Moroccan Soup

Yep another soup...after all, I am the self-dubbed Soup Queen!

I was at work one day when a most delicious smell came wafting through the kitchen, across the hall and into my office. I followed it like Pepe La Pue floating along the scent-breeze of his true love. Once the source was found, I bullied the cook into giving me the recipe (well actually she gave it over quite willingly, she's a very nice lady). With some minor adjustments to the recipe, here is the way to drive your friends, family, or coworkers crazy with soup-lust:

Moroccan Soup

Sautee in 1 tsp olive oil 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1" piece of minced fresh ginger, 1 large chopped onion, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tsp cumin approx 5 minutes.

Add two chopped carrots and 2 ribs of chopped celery, sautee a few minutes longer.

Add 6 cups of low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock, 3 cups of water, 28z can of tomatoes and 1 cup of rinsed dried green lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Add 19 0z can of chick peas or 1 1/4C cooked chick peas, cook 15 minutes longer.

Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 Tbsp harissa or sambal olek (chili paste) and lots of chopped cilantro and enjoy! Makes about 13 cups of soup.

Nutritional info: Each cup of soup has 80 calories, 1g fat, 4g protein, 15g carbs, 4g fibre, 360mg sodium.

Variation: Add 1C chopped grilled chicken breast and you have a great meal.

Baked Falafels with tahini-yogurt sauce

Last week I had some terrible falafels at shawarma shop, and thought of how far they were from the delicious, bright green spicy morsels I remember from Saudi Arabia. It's not something I usually order anyway, since they are typically deep-fried. So I decided to go on a falafel quest....I scoured the internet for recipes, advice, and guidance. Armed with some new knowledge, I hit the kitchen. Here is my version....I think they turned out very delicious! Next time I will make them with the green fava beans that are traditional in Arabian falafels.

Baked Falafels with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce

1 1/4 C cooked garbonzo beans (or 1 can)

3 cloves garlic

1 handful parsley

1 handful cilantro

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 tsp cumin

1 chili pepper

1 tsp tahini paste

2 grinds each of salt and pepper

2 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp flour (ideally garbonzo bean flour)

Pulse all the ingredients except the flour in a food processor until mixture resembles a coarse meal and the herbs have turned the mixture green. Transfer into a bowl and add the flour, stirring well until combined. Form into 8 balls (about 2 Tbsp mixture for each), and flatten to form a disc. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray, place falafels on the sheet, and spray them with cooking spray. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes, turing once, or until golden brown.

Each falafel is 48 calories, 0.6g fat, 2.3g protein, 8g carbs, 1.6g fibre, and 10mg sodium.

Sauce:

1/2C yogurt

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 tsp tahini paste

s&p

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, chill until ready to use.

Six-Pepper Hummus and Pita Chips

Inspired by Sheila's request, I am posting my recipe for Six Pepper Hummus. It's super-yummy, made with naturally heathly indredients, and a little less calorie-dense than regular hummus due to the addition of pureed peppers.

Six-Pepper Hummus

-1.5 C cooked garbonzo beans ( I soak some beans overnight then cook them until tender, but I can't tell you how much dry beans you need to make 1.5C cooked, or how long to cook them, so if you are not into Kitchen Gambling you can use the canned ones, drained and rinsed).
-1/4C cooking liquid or liquid from can
-1 large red sweet pepper
-assortment of 5 medium-hot peppers (I used crimson hot, red jalepeno, pimento, banana, and an unidentified red curly one, you can use whatever is available at your grocery except habanero, I don't recommend that one unless you like it REALLY hot)
-2T olive oil
-1T tahini paste
-juice of 1/2 lemon
-1/4tsp cumin


Roast the peppers in a baking dish in a 400F oven until the skins have blackened. Cool slightly, peel off the skins (easier if you seal in a plastic bag while cooling). Scrape out innards and deposit the flesh into a blender or food processor. Add in the cooked beans and the remainer of ingredients. Blend on high for two minutes, should be quite smooth and a little emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste, pulsing to distribute. Put into a bowl, sprinkle a little paprika on top and decorate with a sprig of parsley. Chill and serve with pita chips.

Where do I get some good, preservative-free, low-sodium pita chips you ask? Whip up a batch yourself, it's easy!
*The hummus is gluten-free, but the chips, clearly, are not.

Pita Chips

-1 bag of whole wheat pitas (pocketed kind, not greek)
-olive oil cooking spray
-cayenne pepper, s&p, dried italian herbs of herb de provence, cumin

Cut pitas in half and split along edges to get four half-moons. Spray both sides of each half-moon lightly with cooking spray, and sprinkle with your choice of herbs and spices, very lightly (flavour will concentrate). Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350F oven until lightly browned. Warning! They go from perfect to inedibly burnt very quickly, so you must watch them closely. It takes about 10 minutes in my oven but could take less or more, depending on your oven, the thickness and moisture content of your pita bread, and the alignment of the planets. I usually burn at least one batch, so it's best to be prepared with extra pitas.

Nutritional Info per 1/3C: 107 cals, 7g fat, 3g protein, 9g carbs, 2g fibre