Dolma

• 22-25 fresh vine leaves (spray-free), or 400g jar of preserved vine leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (100g) medium grain rice, washed and drained
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons currants
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup water 

For Garnish:

• 1 cup water, extra
• the juice of 1 large lemon
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, extra
• lemon wedges, to serve

1. After trimming the stalks of the leaves, cook them in boiling water for 5 minutes and then drain and rinse them in cold water
2. Cook the onions in olive oil until golden and mix them with the rice in the pan. Add the pine nuts, parsley, mint, salt and pepper
3. Cover with 3/4 of a cup of water and cover, leaving it to cook until the rice has absorbed the water and is cooked.
4. Put the filling in the centre of each leaf, then tightly wrap the filling in the leaf. 
5. Use any extra leaves and line the bottom of a pan with them. Place the dolmas very close together so they don't unravel. Pour in water, olive oil and lemon juice over them, Cover the dish and leave them to simmer on a low heat for about an hour. 
6. Leave them to cool and then serve :)

Falafel

•  2 cups of dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3-5 cloves garlic (I prefer roasted)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons of salt
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of ground cardamom
• Oil for frying 

1.  Leave the chickpeas in a large bowl of water in the fridge overnight and then drain them the following day.
2. Combine the chickpeas/garbanzo beans, parsley, garlic, salt, cumin, flour, coriander, pepper, cayenne and cardamom in food processor and blend. Be sure to keep the mixture bitty so the consistency is right.
3. Set the mixture aside and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours
4. Roll it into balls and heat oil to fry the falafel in, making sure it is not too hot that the outside browns quickly and the inside doesn't cook. Ideally, each side will get golden in about 2-3 minutes.

My favourite way to have falafel is wrapped in a galette with minced lettuce, onions, carrot and either tzatziki or garlic sauce! Enjoy :)

Vegetable Biryani

A favourite

A delicious recipe from Cooking Thumb

For the rice:

• 1 cup of Basmati rice
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 a teaspoon of olive oil
• 1 black cardamom & 2 green cardamoms
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves 

For the vegetables:

• 1/2 a cup of green beans (chopped in one inch pieces)
• 1/2 a cup carrots (sliced in pieces)
• 1/4 a cup of peas
• 1 tomato (chopped in slices)
• 1 cup of thinly sliced onions
• 1/2 a tablespoon of ginger paste
• 1/2 a tablespoon of garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 cloves
• 4 green cardamoms
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 a teaspoon of tumeric powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1/2 a cup of yogurt
• 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of coriander leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon of saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm milk

1. Heat up some oil in a pan and add cumin, cinnamon, cloves green cardamoms and bay leaf and saute for 10 seconds before adding the ginger and garlic paste and cooking for another 20 seconds
2. Toss in all the vegetables (except tomatoes) and add salt, cover & cook for 2 minutes
3. Add the tumeric, cayenne, lemon juice and tomatoes then lower the heat
4. Add the yogurt and coriander
5. Add the cooked rice and put it over the vegetables and before mixing it, pour the safron and milk mixture over the dish. Cover the pan still without stirring it and leave it on a low heat to cook for 30 minutes
6. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for another 10 minutes before stirring it and serving. 
7. Garnish with coriander, tomato and lemon

Baklava

A delicious something sweet to make for someone sweet :)

• About 12 sheets of filo pastry (mine came in a pack of quarter kilo so about a pound)
• About a cup of melted butter

Filling:

• 3 cups of ground walnuts
• 1 & 1/4 cups of ground almonds
• 1/2 a cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon

Syrup:

• 2 cups of water
• 1 & 1/2 cups of sugar
• 10 cloves
• About half a lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celcius
2. Mix the ground nuts, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. 
3. With a pastry brush, spread butter over a baking pan
4. Take 6 sheets of filo, each brushed with butter and lay them in the pan and top it with about half of your nut mixture evenly and flatten it
5. Add another 6 sheets of filo, each brushed with butter 
6. Indent slightly with a knife so the pastry doesn't break once its cooked and you try to cut it before baking for about 40 minutes (you want the pastry to become golden)
7. While it is baking, in a medium heat stir water and sugar in a pot and let it simmer with the cloves until they are caramelized. Remove it once it is thick and add squeezed lemon juice.
8. Cut the baklava into any shape you like and serve it with syrup

Tabouleh Inspired Quinoa Salad

Once again, I fail terribly at providing actual measurements. Just taste as you go ;)

You will need:

Quinoa (I used about a cup and a half)
Plenty of fresh parsley (a large handful)
Tomatoes (2)
A spring onion stalk
Some fresh mint leaves
Olive oil (2 teaspoons)
Lemon juice (1 and a half lemons)
Sea salt to taste

1. Cook the quinoa and let it cool
2. Wash the herbs and vegetables
3. Finely chop the cucumber, spring onion, tomatoes and herbs
4. Toss them in with the quinoa, add the olive oil, squeezed lemon juice and sea salt and mix well!

Vegetarian Tagine

Tagine is a traditional Moroccan dish usually served with couscous. I actually had mine with quinoa, but to each their own :)

Sadly, I dont have a tagine pot so I just used a deep pan with a lid.

You will need: 

3 small - medium sized onions

3 medium sized carrots

1 large zucchini

2 tomatoes

1 tablespoon of fresh parsley (finely chopped) 

1 tablespoon of fresh coriander (finely chopped) 

1/3 of a cup of canned chickpeas

A pinch of stevia (or a teaspoon of sugar)

2 tablespoons of rasins

Olive Oil

Seasoning:

1/2 a cup of water

1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 a teaspoon of cumin seeds

1 teaspoon of coriander powder

1/2 a teaspoon of saffron

1 teaspoon of ras el hanout

1/2 a teaspoon of ground ginger powder

Salt to taste

1. Place the pan or pot on a medium heat and drizzle olive oil in it while it heats

2. Chop the onions and place them in first (Put only 1 onion in and keep the other two aside)

3. Then the peeled and chopped carrots, the chopped zucchini and the diced tomatoes last

4. Mix together all your seasonings except for the cinnamon in a bowl with the water and mix it before pouring it over the vegetables.

5. Place a lit on the pot and let it cook slowly (you may need to add more water, so check frequently)

6. In another pan, fry the remainder of the onions in some olive oil until they are golden and cooked before adding the raisins, cinnamon and stevia (or sugar if preferred) to caramelize them

7. Mix well and let the onions and raisins sit until the tagine vegetables are soft

8. Add the chickpeas, onions and raisins and chopped parsley and coriander and put the lid back on and let the tagine cook for another 5-10 minutes on a low heat.

9. Serve with couscous or quinoa

Some classic Buddha Bar

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Woe is me... yes, it is a Martha Stewart recipe... what has become of me...

You will need:

• 3 large cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 18 ounces of canned chickpeas (2 1/3 cups)
• 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 3 tablespoons of tahini (sesame)
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 of a up of chives (minced)
• Salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius
2. Peel the garlic and place it in a foil pouch and drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil over it
3. Roast it in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the garlic is soft
4. In a food processor, mix together all the ingredients until it is very fine and smooth

Annnd some bossa nova :)

Lentil Kale Soup with Moroccan Spices

On his recent trip to Morocco, my uncle was kind enough to bring me ras el hanout - a traditional blend of Moroccan spices. I hope to use it for some delicious tajine (soon to come!)

I didn't use vegetable stock because I was out, but I actually felt that I didn't need it in the end.

You will need:

• 1 large carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1/2  cup of lentils 
• 1 potato (optional)
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 small cloves of garlic
• 4 large kale leaves
• A pinch of cumin
• A pinch of paprika
• 1-2 teaspoons of ras el hanout 
• Salt and pepper to taste

The simplicity of this recipe is wonderful.

1. Peel the carrot and potato, chop them finely along with the celery and onion
2. Crush the garlic
3. Wash and slice the kale
4. In a pot, combine all your ingredients along with seasonings on a medium high heat - stirring occasionally until the lentils are soft. As it cooks, cover it and let the spices sink in. 
5. With a hand mixer, I blended part of the soup to give it a thicker base, but that is up to you :)