Ayurvedic Detox Tea Recipe | From My Kitchen

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I posted this video on instagram and really liked it! ( how modest!). Anyway, I was watching the Dr.Oz show the other day and they recommended this tea to be sipped warm all day. If people want to compare the two most popular blenders in their kitchen, they can check here! This improves digestion, removes body toxins, and break down fat. It’s really easy, try it out several times a week, or daily if possible. I had no issues with the taste. Let me know if you try it.

Simple Sayadieh Recipe (Fish with Rice) | From My Kitchen

Sayadieh

One of my favorite Lebanese/ Arabic dishes is Sayadieh, it is basically a great way to incorporate fish into our diet specially for those who are not big fish fans, aka children. Done in the orthodox way, this is considered one of the elaborate recipes, but being a full time working mom, i won’t deprive my family from such a nutritious meal because of a complex recipe, which is why i simplified it. This is an easy ‘shortcut’ method, so please don’t judge 🙂

for all dishes that have rice within the recipe, it is highly recommended to use long grain rice, known as American rice, or in our region ‘Uncle Bens’.

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Lebanese Moghrabieh Recipe | From My Kitchen

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There are quite a few popular Lebanese dishes that have a reputation of being very difficult to make, which is probably why many people wait to go to their mom’s house to eat them. Moghrabieh is one of them. Moghrabieh looks like a grain or an oversized couscous but  has more of a pasta texture made of Semolina and is  formed into small balls, you can buy a dried version (shown above) or a frozen version and wait for it to thaw. this is the carb part of the dish, the main flavors include Caraway, a spice which has a distinct and refreshing flavor, also used as base for a popular dessert called Mighli.

The other ingredients in my version of the Moghrabieh, include: chicken, preferably thighs, baby onions or shallots, chickpeas (already soaked or canned would be perfect), chicken stock (I make it from the thighs with additional herbs, onion, & garlic). I will walk you through the recipe below and list the ingredients at the end, this way you will be more familiar with the process.

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Ayurvedic Detox Tea Recipe | From My Kitchen

20130928-122139 am.jpg

I posted a video on instagram and really liked it! ( how modest!) but for some reason it wouldn’t work on wordpress.  Anyway, I was watching the Dr.Oz show the other day and they recommended this tea to be sipped warm all day. This improves digestion, removes body toxins, and break down fat. It’s really easy, try it out several times a week, or daily if possible. I had no issues with the taste. Let me know if you try it.

Continue reading “Ayurvedic Detox Tea Recipe | From My Kitchen”

From My Kitchen | Easy Halawet Al Jibn | Lebanese Dessert

There is a charm about the month of Ramadan, and for some reason there are dishes people crave only during this holy month. Whether it’s the idea of fasting for a long time or just traditions brought forth across generations, sweets and in particular Arabic sweets are amongst the favorite indulgences in the evening. One of the popular arabic desserts is ” Halawat Al Jibn”, which means ” the sweetness of cheese” is just what the name implies, a dessert based on cheese. This is a household favorite and very popular in Lebanon specially in the Northern part of the country, i.e. in Tripoli.
Instead of waiting to visit Lebanon to try it, why don’t you try this Super Easy method, trust me you won’t regret it. For years we would gather around mom trying to steal bits and pieces of the dough that didn’t make the cut!
This dessert is comprised of 3 parts, the cheese dough, the syrup, and the cream filling ( ashta). For best results have the ashta and syrup prepared before you work on the cheese. Recipe (very easy) for both is found on the Atayef post i posted last year. Link.

From My Kitchen | Low Calorie Crepes

Yep I am a chocoholic, a big fan of warm chocolate in particular,and chocolate crepes happen to be one of my favorite desserts. I have a policy of “prioritizing” calories, in other words I would eat a high calorie meal with the condition that it’s “worth it”. Since I only like crepes filled with Nutella, I thought why not have low calorie crepes to make up for the filling. It’s sort of a compromise, less guilt for me.

This is one of the easiest recipes with only 60 calories per crepe (remember Nutella has around 100 cals per TBS, so you do the math when indulging).

For the crepes you will need:

1 egg

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cups fat free Milk

Just use a whisk and mix them altogether, try not to have any lumps. As you notice there is no source of fat in this recipe, no oil or butter which is unusual, this is why in addition to using a non-stick pan you will need to use non-stick cooking spray, brand doesn’t matter. Put 1/4 cup of batter in the pan, swirl it around then flip to the other side when done.

You can use any filling you want since you won’t feel guilty eating the crepe itself  😉

Enjoy!

From My Kitchen | Best Ever Waffles

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I tried several recipes before I stuck to this one, these waffles are lightly crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside, just the way waffles are supposed to be. Look no further, use this ideal recipe next time. You do need a waffle iron though. I got mine of the daily deals website sheeel.com for KD 7.5, which is actually an amazing deal!

For the waffles you will need:

1 3/4 Cups flour

2 TBS sugar

1 TBS Baking powder

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups Milk (I used fat-free milk)

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp Vanilla

 

Turn on the waffle iron.

In a bowl combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl beat all the wet ingredients then add them to the dry ones stirring until moistened.

And that’s basically it! Very easy batter with incredible results.

You can have you waffles with maple syrup, Nutella, berries and cream, powdered sugar, be creative, kids will love it as well and it takes minutes to make.

Bon Appétit !

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From My Kitchen: Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting | Recipe

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Although red velvet cakes have been popular for so long in the U.S. and Canada, only recently have we started to experience the rage here,  everywhere I go I hear people talking about the latest red velvet cupcakes, cakes, and cookies. This is what got me to give it a try. After checking many recipes, I thought I’d combine different tips, and I guess it worked out well. Try it out , I’d love to know the results!

Red Velvet Cake

* 2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 2 tablespoons (15 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder

* 1/2 cup (110 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

* 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

* 2 large eggs

* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

* 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk prepare 1 TBS vinegar and 1 cup of Milk, will explain    below)

* 2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring

* 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

* Preheat oven to  175 degrees C and place rack in center of oven. Butter two (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper or use cooking spray like I did. Set aside.

* In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

* In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

* In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. If you don’t have buttermilk combine 1 TBS of white vinegar with 1 cup of milk and let it rest 5-10 minutes, use that mixture to combine with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, ending with the flour.

* In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. 

* Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour to make it easier to apply the frosting.

And now for the cream cheese frosting.

 

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Cream Cheese Frosting

* 1/2 cup butter, softened

* 8 ounces (225g) cream cheese

* 3- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar  (depending on desired sweetness)

* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Beat softened butter and cream cheese until well blended. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy.

 

I used light Philadelphia cheese and light butter because this is how I am used to shopping, you can definitely use the regular ones, the frosting might turn out a little bit more in tact if you do. There are also many recipes where you can add white chocolate or Mascarpone cheese  to the basic frosting mixture.

Apply a thick layer in the middle between the two cakes, and then drizzle the rest on top.

 

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Bon Appétit !

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