Fish filets with potatoes and spinach

This came to me as last minute inspiration. I had frozen red snapper filets, frozen spinach and soy cream and we had to eat :-)

- 3 to 4 big potatoes
- 5 to 6 cups frozen spinach (or even better, equivalent in fresh)
- 1 big onion
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic
- Enough broth to cover potatoes while cooking
- Breadcrumbs
- Fish filets (enough for 4)
- 0,25 liters soy cream (this can probably be left out. Then just use more broth and a little bit more flour for thickening).
- ½ tablespoon flour dilutes in ½ cup water for thickening
- Salt
- Pepper
- Nutmeg

Peel and slice potatoes thinly.
Cook them in the broth until tender.
You can add pepper and nutmeg in the broth already here.
Take them up with a slotted spoon and spread in an oven dish.
Cover with a thin layer of breadcrumbs.
Peel the onion, cut it in half and slice.
Peel the garlic and slice them
Add the onion and garlic to the broth the potato has cooked in.
Take them up after one minute and spread on the potatoes
Defrost the spinach, press the water out of it and spread on top of the potatoes and onions.
Place the fish filets on top of the vegetables in the oven dish.
Add some cream to the broth if desired,thicken with the flour solution salt to taste if needed and pour on top of the fish.
Cover with another thin layer of breadcrums and cook in the over on high - medium high until the fish is done.

Serve with brown rice.

Canellini bread spread

1 can canellini beans, drained
1 small onion, finely chopped
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
lemon juice
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Sauté the onions in a little olive oil. Add the beans. Keep sautéing until warmed through. Sprinkle with some parsley and a splash of lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mash with a potato masher or with a fork.

Enjoy on top of a grilled slice of whole wheat bread.

Lentil Soup - 2 versions

This is how my mom makes mergimekli chorba (lentil soup)

1 cup red lentils,cleaned from small stones and impurties (but maybe your lentils don't need this step) and well rinsed.
1 potato, grossly diced
1 carrot, grossly diced
1 zucchini, grossly diced
1 large onion, chopped
some garlic (4-5 cloves)
Bouillon (I guess about 8 cups)
Cumin
salt and black pepper

Boil everything together until lentils and vegtables are very soft.
Blend (easiest with a hand blender) and serve, sprinkled with ground cumin.
As an extra treat, you can fry some flat pita pieces in oil until golden, and serve with the soup (sprinkle it on each bowl just before eating).

There is also this version, which is maybe more Lebanese, but also very good. It is Lentil soup with Siliq (swiss chard)
Here you use brown lentils.

1 cup brown lentils, picked and rinsed
2 big handfuls siliq rinsed and coaresly chopped
Bouillon
1 large onion
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 handful fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
Juice of ½ or whole lemon
salt
pepper

Bring the lentils to a boil
Add the swiss chard
Fry the onion in some olive oil until wilted. Add to the soup.
Gently fry the garlic nd coriander (heavenly smell). Add to the soup.
When the lentils are done, add lemon juive, cumin, salt and pepper to taste.

Bon apetit!

Lebanese green beans (Loubieh bi zeit)

This is a delicious way of cooking green beans which my friend Zaza taught me.

I usually use flat beans for this recipe, but I'm sure it will also work with "haricots verts".

- Clean and string the green beans if necessary (about 700 g)
- Clean 4 big ripe tomatoes. Peel them if you have the patience :-) and cut them in large boats
- Peel 10 to 12 garlic cloves. Keep them whole.
- Fry the garlic cloves in a little olive oil just to the point when they will start to brown (but don't let them brown).
- Add the green beans and fry them for about 5 min.
- Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, cover and simmer on low heat until the beans are done.

Very simple and very delicious.