Lebanese: Hummus and Fattoush

For a change of pace, I decided to make a meal from the top ten cuisines of the world. I pleasently surprised on some of the food we tried, but not so much on others. The tenth best cuisine (according to our source) was Lebanese.


Seved here with pita bread



Hummus

 Ingredients:
1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans

1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas

3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
2. Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.
3. Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional).
4. Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread, or cover and refrigerate.

Fattoush
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons sumac powder

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

1 medium cucumber, diced

2 large tomatoes, diced

4 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup chopped purslane

1/2 (5 ounce) package arugula

4 pita rounds, toasted and torn into pieces

Directions:

1.Mix the water and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until thickened. Remove from heat, and mix in lemon juice, garlic, sumac, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2.In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, parsley, mint, bell pepper, purslane, and arugula. Toss with the dressing, and serve with pita.

Thoughts:

I liked the hummus, but I'm not a huge fan of the fattoush. In fact, if I ever had it again it will be to soon. It was just too sour tasting.

Spinach and Parmesan Souffles

Yield: 4 servings * Overall Price: ~$10 * Calories: 163

Ingredients:
Cooking spray

Served here with Watermelon-Peach Salad

1.5 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
2/3 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 large egg yolks
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:
1. Place baking sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Coat 4 (6-ounce) ramekins with cooking sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs, tilting and turning dishes to coat sides completely.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat can with cooking spray. Add spinach; cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, tossing constantly. Place spinach in a colander; let stand 5 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from spinach. Coarsely chop spinach.
4. Combine 2/3 cup milk and the next 4 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Cook for 2 minutes or until mixture is thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Spoon mixture into a large bowl, and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach, cheese, and egg yolks.
5. Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in  a large bowl, and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Beat with a mixer at high speed until medium peaks form (do not overbeat). Gently stir one-fourth of egg whites into spinach mixture, and gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Gently spoon mixture into prepared dishes. Sharply tap dishes 2 or 3 times on counter to level. Place dishes on preheated backing sheet; return baking sheet to 425 degree oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees; bake souffles at 350 degrees for 21 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Thoughts:
This was moderately difficult, but not too hard. It was really good though. The salad I served with it had a perfect amount of sour and sweetness to make the meal.

Grilled Scallops with Citrus Salsa

Yield: 4 servings * Overall Price: ~$20 * Calories: ~280

Ingredients:

2 red grapefruit, peeled
2 oranges, peeled
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 pound sea scallops
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt

Directions:
1. Over medium bowl, cut gradefruit into segments and remove membranes; halve each segment. Repeat with oranges, but leave segments whole. Add lime juice, onion, cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, tossing to combine.
2. Preheat outdoor grill or heat indoor grill pan to medium-high. toss scallops in oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Grill 4 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway through, until opaque.
3. Serve scallops with citrus salsa.

Thoughts:
I've wanted to try scallops after seeing several episodes of Hell's Kitchen. Sea scallops are not cheap, but there is no way you could go to a restraunt and not spend more for a meal like this. They turned out good and I am now a fan of them. This recipe was VERY easy.

Beer-Braised Pork Chops

Yield: 4 servings * Overall Price: ~$10 * Calories: 348

Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil
4 center-cut bone-in pork loin chops (8 oz. each)
salt and pepper
2 Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges (about 3/4-inch thick)
1 bottle (12 oz.) lager beer
3/4 tsp. dried sage or 3/4 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage leaves

Directions:
1. In large skillet on medium-high, heat oil. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and sear until lightly browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer pork to plate. Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.
2. Add pears to skillet, and cook until golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer pears to plate with fork. Add beer and sage to pan.
3. With wooden spoon, scrape up caramelized bits from bottom. Return pork and pears to pan; bring to simmer. Partically cover skillet with lid, reduce heat to low, and braise until chops are cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Remove pork and pears from pan. Skim away any fat from liquid, increase heat to medium, and cook until sauce is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Serve chops with pears and sauce.

Thoughts:
This was really good. It wasn't hard to make, just a lot of moving ingredients back and forth. It had a lot of good flavor.

Thai Chicken Saute

Yield: 4 servings * Overall Price: ~$10 * Calories: 403

Ingredients:

1 (3.5-ounce) bag boil-in-bag rice
1.5 pounds chicken breast tenders
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fish sauce
4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 cup sliced onion
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 tablespoons Sriracha
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
4 lime wedges
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Keep warm.
2. Toss chicken with cornstarch and fish sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; saute 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan. Add onion, garlic, and ginger to pan; saute 1 minute. Return chicken to pan; cook 1 minute or until done. Stir in coconut milk, Srircha, sugar, and juice; cook 45 seconds or until thoroughly heated. Serve chicken mixture over rice with lime wedges. Sprinkle each serving with 1.5 teaspoons cilantro.

Thoughts:
The whole time I knew I was making this dish and was looking for the ingredients, Publix was out of fish sauce, so instead of fish I used a mixture of Worcestershire sauce and lime juice. It worked out well. I really loved this dish. I guess it hit me just right and I look forward to having it again.

Yo-Yo Cake Pops

My cousin, Bradley, is a huge yoyo fanatic, so for his birthday I made him some yoyo shaped cake pops. He wanted chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Some of the pops had peanut butter candy coating per his request. 

Chicken Chimichangas

Yield: 6 servings * Overall Price: ~$10 * Calories: 380

Ingredients:

2.5 cups shredded cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled queso fresco cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
cooking spray
1/2 cup bottled green salsa

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees
2. Combine first 7 ingridients in a large bowl; toss well.
3. Spread 1/4 cup beans down center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 2/3 cup chicken mixture; roll up. Place rolls, seam sides down, on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of chimichangas with cooking spray. Bake at 500 for 7 minutes. Serve with salsa.

Thoughts:
These were really easy to make and were really good. Queso fresco wasn't available when I went to the store, but shredded Monterey Jack worked just fine.