Back when I was first trying to adjust my diet and lose a little weight, I tried a few different cottage cheese bowls. Mostly sweet ones involving fruit and nuts, maple syrup, chocolate, granola, etc. But I did give one savoury recipe a try. I didn't really care for it, so I've stuck to the sweet versions since then. My go-to involves apples, cinnamon, pecans, raisins, and a bit of maple syrup or stevia. And that's honestly been really great. It's tasty, it's filling, it's easy, and it can be made with staples that I basically always have on hand.

Unfortunately, I wasn't really feeling it this morning.

I had a green smoothie bowl for breakfast yesterday and that was really nice. But I'm pretty sure we're all out of mango now and I know that we don't have any pineapple. I think it would also be good with peaches or nectarines, but we won't have any of those until our produce basket arrives later today. And I wasn't feeling super enthusiastic about any of the other possible toppings I could think of. So I wrote off the smoothie bowl for this morning. But that left me drawing a big, ol' blank for breakfast today.

For whatever reason I really wasn't feeling the sweet cottage cheese bowls this morning, but the idea of cottage cheese itself wasn't unappealing. So I decided to see if I could put something together that hit the right notes for me.

We had some ground chicken and leftover zeytoon parvardeh (Persian marinated olives) in the fridge, so I decided to try to do something that would incorporate those. That said, I think this would also work with green olives and walnuts (and maybe a few extra seasonings) in place of the marinated olives. And you could probably get away with substituting chicken lunch meat for the ground chicken in a pinch (although I think the ground chicken is better here).

I may play around with the exact ingredients and proportions a bit if I make this again. But I think this was a good starting point.

Olive and Walnut Cottage Cheese Bowl

Ingredients

• 100g ground chicken (chicken breast for low-fat/diet-friendly option)
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ras el hanout
• 1/2 c. cottage cheese (fat-free for low-fat/diet-friendly option)
• 1/4 c. diced cucumber
• 4-5 green olives, halved
• 1 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
• 1 Tbsp. fried onions
• 2-3 tsp. pomegranate molasses
• 1/2 tsp. za'atar
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1-2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

1. Season the chicken with the salt and ras el hanout and cook over medium heat until no longer pink.
2. Place the cottage cheese in a bowl and top with chicken, cucumber, olives, walnuts, and fried onion.
3. Drizzle with pomegranate molasses and sprinkle with za'atar and pepper.
4. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Mhammara (Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)

We had some leftover kibbeh and beans for dinner tonight, but I felt like it needed something else to go with it. I debated a few different options, but decided to go with this simple dip in the end. It's very easy to throw together, especially if you already have a jar of roasted red bell peppers on hand. If not, it doesn't add much extra time or effort to roast them along with the chile before mixing up your dip.

I did end up slightly scaling back on the olive oil while bumping up the pomegranate molasses, but otherwise made my dip to spec. I used a jalapeño as my chile since I had a few left over in the fridge that really needed to be used, but a cayenne or Thai chile would probably be more appropriate. Feel free to experiment a bit with the exact type and number of chiles though.

Mhammara

Slightly adapted from Our Syria by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers (or 200g of jarred roasted bell peppers)
• 1 chile (preferably cayenne or Thai)
• 80g walnuts, toasted
• 1-2 tsp. harissa
• 1 clove garlic
• 1-2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• flatbreads (and/or veggies and/or chips), to serve

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Cut the peppers and chile in half and remove the cores and seeds.
3. Place on a baking sheet, skin-side-up, and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and salt.
4. Roast in the oven until the peppers soften and the skin darkens (15-20 minutes).
5. Remove from oven and allow to stand until cool enough to handle.
6. Meanwhile, chop the toasted walnuts in a blender or food processor.
7. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove skins if desired (optional), and add them to the blender with the nuts.
8. Add the harissa, garlic, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, salt, and pepper and blend until smooth.
9. Adjust seasonings to taste.
10. Serve with pita wedges (or whatever other dippers strike your fancy).

This was hit and miss. I kinda felt like the salmon with pemegranate was two great tastes that don't taste very good together, although I liked the salad. Symbol liked both, at least.

Glazed Salmon with Black-Eyed Peas, Walnuts, and Pomegranate

Cook's Country October/November 2020 (recipe card)

Ingredients

• 450g cooked black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 120mL pomegranate seeds
• 120mL hazelnuts, chopped and toasted
• 120mL fresh parsley and/or cilantro, minced
• 4 green onions, sliced thin
• 30+30mL pomegranate molasses, divided
• 1½ tbsp + ½ tsp olive oil, divided
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ⅛+½ tsp salt, divided
• ¼+½ tsp pepper, divided
• 700-900g of skin-on salmon filets

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine peas, pomegranate seeds, hazelnuts, greens, green onions, 30mL of pomegranate molasses, 1½ tbsp of oil, the lemon juice, ⅛ tsp of salt and ⅛ tsp of pepper. Stir together, adjust salt and pepper to taste, and set aside to let flavours meld.
2. Line a large baking sheet with foil or silicone. Arrange salmon, skin side down.
3. Whisk together remaining molasses, oil, salt, and pepper and brush over tops of salmon.
4. Bake at 450°F on the upper middle rack until cooked through, 10-15 minutes.

I modified and abused this recipe quite a bit. The original was meant to be a 30-minute meal. It used pre-cooked chicken sausages along with "quick-cooking barley" (which I'd never heard of before). I had some regular old pot barley and some beef and barley sausages, so I made it with that. And, since my sausages were not pre-cooked, I decided to cook them on the stovetop. And since I already had the pan out for that, I decided to just convert the whole recipe to be done on the stovetop. Oh, and I also omitted all but 1 Tbsp. of the oil called for (1/3 c. in the original recipe). And, because I'm trying to be a bit health-conscious, I also cut back (slightly) on the Parmesan and the pistachios. Personally, I think it worked quite well! But I realize that it's quite a bit different from what the original recipe described.

Also, I didn't think of this until after I was already eating a bowl, but I think some pomegranate seeds/arils and/or a drizzle of pomegranate molasses would go quite nicely with this dish. Pistachios and pomegranate are such a nice combination! I've listed pomegranate as an optional ingredient below. Feel free to give it a try!

Photo goes here.

Barley with Broccoli and Sausage

Adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2018

Ingredients

• 1 c. pot barley
• 1-2 c. chicken stock
• 1-2 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 450g beef, chicken, or lamb sausages
• 340g broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/3 c. shelled pistachios
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 c. pomegranate arils (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the barley with the chicken stock and water. You want a total of 3 c. of liquid, but the exact proportions aren't super important. If you're using mostly water, or if your chicken stock isn't very salty, add ~1/4 tsp. of salt as well.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover and reduce to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, cook the sausages.
4. Once the sausages are mostly done, add the broccoli and continue cooking.
5. Once the sausages are nicely browned on all sides and cooked through, remove them from the pan.
6. Season the broccoli with 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper and drizzle with the oil and continue cooking over medium heat until broccoli starts to develop some good browning.
7. Reduce heat slightly and add the pistachios and cook until they are toasted and dark, but not burnt.
8. Remove from heat and add the garlic. Let it sizzle in the residual heat of the pan.
9. Chopp the sausages and return them to the pan.
10. Once the barley is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed, remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
11. Stir the contents of the pan into the barley.
12. Stir in the basil and pomegranate (if using).

Kuru Patlican ve Biber Dolmasi (Stuffed Dried Eggplant and Peppers)

I made a lot of impulse purchases at the halal grocery store a few months back. There were lots of interesting and tasty-looking things and I just kind of grabbed a bit of each without being entirely sure what I was going to do with it all. I think we've managed to use up almost all of the jams and preserves now. And all of the sweets. But I still had a bag each of dried eggplants and dried peppers that had yet to be used. As well as a jar of Turkish pepper flakes. (And a bunch of dried citrus as well, but that doesn't come into play in this recipe, so we'll just ignore it for now.)

Dolma Kuru Patlican Dolmasi

Slightly adapted from Ozlem's Turkish Table

Ingredients

• 12 dried eggplant shells
• 15 dried bell pepper shells
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tbsp. biber salcasi (Turkish hot pepper paste) or 1 tsp. Turkish pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 2 tsp. dried mint
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 c. long-grain brown rice
• 450g ground beef
• 2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses¹

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the dried shells. Boil for 3 minutes, then drain, reserving the water.
2. Shock the blanched shells in some very cold water, then drain again and set aside.
3. Combine onion, garlic, parsley, pepper paste (or flakes), tomato paste, 1 Tbsp. of the oil, cumin, mint, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
4. Massage and squeeze the mixture with your hands for a minute or two.
5. Add the rice, beef, and pomegranate molasses and mix well.
6. Pour the remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil into the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven.
7. Stuff the shells with the filling. Pack it down a little bit, but don't fill them right up to the top. The filling will expand as the rice cooks.
8. As each shell is filled, place it in the pan. Try to fit them all into just one layer if possible.
9. Pour ~2 1/2 c. of the reserved cooking water into the pot with the dolma.
10. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat, cover, and cook for another 35 minutes.
11. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5-10 minutes before serving.
12. Serve with Turkish pepper flakes, plain yogurt, and/or tzatziki.

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¹ I only just realized that I forgot the pomegranate molasses! The ingredients were listed in a weird order and I had to keep jumping around the recipe. The dolma came out delicious anyway, but I did feel like they needed more tomato and/or more acid. The pomegranate molasses probably would've balanced everything out beautifully! Oh well, I guess I can drizzle some over the leftovers tomorrow. ^Back

This was originally written as a Brussels sprouts recipe. But I didn't have any Brussels sprouts and I did have a lot of cabbage...

I ended up using about half of a large cabbage in place of the Brussels sprouts. I also doubled the bulgur and added a drizzle of pomegranate molasses just before serving.

Surprisingly the Kidlet liked this one! I mean, she wasn't super enthusiastic about it, but she ate it all. Whereas she said the maple-roasted apples and onions were weird and not good. Go figure!

Pomegranate Cabbage

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• 1kg cabbage, shredded
• 3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. + 1 Tbsp. lemon zest, divided
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 c. bulgur, cooked
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. pomegranate arils
• 1 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
2. Toss cabbage with garlic, oil, 1 tsp. lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a roasting pan.
3. Roast at 220°C (425°F) for 20 minutes.
4. Stir/toss the mixture and continue roasting for another 10-20 minutes.
5. Mix in bulgur, lemon juice, and remaining 1 Tbsp. of lemon zest.
6. Sprinkle with pomegranate arils, drizzle with pomegranate molasses, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Koromb wa Safarjal (Baked Red Cabbage with Quince & Walnuts)

We've started making use of the Lebanese cookbook, and made this as a side dish to go with a rice and lentil main that is also due for a writeup. The recipe as written calls for quince, which we almost never have, but you can swap in apples 1:1 and get good results.

The kidlet was not a fan, unfortunately, but symbol and I both liked it.

Koromb wa Safarjal

Lebanese Food & Cooking, p. 133

Ingredients

• 1 red cabbage, quartered, cored, and chopped into bite-size pieces
• ¼+¼ C butter, melted and divided
  
• 1+1 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
  
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp pomegranate molasses
• 2 quinces, cored and sliced into wedges
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp walnuts, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Arrange cabbage in a greased lasagna dish and pour over half the butter.
3. Toss with 1 tsp cinnamon, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and pomegranate molasses.
4. Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the tinfoil (carefully) and top with quinces.
6. Sprinkle over sugar, walnuts, and remaining cinnamon.
7. Re-cover and bake for another 20 minutes.
8. Remove tinfoil and bake for 10 more minutes, until lightly browned.

Spiced Honey Lemon Beef Tagine

This tagine sounded really promising. The onions were excellent. But, overall, I found the dish a little bland. A generous dollop of harissa on top perked it up nicely though.

Honey Lemon Beef Tagine

Slightly adapted from 150 Best Tagine Recipes by Pat Crocker

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. pomegranate molasses
• 4 tsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
• 450g stewing beef
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into eighths
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 c. beef broth
• juice of 1 lemon
• flesh and rind of 1 very small preserved lemon (or 1/2 large preserved lemon), chopped
• 1 very large (or 3 small) parsnips, chopped
• Harissa, to serve

Directions

1. Combine honey, sesame oil, pomegranate molasses, garlic paste, and ras el hanout to make a marinade.
2. Toss beef with marinade, cover, and chill for up to 24 hours.
3. After meat has had at least half and hour to marinate, heat oil over medium heat and add onion and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add broth, lemon juice, and preserved lemon and bring to a boil.
5. Stir in parsnips, beef, and marinade.
6. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.
7. Serve over couscous with harissa.