Wanna discover new cookbooks?

I love love love cookbooks.  I have a small collection that I am quite proud of, and one of my favorite things to do when I have some time to myself is to go to a bookstore and flip through new cookbooks that inspire me and get my mouth watering.  (On that note, for anyone who enjoys doing that and happens to be in London, you MUST check out Books for Cooks in Notting Hill, yes a whole shop of just cookbooks! Heaven!!) 


So back to my point. I've discovered the very cool Tournament of Cookbooks created by Food52. This is apparently the third year where 16 of the most popular cookbooks (of 2011) compete against each other for the sought after piglet award. The books are judged by 17 of the top food writers and chefs around, who really share their thoughts on the look and feel of the books, how the books inspire them as well as the success rate of some recipes they personally try.  There is a total of 5 rounds which gradually narrows down the competition to a winner.  Not only do you get amazing insights into these stunning books, but you also get insights into these food personalities that are judging the books.   

You can check out all the action here. I'm off to amazon to make a few orders now ;)

Some help for the high chair

Yousef is now 11 months old, and we're both now trying to move on from boring purees and mashed food.  In a way, it's a relief to know that I can now count him in for most of what I cook at home, but it's also been a bit confusing.  See I normally cook (adult food) 3 or 4 times a week, and it's not necessarily baby friendly.  Now I suddenly need to have fresh, healthy dishes prepared almost everyday.  Of course I will be freezing some portions or making one off sandwiches for the little one too...  So for the last couple of weeks, I've been trying to get creative with what I can make for Y, I've been asking friends, looking through my old recipes and checking out what's online.  That's when I found Weelicious.  This is a blog by a culinary school grad, used to be a model, mom of two.  It's super helpful!  I love it because the recipes are very simple and quick, and can be appreciated by the whole family.  So if you find yourself in my situation, not knowing what to feed your little one, or your partner even... check this site out.


Here are images of some of the recipes I can't wait to try.

Noodle Pancakes

Roast Vegetable Pasta Sauce

Deviled Egg "Chicks"

Yum!!

My 'healthier' Maklouba

I've been having good days and bad days when it comes to my attempt to eat better and lighter.  It didn't help that I went to visit family, I swear I had good intentions.  In any case, I'm back in Dubai and trying to get back on track.  Last night I had grilled chicken with salad, no carbs.  Yay me! 
Tonight, I thought I would try to makeover a favorite of mine - Maklouba.  Maklouba is a Palestinian dish where you cook chicken (you can use red meat instead), with some vegetables like eggplant, cauliflower and capsicum and with rice, all in one pot.  Once it's ready, it is flipped onto a big serving dish so that all the ingredients are piled up over each other in the reverse order that they were placed in the pot.  That's the literal meaning of Maklouba - upside down.


I learnt the original recipe from my mother in law and I was really craving it.  I decided to try to make a slightly healthier version here.  So rather than fry each vegetable first, I baked and grilled them.  And I avoided rice all together.  So here's the recipe:


My 'healthier' Maklouba:

Ingredients: (This is for two servings)
4 Chicken Breasts 
2 Eggplants
2 Capsicum (1 green and 1 red - just for fun)
2 Large Tomatoes, cut into round slices
Olive Oil
Chicken Stock (I used MAGGI cubes dissolved in boiled water)
Arabic spice mix
Salt and Pepper

Method:
1. First, peel half of the eggplants, so that each eggplant looked like it was striped.  Cut them lengthwise and put them in a baking dish.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Mix them around with your hands.

2. Bake them in the oven for about 20 - 25 minutes on high heat until they start to turn golden.  Half way through, make sure you turn them around so they don't stick to the baking dish. 
3. Meanwhile, cut the capsicum into large slices and grill them on a dry pan for a few minutes.
4. Boil the chicken breasts for a couple of minutes and then pan fry them with a little olive oil to get a nice golden color.  Season with salt and pepper.  Do not cook entirely. 
5. Prepare the chicken stock.
6. Now in a smaller baking dish, drizzle very little olive oil on the base.  Make a layer with the sliced tomatoes. Then add the chicken breasts, then the eggplant and the capsicum.  

7. Sprinkle a little Arabic spices and drizzle some of the chicken stock.  You may want to put a small plate on top of the last layer of capsicum just to hold everything in place.  Then add a little more chicken stock.  Cover with foil paper and put it in the oven to bake for another 20 - 30 minutes. 
8. Take it out of the oven, remove the smaller plate carefully and flip the entire dish onto a larger serving plate.
9. I served it with cold yogurt with cut cucumbers and a little crushed garlic and salt.

Mission No Junk

I'm about to cry just writing this.  Let me explain.

I love junk food.  Love it.  As of a few years back I used to have it about 3 times a week easily.  Recently, I've cut down to about once a week which is a challenge.  Let me clarify what I mean by junk food, in case you think I'm just being dramatic.   I mean McDonald's, Hardeez (for those of you who live in the Middle East, you would be more familiar with this godsend), Wendy's, KFC and the list goes on and on. 

I used to be blessed with a high metabolism.  I was that tall skinny girl who could eat anything. Lucky me.  Well, I got used to it.  Now, I'm 31 years old and my metabolism is slowing down QUICKLY, but I'm still eating the same stuff... and I honestly have a guy's appetite in terms of portions.  Add a pregnancy to the equation.  Plus, one of the new things I'm experiencing as a mother is that I'm worrying about things like cholesterol and my future health.  

Ok I am not "fat" (sorry if I'm not being P.C. here), but I don't like how I look and feel.  I'm about 5'9" and I weigh about 67kg.  So I have about 5kg (possibly more) to lose.  This means... gasp... no more junk.  And lots of exercise, because I need to tone up too.  The good thing is I have a deadline, first week of June.  Ibiza.  Seriously, if that's not motivation, I don't know what is.  Maybe the fact that I am going with 9 or 10 super hot girl friends? hmmm...

So here's the deal:

1. I will be blogging about this mission as often as I can. 

2. I'm a pretty decent cook if I do say so myself, so I will also be sharing my recipes, which HOPEFULLY will be at least semi-healthy (but I'm sure some of them wont be so healthy but definitely tasty - and hey they aren't fast food!)  My recipes will be a mix of Arabic recipes from my family, to a few I find from other sources to a few of my own concoctions. 

3. I'm a foodie and I don't believe in eliminating an entire food group or starving myself, so there will be no "detox" plan or cabbage soup for a week thing happening here. There will be a lot of some what balanced, non junky, tasty recipes. 

4. THIS IS A DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A NUTRITIONIST OR A PROFESSIONAL DIETIAN OR A PROFESSIONAL TRAINER OR A PROFESSIONAL CHEF.

So, here goes! Day 1 - February 15th.

I think I was pretty good today.  I only had tea with a little milk for breakfast (never been much of a breakfast person - unless I'm on holiday).  I did have an early lunch which was 2 scrambled eggs with steamed spinach (the spinach was left over from a puree I made my son), with 2 pieces of wholewheat toast.  And for dinner I made really easy and yummy baked chicken breasts with salad.  Here's the recipe for that:

My Easy and Yummy Chicken Breast Recipe:

Ingredients:

• I made 4 chicken breasts for my husband and myself.
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and cut
• 1 rounded teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• About a teaspoon of Arabic Bizar - this is a spice mix I use often, you should be able to find it easily in the Middle East or in the Middle Eastern section of a supermarket.  It consists of ground coriander, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, cumin, fennel, cardamom and fenugreek.  If you can't find the mix, you can make your own :)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

• Mix the lemon, garlic, mustard and spices in a small blender if possible or just in a little bowl and pour over the chicken breasts.  Let the chicken marinate for at least half an hour.  
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to about 220 degrees.
• Bake chicken, preferably cover the dish with foil, for about half an hour or until cooked through.
• Serve with Salad!

For the salad dressing, because I already had lemon and mustard in the chicken marinade, I decided to try something different. I mixed Olive oil with a little white balsamic vinegar and pomegranate molasses, and seasoned with some salt.  

It was pretty good!