Lebanese Lentils, Rice and Caramelized Onions (Mujadara)

This is a Lebanese dish with lentils, rice and Caramelized onions. 

Ingredients

1 cup brown or green lentils (not lentils du Puy), sorted for debris and rinsed

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns

3 medium red onions, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

3/4 cup basmati rice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (1-inch) cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons pine nuts, optional

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Greek yogurt, for serving, optional

Directions

Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.

Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You'll know they're done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.

Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.

Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don't break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there's still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)

Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.

Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.

Roasted Eggplant Salad (Baingan Bharta)

This is a Lebanese Roasted eggplant salad. You can add the greek yogurt or leave it out. It adds a creamy richness to the dish while still keeping it healthy. This dish has a wonderful amount of light heat that will surprise you.

Ingredients

2 large eggplants
2 tablespoons peanut oil, plus more for eggplant
1 medium white onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small serrano pepper, seeded (if you wish less heat) and minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and soft stems, minced, plus more picked leaves for garnish
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more for sprinkling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Greek yogurt, beaten until smooth

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Make 3 slashes in each eggplant, from top to tail, equally distanced around the eggplant. Rub the eggplants with a little peanut oil. Sit them on the baking sheet and roast until soft all the way to the center and the skin is brown, about 45 minutes, rotating the pan and flipping the eggplants halfway through. Remove from the oven and cool.

Once cool, skin the eggplant. Chop the flesh until it's relatively smooth but not mushy.

In a large skillet, warm the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and saute until it turns golden brown. Add the eggplant flesh, garlic, chile and cilantro leaves. Cook 2 minutes. Add a splash of water if it begins to stick.

Add the turmeric, cumin, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir and cook another 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat. Add the yogurt and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning, and garnish with cilantro leaves and a sprinkle of ground cumin. Serve either warm or slightly chilled.

Per serving: Calories 293; Total Fat 19 grams; Saturated Fat 10 grams; Protein 11 grams; Total Carbohydrate 23 grams; Sugar: 10 grams; Fiber 11 grams; Cholesterol 20 milligrams; Sodium 161 milligrams;

Spicy Sesame-Soy Soba & Sliced Steak

This is a great easy dish for folks new to soba noodles. Make sure you have a really big pan because once you add the beef and soba back into the veggies it can be unwieldy to toss and manage. 

Quick note: If your soba noodles are in Japanese and you don't know the cooking time just remember it's FAST and you don't want them mushy. Just taste test after a couple minutes. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds petite filet or flat-iron steaks
• 12 ounces soba 
• 3 tablespoons high temperature/stir-fry oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder
• 1 inch grated ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bunch scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons Harissa or chili paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons Tamari
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame or black sesame seeds
• 1 cup shiso leaves or 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Yields: 4

Preparation

Place the steak in freezer for a few minutes to firm it up for thin slicing.

Boil a large pot of water to cook soba or pasta; cook at a rolling boil to package directions to al dente.

Very thinly slice meat against the grain with sharp knife.

In large round-bottomed pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the stir-fry oil over high heat. Add meat, season with chili powder and brown 2-3 minutes; remove to plate. Cook in 2 batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan. Add remaining oil and stir-fry the ginger, garlic, scallions, daikon and stir-fry to tender-crisp, 2 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the pan and stir in chili paste, Worcestershire, Tamari and stock. Add beef back and season with sesame oil. 

Drain soba and add to pan. Toss noodles with beef and sesame seeds, and serve.