Healthy Food Recipes

Hummus is one of the most famous and most popular of all Middle Eastern meze, and it is eaten at all times of day as a snack or even a meal in itself. Local cooks often serve it with attractive garnishes, such as pomegranate seeds or chopped green onions.

Ingredients : 

·         1 15-oz. can chickpeas

·         2 to 3 tbsp. tahini

·         2 cloves garlic, crushed with a garlic

·         press or the back of a spoon

·         juice of 1 large lemon (about 3 tbsp.), or more to taste

·         1/2 tsp. salt

·         1/4 tsp. cumin

·         1 to 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

·         1 tsp. paprika, cayenne pepper, or cumin

·         2 tsp. olive oil 

How To Make :

·         Reserve the liquid from the canned chickpeas. Combine chickpeas, tahini, crushed garlic, lemon juice, salt, and cumin in a blender or food processor. Add 2 to 3 tbsp. of the reserved chickpea liquid and process at medium or “puree” speed until mixture is a smooth paste.

·         Add more chickpea liquid or water if necessary to get a moist, spreadable dip.

·         Place hummus in a wide, shallow serving dish. Garnish with parsley and sprinkle with paprika, cayenne, or cumin.

·         Drizzle olive oil over all and serve with pita bread.

You can substitute other vegetables, such as celery or broccoli, for the vegetables called for in this recipe.

Ingredients :

·         1 tsp. crushed red pepper

·         1 tsp. salt

·         1/2 tsp. sugar

·         1 bay leaf

·         1 tbsp. soy sauce

·         2 tbsp. peanut oil

·         ّ1/4 c. shallot (1 or 2 whole shallots), thinly sliced

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         2 c. green cabbage, shredded

·         1 c. green beans, ends trimmed

·         1/2 c. green pepper, chopped

·        1 c. carrots (1 to 2 carrots), thinly sliced 

How To Make :

·         In a small bowl, combine crushed red pepper, salt, sugar, bay leaf, and soy sauce. Set aside.

·         Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add shallot and garlic. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.

·         Add cabbage, beans, green pepper,  carrots, and the soy sauce mixture and stir-fry for about 6 minutes.

·        The vegetables should still be crunchy—be careful not to overcook.

·         Serve hot with rice.

Ingredients :

·         5 c. water

·         1 lb. egg noodles

·         3 tbsp. peanut oil

·         1/4 c. onion (about 1/2 medium onion), thinly sliced

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 lb. peeled, deveined shrimp

·         2 tbsp. soy sauce

·         1/2 c. celery leaves and small stems, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

·         3 scallions, chopped

·         3 c. bok choy, chopped

·         1 tsp. salt

·        1/2 tsp. pepper

How To Make :

·         In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.

·         Drain noodles and immediately rinse with cold water. Combine noodles with 1 tbsp. peanut oil and set aside.

·         In a mortar and pestle, blender, or food processor, combine 2 tbsp. onion and the garlic to make a paste.

·         Heat the remaining 2 tbsp. oil in a wok or skillet and add the rest of the onion. Add shrimp and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

·         Add soy sauce, celery, scallions, bok choy, salt, and pepper and fry for another 2 minutes.

·        Add noodles to the mixture. Stir-fry for 2 more minutes, until all of the ingredients are combined and heated. Serve hot or at room temperature.