Kufta (Perfect for Toddler Fingers)

1 pound or a little more, ground beef (from your halal market)
2 teaspoons chopped dry mint
1 Tablespoon Seven Spice, or Filafel spice
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

When the meat is all thawed out, add the spices.

Using a fork, mix in the spices. The fork helps keep the meat fluffy. If you use your hands and smash it in, the meat will become tough. So the fork is better.

Now shape the meat into little sticks, careful not to smash them together to much. They should just be shaped tight enough to keep them from falling apart. If you work the meat too much in your hands, it will come out tough.

Have your oven preheated at 450 degrees farenheit. Bake the kufta about twelve to fifteen minutes. Avoid overcooking them, because they will be too dry to enjoy very much.

I make this a lot for my family because the toddlers can eat it easily, and will eat nothing else when they see these in front of them.

Filafel

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
5 small or 2 large cloves organic garlic
1 bunch fresh organic parsley or 3 Tablespoons dry parsley

1/4 bunch fresh organic mint or 1 Tablespoon dry mint (optional)

1 cup Garbanzo and Fava flour

2 Tablespoons Filafel spice

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoon sea salt

just enough water to make a stiff dough, add it 1/4 cup at a time until the dough feels right

canola oil (for frying)

Directions

1 place washed fresh parsley and mint leaves and garlic cloves into the food processor. If using dry parsley and dry mint, wait on that.

2 drain the can of chick peas (garbanzo beans) and gradually add them to the garlic and fresh parsley while the food processor is on. You want to make it into a thick paste. If using dry parsley and dry mint, add that into the food processor after the garbanzo beans are in it, so it can be incorporated into the paste really well)

3 in a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients to incorporate them thoroughly

4 now combine the paste with the dry ingredients, with a wooden spoon, and add your water little by little, to make sure you don't use too much. The final dough should look like a thick dough that you can easily roll into balls, which you may want to do, if you don't happen to have a filafel press, then flatten the balls a little between your hands before cooking them

Dough should look like this.

If you aren't ready to cook it right away, cover it tightly with plastic until you're ready to use it. You can even keep it in the fridge and cook it the next day.

5 Heat your oil until it is hot,

6 using a filafel press, form the dough into little patties and fry them. If they appear to be getting dark too fast, reduce the heat to ensure they will be done in the middle when they are golden brown on the outside.

7 using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked filafel from the oil and place them in a newspaper or paper towel lined bowl to absorb any excess oil

Serve with salad and plain yogurt from grass fed cows for dressing. This salad contains cucumbers, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, turnip pickles, kalamata olives, green onions and fresh lemon juice


Make sandwiches with home made Arabic Flat bread, or even use store bought pita or flat bread.

ARABIC FLAT BREAD

Not bad for my third attempt? I I failed my first two attempts. My husband laughed at me too. I determined to keep trying until I learn this skill.

1 packet Fleischmann's active dry yeast
1 T. honey
1 1/4 c. lukewarm water (105-115 degrees)
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3 c. bread flour

In a large bowl, pour the room temperature water.

Empty the yeast packet into the water.

Add the honey and let it sit for about 10 minutes, so the yeast can begin to grow.

Then add the flour, all at once.

Work it in with a spoon until it's mostly incorporated.

Wet your hands with plain water to prevent sticking to your hands and keep working, kneading and pounding on the dough until you feel tired.

Then shape the dough into a ball and grease the inside of the bowl and the top of the ball with a little olive oil.

Cover it and let it sit in a warm environment until it doubles in size.

Punch it down, re-shape it into a ball, grease the top of the ball and cover it again.

Let it rise again and punch it down again.

This time divide the dough into 5 to 8 balls and line them up on a tray or large plate.

Roll them out one by one with a rolling pin, on a lightly floured surface, or if you have sculptor's hands, just use your hands to flatten the balls one at a time once you are ready to bake it.

Preheat the oven at 500 degrees farenheit with a pizza stone inside, if you have one.

If you don't, just use large pizza pans and don't preheat those, they heat fast enough when popped into the oven.

It only takes a few minutes to bake each one.
When I use pizza pans I wait until the bread has lots of bubbles across the top, then I flip it over and return it to the oven for about 30 seconds longer to brown the other side a little.

Be very careful not to over-bake it, it'll be as hard as a rock.

I cover them with either paper towels or clean tea towels until they have cooled and then store them in plastic to keep it soft until ready to serve.

Plain and Simple Lentil Soup

1/2 package red lentils
1/4 cup Inca Red Quinoa
1 small garlic bulb, peeled and chopped
1 quart water
1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
1 cup V-8 juice
salt to taste

Put all ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer over medium heat for about 30 to 45 minutes. Stir occaisionally to prevent burning.

Serve hot with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. This soup has a buttery taste without having any butter or oil in it at all.

This was yummy in my tummy at lunch time today.

Note: You could substitute regular tomato juice for the V-8. Either 1/2 cup of plain tomato sauce or 1/4 cup of tomato paste would also work, I have done it with either one. However, we like the V-8 best.

Custard

3 1/2 cups whole milk
5 green cardamoms, husk removed

Heat the milk and cardamom seeds over medium heat until the milk is scalded. That means heat, do not boil, the milk until it gets a thin skin on the surface.

5 Tablespoons cornstarch
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 dash salt
1/2 cup milk

Combine cornstarch, sugar, salt and milk, whisk together very well. Whisk quickly and thoroughly into the scalded milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer, or slow boil until it thickens, whisking it constantly. When the custard is thick and smooth, remove it from the heat.

Add:
1 cup marshmallow cream
2 Tablespoons rosewater

Whisk the marshmallow cream and rosewater into the custard and immediately pour it into glass serving bowls. Cover the bowls tightly with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge until ready to serve.

Hint: may also serve warm, topped with thinly sliced fresh bananas.