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Tomato and Egg Bake

This has been one of my favorite breakfasts in Israel. It’s low-carb, healthy, and hearty! The chef explained the dish to me this morning and this is what I came up with. 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 jalapeño, deseeded and diced 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp sweet paprika 1 Tb sugar ⅛ tsp cayenne +|- 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with juices, coarsely chopped or crushed with hands 2 Tb tomato paste S&P Feta cheese, crumbled 6 large eggs Chopped cilantro, for serving Hot sauce, for serving Heat oven to 375 degrees. Sauté onion, peppers, and jalapeños for 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika, cayenne, and sugar and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and tomato paste and season with S&P; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in crumbled feta. Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes….

Stuffed Dates

There are dates on every corner here in Jerusalem and it reminded me of an appetizer I had made a while ago and never posted. Sliced dates Goat cheese or Blue Cheese Chopped pistachios Bacon, cooked and chopped Balsamic reduction Stuff dates with cheese, pistachios, and bacon. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. I put my stuffed dates on a Traeger grill and it was salty, sweet, and perfectly smoky. Drizzle with bottled balsamic reduction. If you have leftovers, slice them up and add to a chicken salad for lunch or dinner the next day! (Instead of cooking an entire batch of bacon for this recipe, just buy a small amount at your grocery store salad bar.)

Israeli Pastry

Best pastry I’ve ever had! I’m not a baker, so I know I’ll never try to recreate this. Sweet cheese in pastry, fresh out of the wood burning oven.

Israeli Salad

We are eating a lot of fresh and pickled veggies and crudités before each meal. I have a goal to have more hummus, cut veggies, and healthy snacks out for my kids and I to snack on instead of junk. The Israeli salad was served with every meal. Simple fresh flavors can be delicious. Make a big bowl and add to salads, on top of hummus, on top of avocado or cottage cheese, over fish.. there are so many healthy options! Use any veggies you want, chop them very small, and serve at room temperature. Israeli salad: Tomatoes, chopped Persian Cucumber, chopped Onion, minced Parsley, minced Dressing- I part EVOO 1 part lemon juice S&P

Egg & Ham Cup

Heading home and I’m going to need a lot of take-out and dinners like this! Use a rolling pin and roll sliced whole wheat bread. Other bakery bread would probably work as well and might taste better. (Kids loved doing the rolling pin.) I didn’t spread bread with butter but that would be really good and help it crisp up. Fit rolled bread in sprayed cupcake tins. Add chopped ham and then a raw egg. Put a spoonful of Alfredo sauce (or not) on egg and sprinkle s&p. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until eggs are set. Serve with spinach salad and dinner is done!

Homemade Hummus

I wasn’t sure this homemade hummus would be that much better then store bought, boy was I wrong! It is so easy and so fresh! 2 cans chickpeas, drained with 2 Tb liquid reserved 4 garlic cloves 1/3 C Tahini 2 lemons, juiced 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt Put all ingredients in blender until combined. Refrigerate overnight for best taste. Garnish with EVOO, pine nuts, and hot sauce. Buy the best Pitas you can find and brush with EVOO and grill or broil. Sprinkle Zaatar or salt when still warm. As I’ve been looking up recipes for these Middle Eastern dishes, I’ve realized they all have the same ingredients. Here is a quick run down in case you’re going grocery shopping today. Tahini Lemons (a lot) EVOO Garlic Parsley Cumin, Paprika, Coriander Mint leaves Pita (All veggies shown in picture, including eggplant)

Watermelon & Cucumber Granita

3 Cinco de Mayo recipes for you today all with Watermelon and Cucumber! Pour Trader Joes Watermelon Cucumber juice (obsessed) into a 9 by 13 casserole dish. Add fresh lime juice and finely chopped mint. Freeze for at least 6 hours or until frozen through. Use the tines of a fork to scrape the granita into chilled bowls and serve. Add a dash of cayenne if you like some spice.

Watermelon & Cucumber Popsicles

Fill Popsicle mold with chopped watermelon and cucumber. Fill with Trader Joes Watermelon and Cucumber juice and freeze. So good!!

Watermelon & Cucumber Guacamole

And finally, my third Cinco de Mayo recipe with watermelon and cucumber. (My personal favorite!) Avocado or premade guacamole Watermelon, chopped Cucumber, chopped Feta cheese Lime juice and zest Chili powder Kosher salt I Love my local grocery store’s deli-made guacamole so I started with that. Add watermelon and cucumber and mix. Top with feta cheese, lime zest, lime juice, chili powder, and salt. TIP *I don’t often post all the different recipes I try with the same ingredients but I do this a lot. If you have a lot of cucumber and watermelon for instance try totally different ways of using it. Don’t let extras go to waste or feel like you have to have the same leftovers 3 nights in a row. Make extra guacamole then put it over grilled chicken and brown rice the next night. I find it challenging and fun to come up with totally different uses for ingredients I have around the house.

Middle Eastern Salads

I added our leftover Middle Eastern salads to turkey burgers the other night and it was delicious! Serving the salads alongside grilled chicken breast and pita is great too. *All salads are better after refrigerating overnight. They also need to be served at room temperature so bring them out an hour before serving. Cabbage salad 1 head of purple cabbage, thinly sliced 2 lemons, juiced 3 Tb EVOO 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated 2 tsp salt Thinly slice cabbage and place in boiling water for 2 minutes or until just starting to wilt. Drain and add remaining ingredients. Carrot and Mint salad 2 bags of shredded carrots 1 lemon, juiced 1 tsp cumin 2 Tb EVOO mint leaves Mix lemon juice, cumin, and EVOO. Pour over carrots. Roughly chop mint leaves and sprinkle over salad. Beet salad Jarred or vacuum packed beets, quartered Add a dash of cumin, lemon juice, EVOO, and parsley.