roasted-potatoes-featured

Light snacks to enjoy in the evening

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by • Quick Fixes, Tips

I am definitely not one of those persons who spend their lives dieting and counting calories, but generally speaking, I am health-conscious and the food I eat is very healthy. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy fast food or fatty food every now and then, but the things I like generally revolve around beans, stews and salads.

Recently, I have been searching for healthy snacks to enjoy in the evening, especially if I don’t feel like eating a salad and I just want to nibble on something healthy and delicious. Here are some ideas you can try, they’re perfect for a quick fix:

  • Turkey bacon: unlike ham bacon, turkey bacon is actually very healthy and low in fat and calories, and it tastes delicious! I don’t know if it is sold in all supermarkets, but I get them from my supermarket who orders them specifically for me. They come in slices sealed in packs that you can refrigerate for a couple of months. Put them in the oven for few minutes, until their color changes slightly, and enjoy!

  • Lupine beans: loaded with proteins, they’re actually some dieticians’ favorite snacks! Get the sweet ones from the supermarket because they don’t need as much time as the bitter ones to be ready. Boil them for 20-30 minutes, then soak them in water and keep them refrigerated. You can easily enjoy them the next day, and they can stay in your refrigerator for a couple of weeks, as long as you regularly change their water.

  • Toasted bread with guacamole: toasted bread is a replacement for chips. It has much less salt, is not fried and makes a perfect match with guacamole. For the guacamole, keep it simple. Mix a ripe avocado with lemon juice, salt and white pepper and there you have it.

  • Cauliflower with a cocktail dip: Chop the cauliflower into smaller pieces and enjoy with a cocktail dip. Cocktail sauce is made of mayonnaise and ketchup. It is not very healthy I reckon, but it can be moderately enjoyed every now and then.

  • Roasted potatoes: if you feel like eating chips or fries, replace them by potatoes in the oven. Slice the potatoes thinly, add salt and just brush them with sunflower oil. Put them in the oven for about 30-40 minutes and before they roast, sprinkle herbs, rosemary or paprika over them. It will almost feel like you’re eating fries, minus the guilt.

Do you have snack ideas to share? I’d love to try out new things, so bring your recipes on!

best-baklava-in-lebanon-al-anwar

And the best baklava in town award goes to…

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by • Must-Try Foods • Tags: , ,

Baklava is one of Lebanon’s most famous sweets. It comes in different tastes, shapes and fillings, but it is generally made of puff paste (pâte feuilletée), sugar syrup and fillings such as pistachio, almonds, pine nuts or cream.

There are hundreds of baklava shops across Lebanon, especially in Sidon, the Lebanese capital of baklava. Some shops have even built a great name for themselves and have become a must-visit for tourists, as well as for Lebanese who visit Sidon. The baklava they make is good but for me, it is not the best baklava you can eat in Lebanon.

I’ve always believed that the best things in life do not necessarily come in the most attractive packages – especially food. Sometimes the unseen shop just around the corner makes the most heavenly food you can taste in your life. This is exactly the case with baklava and the Al-Anwar shop in Sidon.

Al-Anwar is a baklava shop located in Saida District. It does not have the bling-bling sign, or the most refined interior, but it sure makes the best baklava in town. I am not a fan of baklava soaked in sugar syrup, it is too sweet and it loses its crunch few days in. That’s why, Al-Anwar baklava are just perfect. They are always fresh, crunchy and with just the right amount of sugar syrup – so they are a pure heaven to the palate.

Al-Anwar doesn’t make industrial quantities, so it only sells what they make for the day and then closes when everything has been sold (which happens invariably every day).

So next time you’re in Sidon, make it a point to visit early and take some baklava with you, because it is unlike any other baklava you may have tasted in your life.

cheese-selection

The 8 cheeses that will complement your cheese and wine nights

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by • Tips • Tags: ,

I have been invited to countless cheese and wine gatherings in my life. Every time, it’s the same cheese variety that’s proposed by the host; Brie, Camembert, Chèvre, Rambol aux noix, Caprice des Dieux and Boursin à l’ail.

While this display is a good cheese and wine contender, it remains standard and the flavors tend to get boring. Here is a list of cheeses that are an absolute delight and that would really add a kick to your cheese and wine evenings:

  • Saint Albray: it’s a cow cheese that looks and tastes a lot like Camembert, but is softer and milder. It’s a real treat to enjoy every now and then.

  • Comté: it’s a cow cheese that’s dry and has notes of sweetness. If you like strong flavors, Comté is a must on your list.

  • Beaufort: It’s a cow cheese that’s creamy, but not as much as Camembert or Brie. It resembles Gruyère or even Comté cheese, but it has a more raw taste about it that makes it an oh-so-delicious addition to your cheese variety.

  • Tomme de Savoie: this is one of my favorites. It’s a cow cheese that is similar to Camembert in its texture, but is actually lighter.

  • Reblochon: it’s a cow cheese that is soft, creamy and just melts in your mouth. Be sure to taste it in small portions as it has quite a strong taste and a long-lasting aftertaste.

  • Manchego: Manchego is a Spanish cheese made of sheep milk. It’s a little dry and oily, with a slight sharpness that leaves a quite enjoyable aftertaste.

  • P’tit Basque: this is an epic sheep cheese that is just out of this world. It usually goes perfectly well with semi-sweet white wine, but you can still enjoy it in your regular cheese and red wine gatherings.

  • Chamois: it’s a creamy cow cheese that looks like Brie, but is firmer and has a more subtle taste.

Voila! I hope you enjoy my selection – feel free to suggest more cheeses you’ve tried and thought were delightful.

domaine-de-baal

Domaine De Baal: the elegance of wine

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by • Drinks • Tags: , ,

I am known as a wine lover in my circle. A lot of people ask me about my opinion on wines, not because I’m an expert, but because I can generally tell great wine from good wine from bad wine. And it seems I also have good taste when it comes to wine, so whenever there is a wine I like, odds are people will like it too.

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I have tried countless wines in my life. Some I can’t even remember the name of. But I always make it a point to remember particularly well Lebanese wines, because I like to encourage and promote Lebanese winemakers.

Lebanese wines are generally good because the soil and weather are very favorable to getting a good quality, and more and more boutique wineries are opening and producing quality wine that can easily compete on the international scene.

One Lebanese wine I like in particular is Domaine De Baal. It is hands down my favorite. Wine is a very personal experience. You may like a specific wine one day and like it less another time, depending on your mood, what you’re drinking it with, how you’re feeling on that specific occasion, etc. With Domaine De Baal, I never had this issue. I have always felt exactly the same every time I drank it, and that to me, is unparalleled. It’s an elegant wine that’s not heavy on the palate. It goes down smoothly and will leave your palate moist with hints of spices and discrete aromas of red fruits.

To me, there is an important difference between liking a wine and enjoying one. When you like a wine, you refer mostly to its body, taste and aromas. You may like the first sip of it, or even the first glass, but then as you drink more you may find your palate to get dry, or the aftertaste not to be so elegant. When you enjoy a wine, it means you like it as much after the last sip as you did when you first tasted it. It means that it flows elegantly without harming its way through, so you are left with an enjoyable experience all the way. This is exactly what I love about Domaine De Baal so much. Drinking Domaine De Baal is a beautiful journey, every single time.

Featured photo credited to Greg Demarque.

tabbouleh

Eating Tabbouleh with Lebanese bread

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by • Tips • Tags: , , ,

Tabbouleh is the holy grail of Lebanese cuisine. There isn’t a single person I know that doesn’t eat Tabbouleh at least once per week, whether as a cold mezze at lunch or as a light salad in the evening.

Tabbouleh is an extremely healthy salad that is prepared with fresh parsley, mint, tomatoes, onions, bulgur, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon, and is generally enjoyed with lettuce or cabbage.

Of course, I don’t eat it the same way :). First, we have always eaten Tabbouleh at home without bulgur. My mother once forgot to add bulgur and then it tasted so good that day, that she decided to remove that ingredient altogether. Second, everyone eats Tabbouleh with a fork, which leaves all the juice in the plate and to me, this is the most delicious and interesting part of the entire dish. The juice is what links all the ingredients together because it has all the flavors mixed with the spices, olive oil and lemon juice. That’s why I eat Tabbouleh with Lebanese bread.

Bread replaces perfectly well bulgur, as it is softer, fuller and tastier. It absorbs some of the juice in every bite, so the taste is actually richer in flavors, aromas and texture.

Next time you’re having Tabbouleh, try to have a mouthful with a fork and another with bread and compare the two tastes. See which one leaves more flavors in your mouth after you’re done eating, and let me know your feedback!

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