Chickpea Salad

Chickpea Salad

Meena puts an Indian twist on a Middle Eastern salad. For a fresh and delicious treat, try this one out.

Dice one green bell pepper, one yellow bell pepper, one red bell pepper, and one orange bell pepper. Chop one large carrot into small pieces, dice one onion, dice one jalapeño pepper, and dice one tomato. Chop one bunch of parsley. Combine them into a large bowl, and add 2 cans of drained garbanzo beans (chickpeas). Mix together.

Tip: To avoid excess water in the salad, wash the vegetables the night before and keep them in the refrigerator overnight.

Add one tsp of ground cumin seeds, one tsp of garlic powder, and about one tsp of salt (to taste). Add half a cup of olive oil and 3/4 cup of lemon juice. Mix together, and serve.

It’s tempting to finish the bowl – save a little for your friends!

Molokhia

Fatma shares a family recipe for an Egyptian classic – molokhia or molokheya. Molokhia is a soup prepared from jute leaves. When paired with fried bell peppers and red sauce, this traditional favorite comes to life as a refreshing and tasty dish to share with family and friends.

Molokhia soup:

First, prepare the chicken broth. Fill a 1/3 of a pot with water. Add a whole, peeled onion. Add 4-5 seeds of cardamom. Place onto stove. Once boiling, place in a whole chicken and boil for 45-60 minutes. Strain the chicken broth before use. In an empty pot, add 2.5 cups of the chicken broth. Add one bag of frozen, minced Molokhia (jute leaves). Put onto stove, low heat, and cover it with a lid. Once a green soup, take it off the stove and place it to the side. Next, prepare the spices. Mash two cloves garlic and one tablespoon of ground coriander. Place these onto s small frying pan. Add olive oil, and fry until it is smooth. Add this to the pot of boiled Molokhia. Mix together. Leave it to the side, uncovered.

Side dish, Fried bell peppers:

Cut one large green bell pepper into pieces. Remove the seeds. Mash together one clove of garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. On a frying pan, with vegetable oil for frying, place onto stove and fry the bell peppers. Place onto a paper towel to absorb extra oil. Put into a bowl, and add the garlic vinegar mix to it.

Red sauce:

Ground two small cloves of garlic. Add into a small pot, and add 3/4 tablespoon of oil for frying. While frying, add two tablespoons of tomato paste. Add salt to taste, and leave to boil for two minutes.

Be happy. Be healthy. Eat molokhia!