This appetizer is perfect for holiday “get togethers,” parties, or to whip up for unexpected guests! I found this recipe on Instagram and instantly saved it to make it this Winter. I finally got around to it on Christmas Day and it turned out so cute!
Heads up, don’t eat the whole peppercorns. Those are for decoration. My husband learned this the hard way as he asked me “what is the really hard thing in this?” Lol
The recipe called for Saran Wrap when placing in the fridge, but we used ziploc bags instead and they worked great. Other than that, this was the easiest dish I made all break. It was also the cutest dish!
Here’s another Lebanese inspired dish that we make once every week or so. My kids request this one. They absolutely love it. We all do. They literally want this dish at least once a week.
At this point, you may be wondering, “how do you get your kids to eat these amazing meals with vegetables?” The answer is pretty simple. I never made separate meals. From the time the older Els were little and currently with our toddler, we make a family meal and eat it together. Of course we have nights where people make their own dinner and eat whatever they want. But, as a practice, I make a meal for the family and offer it to everyone. I don’t like to make an issue out of food. So, we’ve never told our kids they had to clean their plates. We do encourage them to try new foods and at this point we’ve built up a good level of trust- I ((mostly)) serve them delicious dishes. There was that one time I made chick pea noodles in 2020. (Gross!) See below for the Lebanese Cauliflower, ground beef and rice directions and quick video. Please comment and let me know if you make this delicious dish!
Quick Video “How to make Lebanese cauliflower, ground beef and rice by El Momma”
Video: How to make this awesome dish in 90 seconds!
Lebanese Cauliflower & ground beef Ingredients
Makes approximately 8 servings
2-3 large whole cauliflowers. Cut to florets
Your choice of cooked white rice
[1] TB extra virgin olive oil
[1] chopped white onion
[1] pound ground beef
[1] TB 7 spices (recipe for seven spices included below)
[1] tsp kosher salt
[1] tsp ground pepper
1 jar 24 Oz of diced tomatoes (I prefer roasted garlic)
14 Oz crushed Tomatoes (I use Italian variety)
plain yogurt (optional) for garnish
*A very important ingredient of many lebanese dishes is 7 spices. 7 Spices are made with a mix of the following spices: all spice, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander, caraway and nutmeg. I buy this through our local grocer, Phoenicia. I’ve also purchased on Amazon. * Recipe for my homemade seven spices blend is included at the bottom of this post.
Directions
Step 1: Rinse and cut the cauliflower into florets. Set aside.
Step 2: In a separate pot, cook the rice per directions on rice bag/box.
Step 3: Using a 2 1/2 – 3 inch deep skillet that has a fitted glass lid, cook the chopped onion and ground beef at medium heat in the olive oil. Add the 7 spices, pepper and salt and mix well. Careful not to over cook the meat.
Step 4: fold in the cauliflower, crushed and diced tomatoes. Mix well. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes with lid on, stirring occasionally at medium low to medium heat.
Step 5: serve hot over a bed of rice. Add a dollop of plain yogurt when serving.
Add this green beans, lamb and rice to the list of our family favorites. We make this dish every 1-2 weeks. I usually use about 3 pounds of green beans and 1 – 2 pounds of ground lamb. A very important ingredient of many lebanese dishes is 7 spices. 7 Spices are made with a mix of the following spices: all spice, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander, caraway and nutmeg. I buy this through our local grocer, Phoenicia. I’ve also purchased on Amazon.
7 Spices
Makes approximately 3 1/2 tablespoons of 7 spices
1T allspice,
1T cinnamon,
1t ground cloves,
1t cumin,
1t coriander,
1/2 t caraway
1/2 t nutmeg
Quick Video “How To Make Lebanese Green Beans, Lamb & Rice by El Momma”
How to make this awesome dish in 90 seconds!
LebaneseGreen Beans, Ground Lamb and Rice
Makes approximately 6 servings
Ingredients
3 pounds of fresh green beans, snapped and ends removed
[1] TB salt (for boiling green beans)
Your choice of cooked white rice
[1] TB extra virgin olive oil
[1] chopped white onion
[1] pound ground lamb
[1] TB 7 spices
[1] TB kosher salt
[1] tsp ground pepper
plain yogurt (optional) for garnish
Directions
Step 1: Rinse, drain, remove ends and snap the green beans. Prepare pot of water with 1 Tablespoon of salt. Add beans, bring to a boil and boil for 4-5 minutes. Prepare ice water bath. Drain cooked beans in colander. Submerge in ice bath. Drain and Pat dry.
Step 2: In a separate pot, cook the rice per directions on rice bag/box.
Step 3: Using a 2 1/2 – 3 inch deep skillet that has a fitted glass lid, cook the chopped onion and ground lamb at medium heat in the olive oil. Add the 7 spices, pepper and salt and mix well. Careful not to over cook the meat.
Step 4: fold in the green beans, cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes with lid on, stirring occasionally at medium low to medium heat.
Step 5: serve hot over a bed of rice. Add a dollop of plain yogurt when serving.
Whipped Hummus- a delicious and nutritious snack! Made with garbanzo beans (low in fat) and fat free greek yogurt. So tasty!
So, I pretty much make Hummus all the time. My husband would say I don’t make it enough. He would like fresh hummus in the house daily. However, I think he appreciates the fact that I make it about once a week. Considering, all of my other responsibilities, that’s a lot. Well, I’ve been making hummus basically the same way for the last couple of years. I found a blog that I like http://www.dedemed.com/ and I pretty much follow her recipe to the t, except I don’t really measure anything. But, recently, I decided to try making hummus using a bag of garbanzo beans instead of a can. It required overnight soaking, changing of the water and boiling the beans. I really didn’t like the flavor. I later read that it is a good idea to change the water when you are boiling them as well and if you don’t you get a weird after taste. Considering it was more of a pain to make hummus this way, I probably won’t try that again. I really like the drained canned garbanzo beans just fine. However, we have been to a couple of local restaurants that serve a very smooth almost whipped hummus. I’ve tried putting the hummus in the mixer to see if that would “whip” it, but that didn’t seem to do anything. Then, my husband, because of his love of hummus, read online that some people boil the canned beans and peel the skin. And, that makes really smooth “whipped” hummus. So, me and Miss Trinity tried that this afternoon.
Garbanzo beans after being boiled, drained, washed, and peeled
First, I drained the beans- 2 cans. And, rinsed them a few times. Then, I placed them in a pot with water and brought them to a boil for a few minutes, stirring occassionally. Some of the skins came right off and floated to the top. Others, were not so easy. So, I drained them again and washed them removing as much of the extra skin as possible. I basically did this until I got tired of doing it, feeling that I had removed a substantial amount, so it had to make a difference.
Then, I placed the beans in the food processor and added the remaining ingredients- yogurt, garlic, salt, citric acid, lemon juice, tahini
I just throw all of the ingredients in together before processing
To say it was worth the extra work is a little bit of an understatement. It did take an extra 20 minutes, but it was well worth it.
EASY BAKED SALMON- delicious Salmon fillets, any portion size, boned and skinned crushed Garlic, to taste Pepper Kosher Salt Duke’s Mayonnaise Paprika
Preheat oven to 375°F Wash and dry fillets. Spread thin coat of mayonnaise over salmon. Place salmon in foil lined pyrex dish. Sprinkle seasonings over fish ending with paprika.
Bake in 375°F. oven for 15 to 25 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
