally a two-minute walk from where we lived) about once a week. They always included a few bags full of arugula with our kebabs, and since […]...
Roasted Cauliflower and Pearl Barley Bowls with Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing
Who doesn’t like a good party, right? Friends, fun, food. There’s nothing not to love. Now, as a food blogger it probably comes as no surprise that I love bringing a dish to pass to a party. I usually have plenty of ideas on what will go over well. (Sports-centric = guy food, holidays = indulgence, and summer potluck = light and fresh!)...
Cardamom Saffron Cake {Inspired by the Kuwaiti Cake Qors Oqaily}
When Mike and I returned to the U.S. last July after spending a year in Kuwait, it was surprisingly unceremonious for us, which felt weird because spending a year there was definitely life-changing for me in so many ways....
Sweet and Spicy Beef, Butternut, and White Bean Stew
One of the things I miss most about living in Kuwait is the flea markets. There was one market in particular that stole my heart…...
To Syria, With Love {And My 10 Mid-East Inspired Sweets E-Cookbook Launch}
This post has been a long time coming. It’s a bit of a break from my normal type of post, but I think you’ll find it interesting. Plus, it’s really close to my heart, so if you have time, I’d really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to read it. Grab a drink and settle in. ;)...
Soft and Chewy Tahini, Honey, and Almond Cookies {Paleo}
I keep a huge jar of tahini in my fridge at all times. (Because a normal-sized jar would just not due, lol.)...
Za’atar-Spiced Chicken and Bell Pepper Sandwiches with Labneh
When I think of a picnic, I always think of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, some kind of cooked greens, iced tea, and a big chocolate cake. I realize that this sounds very Southern, which is odd to me because I’m from New York…and I can’t ever remember having a picnic like this in my life! (Who knows, maybe I did when I was a kid and I just don’t remember.)...