Dinners & Dreams

01/25/2012

Parsnip Dip or Dessert: You Pick!

Parsnips are available from fall through spring yet they can be so easily overlooked. I know I have overlooked them more than once. I pretended I didn’t see them and went on my way to grab other more “popular” roots.

The truth is I never really knew what to do with them or how to deal with their sweetness.

I recently bought a pound of parsnips for a tagine but chickened out at the last minute and used potatoes instead. So there I was with a pound of parsnips and no plans for them at all other than a determination not to let them go to waste. I had to get creative, and this is what my creativity led me to.

This parsnip concoction could be eaten as a dip for apples, celery or crackers as well as for dessert. It is delightfully sweet and floral and works well for both, though I have to say I like it better as a dessert because I’m partial to eating treats by the spoonful.

Posted in 30-minute recipes, Appetizers and Dips, Desserts, Gluten-Free Baking and Desserts, Recipes, Vegetarian

2 comments »

01/22/2012

Cauliflower and Beef Tagine

You may think this is just another tagine. You may think, aren’t they all the same after all. But no, no, no. They may seem like they are the same recipe with a different vegetable every time, but they are not. There are subtle differences, such as the choice or amount of spices, the aromatics, the amount of liquid, and more.

This tagine is certainly different. It has a tomato sauce base and its vegetable is not cooked in the sauce but dipped in egg, fried and plated on top of the stew at the very end. This results in more textural contrast and very happy taste buds.

Posted in Gluten-Free Dinners, Meat, Moroccan Recipes, Recipes, Tagine

12 comments »

01/18/2012

Vegetarian Tagine with Zucchini, Squash and Pearl Onions

This is an easy vegetable tagine that takes less than ten minutes to prepare and leaves you time to relax as it slowly simmers over low heat. Perhaps your New Year’s resolution has been to eat more vegetables. If so, you’ll find it easier to stick to with this savory chermoula vegetable tagine.

Posted in Gluten-Free Dinners, Moroccan Recipes, Recipes, Tagine, Vegetarian

4 comments »

01/13/2012

Cream of Cauliflower and Roasted Garlic Soup

In my last post on how to roast garlic, I hinted about soup. Well, I rather casually mentioned soup among other dishes, but my goal, really, was to get you to think of soup, think of roasted garlic, then think of the two together. It was sort of a trial balloon to see how well you would react to that match. You, excellent readers with excellent taste, quickly caught on what a great match that would be, and many of you even commented that you were planning to make soup with roasted garlic. Thank goodness for smart readers.

So, here it is, my friends. A great soup with cauliflower and roasted garlic, very creamy, very delicious. Do give it a try.

Happy weekend!

Posted in 30-minute recipes, Gluten-Free Dinners, Recipes, Soups, Vegetarian

10 comments »

01/10/2012

How to Make Roasted Garlic

The transformation garlic undergoes upon roasting is simply amazing to me. Changing from strong and pungent to buttery and caramelized with a simple procedure makes it my “go-to” flavoring whenever I want a quick extra something to add to my savory dishes. I love it in soups and spreads or simply tossed into sauces.

Posted in Condiments, How-To, Recipes, Vegetarian

4 comments »

01/06/2012

Roasted Red Pepper Chickpea Soup with Goat Cheese

This week has been marked by many celebrations: a new year, a birthday (my twentieth – thank you very much for asking!) and a special letter. It was heartwarming to hear from friends I haven’t seen in years. But the letter…

The letter, my friends, was the nicest I have received this year. It came from a student of mine whom I didn’t even think liked me. In fact, she rolled her eyes at me every time I looked at her, and in good proud Oujdi I rolled mine right back at her. Far was I from thinking that she would write me such kind words, wishing me such wonderful things.

The New Year seems to be already bringing new beginnings.

Posted in 30-minute recipes, Cheese, Gluten-Free Dinners, Mediterranean Recipes, Recipes, Soups, Vegetarian

13 comments »

01/02/2012

Coriander Skirt Steak Sandwiches (Mquila)

Mquila, a specialty of Rabat, and a meat delicacy not quite as hard core as khlii, but very very flavorful nonetheless. The secrets to good mquila are ground coriander—lots of it!—and many many hours of marinating.

The typical way to make mquila is cooking any kind of beef or lamb meat with a small amount of suet. I stepped away from that method by skipping the suet and using skirt steak which is beautifully marbled with fat, flavorful and quick to cook.

Posted in Meat, Moroccan Recipes, Recipes, Sandwiches

5 comments »

12/30/2011

A Recipe for Happiness

This couscous promises you so many great things, if only you believe!

Thousands of couscous grains for abundance.
Pomegranate for hope.
Apples for health.
Pineapple for friendship.
Ras el hanout for bedroom bliss.
Onion for wisdom.
Garlic to ward off evil (vampires too!).
Honey for much sweetness in the New Year.

Happy 2012! It will be a fabulous one!

Love,

Nisrine