Needless to say, I was lured in by the amazingly fresh parsley and cilantro at my grocery store so they immediately went into preparing this salad. Just remember to leave out the olive oil and lemon juice until the last moment. No sense in going through all the work to prepare such a lovely dish just to end up with soaked ingredients!

Chickpea and Sun-Dried Tomato Salad

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup chickpeas (cooked) or 1 cup dried
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, seeds removed and diced (approximately 1 cup)
• zest of one lemon
• salt, to taste
• 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to your liking
• juice of one lemon

Directions

1. If using fresh chickpeas, soak overnight. Once they have enlarged, boil the chickpeas for about 1- 1/2 hours or until soft, but not broken. If using canned chickpeas, just rinse them of the liquid that comes with them.
2. Add the fresh ingredients, but not the oil or lemon juice until ready to serve.
3. Toss and enjoy!

This salad goes great with a sandwich, soup or as a side to just about any main meal with Mediterranean flavors. Bismillah!

Copyright © 2008-2010 My Halal Kitchen. All rights reserved.

Read more great recipes and culinary tips from Yvonne at MyHalalKitchen.com

Foodies To Learn from MyHalalKitchen.com Chef – Sat. 3rd July & Sun. 4th July : 7:00 pm

Chicago, 6/17/2010 : She was born to a Sicilian father and Puerto Rican mother, both Roman Catholic. Her ethnic heritage also meant growing up to enjoy culinary feasts for the senses and the soul – authentically delicious Sicilian style pizzas, lasagna, meatballs, Puerto Rican rice and beans, chicken, meat pies and custard desserts – just to name a few. What becomes of those appetites and indulgences when one embraces Islam, which means also adopting its halal guidelines with regard to food which has no room for pork, pork-based products, alcohol and foods with alcohol as an ingredient?

Yvonne M. Maffei, Chef and Editor of www.myhalalkitchen.com, who embraced Islam and its halal dietary laws which include avoiding meats that aren’t slaughtered according to Islamic guidelines, has turned a personal quest for the answers into MyHalalKitchen.com.

“Eating things like chicken, lamb and beef at most restaurants was a challenge,” says Ms. Maffei. “I finally decided that I should learn how to make our favorite dishes, even the complicated ones. Although I cooked well, I hadn’t studied the techniques necessary to make a halal roast duck or halal homemade yogurt, for example. Once I did, I was able to make really delicious food normally found only at restaurants.” She shares her masterpieces at www.MyHalalKitchen.com and has over 3439 readers at www.facebook.com/myhalalkitchen.

On Sat 3rd July & Sun 4th July, 7:00 pm, @ Halal Healthy Booth # 1900, Ms. Maffei will be making the most delicious halal appetizers at the ISNA Bazaar in Chicago, Rosemont Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018.

Entry to the bazaar is free. “Attendees will discover how to create a feast for the eyes and the taste buds, switch non-halal ingredients for halal ones and replace unhealthy ingredients,” says Ms. Maffei. “I’ll be demonstrating recipes for appetizers that include mangoes, shrimp stuffing, orange-lime Asian sauce, sautéed mushrooms and more,” she said. All food enthusiasts are welcome !

About Halal Healthy.com

A halal lifestyle is about being sure that it’s all halal, all permissible. When shopping at Halalhealthy.com, you’re purchasing either naturally halal products or 100% halal certified products. Products range from ready-to-eat halal meals to Ramadan Care Packs and high protein beverages. Halalhealthy.com is also community of halal consumers, and is a reflection of their halal healthy choices captured in photos, videos and essays. When you shop at Halalhealthy.com, you’re saying, “I observe halal and I choose to be healthy…..anywhere, everywhere.”

Contact: NaazishYarKhan naazishyarkhan@gmail.com, (630) 545-2013

Behind us now is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a day in which we as a world community are reminded of the need to protect, save and maintain all aspects of a healthy Earth. Unfortunately, the day comes and goes quickly and we somehow need to remind ourselves how important it is to keep on being green in our everyday lives. As Muslims, we know that every day is Earth Day because Islam is deeply rooted in ecological conservation and biodiversity. Read more on this topic in the article I wrote for Muslim Voices called Green Earth, Green Islam: Be Eco-Friendly the Halal Way.

In an effort to keep the energy and momentum of Earth Day day in full swing, I decided to go very green while balcony gardening this year. I didn’t want to invest in more clay or even plastic pots because I know I have some around here in storage and I don’t need any more. Besides, I’d read somewhere that you can actually grow seedlings in eggshells. Could it work? Would it really work? Would I have to have special soil? What if I don’t clean the eggs out well enough, will that affect the growth of the seeds? I decided to say “bismillah” (In the name of God) and get started.

Because it’s still not quite the right time to plant warm weather crops outside in my Chicago living space, I knew I needed to grow warm weather plants like tomatoes indoors. I decided on sugar lump tomatoes and tomatillos, or green tomatoes.

Here’s what I did.

Every time I made eggs (which is a lot in my house), I rinsed out the eggshell with water and then placed them back in the refrigerator in the egg carton until I had a carton full of clean, empty eggshells.

Place the tomato seeds into the eggshells with tweezers to make sure you don’t lose the seed. I planted 1-2 seeds per eggshell to make sure once they grow, they will not be overcrowded. I used a permanent marker to label each of the shells so I can remember what type of seed is in each one. It really helps when transplanting.

Next, I watered the seeds gently, careful not to drown them, and covered them with more planting soil. The last thing I did was to keep the egg carton open (you can cut the lid off if you like) and placed an unused shower cap (I get packets of ten at my local dollar store) over the top of the eggshells. I then placed the entire container in front of a sunny window in a relatively warm area of my home. During the day the seedlings get some sunlight and because they are covered, they are retaining heat and gaining necessary moisture.

What I’m most excited about is seeing the first seedling sprout up into the air, leaning towards the direction of the sunlight.

So what do you do when the plants are strong and ready to be transplanted to another, more permanent container or in the garden?

The eggshells can be taken directly to the container and crushed into the new soil, as it will be a great compost. Alternatively, if you have two seedlings that need to be separated, you can crush the eggshell to get to the soil and send the shells to the compost. No toxic materials used or disposed of and your ‘container’ is 100% recyclable.

After my eggshell containers were snugly placed in front of a sunny window and nurturing my seeds, I took another trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden, one of my favorite local spots to get inspiration and relaxation. I visited the herb garden to see how their tomatoes are planted and growing vibrantly already. I hope mine will also grow to be that happy and healthy– and a continuous reminder that actually, every day is Earth Day.

Copyright © 2008-2010 My Halal Kitchen. All rights reserved.

Read more great recipes and culinary tips from Yvonne at MyHalalKitchen.com

You don’t have to be a medical expert to notice that among the Muslim community living in the United States, there is a prevalence of high sugar, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, all of which can lead to chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and heart attacks, even in young individuals.

There doesn’t seem to be a lack of great home cooks or halal restaurants within the Muslim community. Many traditional recipes from immigrant Muslim home countries actually originate in healthy ingredients and cooking methods.

Although I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, I am a home chef, wife, family member and friend who cooks for people I care about, which means I want them to eat what Allah (swt) ordained for us and what I know is inherently healthy for us, too.

So, what’s the problem?

There are at least 10 obstacles Muslim individuals and families face today that directly or indirectly affect healthy eating habits:

1. Not Enough Time to Prepare Healthy Meals. Muslim families today are busier than ever. Many people are opting for convenience, packaged foods resonating their ethnic cuisine. These foods are often full of salt, sugar and preservatives.
2. Too Much (Cheap) Variety at the Grocery Store. Sometimes a plethora of choices is simply overwhelming to people, especially those who are used to simple, all natural foods in their home country. Many inexpensive food choices are offered cheaply in abundance, adding to the ease of purchasing these over higher quality foods.
3. Food Labeling is Difficult to Decipher. Packaged foods list ingredients in English that even natives can’t understand, so it is difficult to decide not only if something is halal, but also if it is healthy. Foods that are certified halal are often seen as ‘perfect’, so the actual ingredients are often ignored altogether. In doing so, one also ignores preservatives, added salt sugar and sometimes, MSG in products.
4. Removing Children From the Kitchen. Parents have the best of intentions for their children, and this often means expecting that their only real duty at home is to study. It gives young people, especially young girls the idea that cooking is learned later in life, when one is married and has a family. Unfortunately, this leaves a lot of young people lost when it comes to not just cooking, but making healthy food choices when doing so.
5. Added Sugar & White Flour. We all love our sweets and our carbohydrates, but what we don’t always realize is that when ‘traditional foods’ are packaged and processed, they simply are not made without added preservatives. The addition of bleached and processed flour and sugar to products that are already naturally sweet renders many products as unhealthy and lacking any significant amount of nutrition.
6. Lack of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. Our community events are often centered around food, which is something we all enjoy. More often than not, however, there is a lack of variety in fresh products, particularly fresh green vegetables in the form of salads. We tend to fill our plates with white rice, white pita bread and meat instead.
7. Socializing. We love to socialize-and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s part of being a community and bonding with our brothers and sisters. The problem is that we often sit for eating as opposed to walking and talking or having some sort of exercise as part of the socialization. This is particularly challenging for the sisters.

Renowned British Chef Jamie Oliver has recently debuted his Food Revolution for all of America, which is a great thing, but it doesn’t focus even more narrowly on the Muslim population at large. I’m proposing one for the Muslims. We need a food revolution to have a health revolution among us. Below are some of the ways I believe we can start, insha’allah.

1. Check the Oils You Cook With. Be sure to incorporate some of these healthy oils into your diet.

• Extra virgin olive oil (salads; sauté)
• Extra virgin coconut oil (sauté)
• Grape Seed (baking)
• Butter (not margarine) for baking, in moderation

2. Check Your Cooking Methods

• Lightly sauté vegetables or drizzle with olive oil after steaming
• Keep frying to a minimum
• Steam vegetables whenever possible
• Eat fresh fruits and even make juices with them

3. Use Healthy Sweeteners, and Use Them Minimally

• Pure honey (local is best)
• Agave (cactus nectar)
• Piloncillo (Mexican raw cane sugar cone)
• Raw cane sugar
• Pure maple syrup

4. Avoid the White Stuff. White flour, rice and sugar are mostly bleached, over-processed and stripped of nutrients, coming to your table in the form of desserts and breads. Instead, try:

• Brown rice
• Black (wild grain) rice
• Red rice
• Wheat bread (including pita)
• Whole grain bread
• Multi-grain bread
• Back bread (Lithuanian and Russian varieties)
• Rye bread
• Corn and wheat flour tortillas
• Chappati and Naan made from wheat flour

Also, incorporate beans into your diet and try all the different varieties out there:

• Black beans
• Red beans
• Garbanzo (chickpeas)
• Pinto (pink)
• Navy beans
• Fava beans
• Fresh green beans
• Peruvian beans (yellow)

5. Study the Hidden Meanings in Food Labels, Even if the Product is Halal-Certified. This can be quite a challenge, but the internet is a wonderful resource for this type of investigation. Check out this site, to get started.

6. Pay Close Attention to Your Child’s Lunch. Don’t wait around for the school to serve your child healthy meals and snacks. Take the time to pack a healthy lunch and even get the kids involved in what they’re taking to school. They’ll be more likely to eat it all if they’ve had a role in preparing it.

7. Plant a Garden…with Your Family. Now is the time to plant something, anything. If you don’t have a yard, plant veggies and herbs in an outside apartment balcony. No balcony? Check your local Park District for community gardens. For a small fee you can rent out a plot around the size of 20’ x 20’, which is more than enough space for vegetables that will keep you going all summer and enough to preserve in the winter, insha’allah. The kids will learn a lot by doing this, as well.

8. Drink More Water. Water not only hydrates the human body, it also flushes out toxins and waste. Drinking more water also allows us to feel less hungry or crave foods that are part of an unhealthy diet.

9. Exercise More. A ten-minute walk around the block can do a person good in many ways. Make it a daily habit, rain or shine and insha’allah, your body will thank you.

10. Give Variety to Your Cooking. Get excited about trying new things and incorporating a variety of healthy recipes into your diet. For healthy, halal recipe ideas and cooking tips, check out my website: My Halal Kitchen: Healthy, Halal Recipes From My Kitchen to Yours. Our Facebook Fan Page is a fun place to join in on cooking and food discussion. See what I’m talking about on Twitter.

By using cheap oils to deep fry and smother our food and then add packaged desserts and sweets to the table we’re creating a recipe for a health disaster. Instead, we need to explore cooking with beneficial oils and become educated about the negative effects of excess salt, bleached and processed flour and sugar, high fructose corn syrup and other unhealthy additives and preservatives in our food. We need to go beyond whether or not our food doesn’t have the forbidden pork and alcohol. Many packaged goods and spices are chock full of synthetic products, which in essence seem to be a great halal alternative, but aren’t necessarily natural and healthy.

Let’s pick halal and healthy.

Copyright © 2008-2010 My Halal Kitchen. All rights reserved.

Read more great recipes and culinary tips from Yvonne at MyHalalKitchen.com

Several weeks ago I took a chocolate tasting class taught by my friend, chocolatier and author, Annmarie Kostyk. I didn’t really know what to expect exactly, but I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I actually learned about eating chocolate for good health. I just have to share it here with all of you!

I arrived at Le Flour, a quaint French-inspired corner bakery and cafe located on N.Olmsted in Chicago. I’d been there before when the bakery hosted a book-signing for the author and now teacher of our Chocolate Tasting class. Although the place was closing for the night, they still had an excellent selection of vegetable pies, fruit pastries and tarts. I couldn’t resist trying a spinach, egg and vegetable pastry just to pass the time before the class began.

With just four other students, all ladies, we sat down to an intimate table with individual bags full of chocolate and the latest book produced by our instructor called, The Chocolate Lovers’ Guide and Tasting Journal, of which 100% of profits benefit the UN World Food Programme.

She began the class by explaining what a cocoa pod looks like, where in the world it grows and the difficult process of extracting chocolate from the delicate and valuable cocoa pod. We were told what to look for in our tasting of three different bars of chocolate- different in their quality of ingredients and level of choclate and sugar content.

First, we talked about setting the mood for tasting chocolate- spending time to really savor the flavor and texture of each bar so we could tell the difference in quality and ingredients. Once we actually tasted the different bars, we knew what to look for, but the fact that chocolate has over 500 flavor components didn’t exactly help narrow it down!

Chocolate that is smooth or gritty is actually of higher quality; ones with a creamy or waxy texture are of lower quality in that they’ve most likely had oil added to them. Once we reached the bar with 85% chocolate, we were at perhaps the most bitter of flavors, but the best quality and a taste one can aquire an appreciation for over time- especially after realizing the health benefits that come along with this amount of real, dark chocolate content.

We entered into a discussion about the health benefits of dark chocolate (at least 70% dark cocoa solids and unsweetened cooca powder) where I learned some stunning facts:

• cocoa plants are some of the most highly-pesticized plants in the world (along with coffee plants) because of their high susceptibility to insect infestation. There are some great organic products around today who take great care to make sure their bars are produced from organic and fair trade pods only (see below).
• dark chocolate contains many antioxidants, in fact, the concentration of flavinoids in dark chocolate greatly exceeds what you’ll find in most fruits and vegetables
• dark chocolate is naturally high in magnesium, a substance that helps to lessen menstrual cramps, increase flexibility, helps in bone formation, increases brain activity and aids digestion- just a few of the many things magnesium does for the body
• the darker the chocolate, the more polyphenols present- these little guys help promote healthy aging, naturally.
• flavonols in chocolate help promote blood flow to the brain- in essence, that’s why chocolate (pure chocolate) makes you feel good.

You can read more about the health benefits of dark chocolate, which gives the highest amount of chocolate solids in a bar and possesses the lowest percentage of both fat and sugar, in Annmarie’s book. In it she also discusses the use of chocolate as preventative medicine and gives recipes that help you incorporate it into your regular diet.

For now, you can do what I did and make this super easy, very quick snack just to get you started. I learned about it in the class when she told us that people in France actually have this as an afternoon or after-school snack- and they’re a country with far less heart disease and obesity than us. I guess they know chocolate…

Annmarie Kostyk is the author of Chocolate is Healthy! Myths, Truths and Delicious Recipes, as well as a food writer and blogger. Check out her blogs: Art of Eating and The Cocoa Pod.

Chocolate Bread Snack

Ingredients

• 2 slices of thick, rustic bread (Italian or French) to hold and soak up the melting chocolate
• ½ bar (75g or 2.5 oz) of dark chocolate that is 70% or more chocolate
• Butter

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°
2. Cut bread in half to open the inside. Select how large a slice you want and butter it.
3. Cut the chocolate into squares and add the amount of chocolate pieces you want directly on top of the butter (3 pieces should be sufficient- remember it will be melting all over the bread)
4. Place the bread, chocolate side up, on a sheet pan directly into the hot oven. Bake for 5 minutes, watching carefully. Do not let the chocolate bubble. Remove once you see that all of the chocolate has melted.
5. Serve with a glass of warm milk on a cold afternoon- nothing will make you happier!

The kitchen, however, is another story. Because I love to cook, I kept rationalizing my “need” to have so many gadgets, tools and pretty things as if they were justified just because.

Then I remembered the best cooks I’ve seen around the world- some had the smallest kitchens and fewest but most practical tools. I began to re-think how I cook and what tools are totally essential to me and the type of cooking I do- basically the ones that end up in my dishwasher and sink on a daily basis.

If you’re thinking of doing some spring cleaning, clean-sweeping or both, here’s a list of items you might consider to be the most useful to you. Keep them if you already have them, or perhaps get them to replace what’s not working for you. Not a comprehensive list by any means- just what I consider the most useful to me at the moment.

I’ve tried to include here things like gadgets and small appliances but not pots and pans and the most basic of cutlery. That’s a whole other story…

· All-Cotton Towels (large)- They can be used to dry lettuces and herbs, pat down veggies before frying, cover doughs and of course, clean up kitchen messes

· Immersion Blender- I don’t know how I ever lived without this tool. I found mine at a tag sale a few years ago and thought I’d give it a whirl (no pun intended). It turned out to be the best $3 I ever spent. No more lugging out the entire blender to mash up just half of my lentil soup to get the texture I’m after. I can’t say enough about it.

· Colander- I have a small and a large one, which are so helpful to rinse meats and fish before using them, not just vegetables.

· Cooking Timer- This is an essential, especially when cooking a variety of dishes that have differing cooking times. If your oven already has one, use it to time your clothes being washed in the laundry room.

· Cutting Boards (Wooden/Bamboo)- I’m not a big fan of plastic only because knife marks imbedded in them just scream “salmonella!” to me. Bamboo doesn’t mold as easily as wood and I’ve grown to really like how gentle it is on my knives.

· Food Processor- Mine was a wedding gift that I didn’t open for several years because I thought I had no room for it. If I had known how it would change my life–and save space– I would have opened it immediately. With a food processor I rarely use my blender and there’s no need for me to buy a mandoline to prepare perfectly sliced vegetables. I can make bread dough, puree beans for the creamiest hummus ever and puree my soups.

· Food Scale- How many times have you begun a recipe only to realize that all the ingredients are measured in grams or ounces? Particularly useful in baking, these types of scales are essential to having the outcome you expect as a result of your careful preparation.

· Cast Iron Oven Top Grill Pan- Too cold to barbeque? Get very similar grill marks on your salmon, chicken breast or veggies with this tool. Mine flips over to a flat surface, which is excellent for pancakes and eggs on a Sunday morning.

· Spice/Coffee Grinder- As the name indicates, you can grind up your coffee, clean out the grinder with a piece of bread and proceed to grind up your favorite spice to add the freshest flavors to your dishes. If you really like to hand grind spices, get a mortar and pestle instead or in addition to an electric grinder.

· Knives (Paring, Chef’s, Bread, Boning, Steak Set)- Good knives don’t have to be expensive, but don’t cheat yourself out of quality. Great brand name knives can be found at places like Marshall’s, Home Goods and T.J. Maxx. They’re the same ones sold at places like Macy’s, only cheaper. I particularly like Calphalon, Cuisinart, Kitchen Aid and Swiss Army.

· Measuring Cups and Spoons- Essential for baking, necessary to gauge most other cooking if you’re not used to eyeballing amounts.

· Mojacete- A must for Mexican food lovers making homemade salsas with this ancient earthenware mortar and pestle. The volcanic rock from which its made imparts a certain ‘flavor’ into the salsa that’s irreplaceable without it.

· Parchment Paper or Silpat- These just make your life easier. They also save the life of your baking sheets by protecting them from greasy stains that many a cook are too tired to fight off after slaving away for hours in a kitchen. Silpat is washable and recyclable, but expensive- a good investment if you’re a frequent parchment paper user since you can’t do the same with it.

· Rice cooker- I could argue that this appliance is for the lazy cook, but then I would be admitting that I am one. Well, I guess I am because I’ve stopped cooking rice on the stove altogether. Why? Because I never have to worry about the rice burning and I can steam my vegetables with the steam basket included (no need for any extra steam baskets in the kitchen, either).

· Salad Spinner- Truth be told, I have mixed feelings about this one, but it’s important enough to include because mine does its job well. I wouldn’t spend a lot of money for one, just buy one that works. They really do get the water out of lettuces and herbs, but your all-cotton kitchen towels could do just the same.

· Kitchen Shears/Scissors- Never thought I would use these as much as I do, but now I understand why my Sicilian grandmother always had a pair in the kitchen- and it wasn’t just to cut pizza. I use them to cut herbs, pita bread…and pizza.

· Sieve- If you’re a soup cooker or homemade stock maker, you’ll need this to make flawless creations. A fine sieve will pretty much push out only what’s clear.

· Slotted Spoons- Especially useful for things like poached eggs

· Wooden, Bamboo or Plastic Spoons- If you own any Teflon-coated or cast iron pans, you must have these so that you don’t scratch the surface and remove the coating, thus destroying your cookware.

· Stand Mixer-I have to admit, this is my baby in the kitchen, so favored I can’t even part with a second, older one I have that’s on its last leg. These are especially useful when you buy attachments like meat grinders and sausage makers. (*Money-saving tip: buy refurbished parts and appliances on Kitchen Aid’s website for a reduced price, yet still wonderful quality)

· Oven Thermometer-Ovens old and new can easily have problems with correct heating temperatures. Normally, you should have an oven calibrated every once in a while, but I just hook an oven thermometer onto a baking rack inside and I know what the temperature is whenever I’m baking.

· Candy Thermometer-I don’t make a lot of candy, but this is a versatile tool nevertheless. I use this type of thermometer for checking the temperature of boiling milk before making things like yogurt, buttermilk, or creme fraiche.

· Meat Thermometer-I know, enough with the thermometers already. But this is also an essential one. You really need to know the correct internal temperature of meats, especially your big roasts like turkeys, whole chickens and ducks. Nothing is worse than serving a beautiful turkey at the dinner table, only to find blood in the center when slicing and serving- yuck!

· Kitchen Twine-You could probably get away with using other types of string, but kitchen twine is designed not to burn off from high oven heat. I use it to tie up stuffed fish, roll meats and a variety of other things.

· Yogurt Maker- After reading the book, French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mirielle Guiliano (http://www.mireilleguiliano.com/), I was convinced that I should own one. I wasn’t so much concerned with losing weight as losing money on the enormous amounts of yogurt we consume between cooking, eating as a snack and topping our foods with it. Besides, with a yogurt maker, it’s super easy to do it right. Some may argue you don’t need to splurge on this item, but I was personally wasting more money and milk just experimenting the old fashioned way. It’s essentially just a warmer- but accurate and consistent, unlike me and my kitchen’s temperature. To see how I do this, check out an earlier post on this topic: http://www.myhalalkitchen.com/2008/10/making-homemade-yogurt-has-never-been-easier/

I hope you’ve not been overwhelmed by this list, but that it’s helped make you re-think what’s in your own kitchen and which tools you truly favor. I’d love to hear what’s essential to you so I can add it to this list!

Copyright © 2008-2010 My Halal Kitchen. All rights reserved.

Read more great recipes and culinary tips from Yvonne at MyHalalKitchen.com

Ingredients

• 2-3 Bay leaves, crushed
• salt, to taste
• 1 tsp. orange zest
• 1 lb. or 1 package spaghetti or penne pasta
• 2 Tb. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into thick slices lengthwise
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 roma tomato, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed and roughly chopped
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 lb. button or crimini mushrooms, quartered
• 1/4 cup sour cream, brought to room temperature
• 1/2 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions

1. Fill a large pot about 1/2 way full of water. Add bay leaves, salt and orange zest. Bring to a full boil.
2. Add entire package of pasta. Move pasta around so that it doesn’t stick. Reduce heat to med-high. Follow instructions for cooking time of pasta.
3. In the meantime, using a large deep bottom sauté pan, heat oil. Add chicken and cook until browned on each side, approximately 3-4 minutes each side. Remove chicken and drain on paper towels.
4. If necessary, add more oil to pan. Cook tomato until skin begins to break. Add onions and cook another couple of minutes. Add garlic, salt and pepper. Bring chicken back to pan, then add mushrooms. Cook until the juice of the mushrooms has evaporated and the chicken is cooked thoroughly.
5. If the chicken sauté seems a bit dry, reserve about 1/8 cup of pasta water and add to the sauté pan. Once the pasta is finished, drain completely. Do not rinse.
6. Add pasta to the large sauté pan containing the chicken and mushroom mixture. Add sour cream and mix completely. Add parsley and do the same. Grate Parmesan on top just before serving, while still hot.

Copyright © 2008-2010 My Halal Kitchen. All rights reserved.

Read more great recipes and culinary tips from Yvonne at MyHalalKitchen.com

One lesson I’ve learned here is that it seems to turn out better when whisked by hand as opposed to using my beloved Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer (which is not the case for most baked things I love). Plus, I decided to use a loaf pan instaed of the more traditional bundt pan, and it just seems to bake better in this way.

Whatever works…no?

Note: The dry ingredients don’t have to be sifted unless you want a loaf that’s a little less dense, but there won’t be too much of a noticeable difference whether you do or not.

Banana Blueberry Loaf

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 cups pure cane sugar, granulated

Wet Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, preferably the thick, European style
• 1 cup vegetable OR grapeseed oil. I don’t recommend any strong oils such as olive oil because it tends to take over the flavor of the blueberry and banana.

Additional Ingredients

• 2 (mature/ripe) frozen bananas, defrosted on the counter for 20-30 minutes or in the microwave for under a minute
• 1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Measure all dry ingredients into a metal or glass mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, measure out the eggs and yogurt. Using a wire whisk, mix together well. Next, add the vegetable oil and whisk again until all three ingredients are well-blended.
3. To the egg-yogurt-oil mixture, add the defrosted bananas by mashing them into the mixture. Then, using a whisk, blend these ingredients.
4. Using 1-2 cups at a time, add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Using a wooden spoon or heavy wire whisk, blend all ingredients until there are no lumps.
5. Gently fold in the blueberries, careful not to break any (it will make your batter blue!)
6. Pour mixture into an large, oiled (spray) loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350° oven.
7. Bake for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick or flat knife comes out clean from the center and the top is golden brown.
8. Allow to cool before turning out of pan, approximately 30-40 minutes.

This is great for breakfast, served with a pat of butter and a glass of warm milk. But hey, it’s also great as a snack any time of day. Makes about 8 hefty slices

Copyright © 2008-2010 My Halal Kitchen. All rights reserved.

Read more great recipes and culinary tips from Yvonne at MyHalalKitchen.com