The Best Hummus You Will Ever Make

Ambitious title, I know. But I hope I’ve enticed your appetite, because you’re in for a treat!

Hummus is one of those small things in life that make me happy. I can’t say no to this dip. Luckily for me, there’s an amazing place to get delicious hummus in Philadelphia. It’s a hummusiya called Dizengoff, where they serve it with different toppings, changing daily. Some days you can get lamb, fava beans, or hard boiled eggs, and others you can expect avocado, chicken skin or beets for example. They come up with really creative flavors that pair so well with their hummus. They also make it extremely creamy, with lots of tahini just how I like it. Finally, they serve it with freshly baked homemade pitas that are like no other you’ve tasted before. It’s such a great combo I could eat it all day everyday. Continue reading “The Best Hummus You Will Ever Make” →

Shake it up with Shakshuka!

Not long ago, my mom and I spent a weekend in New York. In between the many museums, parks and restaurants we went to, we also spent some time in one of our favorite places: a bookstore! While she loves to skim through recent books, I always run to the cookbooks section. That time, I stumbled upon Ottolenghi’s Plenty a vegetable cookbook by Yotham Ottolenghi, a London based chef renowned for his Mediterranean and North African dishes. One of his recipes immediately caught my eye: his Shakshuka! I gues what first attracted me was its name. Shak-shu-ka. Such a fun name! The second thing that I liked was that it had eggs, and I’m always on the lookout for new ways to cook eggs. Before I even got the chance to try it, I went out for brunch back in Philadelphia and the café had Shakshuka too! I saw it as a sign that I needed to dive in. So I ordered it, liked it, then cooked it at home, and loved it! I slightly adapted his recipe and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Bon appétit!

Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 can diced tomatoes (I use trader joe’s “Fire Roasted with Jalapenos”)
2 large eggs
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
agave nectar (or a pinch of sugar)
a bunch of fresh thyme
a bunch of fresh parsley
a pinch of ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Green pepper tabasco (optional)

Directions:

Heat up the olive oil in a skillet. Add the sliced onion, salt, and let it cook on high heat until brown. Next, add the sliced yellow bell pepper, drizzle of agave nectar, thyme, parsley, and a pinch of ground cumin and let it cook for another 10 minutes until golden brown. Add a splash of water and let it evaporate to further soften and caramelize the vegetables.
Next, add the diced tomatoes, lower the heat and let it simmer until it slightly thickens.
Make two “holes” in the tomato and pepper base, and crack the eggs in them. Cover and let it cook until the eggs are set, about 6 minutes. They will be runny and delicious with the sauce. Adjust the seasoning, drizzle with Tabasco if you like it extra spicy, and serve in the skillet, along with warm pita bread!

Easy Tomato Soup

When it comes to cooking, a simple recipe can come a long way. I don’t think that I can stress that enough. Most people tend to be discouraged when they think about things they’d like to cook because they picture recipes as a succession of incredibly complicated steps involving ingredients that no one can pronounce. Well here’s a myth breaker: cooking is not rocket science. Anyone can cook! I’m committed to making healthy and easy recipes that everyone can make in a relatively short amount of time. You’ll come to realize that everything just tastes so much better homemade. Though this recipe is almost as easy as opening a can of Campbell’s, it’s incredibly more delicious and tasty. I promise it’ll take you about 25 minutes, with minimal effort for great results. Bon appétit!

Prep time: 25 minutes

Ingredients: This recipe will make you soup for 3 meals. You can freeze it and keep it for later!

1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth (or hot water)
1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
a pinch of chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dried rice (white, brown, mixed…)

Directions:

Put salted water to a boil in a small pot. Cook the rice for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the type.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the diced onion with a good pinch of salt and sauté for about 10 minutes. Make sure to stir frequently so that the onion doesn’t burn. When it becomes translucent, add all the spices and stir for an extra minute.
Add in the diced tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups of vegetable broth (or water) to the pot, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
Puree with an immersion blender and adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve hot, over a portion of the cooked rice, and add the toppings of your choice. Enjoy!

TIP: some toppings possible: roasted sunflower seeds, pine nuts, croutons, heavy cream, coconut milk drizzle, roasted chickpeas… I chose roasted almonds and a hint of Sriracha. Yum!

Stovetop’s Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Spring can’t come soon enough! I’m sick of this weather, and sick altogether. This Polar Vortex has to go, and you won’t hear me say that often, but the snow has to stop! As I told you already, my favorite way to fight against the cold is to eat soup. This sweet potato version is absolutely amazing and ridiculously easy to make. It’s slightly spicy and full of flavors. Bon Appétit!

Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato
1/2 yellow onion
3 cups of vegetable broth (organic if possible)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
a pinch of chilli powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot, over medium heat, sauté the diced onion and spices in olive oil. Add salt and keep stirring until until they become slightly brown.
Meanwhile, peal and dice the sweet potato.
When the onion is nicely colored, add the diced sweet potato and the 3 cups of vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
With and immersion blender, puree the soup together, adjust the seasoning and serve immediately.

TIP: you can add any toppings you like: roasted sunflower seeds, pine nuts, croutons, heavy cream… I chose fresh crumbled goat cheese, olive oil and a hint of pepper. Yum!