Recipe for Mujadarra (Middle Eastern Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions)

Mujadarra (pronounced moo-jha-druh and also spelled Mujadara, Mujaddara, Mujadarah, and Mujadarrah) is a humble middle eastern dish of lentils, rice, and caramelized onions. This is a recipe where the flavor becomes much more than you'd expect from the simple ingredients used. Years ago I started ordering Mujadarra at a now-closed Salt Lake restaurant which served it with Middle Eastern Tomato Salad around the the plate, the perfect way to eat it if you have tomatoes and fresh herbs on hand. Then that restaurant closed, and I never found another place in Utah where I liked it as much. Recently I decided to get serious about making Mujadarra myself, starting with a recipe from Paula Wolfert's The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean, in which she cautions not to reduce the amount of olive oil because "the dish will lack a certain richness." That sounded like a good start to me, but after a few tries, I couldn't manage to cook the lentils and rice together without one or the other getting overcooked. What worked for me was to cook the rice separately and mix it into the cooked lentils and caramelized onions. After waiting years to re-create a version of this dish I was happy with, I loved how this turned out, and I'm sure it's something I'm going to be making over and over again.

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Friday Night Photos: Flowers in and Out of the Garden (2010 Garden Update #4)

If you follow my Garden Updates, you know how much I love growing vegetables and herbs, but I do love growing flowers too. For a few years now I've been investing in a few more perennials every year, with a goal of having flowers from spring to fall! I'm not there yet, but my flower beds are looking a bit better every year. This gorgeous hot pink flower is called English Daisy, one of the earliest flowers that pops out along the edge of my vegetable garden, and one of the first perennials I bought when I decided to start investing in them.

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Recipe for Frittata with Canadian Bacon, Green Onions, and Cheese

The first time I made this frittata with Canadian bacon, green onions, and cheese, I was just making something for breakfast and not necessarily planning to post it on the blog. After I had eaten some though, I liked this flavor combination so much, I made it again and took photos. Canadian bacon is lean, tasty, and South Beach Diet friendly, and I'm not sure why I haven't cooked with it more often. If you're looking for a new breakfast meat option, give it a try and I bet you'll like it too.

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Recipe for Grilled Pork Kabobs with Spicy Peanut Butter, Sesame, and Soy Sauce Marinade

Delicious pork kabobs marinated in a spicy peanut butter, sesame, and soy sauce marinade.

A few weeks ago my nephew Jacob and his girlfriend Aubrey came to my house for dinner, and these spicy pork kabobs flavored with red wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame, garlic, peanut butter, and red pepper flakes were one of the things we cooked. I was intrigued by this marinade when I spotted it in Costco Connection magazine, and the marinade recipe, which can be used on beef, pork, or chicken, was originally from Cooking for Dads. Using a marinade like this helps keep lean pork moist when you're grilling it, and everyone agreed that the flavor in these kabobs was fantastic. I increased the amount of peanut butter, and we wanted a bit more spice, so I'm upping the red pepper flakes in the recipe I'm sharing, but you can decide how spicy you'd like it when you make them.

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Friday Night Garden Photos and Recipes Using Garden Vegetables: 2010 Garden Update #3

In the last garden update I showed the herbs in my garden, so this time I'm going to focus on the vegetables, most of which are doing well even though Salt Lake did have a late-season snowstorm that killed a few of my plants. I've been adding garden spaces and having raised beds built for the last few years, and this year I'm really happy with how my garden has turned out. Above is my first tomato of the year, on an heirloom Brandywine Tomato plant that was started in a greenhouse by my brother-in-law Clayton. (If you're a gardener who's feeling envious, let me confess that plant already had that tomato on it when Clayton gave it to me!) Brandywines are one of my favorite tomatoes, and I'm looking forward to having some early ones this year.

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Recipe for Spicy Pinto Bean and Tuna Salad with Peperoncini, Tomatoes, and Parsley

I love this Spicy Pinto Bean and Tuna Salad with Peperoncini, Tomatoes, and Parsley.

Before I tell you about this new Spicy Pinto Bean and Tuna Salad with Peperoncini, Tomatoes, and Parsley, take a peek up at the url address line at the top of your screen and admire my new favicon. Thanks to Rand for creating and Bradley for installing the letter K to make the web address for my little corner of the web a bit more personalized.

A few years ago I fell madly in love with Italian Tuna packed in olive oil. White Bean and Tuna Salad with Parsley is something I've made over and over again the last few years, and if you can't imagine the flavor combination of beans, tuna, and parsley, let me assure you that it's a winner. Recently I've been experimenting with spicy peperoncini, which inspired this kicked up version of the bean, tuna, and parsley salad. I added some peperoncini juice and a bit of green Tobasco sauce to the dressing, and used pinto beans and added tomatoes for a more Southwest feeling. If you like tuna and appreciate spicy flavors, I think you'll really like this salad!

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South Beach Diet Phase One Recipes Round-Up for May 2010 (Low-Glycemic Recipes)

Kalyn's favorite Phase One recipe for May 2010 was
Baked White Fish with Pine Nut,Parmesan, and Basil Pesto Crust.

Another month has ended, so it's time for the monthly round-up of South Beach Diet Phase One recipes I've posted this month or spotted on other blogs. If you over-indulged a bit on Memorial Day, these recipes can help you get back on track, but even if you're not dieting, I bet you'll see something in this list that looks appealing. Welcome to June, one of my favorite months because I love cooking with herbs from the garden, and much thanks to my talented brother Rand for the charming new herb-focused blog header!

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