Mujadarrah (Lentils and Rice with Fried Onions)

This vegetarian dish
G.O.O.D
and
E.A.S.Y
seriously
I saw the recipe
some time ago
had it on my menu
a few weeks
and never got to it
this week
I had something else on my menu
but didn't have all the ingredients
so I made this instead
and I'm so glad I did!

Majadarrah - Lentils and Rice with Fried Onions
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, sliced into rings
I used 2 cooking onions...next time I'll use 3
1 1/3 cups uncooked green lentils
3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (optional)

after reading the comments
I also added
1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cinnamon

-Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions, and cook about 10 minutes, until browned. Remove from heat, and set aside.
-Place lentils in a medium saucepan with enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes.
-Stir rice and enough water to cover into the saucepan with the lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Cover saucepan, and continue to simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until rice and lentils are tender.
-Mix half the onions into the lentil mixture. Top with yogurt or sour cream and remaining onions to serve.

This was seriously so easy
and the taste was amazing

It seems that my boy
needs to take photos
of the meals now also

My girly
seems she is attached
to her bike helmet

Greek Potatoes

We had a vegetarian feast last weekend
to celebrate our friends new born girly
I didn't have my camera
but the food was
a.m.a.z.i.n.g
I had my friend send me
her recipe for the Greek Potatoes
they are so so good

Here is her original vegetarian version
keep reading to see my changes
for a non vegetarian version

8 large potatoes, peeled, cut into large wedges
4-8 cloves garlic, minced - the more the better
1/2 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp oregano
1/3 cup lemon juice
sea salt
fresh coarse ground black pepper
4-6 tbsp vegetarian 'chicken' seasoning
-if using real chicken broth then substitute it for some of the water

I used a lot of garlic
yum

here is the garlic
grape seed oil
lemon juice
and oregano

chopped potatoes
salt and pepper

I used a can of chicken broth
and enough water
to equal 2 1/2 cups of liquid

mixed together
into the pan
and into the oven
at 400 for 40ish minutes
then stir to brown the underside
if more water is needed
add a small amount
cook an additional 20 minutes

these are amazing
and so easy
I served with some
BBQ Souvlaki Chicken
and a salad

go forth
eat Greek
potatoes that is

Veggie Chow Mien - Take 2

I discovered the secret
to a better Chow Mien
a good pan
how easy is that
my previous pan
was stainless steel
and everything would stick

I purchased an inexpensive wok
and it has made all the difference
I added some sesame oil to the hot pan


then I added garlic and onion
along with all my vegetables
I was using this time
you can really use any
kind that you prefer
the more color the better
the pan will be hot
so you will need to keep moving
everything around


I added just a splash of soy sauce
and about 3 tablespoons
of hoisin sauce
there are so many ways
you could go with adding sauce
I just kept it simple


I boiled my noodles
for 3 minutes
rather than the 4 minutes
that the package suggested
this was the perfect
amount of time for the noodles
then drained them
and added them to the veggies


I let the noodles
cook for a few minutes
stirring everything together
I didn't want soggy noodles
like last time
I really think that
the new wok
made all the difference
this was super fantastic


I served this up with
the Honey Garlic Chicken


this dish would work
well with left over meat
of any kind
diced up and added
I really like Chow Mien
next time I will have
to try something new with it

Veggie Chow Mien

I really like
Chow Mien
I wish
I could make
Chow Mien
So
why not try?

1/2 bag of chow mien noodles
2 chopped green onions
1 shredded carrot
1/2 shredded zucchini
2 mini sweet read peppers
1 mini sweet orange pepper
1 stalk chopped celery
some snap peas
this is what I used
but your imagination
is your limitation


put some oil in a pan
add the veggies
and cook them up


the instructions
on the bag of noodles
were not very clear
I boiled the noodles
for 4 minutes
then drained them
and added them to
the stir fry veggies


I added a few
splashes of soy sauce
careful not to add to much
or it will be way to salty
and topped with sesame seeds


this was a hit
we all really like it
it's not the restaurant version
but still yummy
Next time I would maybe
boil the noodles for only
3 minutes rather than 4
but it's already been
requested again

Crispy Sweet and Sour Baked Tofu

Another Tofu dish
Tofu is not a favorite of mine
I like it more than fish
I cook it for my kids
they both love tofu
go figure

Crispy Sweet and Sour Baked Tofu

1 package firm tofu, pressed
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoon fine breadcrumbs
3 tablespoon flour


Sauce
3 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon molasses
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 1 1/2 tb water


Remove tofu from package. Place between paper towels or tea towels and put something moderately heavy on top for 30 minutes to press out the water



Slice into 9 slices, cutting each in half (18 pieces).
Beat egg with water and set aside.
Combine wheat germ, flour and breadcrumbs and set aside.
Dip each piece of tofu into egg mixture and then gently press into crumb mixture, covering well. Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, turning once


While tofu is cooking, mix sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch/water into a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat until sugar and salt are dissolved.
Add cornstarch mixture and whisk until the sauce thickens. When thick, turn off heat and set aside.
When tofu is cooked, pour sauce on top and gently toss or use spoon to coat. Sauce should be thick and sticky.
Top with sesame seeds and serve.




This was a fun way
to make the Tofu
we all enjoyed it


the little man
give it two thumbs up


the girly
hasn't figured out
the thumbs up
so here is her version


Check out tomorrow's post
for the Chow Mien
I cooked up to complete the dinner

Black Bean Burgers

Black Bean Burgers
I followed the recipe
from the Tasty Kitchen site
sorta....

1 1/2ish cups of cooked black beans
1/2 onion
red pepper
some zucchini
some carrots
some parsley
2 teaspoons cumin
salt
pepper
1 egg
bread crumbs

I put all the veggies
into my food processor


processed the veggies
until nice and fine


then I added the beans
and spices
ran the processor
just a little bit more
and mixed in the eggs
and the bread crumbs


from there I formed
the burgers


I BBQ'd these
but it was weird
they made no noise
on the BBQ
not like when you BBQ meat
and you can hear it sizzle


so these just needed
to be heated thru
8 minutesish each side


I made my fluffy buns
3/4 whole wheat
so very good


we added lots of
yummy toppings
even my homemade pickles


the taste of these burgers
very good
however
they did not hold up
once on the bun
I sorta expected that
they totally just mushed
would I make them again?
YES
BUT
I would serve them
in Pita shells
these are totally worth a try


my kidlets
had some quality time
coloring
always cute