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.
If you haven’t visited My Halal Market lately (or ever), then you’re missing out on some really neat products in my global online marketplace. In this video, I’m covering an array of food and cosmetic products that I love and carry in MHM because I use and cook with them myself and believe in the companies that create them. Check it out below and please visit the links under the video for links to each of the product categories. Enjoy!
My passion for soup intensifies every time I come up with a new way to blend different veggies. Since I’m usually always stirring in some kind of dairy into my soups- whether it’s milk, heavy cream or creme fraiche, this recipe is one I’m especially happy to show you because there is a secret ingredient in it that removes any need for dairy- perfect for vegans or those who are lactose-intolerant. Would you believe that the secret ingredient – cauliflower – is what makes it so creamy and milky? Without telling anyone there isn’t any cream in the dish, you might easily fool even your foodiest of foodie friends. Seriously. But there is another secret ingredient that is my go-to whenever I’m making soup and need a quick and convenient broth to add flavor and depth to all of my soups: the Saffron Roadhalalbroths, whether it’s the vegetable, chicken or lamb broths. So you can start this dish with riced cauliflower OR fresh or frozen cauliflower florets. These are sautéed with chopped zucchini, some onion and garlic, too. Once the broth is added, the liquid should come to a boil. It should cook for about 20 minutes to soften all of the ingredients, then removed from heat and pureed with an immersion blender, one of my favorite kitchen gadgets to use when making my soups. I then add in some fresh or dried herbs- always the fresh variety if and when you have those: parsley, dill, basil, cilantro- any or all of them. I like to serve this soup nice and thick with a drizzle of olive oil on top, but you could add more liquid- more broth or some water added to the broth. On the side, I love to serve this soup with Saffron Road’s Sea Salt Lentil Crackers, which are totally wheat free and a true gift to those who are avoiding wheat in their diets. For that, I’m so thankful. Great halal products like Saffron Road’s broth and lentil crackers (which are also gluten free) that pay attention to the special diet needs so many people have today.If you haven’t tried these products yet, check out my Instagram account on 11/30/17 where I’ll be giving away a week’s worth of Saffron Road coupons to one randomly-selected winner so there is no excuse not to give these fabulous products a try with your family.
If you love labneh, or yogurt spread, as much as I do then you’ll really appreciate this recipe because it takes the simplified version up several very wonderful and delicious notches beyond what you might see or taste.
I made this recipe to go on my Autumn Harvest Table (also can be incorporated into your Thanksgiving table menu, too) spread because the aesthetic is pretty and goes well with all the other dishes on the table. See the full menu here.
It’s easy to make but does require a little bit of planning ahead since the spread is made by draining the yogurt of it’s liquids and needs to be done about 6-8 hours (preferably overnight) in advance.
I use a thick yogurt (i.e. Mountain High Yoghurt which is Halal) to make the spread, and I typically prepare this the night before I want to serve it. I like to use the Plain, Whole Milk version to do this. It’s a halal-certified product and doesn’t have any added ingredients other than what’s supposed to be there, which is a huge relief for people like myself who want to know what’s really in their food.
Start out by getting a cheesecloth or very thin cotton towel, a strainer (colander), and a large bowl that will fit underneath your strainer.
Simply place the towel or cheesecloth over the strainer (be sure to choose a large piece so that there is enough cloth to hold the weight of the yogurt but also to be able to tie it up with all four corners. Put the larger bowl underneath the strainer to catch the liquids from the yogurt. These liquids are called whey proteins and can be reserved to add into things like smoothies.
Add a generous amount of yogurt (I used about two heaping cups) and place into the strainer. Tie up the corners of the towel and use a rubber band to hang the cloth over your kitchen faucet where the strainer and bowl underneath are just below it. Keep it there for about one hour then remove the cloth, place it in the colander with the bowl underneath and keep it in the fridge for the remainder of time, or until it becomes thick and spreadable.
Once it’s ready, plate it onto a serving dish and spread it out evenly with a butterknife. Add chopped pistachio and hazelnuts (or any nuts you prefer), and pomegranates. Then drizzle olive oil on top. Chill until ready to serve.
Serve with pita bread, plain bruschetta or toasts for dipping, if desired.
What I love about this recipe is that not only is it super delicious, but it’s also beautiful to look at and makes a very healthy statement on your dinner table, too.
Part 2
This post was sponsored by Mountain High Yoghurt. All opinions, recipes and photos are generated by the author.
Yogurt Spread with Pomegranates, Pistachios and Olive Oil
Serves 4
This spread or dip is a beautiful and Autumn-themed addition to any party table or gathering where you want your guests to be inspired to eat healthy and try something a little different than usual.
Start out by getting a cheesecloth or very thin cotton towel, a strainer (colander), and a large bowl that will fit underneath your strainer.
Simply place the towel or cheesecloth over the strainer (be sure to choose a large piece so that there is enough cloth to hold the weight of the yogurt but also to be able to tie it up with all four corners.
Put the larger bowl underneath the strainer to catch the liquids from the yogurt. These liquids are called whey proteins and can be reserved to add into things like smoothies.
Add a generous amount of yogurt (I used about two heaping cups) and place into the strainer. Tie up the corners of the towel and use a rubber band to hang the cloth over your kitchen faucet where the strainer and bowl underneath are just below it. Keep it there for about one hour then remove the cloth, place it in the colander with the bowl underneath and keep it in the fridge for the remainder of time, or until it becomes thick and spreadable.
Once it’s ready, plate it onto a serving dish and spread it out evenly with a butterknife. Add chopped pistachio and hazelnuts (or any nuts you prefer), and pomegranates. Then drizzle olive oil on top. Chill until ready to serve.
Serve with pita bread, plain bruschetta or toasts for dipping, if desired.
*Note: You will also need a piece of cheesecloth or a thin cotton towel, a strainer/colander and a bowl that is larger than the strainer.
Recipe Copyright | My Halal Kitchen by Yvonne Maffei. 2025
My favorite season of the year is Fall/Autumn. I look forward to wearing cozy sweaters, sitting around a fire outside and taking walks in nature to appreciate the changing leaves and brisk, cool weather. I also look forward to using all the amazing produce from the Fall harvest: pumpkins, squash, nuts, seeds, apples, warm spices. Oh, the things that can be cooked and baked and how wonderful the house smells with cinnamon and nutmeg in the air…
Bursting my pumpkin spice bubble is the fact that here we are in September and unfortunately it hasn’t felt like Fall here lately at all. It’s been hot, humid and dry – a somewhat expected phenomenon in the Summer, but not so much in September. Regardless, I am hopeful that the more expected weather will come as predicted later in the week and that’s why I’m forging ahead with my latest baking project for Pumpkin Yoghurt Bread using Mountain High Yoghurt, which is gelatin-free and halal-certified.
If you’re wondering why it’s important for something like yogurt to get a halal-certification, you can read more about that here in my recent blog post where I explained that and it’s the reason for working closely with them to utilize these products in my cooking, baking and everyday consumption.
In addition to the main ingredient, Mountain High’s Whole Milk Yoghurt (if you prefer fat-free they also have that variety) which helps makes this bread moist, there is also an addition of easy-to-find healthy, wholesome ingredients that go into it:
Raw cane sugar, baking powder, spices, orange peel…
Raw organic almonds (the taste and smell is way different than the conventional), walnuts, pumpkin seeds…
Bread flour, hazelnut, walnut OR grape seed oil, pumpkin puree and organic free-range eggs…
The instructions to make it are super easy but should be followed carefully as baking is different from cooking in that it follows a more technical and scientific approach to testing to achieve the right taste and bake time for the desired outcome.
I use two bowls- one larger and one smaller. This may seem like an insignificant detail but it matters so much. I’ve been making this type of bread for many years and if you flip flop this step (by not adding dry ingredients TO the wet ingredients), for some reason it just doesn’t turn out the same.
I start out with the wet ingredients in a large bowl since we’ll be adding the dry ingredients To this one. I start out first by whisking together eggs, the Mountain High Yoghurt, pumpkin puree and the oil.
All of the dry ingredients go into the smaller bowl (which is more of a medium-size bowl) and includes the spices and the nuts which should be roughly chopped.
Yes, you can do all of this in a stand mixer, but it’s way easier in bowls, in my opinion. You do need a strong whisk to do this, however, since the dough can get a little heavy.
Smells like Fall once you get to this step! Next is the preparation of a bread loaf pan. It should be thoroughly greased with butter and flour so that the bread can slide out nicely after it’s baked.
If you want a more buttery top you can melt a little butter or ghee on top and pour it over before it’s baked.
When it comes out, it smells fantastic and if you let it cool for about 20 minutes it’ll be easier to slice or get out of the pan as a whole.
What I love about this bread is that it’s a real health food, especially for breakfast or snacks. There is no need to look further than your own kitchen- your pantry and your fridge – for the ingredients to put this together yourself, rather than a random coffee house that sells expensive, who-knows-what’s-in-them types of breakfast foods. It’s dense, it’s packed with great ingredients, it’s moist because of the Mountain High Yoghurt addition and the pumpkin puree, all a great combination for creating something you’ll be making over and over again.
Would you believe that the secret ingredient – cauliflower – is what makes it so creamy and milky? Without telling anyone there isn’t any cream in the dish, you might easily fool even your foodiest of foodie friends. Seriously. 
But there is another secret ingredient that is my go-to whenever I’m making soup and need a quick and convenient broth to add flavor and depth to all of my soups: the
So you can start this dish with riced cauliflower OR fresh or frozen cauliflower florets. These are sautéed with chopped zucchini, some onion and garlic, too. Once the broth is added, the liquid should come to a boil. 
It should cook for about 20 minutes to soften all of the ingredients, then removed from heat and pureed with an 
I then add in some fresh or dried herbs- always the fresh variety if and when you have those: parsley, dill, basil, cilantro- any or all of them. 
I like to serve this soup nice and thick with a drizzle of 
For that, I’m so thankful. Great halal products like 
If you haven’t tried these products yet, check out 
Bursting my pumpkin spice bubble is the fact that here we are in September and unfortunately it hasn’t felt like Fall here lately at all. It’s been hot, humid and dry – a somewhat expected phenomenon in the Summer, but not so much in September. Regardless, I am hopeful that the more expected weather will come as predicted later in the week and that’s why I’m forging ahead with my latest baking project for Pumpkin Yoghurt Bread using 
