I love eggplant and I love peppers, but on a day when I’m in a huge hurry and don’t have time to fry the eggplant (actually, I really don’t even like to fry eggplant because it seems to just eat up oil if you don’t pre-salt it). I usually don’t have time to pre-salt the eggplant either (it takes out excess moisture). So, instead I tend to cube it, and bring out the sliced peppers I have in the freezer. This makes things so much faster, easier and super-deliciousness is not sacrificed.
This is how I make it:
If using frozen peppers, you need to take out any excess water, so what I do is put them in a frying pan on low and keep a keen eye on the pan, making sure all the excess water is evaporated before putting them into the baking dish with the cubed eggplant.
Season with salt, pepper, olive oil and dried parsley.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes- at the 20 minute mark, pull it out and mix it all up to move the oil around and be sure nothing dries up.
After 40 minutes or so, it should look like this.
Our favorite way is to eat it over rice, but you could also serve it with pasta or rustic bread.
Roasted Eggplant & Pepper On Rice
This is such a straightforward, mess-free dish to make.
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 eggplant, half peeled
4 cups sliced peppers- mixed colors or just green ones
Mix the eggplant and peppers so they are thoroughly combined and place them in an oven-safe dish large enough to spread it out so that they’re not too crowded.
My friend and sister Zainab Ismail is a powerhouse of a teacher of Prophetic foods (the foods that the Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him, used to eat). She always posts really beautiful photos of sunnah foods on her Fit for Allah Facebook and Instagram pages and recently posted a photo of dates with cucumbers because this combination is a sunnah. it’s also said to make a person gain weight, which is not a bad thing for people who actually need to safely put on a few pounds/kilos. It should be done healthily and safely, right?
*That said, I need to make a disclaimer here and say – this information is NOT intended as medical advice. Please seek professional medical attention when necessary.
It’s also interesting because the reason for combining the two is a way to gain weight. Well, who really wants to gain weight? I wouldn’t think so, but in terms of calories, fasting in Ramadan would actually be a great time to gain highly nutritious calories. This is one way to do it.
According to Tib-e-Nabi (Medicine of the Prophet), there are not only numerous benefits to cucumber and date alone, but the combination proves a healthy, complementary marriage of nutrition.
Cucumber is insipid and tasteless, and dates are sweet which results in the cucumber also tasting sweet. Both are opposite to each other & cucumbers are rich in water contains.
Tib-e-Nabi
Combine Medjool dates with fresh cucumber and add some mascarpone, creme fraiche, sour cream, or labneh on top. Or, to keep it dairy-free, simply toss it in a salad with oranges, cucumbers, add some other greens, if you like. You could even add some extra virgin olive oil, too. There are so many ways to eat clean, healthy, and Halal. Bismillah!
On the dairy side of things, I have already included links to individual products, but I’d like to say that my favorite dairy products (USA) come from several key sources. These are places I have been to personally, visited and spoke with farmers and locals– and seen the cows! So, I believe their farmers and businesses, many of which are co-ops, should be supported so that they can continue to bring us the very best of what they do.
I also show you how to make your own mascarpone and creme fraiche in the My Halal Kitchen cookbook, and there is a recipe for homemade labneh on this site.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links at no extra cost to you.
At this time of year, everyone talks about New Year’s resolutions. To top the list, it’s usually about getting fit and eating healthier. I think soups are one of the best kinds of dishes you can make at home to eat healthy, use up a lot of wonderful, delicious and seasonal ingredients and make great use of the money you spend on those ingredients. There’s no need to go to a restaurant just for a good soup, and those boxed soups just don’t cut it on the flavor and taste, in my opinion. Besides, you can control the amount of oils/fats and salt you use when making your own, which is something you’re not able to do when eating it elsewhere. Have I convinced you yet?
I know cooking takes time, and I am not an advocate of spending all your time in the kitchen. We all have lives to live and things to do, but planning ahead and cutting the work time in half by buying things already cut (i.e. riced broccoli; and a good quality vegetable broth like this one from Saffron Road, which is halal-certified and made with high quality ingredients).
*My top tip for this recipe is to boil or steam the broccoli ahead of time because it makes for a creamier soup in the end. If you don’t have time to do that, it’s fine, but just be sure to use a minced or riced broccoli so that it cooks thoroughly in around 20 minutes. Once you puree it, it’ll be easier to do and result in a creamier soup.
Want to try the Culinary Classic Vegetable Broth by Saffron Road for yourself? Enter to win our giveaway for a FREE coupon here.
When I went to Sicily in 1993, it was the first time I really ever experienced fruit as the main ingredient- and sometimes the only ingredient- in a dessert. At first I was waiting around for the real dessert to please show up and perhaps this was just one of many courses at the end of the main lunch time meal? Alas, except for the occasional all-natural gelato that was acquired during a passiagata in the main square, no deep-dark chocolate cake or cheesecake or pound cake or ice cream cake of any sort was going to show up.
That changed the way I ate forever. It also began to change the way I thought about the notion of artificial sweetness, processed foods and how not to hide from real food.
That said, all these years later I’ve come to love to have fresh berries and stone fruits combined with all-natural honey and nuts as part of a more luxurious dessert.
Recently I was watching a travel show where the host visited North Africa – Morocco and Tunisia, in particular. I was so focused on the food that I honestly can’t remember now which host or name of the show it was, but I’ll try to look that up some time because it was a good one.
Anyway, in the show they featured a little humble restaurant that served what looked like the most amazing and beautiful and fresh seafood I’ve seen since I’ve been to Sicily. After the meal, they served this dish of pine nuts, honey and strawberries as a dessert.
It reminded me so much of the food in Sicily and the way I learned to enjoy dessert in a healthier, all-natural way when I was there that I immediately decided to try this combo myself. You don’t really need much of a ‘recipe’ other than having the best quality ingredients and putting them together, to taste. If you like it sweeter, add more honey; if not, add less.
I love this for suhoor, for iftar and/or for dessert any day of the year. If you prepare it and let it stand for about an hour at room temperature or a little longer in the refrigerator, you’ll notice the water come out of the strawberries and make the dish a little less thick, but it’s still quite enjoyable.
Alternate: you can make another version with almonds or walnut:
On a whim, I recently made a winter salad because the citrus was just so delicious and ripe that I was actually really craving it. I posted a photo on my Instagram page and it was so well-received I thought I better put it up on the website, too. I hope you enjoy it- it’s super easy to make and quite healthy, too.
