Noodles with Thai Green Curry and Veggies

I made this recipe twice in one week.  It's that good. And you don't have to tell anyone that it took a mere 15 minutes to cook this dish from start to finish!

You can throw in whatever veggies you like in here.  Tofu or chicken would also make this meal more substantial.  I, however, kept it light and simple and merely used chives, carrots and broccolini (my new obsession).

Green Bean and Chicken Stew

Here's another fabulous recipe I tried from Najmieh Batmanglij's wonderful cookbook.  I have become obsessed with this book! If you haven't already read my post on her chicken and apple stew I highly recommend you give it a try this weekend. You won't be sorry!

This chicken and green bean stew was a huge hit and was easy enough to prepare for a weeknight meal.  The flavors of the tomatoes and lime perfectly compliment the green beans and made for an ideal hearty meal.

I've been trying to incorporate green beans into my cooking these days due to the plethora of health benefits they have to offer:

Green beans are very rich in vitamins A and C both of which are important in fighting free radicals in the human body. The beta carotene in green beans are also thought to be an important element in the fight against cancers such as colon cancer.  It is said that the folate present in green beans helps prevents against mutations in colon cells and thus reduce the possibility of disease. 

You don't have to use chicken for this recipe.  You can use any other type of stew meat as well such as lamb or veal.

Creamy Potato Bake with Caramelized Onions

This weekend I made the most amazing potato dish for brunch.  It was completely improvised but turned out to taste fabulous - my husband and I gobbled up the whole dish in minutes.

The best part? This creamy dish contains absolutely no cream.  The method I used for my creamless mushroom sauce worked here as well.  I just thickened the milk by adding some flour to it and it tasted just like the real thing!

So if you are looking for an easy side dish to prepare or for something to make for brunch next weekend you don't have to look any further.  Also, you can make this recipe even more exciting by adding more ingredients to it.  The next time I make it I may add some mushrooms.

Persian Chicken Stew with Apples (Khoresh e-sib)

I love Persian food.  If I could eat one type of cuisine for the rest of my life, I really think I would pick Persian cooking over any other.  However, despite my love for the food I've always shied away from making Persian dishes - I thought that they would be very difficult to make and would require cartloads of ingredients that I didn't already have in my kitchen.  For years I would just visit Persian restaurants for the occasional indulgence and was too intimidated to do the cooking myself.

This all changed recently when I came across a wonderful cookbook by Najmieh Batmanglij.  She makes Persian cooking so accessible and breaks everything down so easily.  I wish I had bought this book earlier!

This is the first recipe I try out of this book (because this stew is my husband's favorite) and I will definitely be making many more.

This apple stew is truly scrumptious - it calls for few ingredients and is quite easy to make.  Moreover, as an added bonus you'll find that this is quite light and is very healthy too - many stews are heavy and are too rich thus leaving one in a food coma but this is quite the opposite - it's perfect!  My only complaint is that cooking time is rather long (patience was never my strong-suit) but really all you have to do is throw a few ingredients in a dutch oven and enjoy the fantastic aroma that is filling your kitchen.  This recipe calls for minimal manual labor, I promise.

My Husband's Pasta - Made with Mushrooms, Spinach and Balsamic Vinegar

My husband is an amazing cook.  He likes to pretend that he's not but every time he ventures into the kitchen to make something it always turns out fantastic.  This dish is no exception.  When he first told me he was going to be cooking this pasta I was a bit skeptical... the recipe included mushrooms, spinach, balsamic vinegar and orange juice...  It turns out I had nothing to worry about as this is one of the best pasta dishes I have ever tasted.  It is light, tangy and is so delicious that it makes me hungry every time I think about it.  This recipe has definitely become a staple in our home.

Baked Cauliflower with Lemon and Garlic

Since we are nearing the end of cauliflower season and there are all sorts of beautiful spring fruits and veggies available in the grocery stores these days I thought I would share with you one last "winterish" recipe.

This cauliflower recipe is one of my favorites.  It is simple, healthy and tangy.  The garlic flavor definitely comes through but it is not overpowering at all.  I highly recommend that you try this as a side dish (or as a light snack as I did this afternoon).

Even though cauliflower isn't as famous as broccoli for its health benefits it is equally good for you:

Cauliflower is high in fiber and is surprisingly rich in vitamin C. Who knew?!  Moreover, cauliflower also appears to have cancer fighting properties as it contains sulforaphane which triggers the liver to produce detoxifying enzymes which fight cancer-causing toxins. 

These are just a few of the many health benefits of cauliflower.

Beet and Yogurt Salad

Beets are definitely not the most glamorous root vegetable around but they sure are good for you...

Apparently beets have the ability to detoxify the blood, protect against heart disease and lower cholesterol.  Not bad! Some studies have also shown that beets slow the growth of tumors and help to boost immunity.  

After discovering all of these health benefits I thought I would give beets a chance by preparing a simple beet and yogurt salad.  Let me tell you, and this comes from someone who isn't the biggest fan of beets, the result was quite fantastic.  Give this a try! It's easy to make too. No cooking required.

Pasta with Lentils and Parsley

Here's a healthy and hearty dish you can make when you want to eat something fantastic but don't have the energy to put much thought into your meal.

This recipe literally calls for 6 ingredients: pasta, lentils, an onion, parsley, olive oil and salt. It is simple but will definitely please the whole family on a busy weeknight.

Turkish Bulgur Salad

 

I made this salad this weekend and it was a hit... It was finished before my husband and I sat down to eat dinner.

I highly recommend you make this Turkish dish (which is called kisir by the way) as it as it is easy to prepare and is absolutely delicious.  The primary ingredient in this salad is the bulgur (as opposed to the similar Lebanese dish, tebbouleh where the parsley is the main character).  Bulgur is a wheat which you should definitely be adding to your diet.  It is full of fiber and is a good place to get some vegetarian protein.

Deliciously Healthy Kale Salad

I apologize for not posting any new recipes for 4 months... I recently got married and moved halfway across the world.  I have been doing more cooking than ever before but of course I am rather busy and am having a hard time sharing my culinary adventures...

Aaaaaanyways, one of my newest obsessions these days is with kale.... I really didn't like kale at all at first but then I discovered I was just using it the wrong way.... I don't think that a garlicy dish is the way to go with this earthy green.  On the contrary, I think a simple, fresh salad is the perfect way to serve this healthy nutritious vegetable (kale is thought to have cancer-fighting properties and is rich in iron, and vitamins A, C and K).

A Healthy, Colorful Pasta Salad

I made this salad for lunch this afternoon and let me tell you it was fabulous.  Pasta salads can get a little bit blah so I made it interesting (and healthy) by adding some broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes and red peppers... All the different colors involved made it a feast for the eyes as well as for the tummy (I don't know about you, but I am so much more likely to enjoy something if it looks pretty).

I used a lemon and honey vinaigrette for this recipe and it resulted in the perfect tangy-but-sweet combination.

Pair this salad with a creamy tomato soup and you're all set for your light Sunday brunch this weekend.

Mediterranean Green Beans

Hey there! It's been a while... There's so much going on over here that there isn't much cooking being done in Nirvana's Kitchen... Things are finally slowing down though and hopefully I'll be back to sharing some delicious recipes on a regular basis with you soon.

Before I tell you about one of my most favorite dishes, let me ask you what you think of my new blog design? The fabulous Ellie from Rainy Day Templates is the one responsible for my blog makeover. I highly recommend you check out her work.

Anyways, back to the kitchen.... This is one of my favorite recipes because: 1 - this is probably the first real dish I ever cooked - it turned out lovely and I can't help but to keep making it again and again and again (and it's so healthy too!); 2 - it takes no time whatsoever to prepare it; and 3- it's so versatile - you can serve it hot as a main meal or chill it and serve it as a salad...

Arugula and Mushroom Salad

There are so many things I love about arugula… it has a wonderfully spicy taste that makes even the simplest salads fantastic. Even better, arugula is super healthy and full of vitamins, iron and phytonutrients which supposedly have cancer-fighting properties. What’s not to love about these greens?

A Summery Orzo Salad

Summer has arrived! This is beyond a doubt my most favorite time of year… Seriously, what’s not to love? The mangoes, the ice cream, the long flowy dresses, the beach… and speaking of beach, I just thought I’d share a picture of one of Egypt’s finest… And seriously, this picture does not do our shores justice…

Now I’m sure all of us would rather spend more time at the beach and other equally fabulous summer destinations than in a hot kitchen (and let me tell you it gets really hot here in the summer). So, without any further ado let me get to this recipe which is quick and easy so that it saves you time for other fun summer activities (but it still tastes perfect and light).

Egyptian "Besara" Recipe -- a Wonderful Broad Beans Appetizer

Are you looking for a scrumptious, versatile and super good for you appetizer recipe? If so, look no further than this traditional Egyptian dish made of broad beans, parsley and other fabulous green herbs. This dish calls for the simplest of ingredients and is ridiculously easy to put together -- the best things in life are always the simplest, aren't they?

I think you'll agree with me that besara is positively delightful.

Oh, and we usually serve this cold.
Ingredients:
2 cups broad beans, soaked overnight
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 large handful fresh parsley leaves
1 handful fresh coriander leaves
1/2 handful fresh dill
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt and pepper, to taste

Put all the above ingredients into a saucepan which has about 3 cups of boiling water. Boil the ingredients for about half an hour, until the water mostly evaporates and the beans are cooked. You may need to add more water in the process.

After everything is cooked, leave the ingredients to cool.

Once cooled, add the ingredients to a food processor and process until they become a fine paste with a uniform consistency.

Transfer the paste to a serving dish. You can sprinkle it with caramelized onions if you like. Refrigerate until completely chilled.

Serve with pita bread.

Serves 6

If you liked this recipe then you MUST try:

Baba Ghanouj Dip
The ORIGINAL hommos recipe
Egyptian Felafel

Don't Miss a Recipe!
Subscribe to Nirvana's Kitchen by Email