Avocado Fig Smoothie and an Award :) and an experiment with diff backgrounds

I am now an official Avocado fan!!! Since i first tasted avocado , i am a fan of the fruit...fruit in the smoothie form...i recently chanced upon a video on youtube  and that is the source of this avocado smoothie.
This is again a Moroccan recipe( i am in love with middle eastern food..so is N)..so Moroccan, Emirati...will keep on adding ...........

Pita Bread Sandwich with Falafels and Tahini Sauce

Pita or pitta is a round pocket bread widely consumed in many Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Balkan cuisines. It is prevalent in Cyprus, Greece, the Balkans, the Arabian Peninsula, Armenia, Turkey, and parts of the Indian Subcontinent. The "pocket" in pita bread is created by steam, which puffs up the dough. As the bread cools and flattens, a pocket is left in the middle.

 
Since i had  a lot of leftover falafel mix i decided to make Pita Bread and right in time i saw Dassana's post for Pita Bread on her blog.Her Pita breads were looking really great and she had posted  a step by step recipe..the stove top version and the oven version!!!What more could i ask for??..

We had planned to go for  a Hindi movie yesterday  and had to be there on time.The movie we saw "Bol Bachchan".. mmmm .. the movie was ok.. shutdown your brains and watch it..nothing very different .. a comedy.. actually the old golmaal in new bottle with more confusion than the old one!!!!And they admit the similarity in the movie itself!!!I liked AB baby though.. Abhishek Bachchan.. and the colourful sets!!

So decided to make the pita bread and have pita bread sandwiches as an early dinner before we headed to the hall. I like to eat something and go cos otherwise i may end up eating some junk..or drinking some useless stuff or if nothing else i will have an icecream.... This reminds me of something.Back in Delhi we had  a small mall( don't even compare to Dubai malls )..This was  a small one with very few  visitors to the mall.. only  people from the neighbourhood  would  visit it.Anyway, it had  a good movie hall and weekdays they had special discounts. We and our neighbours and great friends and my then guinea pigs  for all my  cooking experiments(Dhruv and Poorvali) would go there to watch movies.What attracted Poorvali and me  there was ..burger... ..i know you all have weird expression on your face which says ..BURGER????!!!!! Yes a vegetarian burger which has an aloo tikki  in it .. and yes that aloo tikki was awesome...it used to be too good... We would eat one in the beginning and in the interval at times....we woud run to get it so that we are back in time before the movie starts.. or sometimes we used to sit comfortably while Dhruv and N would do the running..;)
We just love the burger there and let me tell you the Mc D burger does not stand  a chance against it!!

When i go for  holidays i will definitely go there.. no matter which  movie is running .. i will watch it cos i can have the burger!! I am sure Poorva agrees completely with me....so also dhruv..
Anyway back to Dubai from Delhi...


So it was pita bread sandwich on the menu which means i had to make falafels ,tahini sauce and the pita bread.

My falafel mix was there so all i had to do was shape it into balls and deep fry them.
I had  some Tahini with me.Now Tahini is  a sesame seeds paste which is used in many North African,Greek ,Turkish and   Middle eastern Recipes.
The sesame seeds paste is called tahini and when it is combined with other ingredients it becomes Tahini sauce.


Making Tahini

Ingredients:


1 cup  white sesame seeds

Tahini

4 tbsp olive oil



Method:
Roast the sesame seeds on stove top or oven till they are light brown.
I did it on the stove top.Just dry roasted it.
Let it cool .
Later blend it your food processor using the olive oil.




This paste is the base of tahini sauce and can be refrigerated.This paste is used  in making hummus, halva etc.

I made a very indianised (desi) version of Tahini sauce.

Ingredients:

Tahini-1/2 cup
lemon juice-1to 2 tbsp
Garlic Cloved- 2 small minced
Parsley leaves- a bunch
Coriander leaves- twice ofpasley leaves
Cumin powder- 1 tspn or less
Pepper and salt- adjust to taste

Blend all these together in a blender.I added a little water to get desired consistency.

Now for the pita bread i am not posting the recipe. I am still to get expertise in that.My pita breads  were very tasty.. but i goofed up somehwere so they did not puff up well..
So please use Dassana's website for the recipe.Click here

Now for the pita sandwich .. i decided to keep it simple..
(These pics were taken in a hurry... I could not wait to eat them and we dint have much time.. next time i hope to take better pics)
I chopped some tomatoes and onions and layered them in the pita pocket along with the falafels and tahini sauce.It was really tasty.




























This is also going to be  a regular in our menu.I am just so happy with my ever expanding menu.. thanks to blogging and all bloggger friends who post such  beautiful recipes.:)

Falafels

Event participation:
Sending to  sandwich recipes at My Culinary Creations


 at ohtastensee and krithiskitchen

Falafel

Ever since I landed in Dubai and my interest in blogging picked up I have been keen on trying some Middle Eastern recipes. I have  a few in my mind and Falafel is one of them.
Some very common ingredients in Middle Eastern  cuisine are olives,olive oil, sesame seeds( from which the tahini sauce is made), chickpeas, dates ,cumin,garlic etc.. and Falafels were a totally new recipe for me.. It was  cutlets made from chickpeas ,fava beans or both.Falafel is usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze.(Source :Wikipedia)

I made the falafels as a snack and I made it with chick preas.Dassana of Veg recipes  of India has recently posted an excellent Pita bread recipe and  you can check it here. I am yet to try it .
A falafel mould is used to make falafel but I  its easy to be made.You can just roll it  and then flatten it or just roll it.Here is  a pic of Falafel mould i took from the web

Despite being here in Dubai I have not had Falafels here so I have no comparison to how my end product was.. (blame it on the Dubai heat, I am almost in house arrest)..it would have been easier if we had a car.. but if  you want to buy a car in dubai you have to get your license first… one must be thinking .. “ what is the big deal in getting a license?”.. Take my word.. it is  a bigggggg deal here.. they are not giving licenses so easily… Most likely you make at least 4 attempts in the road test ..If you are one lucky chap and  lady luck is shining on you then its  a different story.. but have heard of very few people who got it in the first attempt..N is going for his 3rd attempt soon..Wish us luck.. may the gods,Lady luck and of course the RTA inspector have mercy on us..Inshallah!!!okay sorry for the diversion…. coming back from the road to the falafels!!!The only thing I can vouch for is .. it’s a very easy recipe..simple.. can be made fast( if you have boiled chickpeas) and the mix if prepared in huge quantity can be refrigerated  or frozen too.
So this goes as a an easy make ahead option if you are having guests over!!

Ingredients:

Original Recipe:dedemed

Chickpeas- 2 cups
Parsley leaves- a little less than 1/2 cup
Coriander Leaves – 3/4th  cup
Garlic- 5-6 cloves minced
Cumin powder-  1 tablespoon
Coriander powder- 1 tspn
Black Pepper- 1 tspn
Baking Powder-1/2 tspn( add just before frying)
Bread Crumbs-original recipe says 3-4 tbsp..but I required more as the chickpeas was falling apart when fried in oil.
(original recipe used 1 and 1/2 cup fava beans. I skipped it for the time being)

How I made it?

Soak the chick peas over night and boil till done.I used  a pressure cooker and boiled for almost 20 minutes.Drain and keep aside
Blend the chickpeas in a food processor till it is crumbled..It should not be made into a paste.
Then blend the parsley, coriander  and garlic into fine paste.Mix this with the crumbled chickpeas.
Also mix the cumin powder,coriander powder salt and pepper into chickpeas.Adjust salt and pepper according to preference.
Add in the bread crumbsand mix very well.add the baking powder  before frying and mix well.
Heat oil in a deep kadai(saucepan) and roll the mix into balls and deep fry till brown.
Tip:  Try one falafel and if the falafel breaks , add in more breadcrumbs.
Remove to absorbent paper so that excess oil is absorbed.
Serve with tahini sauce or  use  with Pita Bread to make pita bread sandwich.

Tahini sauce and pita bread coming soon….:)..That's what i am making today!!!
Note:Original Recipe used onions, i skipped it.

Event Participation:

  hosted by pari of foodelicious for Nithu

 hosted by Sayantini for Jagruti

Duqqa-An Egyptian Recipe

During one of my bloghopping  blogsurfing days recenctly I came across this blog by Dassana.She has one awesome blog there. Many many interesting recipes with some nutritional facts etc.

One recipe which interested me a lot is the Almond Dukkah recipe posted by her. This took me to wiki to read more about Dukkah and I decided to try it out.

Now what is Duqqa??   (also spelt as Dukkah or dukka) .

I have a fancy for the spelling with the Q and so I am going to use Duqqa :)

Duqqa is an  Egyptian side dish consisting of a mixture of herbs, nuts, probably hazelnut, and spices. It is typically used as a dip with bread or fresh vegetables, and eaten as an hors d'œuvre.The word is derived from the Arabic for "to pound" since the mixture of spices and nuts are pounded together after being dry roasted to a texture that is neither powdered nor paste-like. The actual composition of the spice mix can vary from family to family, vendor to vendor though there are common ingredients, such as sesame, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. ( want to know more then click here and here.)Source:Wikipedia.

Ingredients I used:

Hazelnuts- 1 cup( can use almonds or pistachios or a combination of both)
White sesame seeds(til)-3/4th cup
Coriander seeds-2 tbspn
Cumin seeds 2 tbspn
Black Pepper corns-1/2 tspn
Fennel seeds(saunf)-1/2 tspn

Roast the hazelnuts on a skillet and then peel off skin from them( can also be done in oven by baking in preheated oven for about 8 minutes.)
Next roast the sesame seeds till they take  alight brown colour.
Roast the rest of the ingredients(I roasted coriander, cumin andthen pepper and fennel together)
Let all these nuts and seeds completely cool down.
Blend them in a food processor.I ground them coarsely.
Store in airtight container.Many websites said they it can be stored in room temperature  but will last longer if refrigerated.

Some more info

As stated in the info about Duqqa many variations are there.But cumin , coriander , pepper and sesame are basic ingredients.
The customary way of eating this dish is by dipping the pita into the olive oil and then into the duqqa
Although it is usually associated with Egypt and other Middle Eastern cultures, it has also proved to be quite popular in Australia and New Zealand.
Nuts are considered to be a good source of protein and for this reason a dish would be a good nourishing plate for anybody, but may be particularly beneficial for a person on a vegan or vegetarian diet.
How to use duqqa?

It may also be scattered on top of vegetable or meat dishes. It may be used as a topping for salads. Some people use the dukkah as a coating which may be added before cooking chicken, meat or fish.
It could also be used as a topping for yoghurt or fruit.

Well i  just pop a spoon into my mouth at times.. i like it plain.. and also with bread .. but instead of teh olive oil.. i used some honey.. sweet tooth.. no escape;)..definitely a keeper!! i love it!!

Recipe Inspiration:Almond Dukkah by Dassana

Sources for other info:Wikipedia and Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/776857

Persian Cookies-Dates Almond Cinnamon Cookies

I am soo sooooooo excited that i could not wait another day to blog about this recipe....

Persian cookies..... dates almond cinnamon cookies... They were yummmmmmm.... N's reaction to it  " fundooo bana hai"... i am soooo happy ... thank you sawsan @ this blog.There are so many recipes that i would like to try from her blog but i chose this today as

1)This was the first recipe i clicked open on her blog
2)I had all ingredients( normally at least one is missing)
3) Dates would go into it...Since we moved to Dubai ,dates are always there at home.As soon as one packet is over we get the other !!I wanted to bake something which would use dates and  and this one had it.

And believe me when i say this the aroma that fills in your house when you bake this-awesome.I could not wait to taste one and an as soon as i took my first batch out, i tasted one.. It was yummmmmm!!!1:).. i felt soooo happy.. i knew that this recipe was a keeper.



Then N came in  and he was surprised seeing the cookies.Immediately had one and went gaga over it and there i was jumping and dancing around... It just made my day !!!! All thanks to sawsan:)

By the way N wanted to take it to his office tomorrow but i am planning to take it to a get together we have on Friday at our friends place!!! That case stands pending;)

Don't worry seeing the long list of ingredients .. the method is simple and easy( if you have someone to chop the dates for u ).. Yes, the most time consuming part of this cookie making process is  chopping the dates..(and i did not have seedless dates:(  .. I wished i had someone to do that for me but thinking of the end result i went through that " hard"  task smiling!!!!


Ingredients

2  and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda( i put 1/2 as i wanted my cookies crisp)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter , softened ( sawsan says no substitution and i dint)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons powdered milk(actually i missed out on this , but the cookies were still tasty)

3 tablespoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

pinch nutmeg (optional)

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract.

2 cups pitted chopped dates

1 cup toasted chopped almonds

Whole toasted almonds for decoration

Method

1)Mix the flour,cinnamon, baking soda,salt and nutmeg.Nutmeg was optional and i did not use that .( i used a whisk to mix it all well)

2)In another bowl beat the sugar and butter together till creamy.(I used my hand mixer).Then add the eggs and the essences and mix  till well blended.

3)Now add the flour.I added the flour in three parts and mixed it on slow speed.It will be one sticky lump like below.(Do not worry seeing the structure of the flour, the cookies will come just fine)

4)Once the flour has been blended in well,fold in the dates and almonds. I did this with hands i was finding it difficult to do with spatula( make sure that your hands are clean and dry).

5)Roll the flour between your palms and lay it on a baking sheet and decorate with an almond on top..keep the almond on top and flatten lightly.

Leave  1" inch space on all sides of cookies as they expand..considerably!!

Preheat oven to 180C .Keep the baking sheet in the lower rack.Sawsan talks abut broiling( honestly i do not know about that and i have never done it , so i stuck to the normal method of baking a cookie)

one is missing cos i ate it!Hope you understand how impatient i was;)

My Notes

I used 1/2 tspn baking powder as i wanted the cookies to be crisp.
I missed out on the milk powder and realized it only when writing this blog that i had missed out one ingredient.

I toasted the almonds on a saucepan after adding  a tablespoon of ghee(clarified butter)


Sawsan's Notes:



If you like your cookies more on the crisp side use 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda instead of 1/4 and after you have finished baking place the cookies in the warm oven, turn it off and leave the cookies there until the oven cools down completely.

Store these cookies in an airtight container and they will last for a month.


What more could you as for... munch on them for a month, if they last i.e... mine are definitely not staying for a month.. we are going to gobble it up!!!!


Do try this out  i am sure you will love it!!!We loved it :)