If you’re having a small gathering for New Year’s Eve or Day, I have another tasty suggestion for entertaining with delicious and healthy foods.
Making a table or buffet full of a variety of finger foods, both sweet and savory, is not only delicious but can be so beautiful, too. We do eat with our eyes, after all…
I use the most delicious Halal and healthy deli meats by Deli Halal to form the basis of my platter. The meats are nitrite and nitrite-free, hormone free and come from humanely-raised sources. You can find the meats in stores around the U.S. (see store locator), and online on their website.
The varieties I use for my platter are the Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast, the Beef Pastrami, and the Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast, rolled up or folded because my platter was small. I’ve filled it up so all of the other ingredients are nice and cozy together.
I’ve added pistachios, fresh and creamy mini mozzarella balls, fresh rosemary, pecans, blueberries, naan crackers and tiny blueberries alongside triple cream Cambozola cheese (with microbial rennet and enzymes).
Off to the side, I offer things like olives, basil pesto, tomato pesto, dates, fig jam, and even roasted red peppers and ciabatta bread.
Guests can make their own mini sandwiches or pair crackers with cheese. By the way, cheese + dates are so delicious together, try it some day.
You can purchase the meat packets in bulk and then freeze them. I do this and pull the packet out of the freezer the night or two before I’m’ going to use them.
Over the years, the question of “Halal” nail polish has been a point of intense conversation in the Halal consumer community and not without controversy. For those who may not know, there are two issues that stand out with nail polish in this context:
Just like any food or other consumable or cosmetic, whether it’s contents/ingredients and everything related to its packaging is actually Halal; and
Because for a Muslim, water should cover certain areas of the body (nails included) during the ablution (ritual cleansing before prayer), most commercial nail polish is not allowed because its chemical makeup blocks the space between water and the surface of the nail. This is not the case with something natural and plant-based like henna, which is why one might often see women having orangish-colored nails, without question.
In this video, CEO of Maya Cosmetics, Javed Younis, explains what they have done at their company to ensure that water does reach the surface of the nail and that all ingredients in all of their products (men’s beard care included) are completely Halal.
They are certified by IDCP for being wudu-friendly, as approved by the scholars there.
They are also certified by IFANCA for their ingredients and manufacturing processes and have recently gone through an extensive audit by IFANCA to ensure that everything they offer to the public is permissible for the Halal consumer.
Maya Cosmetics are available in over 100 US retailers and in over 30 countries worldwide. Interestingly, they have recently signed the Climate Pledge to ensure that the ingredients in their supply chain follow sustainable climate standards, the first Muslim-owned company to do so. Please leave comments about the interview on the YouTube channel below.
To purchase Maya Cosmetics products, go to their website at: www.maya-cosmetics.com or click on the Maya products below.
Being in and around the San Diego area for a while now, I’ve come to know three markets where I can source not only halal meats, but all of the Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Turkish, Balkan, Persian and Indo-Pakistani products that I like to use in my cooking.
Here are the ones I know and shop:
Balboa International Market is located at 5905 Balboa Avenue, San Diego, CA 92111; tel. (858) 277-3600. They do have a halal meat section, but there is also a separate area where the cheese and other non-halal meats are located. One of my favorite things about this market are the Persian breads in the produce area. They’re freshly made daily. They even have pizza made with the breads but I’ve never tried them. One of the main reasons I go to this store is because it’s the one place where I can hear Turkish on the radio as well as find lots of Turkish products like Turkish brands of cheese, sucuk (cured meat), olives, and even mineral waters. Actually, the languages in the store vary from Turkish to Arabic, Farsi and Urdu- maybe even others. I love that it’s small but international. If you’re craving freshly made baklava and lokum, you can get that, too, on the way out at the stand right across from the cashier check-out.
Kizilay Turkish Mineral Water with Magnesium, available at Balboa International Market in San Diego, CA. I found both lemon and sour cherry flavors there.
Bosnian Cabbage Leaves at Balboa International Market
2. Harvest International Market located at El Cajon located at 733 E Main St, El Cajon, CA 92020; tel. (619) 442-0413. I came to this market by accident as I was in El Cajon since I heard there were a lot of Middle Eastern markets and restaurants. I looked around at other markets that were a little smaller, but this one inspired me the most. Their meat counter is so nice and fresh and they carry a lot of bones I can use for broth as well as offal (i.e. lamb, beef and chicken intestines, heart, kidneys, etc.), which is what I was looking for since I’ve arrived in San Diego. The other thing I love about this market is the freshly made Iraqi style breads baked right in the store, making the entire store smell so nice. The produce has always been nice and fresh when I’ve visited. Sign up for their weekly ad and get discount offers texted to your phone.
Fresh Yellow Dates at Harvest International Market in El Cajon, CA
Italian Eggplant at Harvest International Market in El Cajon, CA
Fresh Baked Iraqi Style Bread at Harvest International Market in El Cajon, CA
Arabic Bread at Harvest International Market
Iraqi Style Tahini at Harvest International Market in El Cajon, CA
3. North Park Produce is located at 12342 Poway Rd, Poway, CA 92064; tel. (858) 391-9100. This market is attached to a bakery and grill so you can shop and eat in the small restaurant before or after, which is nice. The market is large, but the meat section is small. They carry a large variety of nuts and dried beans, of Middle Eastern and Balkan products, lots of Turkish brands of rice, bulgur and pastas, which is great. They do have a good size fresh produce section, too.
Turkish cheese products from Harvest International Market in El Cajon, CA
If you know of any more places where good quality Halal meat can be purchased, please drop those in the comments section below.
Recently I spoke with Diane Aboushi during a live interview about her family farm in upstate New York that serves quality Halal and tayyib (pure/wholesome) meat, poultry and vegetables not only to her local community, but to anyone in the U.S. who wants their products shipped to them.
In this video you’ll gain a lot of insight into why she and her husband started the farm. Diane is a lawyer by education and is now using that experience to work on issues surrounding food justice.
You’ll also hear about some of the reasons why her customers are ordering things like beef fat, something that not everyone offers in the food world. We also discuss food freedom and what it means to grow your own and how empowering that can be.
Have a listen at the video above and be sure to visit their site to order: www.halalpastures.com.
I love talking to people who bring great food products to us. I think it’s a fantastic service and a huge sacrifice to build a business that curates and serves high quality Halal products, particularly meats which are very hard to find. If you only really knew what was out there, you would appreciate people and businesses like this so much more. That’s why this interview is so important. Please click below to watch.
To order high quality Halal lamb, beef, veal, goat or chicken from Billy Doe, please go here.
Full disclosure: because I believe in their products so much, I have joined their affiliate program, which means that if you purchase any of their products with the link I provide, I will get a small commission for your referral. It doesn’t affect your purchase price whatsoever.
Since the 1950’s, hundreds of scientific studies have documented remarkable results on black seed’s ability to help stop infections, regulate allergic reactions and improve the body’s defense systems. The black seed has earned a top-ranked position among the most promising plants in modern medical research.
Researchers attribute black seed’s power to its unique combination of oils, phytochemicals and other nutrients. Together they have amazingly potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. The anti-inflammation benefits help explain black seed’s versatility since a wide range of medical conditions, from asthma and allergies to intestinal disorders to some cancers, has inflammation at their root.
Black seed oil’s diverse chemical makeup includes over 40 compounds with well-documented nutritional and therapeutic benefits. It is rich in powerful phytochemicals (such as thymoquinone, thymohydroquinone, thymol), Vitamin E, healthy oils and several vitamins and minerals. These work together to help provide protection against cell damage, harmful bacteria and inflammation.
The black seed oil used in SprinJene Toothpaste is cold-pressed, which is the more expensive way to go, but it has two significant advantages: First, it means no solvents – or detergents – are used to extract the oil. Plus you can be sure it’s pure—free from detergent residue.
The second benefit is perhaps more widely known. Cold-press techniques are, generally speaking, the best way to take care of the nutrients in an oil. (Any oil, not just black seed oil.) This is because heat isn’t used, and high heat will harm many delicate active ingredients. Since black seed oil is composed of a rich and diverse range of nutrients, we want to take good care of all of them!
SprinJene toothpaste combines the powers of nature and science to deliver safer, more effective oral care options to accommodate the needs of brushers of various lifestyles. All SprinJene products are certified halal, vegan, kosher, cruelty free and gluten-free.
Disclaimer: The FDA recognizes black seed oil as a safe ingredient. Black seed oil has not been approved by the FDA to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
