Deezy - Traditional Iranian Dish

This past Friday (yes, my post is extremely late...it's already Wednesday) was the 6th anniversary of knowing my husband - August 16th was the first day we met :) I remember that day for so many reasons and 6 years later, it still feels like yesterday. We had a short (I say short because we both got home at 8:30 that night) dinner date and got one of my favorite foods ever at this new joint (Hen House Grill) that opened up near our house. Actually it's been there for over a year now and we just never got around to going, haha! But oh my gosh, the food is fabulous. There is this one dish that we used to get during the summers when I was small and visiting Iran, called deezy. It's basically a stew of potatoes meat and beans, cooked in individual portions. You separate out the juice from the stew and eat it like soup and mash up the meat, beans and potatoes and eat that with bread. It may not sound that appetizing with the way I'm describing it, but believe me, something about the way it's prepared and cooked is so good (and I normally don't like stew) that I crave it and have been craving it for some time now.  Craving it in this style...it's a dish that most can make at home, but not this way! I think for me, deezy is somewhat nostalgic, reminding me of my summers with my family back in Iran sitting by a fountain or river having deezy with handfuls of freshly baked bread, laughing and telling stories late into the night. 

Don't mind the pony clamps, its so one could handle the metal pots. 

So, I had flashbacks of summers ago and enjoyed the deezy so much. I was hoping that I would get a chance to have it for the first time with my hubby in Iran, but this is good enough :) 6 years and counting!

Here's a link I found that talks about deezy (also known as ab-goosht) for those interested: Deezy explained.

I'm hungry...this totally beats the PB&J sandwich I had today!!!

Banana Bread Avec Chocolate Chunks

I love banana bread and zucchini bread and pumpkin bread and sigh...all kinds of bread. I could never go on a low or even no carb diet. I came across this recipe and it was a twist on the regular banana bread that I am used to making. I decided to try it, even though I'm cautious about adding chocolate to anything but cookies and brownies, but it came out delicious!!!! It's a very moist and dense cake filled with flavor.

Here's the recipe!! The only thing I changed was not adding Bourbon - no alcohol in this Muslim household.  For every tablespoon of Bourbon I added 1 part vanilla extract and 2 parts water.

Recipe by Joy the Baker posted at A Cup of Jo.

Ingredients: 
Makes 1 loaf


2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (from about 3 bananas)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp water + 1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Almost 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks



Directions:

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8x4-inch or 9x5-inch loaf pan. Set aside. 
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. 
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. 
• Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Stop the mixer, scrape down sides of the bowl, and add bananas, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Beat until well incorporated.
• Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat until almost incorporated. Stop the mixer and remove the bowl. Add the walnuts and chocolate chips and incorporate the last of the ingredients with a spatula.
• Batter will be thick. Spoon the mixture into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and allow loaf to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
• Serve with milk or tea or coffee and enjoy!

I used very very ripe bananas that had an almost brown skin and really mashed them well. Actually let me take this time to give credit where credit is due, the hubby actually mashed them :D 

Bon Appétit! :)

Cabinet Organization

I really got tired of the mess that had become my pyrex and tupperware cabinet. Every time I wanted to get something, things would get moved around, I had to remove all the pyrex to get to the bottom one...and the complaints go on. So, I figured I needed a better way to get things. I use a wire rack to organize my platters and I figured it would work for holding pyrex  well, why not use a wire rack (similar to this) to organize the pyrex and a basket to organize the miscellaneous items that have become annoying to manage.

Voila...things are now easily accessible.
 

After

 Before

 

Ya I know, the mess isn't that bad, but it was enough to annoy me when I needed to get something out quickly.

:) It's more manageable now and it makes me happy. Yay!

Time-lapse of San Francisco - Adrift

I came across this amazing time-lapse film by Simon Christen of photos taken in San Francisco amist the wonderful fog that really makes the city what it is. It made me miss home so much...I almost started to cry (get it together, you're at work and your boss just walked in). This has been a crazy month for some many reasons (hence the absence) and Ramadan is also almost over and I feel as though I am missing it already. Sadness overload today.

 

 I wish I was sitting in my favorite spot with my favorite people overlooking the bay right now.

Homemade Lebanese Hummus

I finally got around to organizing my kitchen cabinets so as to make more room for my food processor. It was previously in it's box in the closet, up high on a shelf I could barely reach and I got really tired of having to take it down and out of the box every time I wanted to use it. With my food processor in easy reach now, I got the urge to make a lot of things, one being homemade hummus, and by homemade, I mean everything from scratch (not the cheat way using canned garbanzo beans).

I had a recipe in mind and made a few changes to my liking and it came out fabulous. I took some home to my parents house and it was all gone within a day, so that's saying something :D 

Note: this recipe is very easy, but just takes a day in advance to prepare.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)
• 4-5 large garlic cloves, crushed (see below for how to crush garlic)
• 1/2 cup tahini paste (pureed sesame)
• 2 tbsp Olive oil (or more to taste)
• 1/3-2/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

• Clean the chickpeas to remove any small stones.
• Rinse the dry chickpeas to get rid of any debris and then allow them to soak overnight (12-24 hours) with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.  Fill the bowl to completely cover the chickpeas. They will expand in size, so make sure to keep enough water to cover them. The baking soda also helps soften the beans quicker.

• Next day, empty the soaked chickpeas in a colander to get rid of the water and then rinse the beans with fresh cold water.
• Add the chickpeas to a cooking pot with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and then add enough water to cover the chickpeas (about 6-7 cups).
• Bring it to a boil on high heat, then let it simmer on low heat for about 1 hour with the pot covered.
• Check up on the chickpeas after 45 minutes. To tell if the beans are done: try to crush a chickpea with your fingers, if it crushes easily and feels smooth then it’s done.

• Once the chickpeas are cooked, and while still hot, add them immediately to a food processor with 1/2 to 1 cup of warm water and grind for 3-5 minutes at low speed.
• With the food processor still going, add the salt and garlic.
• Slowly add in the Tahini paste.
• Next, add the lemon juice and let the food processor run for a couple more minutes. 
• Add the paprika and olive oil and continue to allow the food processor to run.
• Taste the puree to see if it needs an adjustment of salt or olive oil. 

FYI: To crush garlic, here is a neat trick I learned:

 Mince the garlic into tiny, itty bitty small pieces and add a pinch of salt.

Then, using the edge of the blade of a knife, with firm pressure on the blade, drag the knife across the garlic back and forth, crushing the garlic so it's smooth like a paste.

 And voila, you have crushed garlic.

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RECIPE:

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)
• 4-5 large garlic cloves, crushed (see below for how to crush garlic)
• 1/2 cup tahini paste (pureed sesame)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (or more to taste)
• 1/3-2/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

1. Clean the chickpeas to remove any small stones.
2. Rinse the dry chickpeas to get rid of any debris and then allow them to soak overnight (12-24 hours) with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.  Fill the bowl to completely cover the chickpeas. They will expand in size, so make sure to keep enough water to cover them. The baking soda also helps soften the beans quicker.
3. Next day, empty the soaked chickpeas in a colander to get rid of the water and then rinse the beans with fresh cold water.
4. Add the chickpeas to a cooking pot with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and then add enough water to cover the chickpeas (about 6-7 cups).
5. Bring it to a boil on high heat, then let it simmer on low heat for about 1 hour with the pot covered.
6. Check up on the chickpeas after 45 minutes. To tell if the beans are done: try to crush a chickpea with your fingers, if it crushes easily and feels smooth then it’s done.
7. Once the chickpeas are cooked, and while still hot, add them immediately to a food processor with 1/2 to 1 cup of warm water and grind for 3-5 minutes at low speed.
8. With the food processor still going, add the salt and garlic.
9. Slowly add in the Tahini paste.
10. Next, add the lemon juice and let the food processor run for a couple more minutes. 
11. Add the paprika and olive oil and continue to allow the food processor to run.
12. Taste the puree to see if it needs an adjustment of salt or olive oil. 
13. Serve with more paprika or olive oil. 

Bon Appetite :)

Ramadan Mubarak

Today is the first day of the holy month of Ramadan for all muslims around the world! See my post last year on a brief explanation on this month.

The arabic word for Ramadan means scorching heat. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: "Surely, the month of Ramadan has been named so because it scorches away the sins." Kanz al-Ummal, H: 23688

One of the distinguishing features of Ramadan, beside fasting, is forgiveness.  The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) explained in one Hadith that Ramadan is a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness and whose end is freedom from the hellfire.

Therefore, the month of Ramadan is a great time to ask God/Allah (swt) for forgiveness of our sins as well as a time to open our hearts to others, let go of grudges, and cleanse our hearts of anger and hatred - forgive others for any wrong they have committed towards you. The path to connecting with God is always paved with difficulties and tests and the only way to gain any form of spiritual uplifting is to pass those tests through dealing with hardships and rising above them.

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong". Mahatma Gandhi

This month is also a time to seek nearness to Allah (swt) through abstaining from worldly distractions and to purify our minds, body and soul and to take advantage of the blessings this month brings through nearness with the Almighty.

"When you fast, all your senses - eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet - must fast with you."

• Eyes: Keep your eyes off unlawful things and objects; spend this most precious gift of God in good cause and pious acts and read the Holy Quran and Du'as.

• Ears: Abstain from hearing unlawful gossip, lies, false statements, music and obscene topics. Pay your attention towards sermons and topics of learning etc.

• Tongue: Do not tell lies or useless tales; do not spread rumours or, damaging gossips about other persons; keep aloof from falsity. Use the power of speech in spreading the word of God; in creating goodwill in the society.

•  Hand: Do not inflict injury upon others by your actions; instead strive to help them as far as you can.

•  Feet: Do not go towards forbidden places, like bars and cinemas. Do not run between people creating strife. Go towards those places where God is remembered; and your movements should be to bring people together.

•  And above all, your heart and mind must be with you in fasting. Because fast in its real sense, will not be complete unless your thoughts, your emotions, your actions - in short, all aspects of our life - become pure, clean and free from blemish. " - Adapted from: Islamic Occasions 

My resolutions for the coming month and year (I was pretty good about following through with most of my resolutions of the month of Ramadan last year, so again, here it goes):

• Read the whole Quran from front to back.
• Read Dua Iftitah every night of the month of Ramadan - one of my favorite duas.
• Make a habit of going to the mosque as much as possible.
• Watch my intake of too much sweets and unhealthy food. Since fasting is a means to keep ones desires in check, what better way to follow through with this than watching my desire for sweets.
• Less TV...more like no TV, however Suits is starting July 14th...maybe can exception can be made :D
• No shopping for myself of any sort during the month of Ramadan. 
• Stay away from gossiping, curb my tongue, watch my road rage, learn to forgive.

Wishing all those a wonderful and blessed month of Ramadan! May all your prayers be answered!