Vegetarian Stuffed Swiss chard Rolls

Palestinian cuisine is rich and loaded with vegetables and seasonal ingredients. A whole pot of rolled vegetarian stuffed Swiss chard leaves from my garden. Stuffed with a vegetarian herby rice mixture, hand rolled and are ready to hit the stove. I am in love with Swiss chard. The leaves are gorgeous green and the stems are rainbow colors. And I grew up with the idea that any food that's stuffed or rolled comes to you with lots of love (lots).

Keep in mind this is a time consuming dish but it’s so worth making. The Swiss chard leaves have a nice earthy flavor, loaded with so many vitamins, combined with an herby rice mixture, chopped tomatoes, fresh lemon juice and the olive oil create a perfectly bright and delicious sauce you would want to drink straight up.

Vegetarian Swiss chard rolls

Ingredients:

4-5 vine tomatoes diced

2 sliced tomatoes for the top

2 cups short grain rice rinsed

1.5 cups finely chopped Italian parsley

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus 3 tbls for the pot

Juice of two lemons

1 bunch of green onions chopped

1 jalapeño diced (optional)

1 12oz can of rinsed chickpeas

2 bunches of Swiss chard

Salt, pepper, to taste

2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

few grates of fresh nutmeg

1 tsp Aleppo pepper

1 head of garlic not peeled just divided (optional)

Directions of the stuffing:

Rinse the rice few times until water runs clear. Add all ingredients and mix well to combine.

Rinse the Swiss chard leaves. Take out the stem from the middle dividing the leaf to two halves or if the leaves are small keep them whole (reserve the stalks). Blanch the leaves for 2 seconds in boiling salted water. Then shock quickly in ice cold water so they retain their beautiful bright green color.

to stuff the leaves: lay the leaf flat on your surface, add a tble of the stuffing to the middle of the leaf, roll one, fold in the sides and roll tightly.

Add the remaining 3 tbls of olive oil to the pot, line the swiss chard stalks on top.

Stack the stuffed leaves in a pot so snug so they don't open while cooking. I add the garlic cloves in between the leaves my kids just love them. Ok they actually fight about them. Add the sliced tomatoes on top. Add enough water just to slightly cover the leaves. Add salt to tatse. Add a heat proof plate to the top of the stuffed chard leaved so they stay in place and not unfold during the cooking process.

Bring the pot to boil, reduce the heat to simmer, and cook covered for 45 min- 60 minutes until the swiss chard is cooked through.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt and extra squeeze of lemon juice.

They are slightly tangy and so so satisfying. My idea of a perfect pot of comfort food.

Al Saber ya Margarita

Prickly Pear Margarita

In late summer in Palestine, prickly pear, cactus fruits, or صبر are everywhere—a refreshing snack eaten often ice cold straight out of the fridge or served on trays with ice for a weekend brunch.

The flesh is so sweet and refreshing and the seeds are crunchy. There few varieties of prickly pear fruits with really beautiful colors, the inspiration of this summer drink.

• Level: Easy

• Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• Total: 15 min

• Prep: 15 min

Prickly Pear Margarita

Ingredients:

1 lime, halved

Mint salt

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 limes)

Plus 1 lime thinly sliced into rounds to garnish

6 prickly pears, peeled

1/2 cup Grand Marnier or Triple Sec

1 cup white tequila

2 cups ice, plus extra for serving

• In a blender, puree the prickly pears until smooth. Strain the juice into a pitcher.

• If you like margaritas served in a glass with salt, rub the outside rims of 6 glasses with a cut lime and dip each glass lightly into a plate of mint salt (regular coarse salt will do).

• Combine the lime juice, grand marnier, tequila, prickly pear juice and ice in a cocktail shaker, shake well, and strain into the rimmed glasses filled with ice.

• To make a blended margaritas: Add the ingredients to a blender with about 2 cups of ice and process until smooth. Serve in mint salt -rimmed glasses.

To make a non- alcoholic Margarita

Level: Easy

• Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• Total: 15 min

• Prep: 15 min

Ingredients:

1 lime, halved

Mint salt

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice ( from about 5 limes)

Juice of two lemons

Juice of two fresh oranges about 1/2 cup

Plus 1 lime thinly sliced into rounds to garnish

6 prickly pears, peeled

Agave to taste (optional)

Lime sparkling water about 2 cups

2 cups ice, plus extra for serving

Directions to mix: follow direction steps above just omit the alcohol and add the sparkling water right before serving.

Summer Corn Chowder

I am aware that I am sharing with you a soup recipe on a super hot summer day. But whenever life gets so busy, schedule changes and lists start to pile up, I find myself making a pot of soup. And I promise you this bowl of soup will brighten your day and hug you from the inside.

You might be in the same boat as me. With summer winding down, we are trying to figure out the fall school schedules, a lot of new ways of doing things, lots of emotions and lots of things to do. This past week was especially full of emotions for my family. We dropped off our daughter to college, and we already miss her tons. And our friends moved away to a different state so we just needed this hug in a bowl. Plus a few popped popcorn on top to garnish instantly brings a smile to everyone.

This simple corn soup is packed with fresh summer flavors. Although you can get corn year around either frozen or in a can I just love making this soup in the summer when corn is at its peak sweetness and freshness. Pair it with few basic Ingredients and herbs from the garden and you are in for a summer treat. This soup is a great recipe to make ahead of time, we packed it up last week and took it to the beach or it’s perfect if you are going camping or on a road trip. This soup is delicious hot but Is also perfect at room temperature just how we like it. Its is thick and creamy, making it a great treat for picnics and patio dining. Serve it with a big bowl of green salad it would make for the perfect dinner even on a hot summer day.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil. plus more for garnish

1/2 cup fresh leeks thinly sliced ( if you don’t have leeks you can use 2 shallots)

2 garlic cloves

3 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces

4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 8 ears)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp Aleppo pepper plus more for garnish

3-4 sprigs fresh lemon thyme (regular thyme would do) plus more for garnish

1 quart chicken broth or homemade stock **

1 cup milk or I like to use 1/2 cup heavy cream to 1/2 cup milk

Salt and ground black pepper

** you can keep this recipe vegetarian by using vegetable stock and omitting the butter and milk

Directions

In a large pot, melt the butter and olive oil over low heat. Add the leeks, garlic, salt, pepper and Aleppo stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in the potatoes, corn, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the veggies are cooked through.

Discard the thyme and the bay leaf.

If you prefer the soup chunky then only purée half of the soup.

Using an immersion blender or a food processor, carefully puree the soup to the consistency you like (depending on what kitchen gadget you are using you might have to do this in batches) if you are using a blender make sure you don’t fill it the whole way allowing the hot soup to expand when blended. Cover lid with a kitchen towel and blend and be careful from the hot steam once you open the lid.

Return the soup to the pot. Add milk or cream or a combo and Simmer until the soup thickens slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the thickness of the soup to your liking. If you need more broth or milk then add it few tablespoons at a time.

To serve: drizzle the soup with olive oil, a sprinkling of Aleppo pepper and fresh thyme leaves on top.

A few popped popcorn instantly brings a smile when serving.

This soup is delicious hot but Is also perfect at room temperature.

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