As Spring begins to approach us, we look towards new growth, new life and optimistic things coming our way for the whole world inshaAllah. This salad I just made actually made me feel happy and energized, perhaps because of the bright and varied colors ad their super healthy ingredients I couldn’t hold back from sharing immediately. And, if you buy the shredded carrots this salad literally takes about 5 minutes to make! How perfect is this going to. be during Ramadan when you need a healthy, quick salad for Iftar…
INGREDIENTS
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 purple onion, thinly sliced (you can soak these in water for about 20-30 minutes to soften their intensity if you have the time and/or inclination to do this)
To your salad bowl, add the carrot and onion. In a separate cup or bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour the liquids over the veggies then place the avocado slices on top. Mix gently so as not to mush up the avocados. Garnish with parsley and serve.
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I don’t eat too much rice or pasta in Ramadan because it leaves me feeling too full before eating other things, but if I’m going to make rice, it’s a special dish. That’s why I love risotto, the Italian rice dish made with arborio rice.
It can seem intimidating to cook because it’s often cooked with cream and Parmesancheese, but hopefully I can show you the steps to make it perfect- light and fluffy and creamy and delicious- exactly how it should be. Once you master it this way, you’ll want to keep your pantry stocked with arborio for any last-minute meal side dish you crave that can be made into a wonderful risotto of your own style.
For this one made with cut asparagus (it cooks faster) and green peas, it really came out of my usual cooking style: either something classic from my family culinary recipe box or out of what I ended up finding in my refrigerator and thought would go well together.
In this case, it was a little bit of both.
What I had in my fridge was what reminded me of dishes I’ve made in the past based on either my mother’s or my aunts’ cooking styles- so it was a little bit of both here. Regardless of where and how it was derived, it’s just superb in taste.
You can also use some chicken stock or broth to add flavor and nutrients to the rice.
The key to cooking the arborio rice is to let it steam cook at the end, once it’s off the stove. I have played around with many ways of making it. If you want to skip the addition of Parmesan cheese, then you don’t have to even open the lid once it’s cooking; if you add the Parmesan then you’ll have to stir it in (towards the end) just to make sure it’s mixed in thoroughly.
It’s such a fantastic one-pot rice dish that if you’re interested in having just this for dinner or any other meal, I am pretty sure it could be quite satisfying and filling that way, too.
Nothing says Spring in the culinary world like fresh green produce, although not all of it from this recipe has been grown right in our backyards here in the Midwest. I just love to make a lot of soups when the weather is on the cusp of cold, wet and rainy and just a little bit warm during pockets of the day when the sun peeks through the clouds and then retreats, as if to say, “I’m not ready to go full time just yet”.
In this quick and simple soup, I utilize what’s nice and fresh at the store like leeks, zucchini and celery.
And the freshest of greenery that comes straight from my windowsill: basil and parsley.
The herbs plus the garlic gets pounded down in a mortar and pestle to really crush up the garlic and release all of its flavor, rubbing it agains those herbs so they can all become one united flavor mixture.
They will be added at the end of the soup, much like a pistou, or pesto, trailing olive oil along with it.
First and foremost, the leeks must be cleaned. You can buy the pre-cut and washed ones, which I have done in the recent past- yet, I still brought them home and rinsed them once they’re cut. They often contain a lot of dirt and sandy debris, so you really can’t skip this step- unless the packaging specifies that it’s been done already. I’m just in the habit of it, I guess, and felt that because they were trimmed nicely that I’d already won an extra 10-15 minutes. I know it’s not rational, but it is therapeutic in some odd way…
Next, it all gets sautéed in olive oil until they veggies have softened and come down in size quite a bit. Notice that I’m not using any onions here because the leeks already sort of serve that purpose in that they are of the same family flavor profile, so need to double up on those.
Salt and pepper of course will come in just as soon as the broth is added.
*NOTE ABOUT THE BROTH IN THIS RECIPE: It seems as though the Saffron Road halal chicken broth and other broths are not available, so you can replace it with an organic vegetarian broth like this one for this recipe.
You all know that Saffron Road’s Artisan Roasted Chicken Broth, is my go-to choice due to their incredibly hight quality of standards when sourcing ingredients and in the way they’re made (they also have another chicken broth called Traditional Chicken Broth, Lamb Broth– the only one I’ve seen on the market shelves- and Vegetable Broth), all giving any soup that depth of flavor you can only really get with the best stocks and broths.
Just remember to salt the soup after the addition of the broth because there is sodium in the broth and you’ll want to adjust yours accordingly after tasting.
Let the soup come to a boil, then quickly reduce the heat. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to combine all of the ingredients. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can allow the soup to cool a bit then use a blender instead to combine. Bring soup back to the heat and keep on a simmer. Pour about 1-2 tablespoons olive oil into the garlic-parsley paste you made in the mortar & pestle, combine it all and then add to the top of the soup in individual bowls. Serve and enjoy it!
Each Spring I wait with anticipation to make my favorite lamb dishes. I’m not sure why I don’t crave it as much in the Winter season, but I think it has to do with the perfect pairing lamb makes with fresh herbs, garlic, potatoes and carrots. What’s nice is that combination can go on to make roasts, stews and more. In this recipe for Pan Roasted Lamb with Potatoes and Carrots, you can actually use the base recipe as a foundation to do other things with it- for example, you can add more water to make it a stew; less water to make it more of a dry roast; you can leave the meat uncut and roast it whole or cut it even smaller than what I’ve done here if you need to extend it to fee more people. It’s all really up to you, but I hope this serves as inspiration to make the freshest of spring lamb dishes this season.
I like lamb that comes in netting because it holds a whole roast together during the cooking process and you can even stick cloves of garlic into it as it cooks, just like I did in this recipe.
Or, you can cut it into chunks, big or small, depending on how you like to eat it. Lamb cooked with the fat on it like here (which can be cut off after cooking), actually makes the meat juicier, it seems to shrink less during cooking and there ends up being more broth/liquids at the bottom of the pan.
I like to buy the whole shoulder, boneless and then cut it up into pieces the size I need for my recipe. It’s more economical than buying a smaller portions and you can always freeze the raw meat you don’t use.
What’s also great about this recipe is that it’s a one-pan meal that can also be added to a slow cooker, but you would have to bring the meat to a high temperature first before doing that, just to be safe. After cooking, it’s so easy to scoop out and plate. In this case, there was a lot of liquid left in the pan so we enjoyed it like a stew. You could thicken the liquids with some flour to make it more of a gravy or simply continue to roast the pan in the oven, uncovered, to cook them all out altogether.
See how versatile this can me? It should be a base recipe, a foundational dish you keep in your back pocket for chilly Spring days, entertaining and/or cooking a large quantity of food for the week ahead.
What are your favorite lamb or Spring meat dishes? Please share in the comments below.
For more information on cooking lamb and sourcing halal options throughout the United States, check out the wonderfully resourceful American Lamb Board’s website. It’s got great tips on how to cook lamb, FREE dvds (Lamb Carcass, Cuts and Fabrication) and infographics like this one on preparation of different cuts, and a page on where to source halal vendors. They’re materials are great in schools, restaurants, and for the cooking aficionado to keep at home for reference.
For a list of halal vendors recommended by the American Lamb Board see below:
You might notice that I love the combination of spinach and strawberries, but it’s because it’s a really great one. I know in a drink (like this one) it might be odd, but in a salad it could be just as odd to some people who have never tried it. Trust me, you really should try this. It may not be the best thing to take to work or school because unless you fold it or take a knife and fork to cut it (or pre-cut it) in a circular storage, you may struggle to eat in a mess-free way- sorry!
I used really simple ingredients that you can find pretty much anywhere:
They mostly came from a Trader Joe’s shopping excursion but if you have a farmers market nearby or grow your own, that would be so much nicer:
Basically, it’s just a few simple things- olive oil, lemon, salt (I used pink Himalayan salt, but you can use any that you have), black pepper, dates, whole milk feta cheese, strawberries, sunflower seeds (although any kind of nut or seed would be nice- almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, etc.). I also use Kontos brand bread because it’s certified-halal, which means there aren’t any mono or dyglicerides or dough conditioners stemming from non-halal ingredients.
Making these are pretty simple and can be doubled, tripled, etc. very quickly for a crowd. It’s a nice idea for a spring or summer brunch in that you can make this into a buffet and people can sort of create their own version if you have all the ingredients out for them to use. You can grill or heat up the bread first, if you like.
I put the spinach on the bottom, but even before that if you have a really good homemade mayonnaise, layer that on the bottom because once you add all the ingredients plus the olive oil and lemon, it’s going to be even more delicious.
Just start adding your ingredients from there, or as they say, ‘build your salad’.
And there you have it- just use a fork and knife to cut up like a pizza or simply fold it in half, and it’s pretty easy to eat.
I loved this salad so much that I’ve made even more versions of it- check back for more ideas and let me know in the comments section below if you have your own that I should try.
Kathy Hester is a food blogger and the author of some really great cookbooks that I’m happy to know about and have on my bookshelf because they demonstrate wonderful ways to substitute meat when you want to or you have to, for one reason or another. We met briefly at the Eat Write Retreat in Washington, D.C. a couple of years ago and later kept in touch when I interviewed her here about her book, The Vegan Slow Cooker. Now she’s published more cookbooks and I’m just getting caught up with her book, The Great Vegan Bean Book where I found lots of recipes I’ve wanted to try and share here on my own site.
One of my favorites that I finally got around to trying was this Indian Yogurt Salad.
Below I’ll show you how I make the recipe with several tweaks of my own for the ingredients I didn’t have on hand.
You’ll need some simple ingredients, all fresh and healthy. Most of the work comes from chopping, but that’s the therapeutic part, right?
I love that Kathy includes black salt in this recipe, as it’s not a common ingredient in American cooking cooking but it’s very popular in South Asian recipes.
Fortunately you can find it rather inexpensively at most Indian markets. This recipe calls for 1.5 to 2.5 teaspoons black salt (a.ka. kala namak).
Start out with cooked chickpeas then add the black salt. Kathy calls for three cups of chickpeas and I use two. You can use canned or fresh, but they should definitely be cooked. Additionally, add 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin, and one clove of garlic, minced. You can also add .5 to 1.5 teaspoons chili powder, if you have it.
Get about two cups of yogurt ready to go. Kathy uses one cup of soy yogurt and I use whole milk yogurt in my version.
Prep the fresh produce by chopping them up nicely. The recipe calls for 1 large cucumber, 1/2 small onion, minced and one large cooked potato. I didn’t have potatoes so I used tomatoes instead.
It’ll measure out to be about two cups cucumbers and one cup diced tomatoes.
Now this is what you should have all organized (a.k.a. mise en place, as the French chefs say). Also, I didn’t have cilantro on hand so I used parsley. I think cilantro is much better for this dish, but don’t let it stop you from making it if you don’t have the cilantro.
Into a larger bowl, pour the yogurt over the chickpeas and add all the freshly chopped veggies and herbs. Leave no yogurt behind here.
Once it’s all mixed together, it’s such a beautiful blend of flavors that can be eaten alone with a slice of rustic bread, or on top of a delicious dish of rice with a side of chicken, beef or lamb. Or not…
I decided to enjoy mine with a delicious piece of Persian bread that I was fortunate enough to find at a local supermarket.
I hope you’ll purchase a copy of Kathy’s book (you can do so here) and so you can get her exact vegan version of this delicious and healthy dish that can be made as a big as a meal or as small as a side dish. Thanks so much for sharing, Kathy!
In this quick and simple soup, I utilize what’s nice and fresh at the store like leeks, zucchini and celery. 
You all know that 
Just remember to salt the soup after the addition of the broth because there is sodium in the broth and you’ll want to adjust yours accordingly after tasting. 
After cooking, it’s so easy to scoop out and plate. In this case, there was a lot of liquid left in the pan so we enjoyed it like a stew. You could thicken the liquids with some flour to make it more of a gravy or simply continue to roast the pan in the oven, uncovered, to cook them all out altogether. 
