Chicken Tenders

This is a recipe with a little story behind it. When I was pregnant with the twins, I craved a crispy chicken sandwich, and none of the halal restaurants in our town served anything like that. So I began experimenting and playing around until I prefected this recipe. So I could eat them in a sandwich. When I was learning how to make it, I kept imagining how I am one day going to serve this to my twins when they are big enough to eat it. That time arrived faster than I expected.

1 Thawed halal chicken breast

Slice it across the grain of the muscle.

Slice it fairly thin.

Place 1/4 cup of either unbleached all-purpose flour, or garbanzo and fava bean flour, in a gallon size zip-lock bag. I like to use garbanzo and fava flour when I can find it. Add spices to taste. I use about a half teaspoon each, of ground mustard powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.

Put the chicken in the bag also, and give it a good shake, to coat it with the flour and spices.

To make the final coating, Panko Bread crumbs, stick, I make an egg wash. 2 egg whites, and 1 Tablespoon of water whisked together.

Dip the flour-coated chicken tenders in the egg wash.

Then coat them in Kikkoman Panko Bread crumbs. These are by far the best brand I have used. I press the crumbs into the chicken to help them stick, and to flatten the chicken tenders a bit.

They are now ready to fry, or place in the fridge to fry later in the day.

Always Pompeian, first cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil all the time.

Chicken breast should be cooked quickly on very high heat, and then removed, to avoid getting tough chicken. About a minute or a minute and a half on each side.

Place the cooked chicken on paper towel to drain excess oil. My kids can not wait to dig into this plate. They stand around and say, "chik-in, chik-in, chik-in," when they see me preparing these. They are very familiar with the procedure.

This is their favorite side dish. The secret to good corn on the cob, is to use FRESH corn. Never use frozen corn. Bring the water to a boil before plunging the corn into its boiling bath. If it starts to boil too fast, just reduce the heat a bit, and tilt the lid, but make sure it keeps on boiling. Corn should be in the water about 20 minutes from start to finish, even though it stops boiling for a few minutes right after you add the corn to the water. When finished, drain away the water. Don't let the corn sit in the water long after it is finished or all the flavor will leech into the water. My boys love to chew corn off a cob.

Vegan Homemade Buscuits

1 1/2 cups very cold Blue Diamond almond milk
2 tsp vinegar
Put the vinegar and cold almond milk together in a bowl and set it aside, in the fridge even.


1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Stone Ground whole-wheat flour
5 Tablespoons vegetable shortening or cold organic, unrefined coconut oil


4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt



Put all dry ingredients into a bowl. Whisk them together with a wire whisk. Now use a fork to mash in the shortening you choose to use. It should be something that is hard already, and if it isn't, refridgerate it until it is hard enough to cut into the flour with a fork. Runny shortening or oils will make your biscuits hard and dense instead of fluffy and flaky, so I would advise against using them. The mixture should appear coarse and lumpy.

Now add the cold, thickened almond milk. Use your fork and just combine the dough. It should still be very lumpy.

Press the dough into a rough ball, don't smash it together too much. If it looks smooth, you have over-mixed it, and your biscuits will not come out light and flaky. Cover it with plastic and put it in the fridge until you are ready to bake them. You can even leave them in the fridge over night.

When ready to bake your biscuits, preheat your oven at 400 degrees fahrenheit. Sprinkle flour on a smooth surface, and on top of the dough. Now you are ready to roll. The flatter you roll them, the thinner they will be. I roll ours fairly flat because we prefer less fluff in the middle, and more crispy outside.

You may use a biscuit cutter, if you have one. If not, no worries, a drinking glass will do the job just as well.

Place your biscuits on and ungreased baking sheet. Bake them at 400 degrees until golden brown. That will take about ten to fifteen minutes, depending on your oven.

Golden brown and warm, ready to be devoured.

Serving suggestion. Shown with Roasted 'Tatoes and Spicy Chicken Wings.

The babies love these biscuits.

Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

1 whole halal chicken
6 medium red-skin potatoes
malt vinegar to taste
Worcestershire sauce to taste
olive oil as needed
crushed rosemary to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat your oven at 450 degrees farenheit.

Thaw your chicken in cold water, allow the faucet to stream slowly into the bowl and let it run steady for about 30 to 45 minutes, to thaw it safely and fast. I aim the stream of water directly at the cavity at the tail of the chicken so the force of the slowly running water works on the ice inside the chicken faster. Once the chicken is thawed, or nearly thawed, butterfly it by slicing it open along the spine with a very sharp knife wash the inside and make sure all of the entrails have been removed.

Wash the potatoes and cut them in chunks, skin on. Toss them with a little olive oil and place them skin-side-down in your baking dish. Sprinkle them with rosemary, fresh ground pepper and salt.

Place the chicken, skin-side-down, on top of the potatoes. Break the breast bone with the blade of your sharpest knife, just so the chicken will lay flatter. Cooking the chicken on top of the potatoes prevents it from sticking to the baking dish, making the bird easier to flip later on.

Now shake on the vinegar, worcestershire sauce, olive oil, and give it a sprinkle of salt.

Roast it in your 450 degree oven until the up-side is pretty and brown, about 30 minutes.

Take 2 forks and to get a hold on the chicken on each side. Now flip it skin-side-up. Give it a few more shakes of vinegar, worcestershire sauce, olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Return it to the oven and continue roasting for another 30 to 45 minutes. It should be perfectly browned.

Now remove the pan from the oven and cover it with foil for about 15 minutes, or until ready to serve.

I make this recipe about once a week because it makes my men happy. There's nothing more satisfying to a Mama than watching her babies put food in their mouths, with both hands. Heehee.

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.

Ode to Goat's Milk

My little Alawi has had problems making stinky diapers since he was born. I used to try to give him more breast milk, when I still had some, because it helped. Then we switched to giving him juice inbetween formula until he graduated to regular cows milk and whole foods. Lately I had noticed that his hair is dull, his finger nails are brittle and he has a skin rash nearly all the time. I worried that if his nails are brittle, maybe his bones are not getting enough calcium either. I finally convinced my husband that goat's milk is not a joke, it is actually worth a shot for a child who is showing all the signs of a dairy intolerance. I noticed that he had to eat fruit and vegetables all day long just to be able to make stinky diapers regularly and a growing 16-month-old child needs more carbs and other things than he was able to digest. I want him to eat fruit and vegetables, but not exclusively.

So, now that the big switch has been made, his father is convinced that goat's milk really is not a joke, and Alawi actually wants to eat when he should be hungry and he's getting stinky diapers on a regular basis. I knew that some of my cousins grew up on goat's milk because they could not tolerate cows milk. However, in my husband's village in Iraq it is unheard of to drink goat's milk, so he thought it was a silly idea. They only drink cow and sheep milk in his village, but I have made a believer in goat's milk out of him. Thanks to God for the blessing of goats. Al hamd ulillah.

Here is a comparison of Goat's Milk vs Cow Milk, and Cow's Milk vs. Goat's Milk. Here is one with a little information about sheep milk. I have not found sheep milk in any of my local grocery stores, but goat milk is quite readily available.

In the context of these Quranic verses, I believe the word cattle refers to all types of herd animals: cows, sheep, goats, buffalo, camels, etc.

016.066
YUSUFALI: And verily in cattle (too) will ye find an instructive sign. From what is within their bodies between excretions and blood, We produce, for your drink, milk, pure and agreeable to those who drink it.
PICKTHAL: And lo! in the cattle there is a lesson for you. We give you to drink of that which is in their bellies, from betwixt the refuse and the blood, pure milk palatable to the drinkers.
SHAKIR: And most surely there is a lesson for you in the cattle; We give you to drink of what is in their bellies-- from betwixt the feces and the blood-- pure milk, easy and agreeable to swallow for those who drink.

026.133
YUSUFALI: "Freely has He bestowed on you cattle and sons,-
PICKTHAL: Hath aided you with cattle and sons.
SHAKIR: He has given you abundance of cattle and children

036.073
YUSUFALI: And they have (other) profits from them (besides), and they get (milk) to drink. Will they not then be grateful?
PICKTHAL: Benefits and (divers) drinks have they from them. Will they not then give thanks?
SHAKIR: And therein they have advantages and drinks; will they not then be grateful?

040.079
YUSUFALI: It is Allah Who made cattle for you, that ye may use some for riding and some for food;
PICKTHAL: Allah it is Who hath appointed for you cattle, that ye may ride on some of them, and eat of some -
SHAKIR: Allah is He Who made the cattle for you that you may ride on some of them, and some of them you eat.

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.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

1/2 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 cup Heart Smart Bisquick

Preheat the oven at 450 degrees Farenheit.

Whisk the olive oil and sweet potatoes together until creamy.

Add the Bisquick and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut it into the wet mixture.

End product should be soft and lumpy, like regular biscuit dough.

Roll your dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut with a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter or just with the top of a drinking glass.

Spray baking dish with cooking spray and place biscuits with a little space between each one, to allow room for rising.

Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Hint: My family likes small biscuits, so I make ours small. You may make yours bigger and thicker by not rolling the dough out so thin, and by using a bigger cutting device. You may need to increase your baking time if you make them bigger, but not by much. For bigger biscuits 12 to 15 minutes should be enough.

Roasted 'Tatoes

1 to 2 pounds of purple creamer potatoes
olive oil
salt
pepper
crushed rosemary

Preheat the oven at 400 F.
Wash and dry the potatoes.
In a medium bowl drizzle olive oil over the potatoes.
Sprinkle in the seasonings.
Toss the potatoes around until you're satisfied with the amount of spice and oil on them.
Place them in a baking dish and bake at 400 F for about 45 minutes, or until done.
Serve warm.

My kids get very excited when I serve them this dish.

Zucchini Fritters

Helpful hint: you can pulse your zucchini, garlic and shallot in the food processor if you have one. It gets much finer then the grater does it. But if you don't have a food processor, a regular old hand held grater from the Dollar Tree works just fine. I have done it both ways.

3 small zucchinis, shredded, about 2 cups
1 large shallot, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, grated
1 cup heart smart Bisquick
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (adjust to taste)
1/3 cup oatbran
3 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
1 Tablespoon paprika
salt
1/2 cup almond milk

Mix all ingredients together gently, avoid over-mixing. Let it sit for at least ten minutes before cooking, to allow the chemistry a chance to marry the ingredients together very well. I have let it sit as long as an hour before cooking it. Heat an iron skillet on high, when it gets hot, cover the bottom with extra virgin olive oil, and dip your fritter batter with a 1/4 cup or large spoon to make your fritters uniform in size. Cook over medium heat to avoid scorching the outside before they are cooked through. Add more olive oil as needed.

My family will eat a plate full of these and nothing else in one meal.

hint: I cook mine in a seperate skillet with alcohol-free extra virgin olive oil cooking spray, from either crisco or mazola.

Eggless Banana Oat Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups Quick oats
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup almond or soy milk
1 and 1/2 cup mashed bananas
1 and 1/2 cups Sugar in the Raw
In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients, except sugar.
In another bowl mix together milk, sugar and the mashed bananas, combine thoroughly.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture, a wooden spoon is perfect for this task.
Let the batter rest for about 10 to fifteen minutes.


Spray the inside of the muffin tins with alcohol-free cooking spray, fill the muffin cups to the top, because this muffin does not rise exceptionally high.
Makes 48 mini muffins. I use the tin once, and when they are finished, I place the first batch on paper towels to cool, while I bake the rest of the batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  

Note: If you do not have a mini muffin tin, you can just use a regular one, but increase the cooking time to at least 30 minutes.

Fabulous Blueberry Muffins! (no eggs needed)

My husband and kids looove these muffins.

Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp corn starch
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup Sugar in the Raw
8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries, thawed
cinnamon to taste

Topping:
1/4 cup sugar in the raw
1/3 cup plain flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
3 Tablespoons melted butter
cinnamon to taste
Mash together with a fork until the topping is crumbly.

Move rack to the middle level of the oven. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a muffin tin with alcohol-free cooking spray. In one bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, combine water and cornstarch. Whisk until blended. Add milk and sugar. Whisk in the butter and immediately pour liquid into the dry mixture, along with the blueberries. Pour the melted butter in with the wet ingredients just before you are ready to add the dry ingredients so it doesn't begin to harden before you are ready to mix everything together. A wooden spoon, is probably the best utensil to blend all ingredients gently,without overmixing your batter. Divide your batter in a muffin tin that makes twelve muffins. Sprinkle the topping mixture by Tablespoonful onto the top of each muffin before popping them into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, when you can prick them with a toothpick and it comes out clean, they are done, or just take them out when the topping is a beautiful, crunchy brown color.

Hot Skillet! I actually vegan-ized them without ruining them!
Substitute organic unrefined coconut oil for the butter, and use non-dairy milk, like soy, hemp or almond milk instead of regular whole milk!!!! You can even use the coconut oil in the topping, instead of butter. You melt it before using it, just like you do butter, and you really don't taste coconut when you eat them.

Vegan Cornbread Muffins

My husband looooooves these! I'm impressed that he likes something so American.

2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
6 Tablespoons boiling water
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup stone-ground, whole grain cornmeal
1/2 cup Sugar in the Raw
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1 cup hemp milk
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Alcohol-free cooking spray, both Crisco and Mazola make it
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray

Place ground flax seed in a small glass dish, pour the boiling water into it, stir it a little and set it aside. Thouroughly mix your dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together in another bowl then, just before stirring the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, dump the flax seed paste into the wet ingredients and give it a good mix. Then gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not over-mix. Now let the batter rest about ten minutes. Spray your muffin tins with the alcohol-free cooking spray, either Crisco or Mazola. Use a large spoon and fill your muffin tins equally with the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until you can prick it with a toothpick and it comes out clean. When done, and still hot, spray each muffin with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray and cover tightly with foil until ready to serve. Great served with the Tempeh Chili, recipe below.