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.

Green bean salad

It's been ages since I posted, so here's a quick recipe which I'd already typed up.

This salad is very easy, quick and delicious. And if you always keep green haricots verts in your freezer, you can always serve an easy healthy accompaniment with you meal.

Green beans (fresh or frozen)

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Toasted sesame oil

Soy sauce

Lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Boil the beans until just crunchy (don’t let them go totally limp).

Drain. Season with above ingredients.

Rice pilav

This is rice like my mother taught me.

For 4 persons

1½ cup basmati rice
2 to 3 Tbsp oil
1/4 thin vermicelli
Black pepper
2½ cups chicken broth

- Soak the rice in boiled water (anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on how much time you have).
- After soaking, rinse the rice in plenty of fresh water (until the water runs almost clear) then let it drip in a colander.
- While the rice is dripping, heat the oil in a pan on medium and add the vermicelli (if it looks like a nest when you buy it, just crush it in your hand). Keep stirring until the vermicelli turns light brown. Watch it closely, as it takes only a second for it to turn from done to burnt.
- Add the rice to the pan, and stir to coat all the rice with oil.
- Add plenty of freshly ground pepper.
- Keep stirring for a few minutes until the rice becomes almost transluscent.
- Add the boiling water (be careful, it will splatter).
- Lower the heat to very low, cover the pan tightly and let it be.
- It is done when all the water has been absorbed by the rice (10 to 15 minutes).

Chicken with garlic and fresh coriander (cilantro)

There are many recipes I make with chicken filets, and the common denominator with all of them is that they are quick and easy.

The following one is with my favorite flavors, fresh coriander, garlic and lemon.

350-500 g of chicken fillets
Olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped.
1 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped.
Juice of one lemon
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Chicken broth

- Slice the chicken in bite-size strips.
- Fry them in some olive oil.
- Remove to chicken from the pan when done and keep it warm aside.
- Mix the chopped garlic and cilantro and add them to the pan. Cook over medium to low heat for a few minutes. Don't let the garlic burn. When it's close to having enough, it will smell quite heavenly.
- Add the chicken back to the pan.
- Sprinkle with the cornstarch and mix well.
- Add the lemon juice, stirring constantly. The mixture will bubble. (if you don't like it too lemony, you could add only half the juice)
- Add the broth, stirring constantly. Add enough broth to cover the chicken, about 1 to 1½ cups.
- Cook a few minutes, stirring, and bring to the boil.
-Voilà. Serve with rice and some green salad.

The same procedure can be used with parsley instead of the cilantro.

Enjoy!