Moroccan Chicken with Whole Wheat Cous Cous

I thought long and hard about what I should have as my first recipe after my long hiatis. I needed it to be something easy, comforting, delicious and most importantly healthy.
My mother-in-law initially introduced a version of this dish to me. While it was delicious I still felt it needed some more flavors to really make it a star. This dish is truly a perfect explosion of flavor on the palette. It’s spicey, sweet, tangy and most importantly delicious. Pair it with a super easy whole grain cous-cous and you are on your way to a wonderful dish inspired by all the flavors of the Middle East.
As the cooler weather threatens to sneak up on us at any moment...I find myself going back to my plethora of recipes and reaching for things that are ooey gooey and warming. Naturally, those are the typical recipes that also add some unnecessary layers of fat to our warmth-hungry bodies. And so this is where my fight for the healthy and the comforting begins. I want to reach for my pasta pot and create a mind blowing concoction of pasta, pancetta, cream and chicken…but that is reserved for special occasions when the calories disappear for just one meal. For now, we need something that will warm our souls and feed our grumbling stomachs. For now, we remember that food is there to nourish us not solve our problems. For now we sit down at the table with our families, friends and loved ones and share a scrumptious meal that inspires stories and tales of other worlds, distant travels and happy endings…at least that’s what I hope for with every meal.

Moroccan Chicken

2 Pounds of Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs or Chicken Breast; Cut into Large Pieces
¾ Cup Dried Apricots, Roughly Sliced
¾ Cup Dried Prunes, Roughly Sliced
1 Spanish Onion, Diced
3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Cilantro, Roughly Chopped
Juice of One Lemon
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 One-Inch Piece of Ginger, Minced
1 Tablespoon Smokey Paprika
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1.5 Tablespoons Turmeric *The turmeric gives this dish its distinct yellow color*
½ Teaspoon Sumac (optional)
½ Tablespoon Salt
1 Tsp Pepper
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

-Preheat oven to 450-degrees F. Spray down a casserole pan of choice.
-While the oven is preheating combine chicken thighs with turmeric, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, paprika, cumin, ginger, garlic, salt pepper, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and cilantro. Toss in a bowl to combine and let stand for at least 20-30 minutes or even overnight.
-In a separate pan, combine onions, red pepper flakes with olive oil and sauté until golden; about 10 minutes.
-Add in dried fruit and mix to combine. Let cook for 10 minutes.
-Place chicken mixture and onion mixture into oiled casserole dish. Mix well to combine and distribute evenly.
-Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until meat is tender and cooked through.

Whole Wheat Cous Cous


I always buys Trader Joes Cous Cous and just follow the package instructions.

"Shish Tawook and Batata Harra" Yogurt Chicken and Spicey Potatoes

I had a bunch of Labne yogurt leftover and was reminded of this chicken recipe. I used to make this chicken in the summertime on the grill all the time. The mild tanginess of the yogurt and the sweetness of the ketchup creates a flavor profile that is hard to resist. Finish it off with some spicy herb potatoes and a perfect dinner awaits you!

"The recipe originally called for chicken breast, however, I found some beautiful boneless, skinless chicken thighs on sale this week and used those instead. They were moist and even more flavorful than the chicken breasts."

Shish Tawook

1.5 pounds Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Thighs
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs ketsup
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika


1. Trim fat and excess membranes from chicken thighs.
2. Cut chicken into 1/2 inch cubes and place in a plastic bag.
3. Place all ingredients into the plastic bag and shake to combine, making sure chicken is covered.
4. Let marinate in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
5. If grilling outdoors, skewer onto metal skewers and grill about 5 minutes on each side, rotating so that they do not burn. Otherwise preheat oven to 450-degrees and cook for 10-15 minutes on a greased pan.



Batata Harra

2.5 Pounds Red Potatoes, Washed, Dried and Cut into Cubes
1 Handful Chopped Parsley
1 Handful Chopped Cilantro
1/2 tsp Cayenne
1 Tsp Salt
8 Cloves Minced Garlic
1/4 Cup Olive Oil


1. Lay potatoes out on foil sheet pan and toss lightly in 2 tbsp olive oil. Place in a 450-degree oven until potatoes are done, 30 minutes.
2. Add the remaining olive oil to a pan along with the remaining ingredients.
3. Cook on medium heat fro 10 minutes, make sure not burn the herbs and garlic.
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and pour the herb garlic mixture over them.

Serve this dish with a nice Middle Eastern salad.

Kefta Kebob with Dill Brown Basmati Rice

Mmmmm Kefta Kebob. I first discovered this dish going to Reza's Restaurant in Chicago. My brother and I were always big fans of the "Sultani Platter": Seasoned Ground Beef Kabob and a Thin Cut of Filet Mignon Kabob. After numerous trips to the restaurant and countless times of ordering the same meal, we both realized that the Filet Mignon Kebob, was really a waste of our time. It was not the filet we were after, it was the ground beef kebob. So we started ordering the "Koubideh Kebob": a seasoned ground beef kebob. Whether you call it "Koubideh" like the Persians or "Kefta" like the Iranians and Lebanese, it is a wonderful treat.
There are many different recipes, however they all share a few signature ingredients: beef, parsley, onions and sumac. The best flavor comes from chargrilling the kebobs, unfortunately it is winter here in Chicago and the only option I have is my oven. The flavors still come out really delicious and other than the char markings from the grill, they get nicely caramelized.

Onto the rice...It sounds easy...but it's not. Many a times have I messed it up. Instead of getting perfect, individual rice grains...I ended up with mushy rice pudding. The problem: improper measuring. I added more liquid than necessary and ended up with a basmati mush. I tried to cover it up with dill and it somewhat helped distract the eye, but once I put in my mouth, there was no covering up the disaster. I had messed up rice! RICE! One of the basic components in most middle eastern cultures...a dish that 10 year old girls can make...I had FAILED at! And much to my disappointment I had no more Basmati rice left! NONE! With 13 different things cooking on the stove, I was not about to run out to Trader Joe's and get more. Plus I hate wasting food, so I used it. Fortunately, my fiance could not tell the difference! Yeay for me!

I recalled my birthday party 2 years ago where I made a huge Middle Eastern feast. I remember that my Basmati Dill rice was perfect, in fact I remember everyone asking me if "Reza's Restaurant" had catered it. So clearly I was capable of making a perfect Basmati Rice. I found the recipe I used last time and I swear by the end of this week...I will make perfect Basmati Rice...


Kefta Kebob

2 Lb. Ground Beef 15% fat
2 Handfuls parsley
2 Onions
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. sumac
1 tsp. 7 spices


1. In a food processor, shred parsley and onion together until it is smooth.
2. Add to ground beef along with all spices.
3. Shape meat with hands into sausage like shape.
4. Place in a 450-degree oven for 30 minutes or until juices run clear.


5. Serve with rice and sprinkle with sumac.

Persian Lentil and Tomato Soup

Most Chicagoans know of this wonderful Persian restaurant called "Reza's". Russians looove this Middle-Eastern cuisine. Partially because of the influence of the Georgians and the Armenians. Besides, what can be bad about char grilled meat and fragrant basmati rice?

For as long as I can remember my family went to Reza's. I always had this gitty feeling when I knew we were going to there. I would day dream about it in school and look forward to it all day. The food was always great, inexpensive and filling. They have HUGE portions...HUGE! Mostly everyone at our table always left most of the meal on their plates...except my dad, my uncle and myself, we put away the entire meal! My mom warned me each time to stop, that I will feel sick ...but I never listened and every time I would slouch on the chair, slowly making my way under the table to take a much-needed nap, growning from my full tummy. My mom would say, "Why would you do that? Look at your stomach, look!! This is more food than you have eaten all month! You cannot do this to yourself." I would look up at her, with a miserable smile and say, "But once I start, I cannot stop. I have to eat it all. How would dad and my uncle look at me if I didn't eat it all?" My mom would throw her hands in the air and say that one day I would learn. I can still put away an entire plate of food today but I choose not to and instead take it home. To this day I still crave to go there and get excited about eating their food.

I have duplicated almost every recipe they have at the restaurant, except one. Their soup. It's this delicious lentil and tomato soup that I absolutely love. It's totally vegetarian and has a ton of flavor in it. It has that unique combination of eccentric spices known to the middle eastern world.

I made it yesterday in an attempt to continue my vegetarian style diet. (I say style, because I am eating meat, just not every day.) It was almost identical to the one in Reza's. My fiance' was very against tasting it because I told him that it was vegetarian. I put it out for him when I went upstairs to blog last night. I came down...the bowl was licked clean!
"I liked, even better than Reza's!" He said.
Ahhh music to my ears, my recipe is better than Reza's brilliant!

I based it off of a recipe I found on recipezaar.com, funny enough a woman was looking for the same soup recipe. The recipe definitely needed a bit of tweaking. I added a lot of my own spices that I know are traditionally used in Persian and middle eastern cuisine in general. It was filling and absolutely delicious!
I placed a dollop of middle eastern yogurt on top and it finished it of nicely.

*You can find the original recipe here *


Persian Lentil and Tomato Soup


1 cup lentils, rinsed
7 cups vegetable stock (I used Trader Joes, which was very flavorful)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups stewed tomatoes, crushed
2 teaspoons salt
1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tsp sumac
3 tsp 7-spice
1/4 cup brown basmati rice, uncooked
juice of 1 lemon

*If you have never seen sumac, I recommend that you try using it in all your middle eastern recipes. It is regularly used in that region of the world. It has a tart flavor to it and was originally used in food before the Romans introduced lemons. It goes well with chicken, beef, hummus almost anything. In fact, you will usually see it sitting on tables next to the salt in pepper in most good middle eastern restaurants. 7-Spice is also very popular and frequently used. It's a spice blend with cumin, ground coriander, paprika, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamon. It really gives that middle eastern flare to the dish.*


1. Add lentils to stock and bring up to a boil. Cover and continue cooking on medium low for 25 minutes.
2. Sautee onions and garlic together and let them sweat. You do not want any color.
3. Add tomatoes, parsley and all seasoning and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add onion mixture and rice to the lentils and stock. Turn down the heat and let it cook for about 25-30 minutes on medium heat, until the lentils and rice are tender. At this point, add lemon juice.
5. Pour into a bowl and add a dollop of middle eastern yogurt called "Labne".


*I think next time I do this dish I may do it a bit differently. It came out a bit chunky which is OK, but I am going to puree the tomatoes and onions next time and then add it to the soup. The color actually looks nicer that way and you get a more homogeneous consistency.*