These are the perfect excuse to indulge in a rich fudgy treat; packed with nutritional carbohydrates, minimal fat, no added sugars, and 7 natural whole ingredients this is the perfect snack to pop in for an energy boost! Try these before starting your Ramadan fast to have some lasting energy:) Or if you are like me and about to start an exhausting day running errands with two screaming kids with no time to eat; then these are perfect for that too!

I love it when dessert can also be good for you. This recipe offers one delectably sweet treat, but it is oh so full of goodness and nutrition. These are also naturally vegan and gluten free so can be enjoyed by a variety of diets. These cute little truffles are delicious, fudgy, energy bites consisting of pureed dates, a dash of almond butter, vanilla extract, crushed nuts, coconut, or dried cherries (your choice!) and dark chocolate. I add some oats and flax meal for extra nutrition. Flax seeds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, lignans, and fiber and have been shown to decrease inflammation, reduce risks for cancer, and modestly decrease blood sugar levels in diabetics. Whole flax seeds however, usually pass through your body undigested, so it is necessary to consume it ground.

For the month of Ramadan, when Muslims traditionally and ritually consume dates before starting and after breaking the fast, these make an excellent variation to just plain dates. Muslims start the day before fasting with a date or two in suhoor , so these come in handy with the added fiber and flavor. The sustained energy release, numerous nutrients, and outstanding health benefits of dates are all a reason to pop one (or a few!) of these into your mouth when you are running low on fuel! Check out my post on the date smoothie to try another energy boosting and natural treat and to read more about the health benefits of dates. But just to give you an idea, dates are a superfood rich in B vitamins which help you metabolize food and develop new blood cells. They are also rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron. Dates are packed with fiber, mostly insoluble fiber, which sticks to that nasty cholesterol and fat in your body and escorts it OUT of your body (by obvious means). Of course, as you may tell from its ultra sweet flavor, dates are also high in natural sugars, making them the perfect natural sweetener in desserts and smoothies and an excellent source of natural carbohydrates because they have a low glycemic index.

I made some of these topped with crushed peanuts and no almond butter because my husband is allergic to all tree nuts and we have a tree-nut free household. BORING, I know. He is really missing out, I often tell him. Oh, and in case you are wondering, NO, peanuts are NOT a nut. They are a legume, or little seeds that grow in the ground. So although peanuts are a common allergy, they are not the same as a tree-nut allergy. (We often have to explain this to waiters who are very hesitant to give us desserts or foods with peanut ingredients when we warn them about the severe nut allergy). Anyway, I would LOVE to make these with crushed walnuts or pecans! Try it out, you will love it!

My favorite flavor is the coconut. Just add some coconut to the mixture and then roll the truffles in some shredded coconut.

To get the dates into a workable paste, you will need to remove the pit, slice in half, then soak the dates in warm water to soften them up. This is as technical as this recipe will get! Easy, right? Then you are ready to blend! Blend the dates with liquid vanilla extract and a spoon of almond butter to break up the dates into a paste.  Then add the cocoa, cinnamon, and other ingredients until incorporated. When cocoa is one of your main ingredients, it really needs to be the good stuff. Buy a fresh batch of high quality cocoa like Valrhona or Ghirardhelli. I use my Vitamix, which works great, but a powerful food processor should do the trick as well. I added oats and flax meal to the batch, and dried cherries, crushed nuts, or shredded coconut to divided parts of the mixture to make some different flavors. Then, after rolling into a ball, roll the truffle into some shredded coconut, crushed nuts, or some cocoa powder! The possibilities are endless!

Loubiya has been one of my favorite meals of all time. These beans are so creamy and full of flavor, they really stand out from any other bean I have tried. This Egyptian black eyed pea stew is such a healthy and flavorful comfort dish. Loubiya is a lovely medley of onions, garlic, and luscious black-eye peas that have simmered away in a rich tomato broth. Egyptian loubiya is traditionally cooked with tender stew beef and its broth, but in our plant focused kitchen, I always make it vegan. This easy plant-based dinner is flavorful and satisfying, and best of all it is conveniently made with inexpensive pantry basics.

Ingredients

As with all of my beans and legumes, I use dried beans. Black eyed peas are available almost anywhere; and believe me when I say it is worth cooking them fresh from scratch! For one thing, you do not want them too soft for this stew. The taste is always better when cooked fresh, and not out of a can.

First, I spread the beans in a large shallow dish and let the kids pick through them for any bad pieces; they love this “game” ! I wash and rinse the beans and cook them directly without soaking because I use a pressure cooker. The Instant Pot has been my reliable choice for easy pressure cooking for over 10 years now. The beans are cooked in 15 minutes in the Instant Pot! (Click the link to purchase directly from Amazon).

Like any bean, black eyed peas are a superb source of fiber. What sets these apart though, is their creamy texture and super quick cook time. They are also particularly rich in Vitamin B, folate, potassium and iron. These beans are high in protein and a low fat and low calorie food, making them ideal for weight loss.

The tomato broth is a flavorful mix of onions, shallots, garlic, and carrots infused with fresh ground coriander and cardamom.

I love using blended tomatoes, but if I don’t have enough tomatoes, crushed tomatoes in a jar work very well. I simmer the tomato broth until it thickens and incorporates all the delicious flavors.

Loubiya stew pairs perfectly with a bowl of fluffy white rice. I serve it alongside a green salad, which makes for a filling and hearty meal you can feel good about. I hope you all enjoy! Bil Hana, wal shifaa ( Arabic for with health and healing)!

Loubiya (Egyptian Black Eyed Peas Stew)

This Egyptian black eyed pea stew is such a healthy and flavorful comfort dish made from a sofrito of sautéed onions, shallots, garlic and carrots with coriander that has simmered away in a rich tomato broth.

5 from 3 votes

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Course Main Course

Cuisine egyptian, Middle Eastern

Equipment

• Instant Pot (to cook the dry beans)

Ingredients

  

• 2 c dried beans
• 4 c water (to cook beans)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 tbsp ground coriander seed (kuzbarra)
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large carrot, minced or diced small
• 2.5 c blended or crushed tomatoes
• 2 c water or broth
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

 

• Pick the black eyed peas over for any bad beans, wash, and place into pressure cooker with 4 cups of water. Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes and natural pressure release.

  Alternatively, you may soak the beans in water for one hour, drain, rinse and then cook them covered in water in a conventional pot on the stovetop for 1.5-2 hours, until beans become fork tender.
  
• In a separate stock pot, saute onions in olive oil over high heat until golden.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and toss in coriander and cardamom spices. Move around the spices so that they become fragrant over the heat, being careful not to scorch them.
• Add minced shallots, garlic, and carrots.
• Pour in the tomatoes, followed by the water or broth. Turn heat back up to medium-high.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, starting with 1 teaspoon of salt as you can add more once you add the black eyed peas.
• Simmer the tomato broth for 10 minutes.
  
• Add the cooked black eyed peas and simmer for 5 minutes more.
• Serve with white rice and enjoy!
  

Notes

Add in stew beef with the aromatics in step 4 and simmer in water for 45 minutes to make this recipe with meat. 

Keyword beans, blackeyedpeas, stew, vegan

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The weather outside is frightful….and soup sounds so delightful! These cold winter days are perfect for a steaming hot bowl of quinoa lentil soup. This tomato based soup is a hearty, filling, protein packed, and super flavorful meal that echoes the flavors of my famous Egyptian kushary! Nutritious lentils and quinoa simmer away in a delectable broth of tomatoes, onions, garlic, lemon, and cilantro. It can be easily prepared in an Instant Pot to save time and cook all legumes from scratch.

This quinoa lentil soup is actually inspired by kushary, a hearty and flavorful meal that is famous as Egyptian street food. Kushary is a classic comfort food comprised of cooked lentils, layered over a bed of rice, pasta, and garlic and topped with crispy onions and a spicy, zesty, garlicky, lemon-vinegar tomato sauce. It is a delicious bowl of comfort, and big on carbs. This soup has a similar flavor profile, but it is much lighter and made with more plant protein. I cut down the carbs by swapping out the rice for protein-packed quinoa, and kept the pasta minimal with little vermicelli noodles (sometimes I use orzo too). I even serve up this soup topped with crispy caramelized onions. This is such a treat!

Ingredients

I use dried chickpeas and lentils and cook them fresh. The flavor and bite is substantially improved and really does not compare to canned. If you have an Instant Pot, it is a cinch to prep the chickpeas. I usually cook 2-3 cups in advance for the week and I save them in the fridge or the freezer, depending how soon I will use them.

I only use green or brown lentils for this recipe. They cook instantly in 3 minutes in the instant pot. Red lentils do not work for this soup. They are actually shelled so they will cook down too quickly and become mushy in this recipe.

I love using quinoa in this soup instead of the rice that is in kushary. Quinoa has more of a bite to it and keeps its shape, even when you serve this soup a few days later. White or rainbow quinoa works in this recipe. When I add the quinoa, I turn the pot setting to saute, so that it is only simmering lightly. I simmer the quinoa for only 10 minutes so it does not become too soft. Of course, this can all be done in a regular pot. The lentils will just take a longer amount of time to cook.

The texture of these superfood grains simmering in the lemony tomato broth is so delicious! This soup is naturally vegan, plant-based, and can be gluten free. It is nothing short on flavor! I use a lot of lemon, onions, and garlic to reflect the flavor profile of kushary and its zesty tomato sauce. You can optionally kick up the soup a notch by sprinkling in some cayenne pepper too. Check out my video recipe to see how quick and easy this recipe is.

Quinoa Lentil Soup

Tomatoes, lentils, garlic, lemon, cilantro and some delicious and nutritious grains combine to make this bowl of kushary soup.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine egyptian, Middle Eastern

Servings 6

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients

  

• 1 c cooked or dry chickpeas See step 1 to cook the chickpeas in Instant Pot
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion half sliced, half diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp salt, more to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 c strained tomatoes
• 3 c broth vegetable or chicken
• 4 c water, plus more as needed
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 c lentils
• 1/2 c quinoa
• 1/2 c vermicelli or orzo
• 1 fresh lemon, juiced
• 1 bunch of cilantro, minced
• pita bread *optional

Instructions

 

• I start with cooking chickpeas from scratch. Use 1 cup of dry chickpeas and cook them in the Instant Pot by covering them with water and pressure cook for 60 minutes (high pressure). Drain and set aside 1 cup of cooked chickpeas for the soup and store the rest.
• Over high heat, or on the saute setting of an Instant Pot, cook the diced onion in 2 tbsp of olive oil until yellow. Add the garlic and diced tomatoes.
• Add the cumin, coriander, and pepper and stir well for about 2 minutes until tomatoes have softened.
• Add 4 cups of water, followed by the lentils. Close the lid of the Instant pot and pressure cook by pressing manual and adjust to 3 minutes (high pressure). If using a regular pot, simmer on low for 20 minutes until lentils are cooked.
• While the lentils cook, fry the sliced onions in a sauce pan with the remaining 2 tbsp of oil. Once the onions begin to soften, sprinkle on the corn starch to help them crisp up. Saute over medium-high heat until the onions become golden and crispy. Set aside for serving.
  
• Once the lentils have cooked, stir the soup and make sure there is still enough liquid. If it has thickened too much, add 1 more cup of water.
• Make sure the pot is now set to saute setting (15 minutes) to simmer the soup. Add the strained tomatoes and broth, along with the salt.
• Add the quinoa. Allow the soup to simmer for 10 minutes more so that the quinoa cooks.
• Add the vermicelli or orzo pasta and cook for about 5 minutes more.
  
• Add most of the cilantro, reserving some for garnishing. Turn off the heat. Add the lemon juice and serve.
• Garnish with fried onions, cilantro, and serve with pita.
  

Video

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B6Limr5gAtZ/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Keyword kushary, lentils, tomato