This mango black bean salad is a delicious and refreshing side to add to any Southwest or Mexican themed meal. The sweet and juicy mangoes paired with the lime and cilantro add a burst of flavor to the black beans and corn. I also add peppers, red onions, and tomatoes to complete the dish and this is quite filling. Top it off with tortilla strips and enjoy with your favorite fish or chicken, or serve it up along with tacos or fajitas!

Add all the ingredients over a bed of greens. I like to use the spring greens mix. Use whatever you prefer. For the corn, the absolutel BEST way to do it, is to roast the corn on the grill or over a flame. Then slice the kernels off the cob. YUM! I can devour a whole bowl of this salad in one sitting. It is very filling!

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The easy dressing of lime, cumin, cayenne pepper and avocado oil couldn’t get any easier. I love eating this salad along side my mahi mahi. 

Mango Black Bean Salad

2017-03-15 14:47:20

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Ingredients

1. 1 mango, peeled and chopped into cubes
2. 1-2 tomatoes diced
3. 1/2 c diced poblano pepper
4. 1/2 c sliced red bell pepper
5. 1 c cooked and drained black beans
6. 1/2 c diced red onion
7. 1 c sweet corn
8. 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
9. 1/2 c lime juice
10. 2 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
11. 1 tsp salt
12. 1/4 tsp pepper
13. 1/4 tsp cumin
14. 1/4 tsp hot chili pepper or cayenne pepper
15. 8 oz of lettuce, field greens, or spinach

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together.
2. For extra flavor, roast corn on the cob on the barbecue or over a flame. Slice the corn kernels off the cob and add to the salad. This is my preferred method of preparing corn, which I do in the summer over a grill.
3. Enjoy as a main dish, with burgers, chicken, fish, tacos, fajitas, or anything else!

Notes

1. For variation try adding avocado, or tortilla strips on top.

By Noha ElSharkawy

Sugar & Garlic https://sugarandgarlic.com/

It has been a frequent complaint when we go out to eat at Middle Eastern restaurants: “they just don’t make falafel like they do back in Egypt.” We have tried countless places, and although it still may taste good, it doesn’t ever taste the same. Oh, how I miss my Egyptian falafel. The memory of waking up in our Alexandria vacation home and finding my cheery grandfather walk into the dining room with some hot and fresh falafels wrapped in a greasy newspaper, along with some hot-out-of-the-oven pita bread is one of my best childhood memories. I can almost smell it. 

Here, in the U.S., it is easy to find falafel everywhere. It is even in our local grocery stores. Falafel is such a loved favorite by all because it is a healthy, flavorful, vegetarian and vegan protein based dish. In metro-Detroit where I grew up, and in Chicago where I currently reside, it is even easier to find a wide variety of falafel dishes in endless cafes, restaurants, and diners. But why can’t I still enjoy that same nostalgic scent and flavor of falafels in Alexandria?

I finally figured out what is different. The falafel so well known here is that which hails from the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine) and it is primarily made with chickpeas. Now don’t get me wrong, these chickpea based falafel recipes are still delicious with all their variations and spices from each chef. But that is why it always tasted so different to us.

Egyptian falafel is not made with chickpeas, it is made with fava beans! Ah hah! Here is the key difference and why it has never tasted the same to me. We also load it up with greens for flavor such as cilantro, parsley, and leeks. So there you have it; it wasn’t a special oil, a pan, or even certain contaminants from the Egyptian cooking environment as we have often joked :D. The Egyptian falafel is greener, crispier, and flakier. In Cairo they call it T’aamiya, but if you are in Alexandria they still call it falafel. My dad and his family is from Cairo, and my mother’s side is from Alexandria so we use both names, interchangably. That is the beauty of blending cultures; you have a richer experience and vocabulary 🙂 And this here, is the best falafel recipe out there, demystified.

To make falafel, we do not use the brown fava beans as used in my ful mudammas recipe. Instead, you need peeled, large fava beans. These are sometimes labeled habas beans. I was lucky to find some in the bulk section at Whole Foods. Bob’s Red Mill also sells the correct larger, peeled bean. They should look like this: 

The beans need to soak in water for at least half a day, preferably overnight. The beans do not get cooked soft, but only pulsed in a food processor before frying or baking. So the soaking is very important. The soaking also helps remove some of the unwanted by-product in the beans that our bodies do not digest well and may cause bloating. So, step 1: soak the beans!

The greens used in the recipe give this falafel a really fresh and flavorful bite. It is crispier and lighter than the chickpea variation. Because there is a lot of liquid from the onion and fresh herbs, you need some type of flour to bind the falafel together. I love using garbanzo bean flour, which is really just ground chickpeas. The flavors combine perfectly, and keeps the recipe gluten-free. You can also find ground chickpea flour from Bob’s. Some chopped white onion, cilantro (with stems), parsley, and leek go into this falafel dough for a fresh and green patty. It is fine to add the cilantro and parsley leaves along with garlic into the food processor with the beans, but it is better to finely chop the onion and leek so that the mixture does not get too much water.

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When blending the ingredients slowly pulse the beans until they are like a grainy texture, with no large chunks. Be careful not to puree it into a paste. It won’t hold together into a patty if you do. Once everything is blended, you may begin to combine all ingredients for the dough. Add the spices: cumin, coriander, paprika, salt and pepper. Cayenne is a great addition if you want some kick, but I keep the heat down for my kids.

Once all the ingredients are combined (except for the baking soda), you may either pack away the falafel “dough” into freezer bags for later use, or if you are ready to fry them, prepare for shaping the patties.

When the falafel will be shaped into patties to fry, you need to add 1 tsp of baking soda per 1 cup of dough. Use about 2 teaspoons of dough to roll into a ball and then flatten into a patty. Roll in sesame on both sides and set onto a plate until ready to fry. I fry mine in a combination of sunflower, grapeseed, and olive oil, but you could use any frying oil you like.

It is basically compulsory to eat falafel with tahini. The sauce smothers the falafel with the right amount of juicy zest, and makes any sandwich better. Tahini to falafel is like ketchup to potato fries. My cilantro tahini is perfect for falafel. Simply whisk the lime juice into the tahini. Add the minced garlic and cilantro, and whisk in the water until the tahini is the desired consistency. For some reason blending the tahini makes it get hard. So only use a whisk. Drizzle over your falafel sandwich, or simply dip the falafels in and enjoy. :p

Egyptian Falafel

2017-02-02 09:18:30

A flavorful and crunchy homemade falafel recipe full of greens and spices!

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Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

5 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

5 min

For the falafel

1. 3 cups habas beans (peeled and soaked overnight)
2. 1/2 white onion, finely chopped (1.5 cups)
3. 1 bunch of cilantro leaves and stems
4. 1 bunch of parsley leaves
5. 4 large cloves of garlic (or more to taste)
6. 1 leek
7. 2 tsp salt (more to taste)
8. 1/4 tsp black pepper
9. 1 tsp ground coriander
10. 1/4 tsp cumin
11. 1/4 tsp white pepper
12. 1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)
13. 1.5 cups chickpea flour
14. 2 tbsp sesame seeds
15. 1/2 tsp of baking soda (for frying only)
16. 3 cups of sunflower or canola oil (or any oil you prefer for frying)
17. sumac for garnish
18. pita bread to serve

For the tahini

1. 1/2 tahini paste
2. 1/4 c lime juice
3. 1/4 c water
4. 1/2 tsp salt
5. 2 tbsp minced cilantro

For the falafel

1. After soaking overnight, rinse the fava/habas beans with cold water and drain well.
2. Thoroughly wash the parsley and cilantro. Remove the parsley leaves from the stems, and discard the stems.
3. Trim off the bottoms of the cilantro stems and discard, but keep the tops of the stems near the leaves.
4. In a food processor, combine the beans with the parsley, cilantro, and garlic cloves.
5. Peel the outer leaves of the leek and wash well. Roughly chop the leek and add to the bean mixture. Pulse in a food processor until the bean and herb mixture is grainy like sand. You will likely need to pulse in a few batches to fit it all, so that you do not process parts of the beans too much. Be careful not to puree to a paste.
6. Stir in the spices and chopped onions.
7. Slowly stir in the chickpea flour so that you have a moldable dough with no excess water. If it is too watery, add more chickpea flour.
8. Separate the dough into baggies to refrigerate or freeze for later, or you may fry it all at once to yield several dozens.
9. Only use the baking soda right before cooking the dough, not for storage. Stir in 1/2 tsp of baking soda for every cup of falafel dough you will cook. Roll into balls, then flatten lightly. Roll the patty in a plate of sesame seeds and set aside on a platter until ready to fry.
10. Heat the oil in a medium pot on medium-high heat. The oil is ready when you drop a crumb of dough into it, and it sizzles and turns golden quickly. Once hot, turn the heat down to medium and place about 6-8 falafels into the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove and set onto a towel to drain. Serve hot and eat immediately!

Tahini

1. Stir all ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Dip the falafels in tahini and enjoy! Bil hana wil shifaa!

Notes

1. Like potato fries, falafel tastes best served immediately. It is best to only fry a small amount that will be consumed immediately, and store the rest in the fridge or freezer. Store in the fridge for 3 days maximum.
2. When using a frozen bag of falafel dough, allow it to thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour.
3. Serve the falafel with the tahini sauce, sliced tomatoes, green onions, and cucumbers, and of course, with some pita bread.
4. Bil Hana!

By Noha ElSharkawy

Sugar & Garlic https://sugarandgarlic.com/

Kunafah is a sweet Middle Eastern pastry, made of shredded pastry dough which is drenched in syrup, and filled with a variety of delicious fillings ranging from crunchy cinnamon and sugar coated nuts, a sweet cheese, or a smooth filling of cream (kishta). I have fond memories as a child watching my mother skillfully manipulate the long threads of dough into a beautiful log filled with the crunchy cinnamon and sugar nut and coconut filling. She would then drench it with the simple syrup I often helped her stir in the pot, but until now I still always call her to ask “how much sugar and water? When do I add the lemon?”

A kunafah for everyone

Lately, there is a trend of filling kunafa with all kinds of delicious concoctions such as Nutella, mangoes, coconut cream, cheesecake or whatever else you may fancy. I personally plan to try Nutella out next, following this same recipe but without the vanilla cream. My apple pie kunafah last fall all through Thanksgiving and Christmas was wildly popular! You definitely need to try that out. The flexibility of this easy dessert makes it something anyone can do!

Vanilla bean cream/kishta

This variation is my recipe for a vanilla infused kishta. Kishta is the Arabic word for heavy cream, usually a creamy and decadently smooth filling for pastries. My vanilla bean kishta is an elevated version of a classic pastry cream filled kunafah as is made in Egypt. It is a very basic cream whipped together with cornstarch and milk or cream. Mine is infused with real vanilla bean, which smells heavenly, but you can also use vanilla extract, if you choose. Vanilla bean is a lot more fragrant and impressive though. I conveniently get mine from slofood group, online. You can also find it online from Amazon for speedy delivery:) This is the jar of pure extract paste (and no alcohol) I love to buy for all my baking needs, and I use this in the milk if I don’t have actual vanilla bean pods on hand. 

Kunafa is a childhood favorite! Every Ramadan I crave it madly. The unique texture of the shredded phyllo is so delicious and crunchy, and I love the way it absorbs the sweet flavors like a sponge. I always thought this seemingly complicated dessert is only achieved from my mother’s kitchen, or Middle Eastern bakeries. 

Lucky for us, this dessert is extremely easy to prepare and make, despite its uniquely complex appearance and textures. I like using a bundt to give it a special shape. You can sprinkle pistachios or almonds on top.  I infuse the cream filling with real vanilla bean, and the creamy texture is reminiscent of my all time favorite dessert: creme brûlée. 

Ingredients

You will need to purchase kunafah dough at a Middle Eastern market or online. Kataifi dough is almost always purchased in the store, as it is not easy to make at homw. It is called “kataifi shredded dough” in most cases.  In Chicago, I go to Sanabel Bakery on Kedzie, which is a wonderful haven to get all kinds of Middle Eastern aromatic spices, herbs, and groceries. The dough is almost always sold frozen. You need to plan to thaw this in the fridge 12-24 hours before you use it. So be sure to get the dough ahead of time. In a pinch, you may leave it on the counter to thaw more quickly and use it the same day, but it must be completely thawed out so that you may work the dough properly. Thawing in a microwave will not work. Do not try it. 

Simple Syrup

The first thing to do is to make the simple syrup, known as sharbat in Arabic, so that it has plenty of time to cool. The sharbat is very easy to make; it is sugar mixed with water and a squeeze of lemon juice. Many people add rose water or orange blossom essence to sharbat, but I avoid that overpowering flavor in this recipe to enjoy the main flavor of the vanilla cream in the pastry. Once the water-sugar mixture begins to boil, add a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and reduce the heat until it thickens. The syrup needs to cool so that when you pour it onto the hot, freshly baked kunafa, it absorbs quickly, or “drinks” the syrup. Thus the name sharbat which comes from the Arabic root word sharb, meaning drink.

Vanilla infused cream

Next, you will prepare the delicious cream filling. This is my FAVORITE part. Your kitchen will smell amazing. To keep this recipe exactly as I make it, I recommend using either a vanilla bean pod, or vanilla bean paste. Extract powder will work to scent the cream but extract is usually artificial, so the flavor and scent is certainly not the same. I do not recommend using a liquid extract.

When using a vanilla bean, place it against a cutting board and carefully slice open the top along the length of the bean, without puncturing through the bottom. Scrape out all the glorious vanilla bean caviar from the pod with the blunt tip of a butter knife or a small spoon and drop it into simmering cream. The scent is divine, and once you begin to simmer it, the aroma will waft through your home.  Simmer 2 cups of heavy cream over medium-low heat and add the vanilla bean. The cream should be speckled with hundreds of beautiful aromatic vanilla bits. I also throw in the whole wooden pod to infuse more flavor, or you could place the emptied wooden pod in a sugar container to have vanilla infused sugar for baking, tea, and coffee. Don’t waste that pod! After simmering for about 5 minutes, you will need to remove the wooden pod and reduce the heat to low to prevent any scorching of the cream. In a separate bowl, stir 2 tbsp of corn starch with cold milk until dissolved, and then pour the corn starch mixture into the cream. Whisk until the cream thickens. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. 

The kataifi dough

Now, for the kunafa dough. The thawed dough will most likely be rolled in a thick log of finely shredded pieces; you will need to separate all these pieces with you fingers and begin to chop them into smaller shreds. I cut them down to about 6-8 inch long shreds as I use a bundt pan so the linger pieces form better. In a flat surfaced pan such as a sheet pan or round pan, chopping the shreds even smaller is better. The next step is a great sensory experience for kids: massage the shreds of dough with butter in a large bowl.

The clarified butter

For this pastry, you need to use samnah, which is clarified butter otherwise known as ghee. I love using Kerrygold unsalted butter. It is high quality butter has an amazing flavor and is made from grass fed cow’s milk. This butter makes for more flavorful pastries and it is my go to for baking. Samnah is unsalted butter with all the salt and milk solids removed. It is easy to make. Simply melt unsalted butter and once it is melted, and begins to bubble, remove from the heat and skim off the top when cooled. The salt and solid matter left behind is a delicious treat to lick up with some bread by the way! Samnah could be stored in a container in the fridge and used in many, many other recipes.

Once all of the shredded dough is separated, fluffed out, and massaged with butter, press half of the dough onto the bottom of a circular pan. Pour the cream in the middle and then cover the cream with the remaining buttered kunafa dough. Pour 1/4 c melted butter all over the kunafa and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until golden. Making this in a bundt pan can be trickier to keep the cream in, but it looks so pretty!

As soon as the kunafa is removed from the oven, you need to pour the sharbat all over it to sweeten. After waiting a few minutes (2-3) for the syrup to drip to the bottom of the pan, flip it onto a serving dish, so that the now permanent bottom of the cake gets sweetened as well. Garnish with crushed pistachios or a mixture of nuts as is done traditionally and enjoy! This is often served with a cup of mint or clover tea.