Stuffed Zucchini in Tomato Sauce

Serve over  (gluten) couscous or bulgur pilaf OR gluten-free quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat or any plain rice (white, brown, basmati, etc.)

(Arabic) كابلاما بي بانادورا

/kablama bi banadora/

Makes 6 zucchini

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C)

A. Filling:

2 Tbs. (30 g) organic toasted pine nuts

1 Tbs. (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 pound (225 g) organic ground lamb or chicken

1 1/2 cups (300 g) diced onions

1/4 tsp. (1,25 g) each: black pepper and cinnamon

1/2 tsp. (2,5 g) allspice

وا حد /waah-heet/ ١ 1. Spread the pine nuts over a foil-lined baking sheet and toast for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.

إثنان /eth-naan/ ٢  2. Add the oil to la skillet over medium-high heat.

ثلاثة /theh-la-theh/ ٣  3. Add the meat and cook while breaking it into small pieces.

أربعة /ahr-uh-bah-ah/ ٤  4. Once the meat is not pink in the center, reduce the heat to medium-low.

خمسة /hahm-sah/ ٥ 5. Add the onions and spices. Sauté until onions are tender.

ستّة /siiht-tah/ ٦  6. Mix the pine nuts with the filling and transfer to a dish.

سبعة /sehib-uh-ah/ ٧ 7. Set aside to cool.

B. Zucchini:

6 organic zucchini, room temperature

1 29-ounce can (870 g) organic tomato sauce

1 cup (200 g) chopped organic tomatoes

١ Cut each zucchini into 4-inch (10 cm) length.

٢ Hold the zucchini and core the inside to about 1/2 inch (125 mm) away from the bottom.Keep a thin wall around the vegetable. 

٣ Remove and save the inside pulp to add to another dish or to a salad.

٤ Place the hollowed zucchini on a dish and seal it with paper towel.

٥ Place the dish in the microwave on high for 3 minutes.

٦ 6. Remove and set aside and let it steam for 5 minutes.

٧ 7. Remove the paper towel and turn them upside down so that the liquid can drain out. IT Will BE HOT.

ثامنية /ttihs-anh/ ٨ 8. Combine the tomato sauce and the chopped tomato in a skillet.

تعسة /tihs-anh/ ٩ 9. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, stir.

Meanwhile...

عشرة /ahsh-ahr-rah/ ١٠ 10. Pack the filling into the hollowed zucchini all the way to the bottom and up to the top. Do not press so hared that it burst.

إحدى عشر /aḥada ‘ashar/ ١١ 11. Reduce the heat of the tomato sauce to low.

 

إثنا عشر /iṯnā ‘ashar/ ١٢ 12. Stir in any leftover filling.

ثلاثة عشر /ṯālatha ‘ashar/ ١٣ 13. Place the stuffed zucchini in the skillet.

أربعة عشر /arba’a ‘ashar/ ١٤ 14. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn the zucchini every once in while. Do not bring to a boil.

خمسة عشر /ḫamsa ‘ashar/ ١٥ 15. Serve over one of the above rice/couscous etc. items.

Zucchini plant forms blossoms, which produces the zucchini. But the blossoms can be eaten by themselves either raw, fried, or cooked. 

Only the female blossoms (left) produced fruit, so harvest most of the male flowers (right).          

                       

 

Read More

Mongolian Beef, Slow Cooker

Mongolian beef dish does not come from Mongolia nor China. It originated from Taiwan. The meat dish developed there when Mongolian barbecue restaurants first appeared in 1950s. 

Raw meat, vegetables, and sauces are stir-fried together with sweet sauces, not like in Mongolian cuisine that does not use soy-based sauce nor stir-frying methods. The high stir-fry temperatures is a reflection of Chinese cooking.  It has become a Chinese-American dish as well. 

Skip the stir-fry, and let the slow cooker do the work.

Монгол үхрийн мах (Mongolian)

/mongol ükhrin makh/

蒙古牛肉 (Chinese)

/méng-gǔ niú-ròu/

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds (680 g) grass-feed flank steak, sliced thinly against the grain

1/4 cup (30 g) cornstarch

3 tsp (10 ml) olive oil 

3 organic garlic, chopped

2 tsp (10 g) mashed organic ginger

1/3 cup (80 ml) soy sauce or gluten-free liquid amino acids 

1/4 cup (50 g) of organic brown sugar

1/4 cup (120 ml) water

2 tsp (10 ml) rice vinegar

cut organic green onions

cooked organic rice sprinkled with sesame seeds

sliced cucumbers with a drizzle of avocado oil

一.  Toss the meat and cornstarch in a bowl.

二.  Add to the slow cooker.

三.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the green onions. Toss

四.  Cook on HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-5 hours.

五.  Stir in the green onions.

六.  Serve with rice and sliced cumbers on the side.

好胃口 (Chinese)

/hǎo wèi-kǒu/

Good appetite

Read More

Armenian Lentil Soup

 Armenian cuisine has strong ties to cuisines of Turkey, Georgia, Persia, and Levant (once an empire in eastern Mediterranean). Flavor is based on the freshness of the ingredients rather than on the excessive use of spices.

սպ ապուր (Armenian)

/vosp apur/

Serves 4

1-2 cloves of press garlic

1 cup (910 g) dried organic lentils (black, green, or red), rinsed

4-5 cups (945-1180 ml) organic vegetable broth

1/2 cup (110 g) each: dried, chopped organic apricots & chopped onion

3 Tbs. (45 ml) olive oil

1 organic bell pepper, diced

3 1/2 cups/28-ounce (830 ml) fresh organic tomatoes

1 unpeeled organic eggplant, cut into cubes

1 Tbs. (15 g) organic own sugar, firmly packed

1 Tbs. (15 ml) vinegar

1/2 tsp. (2,5 ml) ground cinnamon

pinch or two: allspice or ground cloves & cayenne pepper (to taste)

4 Tbs. (60 ml) chopped parsley, mint, chives, or cilantro for garnish

optional: (dairy-free) sour cream or yogurt

մեկ /mek/ 1. Put the rinsed lentils in a pot with the broth and apricots. Bring to boil.
երկու /yerku/ 2. Then cover and reduce the heat to simmer about 20 minutes.
երեք /yerek’/ 3. Sauté the onions in the oil over medium heat, about 5 minutes.
չորս /ch’vors/ 4. Add the  remaining ingredients except the herbs.
հինգ /hing/ 5. Bring to a simmer, cover, cook for 10 minutes.
վեց /vets’/ 6. Add the vegetables mixture to the lentils and simmer for another 30 minutes or until  the lentils are tender.
յոթ /yot’/ 7. If the soup is too tick, add more broth.
ութ /ut’/ 8. Serve in bowls with optional sour cream or yogurt.
ինը /iny/ 9. Garnish with the herb(s)
տասը /tasy/ 10. Serve with dark bread.

Բարի ախորժակ

/bari akhorzhak/

Bon appétit

Read More

Purée Broccoli

 Purée broccoli to add to other ingredients.

1. Finely chop 1 cup (200 g) organic broccoli.
2. Process until very fairly chopped.
3. Add to meat patties, meatballs, meatloaf, veggie burgers, etc. before cooking.
4. Add other finely chopped herbs of your choice, shredded carrots, or grand flax seed.
5. Cook and serve.

Read More

Orange Marmalade Butter

 Orange marmalade is my favorite jam.-Mike

Mix it with butter and spade over toast, biscuits, muffins, endless usage.

Makes 1 1/4 cups (250 g)

JUST...

1 cup (240 ml) (dairy-free) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 cup (60 ml) organic orange marmalade

1. Use an electric mixer to whip the butter until it is fluffy and smooth.

2. Add the marmalade and continue to whip.

3. Put in a serving bowl, cover, and chill until real to use.

4. Bring back to room temperature to serve.

5. Then, too, other jams make great jam-butter!!

Read More