Cherries..

In my village, most families grow fruit trees..
My family have cherry fields, peaches and apples.

The season of cherries have just started..

And so I would like to write a little bit about it.

Cherries grow on trees..
We cultivate them by hand, but in other places, they are cultivated with special machines..

Cherries come in different colors (Dark/light cherry red, sometimes pinkish color with soft yellow areas).
They can also be in different sizes.

Some taste really sweet, others could taste sour.. depends on their type.



Maybe the next time I can take more pictures, or maybe we can make some cherry recipes..

So stay tuned :D

Eating Healthy

Every good thing starts with a healthy body.
Eating, doing sports and sleeping well, are all things that I was doing wrong for a long time.
I decided it was time to change my lifestyle, and I'm starting to do so one step after the other.

The first step is; eating healthy.

Few days ago, I saw a peeler that cute the peel into noodle-shaped strings.

I've been looking for such a peeler for quit a while, and I got so excited with I found on, especially that it's ARCOSTEEL... one of my favorite kitchen tools brands.

The first thing I did when I got this peeler, was making a raw zucchini and carrots pasta.
It's quit easy...
You just peel the carrots and the zucchini (stop when you get to the seeds, they are too moist and breakable that we wouldn't want them in our pasta, but you don't have to throw that away, you can use is when cooking with rise, or in soups... or if you're on a fully raw diet, I believe you can juice zucchini.. maybe).

You can eat it as is... or you can heat it just a tiny bit, so the noodles become softer..
But don't over heat it.. we don't want to cook it, because it would loose some of it's nutritious value.

It's better not to add any salt... you don't need it anyway.. the pasta tastes really good on it's own.

I LOVE tomatoes, and so I minced a tomato to use as a pasta sauce.
This tastes really good.

That's not my hand... that's my boyfriend's hand!!!

Yesterday I choose to prepare something full of both proteins and fibers.
The last time I got a blood test, I had low protein (well, I didn't eat well, I know!).
So what I prepared was this...

Eggs with zucchini and broccoli!

First I used my new peeler to cut the zucchini into thin noodles, and then I cut them again into shorter slices...
I also cut some frozen broccoli into small pieces (you can use fresh ones too, but that's just what I had at the time).
I cracked few eggs, whisked when, and added the vegetables.
This time I added a little bit of salt and pepper, because the eggs need them.

I scooped the mixture into little silicon muffin cups, and then baked then in my little oven.
That was really good.

And the last but not least, is a picture of the really good breakfast I had this morning with my good friend Khalil.

Bon Appetite everybody :D

Home made Kebab :P

Well, the title says it all..
Today, we had some homemade kebab for lunch.. yum.

The recipe is quit simple..
It's basically minced meet with diced parsley and onions.
The meat my family chooses for kebab is half veal half pork.
And then we season it well, mix it... and that's it.. it would be ready to cook.
It can be preserved raw in the freezer.. I'm not sure for how long, but it lasts quit a while.

Bon appetite :D

BBQ celebrating my brother's birthday

Yesterday, the 2nd of May, was the 26th birthday of my brother...
So we celebrated it with a BBQ at my grandparents' house :D

The green salad is called "Tabbouleh".
It's one of the most famous Arab salads.. mostly found on Palestinian and Lebanese menu..

And that white thing in the back is a grilled onion.. I LOVE grilled onions :D
And that's grilled Pork.. My favorite <3

And then there were two cats that were sneaking and trying to steal the meat..
One of them actually succeeded, and stole the last two sticks before being cooked..

And that's my cousin here.. :D

And of course we can't forget the cake that was prepared by my uncle's wife..

I didn't take any pictures of my brother though....
Maybe next time :D

Filled Zucchini

Filled zucchini is one of the best traditional Arabic food..
The Instructions are simple..
You empty the inside of the zucchini with a special tool, clean it well, and then fill it with meat and rice, or meat and onions (depends on the dish you're preparing).

Filled zucchini can be cooked with added water, along with filled grape leaves..
With tomato sauce, along with many other filled vegetables..
Or even in yogurt ( usually filled only with meat, no rice).

As I'm going back to Jerusalem (to where my university is) from my parents' house.. I decided to prepare filled zucchini and take them with me, so I can find something ready to eat after a long day in the university..

So here are some pictures of the preparation process..

The tool used to empty zucchini

We usually cook eggplant, prepared in the same way, with the zucchini..
I don't like eggplant, but my family do.. so..

Then we fill them with rice and meat, seal them with tomatoes so the filling doesn't spill out while being cooked..

Then we cook then with tomatoes sauce..

et bon appétit..

(it's still cooking, so I don't have a picture of the end result yet..)

Breakfast with Mom

I've been home in the north for few days..
and today I decided to prepare a nice breakfast to have with my mom...

The main thing we usually have on out table is called "labaneh".
It's a traditional Arabic cream made from yogurt.
We prepare out Labaneh at home, maybe sometime I can show you how it's made.

I added some olives oil on top of the Labaneh, and then sprinkled some "Zaa'tar".
Now you may wonder, what is "Zaa'tar"....?
Well, it's mainly Thyme that is sun dried, and then is combined with special seasoning mixture.

And then you know.. some white cheese... sun dried cranberries...
And my favorite; Whipped Philadelphia Cream Cheese :D

Bon appetit :D