RECIPES | almondandfig

Vegan Kibbeh Nayeh

Mar 16, 2020
3 min

Vegan Kibbeh Nayeh

The traditional recipe for Kibbeh Nayeh uses raw meat, usually with the freshest best lamb you can find mixed with bulgur and spices. Nayeh translates to raw in Arabic and is the steak tartare of Lebanon and Syria, where eating Kibbeh Nayeh is a revered ritual. So, Vegan Kibbeh Nayeh sounds like an oxymoron. But do you want the raw truth?! I neither eat raw meat or meat all together, so this is a vegan spin on the traditional raw meat “Kibbeh Nayeh." It has loads of flavors f

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Spring Ma'loubeh "Upside Down"

May 15, 2019
2 min

Spring Ma'loubeh "Upside Down"

Ma’loubeh is a very popular one pot Levantine dish that layers both rice, vegetables and meat creating a savory like cake once the pot is inverted. The word Ma’loubeh in Arabic means upside down and that’s because to eat this dish you must invert it over the serving dish and you get an upside down Ma’loubeh. When you invert the dish there is always a drum roll and anticipation of how the Ma’loubeh will turn out and whether it will hold its shape. This dish is often cooked wit

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The Arab Pantry And a Giveaway for Some of my Essential Pant

Hashweh; An Arab Stuffing. A must learn recipe

Apr 4, 2019
3 min

Hashweh; An Arab Stuffing. A must learn recipe

Hashweh in Arabic means stuffing. We can’t tell you all about the stuffed vegetables and cuts of meats without telling you about my favorite rice of all “the stuffing rice which is called hashweh”. And when I was little i called it party rice. Hashweh could be eaten as a meal on its own with a simple cucumbers and tomatoes salad and often accompanied by a savory yogurt. Or hashweh rice can be part of a holiday spread next to roasted meats like chicken, lamb or roast beef. And

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Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed Squash in a Tomatoes Broth)

Apr 1, 2019
4 min

Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed Squash in a Tomatoes Broth)

The word mahshi in Arabic means “stuffed” so kousa mahshi would mean stuffed zucchini. Arabs in general and especially Palestinians love to stuff anything from meats to vegetables. We even stuff our meats with stuffed vegetables ;). Stuffed vegetables are definitely one of my favorites. From zucchini, to eggplants, carrots, onions, cabbage, grape leaves, potatoes, tomatoes and even cucumbers can be stuffed. We use a special tool called “makwara” to hallow the veggies out. But

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Cherry Kebab~ a dish I dedicate to my Grandmother Tita Um Kusta

Aug 3, 2018
4 min

Cherry Kebab~ a dish I dedicate to my Grandmother Tita Um Kusta

In honor of my grandmother, my Armenian great grandparents, and our visit to the Armenian quarter in Jerusalem (story saved under highlights on IG), I wanted to make this dish called Fishnah Kebab (cherry kebab). This is a classic Armenian and Syrian meatball dish, native to the city of Aleppo. It is served with a sauce of wild sour cherries, which is a variety grown in specific regions of Armenia. I made this with local sour cherries that I found here from Michigan, but you

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