Armchair traveling via ethnic food

It's no secret that I love food. Part of the reason you haven't seen much activity on this blog recently is because I'm trying to break some bad winter habits, primarily too much eating, too much eating calorie high and nutrient low and practically no exercise except walking the kid to school...

So I've lost about 10 lbs and starting biking, walking, doing yoga, punching the Everlast bag, and lifting weights.

Meanwhile, my daughter went to Girl Scout camp. 

While she was gone, I really wanted Turkish food so we went to Aci Halal in Allentown. 

First course was a spicy vegetable dip that tasted primarily of red pepper. And Turkish pita.

My husband and I both got lamb dishes. Mine turned out to be like a meatloaf.

And can I just tell you how much I love that little bit of lettuce with cilantro and spices? I could eat a pound of it.

But I was really dying for good coffee.

Enter Turkish coffee, "medium." And a bubble gum soda to take home for the child.

Dinner (without tip) was $39. 

But I didn't stop spending. I bought a couple things in the grocery dept.

Pressed dates for baking. Plain halva, which the Mediterranean Deli calls halawa. It's a sugared sesame paste almost like fudge. But lighter.

The pretty jar is "crushing nuts with honey." It's a combination of various nuts with honey so dense that the calorie counts resemble candy. I put a little in my plain yogurt.

My husband picked out the cookies-- light chocolate wafers with marshmallows between layers dipped in chocolate.

Now today I finally stopped at the Mediterranean Deli. I needed my imported cold pressed extra virgin olive oil from Beirut.

Bought half the store.

Fig & nut jam. Dried cherries. Big bag of sesame sticks. Dried strawberries. Dried kiwi. Dried cantaloupe. Medjool dates. (I plan on making homemade fruit & nut bars before school starts.) hummus. Three bags of zaatar bread. One bag of mini pita. One pound kalamata olives. One pound Bulgarian feta. A big hunk of Armenian string cheese. A soft homemade cheese in olive oil and zaatar spice. Cucumber and yogurt dip.

I think that was the whole $85.

Scrambled egg tabouleh wraps

My husband just made scrambled egg wraps with cheese and I added tabouleh and roasted red pepper dip to mine. It worked really well. Now we have to run out to the farm for more eggs!

Conserve d'Harissa

For graduation, and to celebrate belated birthdays of my friend Kevin and I, I opened a can of harissa I bought at Forks Mediterranean Deli. The deli used to carry small cans, but now they only have standard sized cans and that's a lot of harissa.

Especially when you're the only one in the house who likes it. And I like it. A lot. 

I shared some with Kev, letting him take some home and decided to try freezing the rest. I didn't have convenient containers on hand (and it didn't seem a good idea to put spicy pepper spread in my ice cube trays although the tiny ones would have been perfect).

I scooped a heaping teaspoon into a fold top sandwich baggie and rolled the plastic around itself instead of folding it in. Then I placed the cylinders into a quart sized freezer bag.

This harissa was imported from Tunisia, which is neat because while I first had harissa at a shawarma place in Paris near the Gare de Nord, my true appreciation of it comes from my visit in January 2012 to Tunisia.

For those of you who might be curious about what harissa is, let me quote Wikipedia:

"Harissa (Arabic: هريسة) is a Tunisian hotchili sauce whose main ingredients are piri piri (type of chili pepper), serrano peppersand other hot chili peppers and spices andherbs such as garlic paste, coriander, redchili powder, caraway as well as somevegetable or olive oil. It is most closely associated with Tunisia, Libya and Algeria^[1]but recently also making inroads intoMorocco according to Moroccan foodexpert Paula Wolfert.^[2] It can also be found in countries with strong Arab presence such as France or Germany. In Israelharissa is a common topping for falafel.

Recipes for harissa vary according to the household and region. Variations can include the addition of cumin, red peppers, garlic, coriander, and lemon juice. InSaharan regions, harissa can have a smoky flavor. Prepared harissa is also sold in jars, cans, bottles, tubes, plastic bags and other containers."

January fancy dinner

I went to two stores with a plan. First stop, Forks Mediterranean Deli. I wanted medjool dates to make more fruit protein snacks. Child wanted calamata olives.

I left with those, about a pound of Bulgarian feta, 2 packages of homemade zaatar bread, halawa, chocolate halawa, a block of homemade dark chocolate and 53 fluid ounces of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil from Lebanon.

Then I stopped at Giant, for bread and something for dinner. Spent $40. Purchased:
- arugula
- spring mix
- personal watermelon
- fresh pineapple
- 4 avocados
- 2 baguettes
- salmon (for 3)
- a roaster chicken
- 3 croissants
- Pirate Booty veggie snack

So we came home at 4:45 and had a snack of zaatar bread, feta and olives.

Dinner became a four course affair.

Salmon with spinach-garlic cheddar sauce and a side salad of spring mix, arugula and carrot ribbons.

Brie and baguette.

Fresh pineapple oat crumble.

Dark chocolate and decaf coffee.

Happy bellies tonight.

Cute lunch

Another variation of my salad wrap:

- small tortilla shell
- Italian salad green blend from wegmans
- Bulgarian feta
- olives
(No dressing)

And a homemade strawberry soda:
- strawberry syrup imported from Beirut
- carbonated tap water via my SodaStream

Friday night decadence

Last night after a successful round of holiday shopping while the child was in dance, we put her to bed and I prepared this "flight" of Bulgarian feta, Klein Farm cheddar and mozzarella, baguette from Wegmans and goodies.

The goodies included hummus, extra virgin olive oil from Beirut with zaatar spices, black olives, almonds, roasted red pepper dip from Forks Mediterranean Deli, dried mango, and Harissa.

We opened a bottle of côte de Rhônes French red wine and celebrated our Friday evening.

Bâtard and quince

A few more weeks and my last full semester at Lafayette will end. My daughter is drowning in her phlegm and her ear tubes are falling out. Target opens at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving. We're still barely making ends meet.

But hey, no sense complaining. This is life.

Today I stopped at Wegmans because my poor daughter wanted ice cream and I'm restricting her dairy right now because of her allergy/ear issues.

I got her coconut milk cookies and cream ice cream.

She also wants to cook dinner tonight so I got vegan ravioli, one butternut squash and the other roasted red pepper. She suggested ravioli for the meal.

I also got salad greens and Health is Wealth Pizza Munchees which are also vegan.

And sushi. Because I can't make it through Wegmans without a serious impulse buy.

I also got bâtards, a small type of French bread, because I've craved a bâtard with butter and quince jam for months. A few weeks ago, I discovered Lebanese quince jam at the Mediterranean Deli. Imagine my delight when I found bâtard bread today. The flavors bring me back to Tunisia.

I also made myself a smoothie of vanilla maple yogurt from Klein Farm, frozen pitted dark cherries, a fresh banana and a splash of sour cherry nectar from Turkey. (Another find at the Mediterranean Deli.

My belly celebrates.

Hey Sandy!

For about a week, I've been talking about Tuesday. October 30 is my 13th wedding anniversary and it's the first day in weeks that I don't have school, work, volunteer commitments, internship and/or job interviews.

I was very much looking forward to this day.

Now we're getting a category 1 hurricane.

We have filled buckets, pitchers and other spare containers with water. We cleaned the yard, put the car in the garage and scrubbed the bathrooms and the kitchen with bleach.

We ate the contents of the fridge and freezer. Stocked dried fruit from Forks Mediterranean Deli. Have home canned salsa and corn salsa and tortilla chips. Bananas, apples, nuts and mocha bread. Peanut butter. Juice in boxes and bottles.

Flashlight batteries changed. Candles and matches gathered. Electronics charged.

So, we're ready. And right now we're having hamburgers made from ground beef from the farm made with spinach in them, homemade French fries, and the burgers will be served on zaatar bread with Bulgarian feta and calamata olives and a side of cole slaw.

I also stopped at the liquor store for wine and brandy.

Forks Mediterranean Deli

I adore Forks Mediterranean Deli, every time I'm missing the lamb shawarma from Paris or the olives from Tunisia, I visit them.

Today I bought four batches of zaatar bread, 1 lb Bulgarian feta (a variety made from sheep's milk), 1 lb pitted calamata olives, roasted red pepper dip, dried kiwis, raw almonds and a huge can of quince jam.

$38

Mediterranean Feast

It's close to 100 degrees. I did a lot of work today, and it's my husband's busy time of year at work. So I opted for zaatar bread and feta for dinner from Forks Mediterranean Deli.

Now, the busier they are in that slice of heaven, the more I buy. Today I went in for their cold pressed extra virgin olive oil from Beirut, feta and their homemade zaatar bread. I didn't see their homemade zaatar bread so I got their bakery zaatar.

I got a pound of fresh Greek feta ($5.94). They also have Bulgarian and French feta.

Zaatar bread was $3.75 a pack for 2 approximately 12-inch breads. I got two. They freeze well.

The olive oil was $5.99 for 16 ounces.

Then I started adding on:
- hummus, about a pound, $4.31
- madjool dates, more than a half-pound $3.90
- 6 pieces of baklava, $3.36
- less than a half pound of roasted red pepper dip (mouhammara), $2.41
- pitted camaratta olives, 1/4 pound, $1.44
- dried strawberries, about a 1/2 pound, $3.57

Harissa craving

Had to go to Forks Mediterranean Deli. Read this passage in my book and had the worst *need* for lamb shawarma swimming in harissa: "He ate couscous from a big clay bowl... He poured harissa sauce and we ate with our fingers." (From Ted Morgan's My Battle of Algiers.)

So I bought 3 gigantic lamb shawarma with 2 packs of large zaatar bread, 2 packs of homemade zaatar bread (of which daughter ate one immediately), one bottle olive oil, one side of harissa, one bag of dried strawberries, one bag dried blueberries and a nice container of majhool dates.

I spent $57 but $24 was the lamb shawarma.

Farmers' Markets

Today, my family and I went with my friend Gayle to meet other friends, Kev and Tracy, at the Collegeville and then Phoenixville Farmers Markets.

I spent a total of $39, which includes some contributing to parking and a almond milk/ green tea/ some sort of wheat grass iced latte.

$9 went to Iced by Betsy for some incredible cupcakes.

Got a canning guide and free recipe booklet from the folks that make Ball jars. It has recipes for apple butter, salsa, chutney, pickles, even barbecue sauce.

Got cucumbers, zucchini, zesty white and regular carrots. Lime hummus, wow did that have an unusual fresh flavor and it wasn't made with tahini. Had to buy some ($5) to try and replicate it in the future.

But the real winner for culinary creativity was the lady who made kale-zucchini-cream cheese dip. $6 for 8 ounces. Expensive, but another combination of flavors I had to enjoy. And I'm a minimal connoisseur of kale.

When we got home, we made a giant platter: cheddar, pepper jack, Calandra's fresh mozzarella, crackers, toasted Archer Farms multi-grain bread, cucumbers, carrots, the kale dip, the hummus, strawberries, figs from Forks Mediterranean Deli, unsalted cashews, leftover lamb shawarma from the deli... Oh! And greens and sorrel and fresh dill and fresh parsley all from my garden.

And between my husband and I, we conjured a sandwich of toast, kale dip, greens/sorrel, cucumbers, a touch of Annie's Cowgirl ranch, dill and a thin layer of mozzarella.

Errands

Last night, I asked my husband to buy a few things from Target and Wegmans. We had a coupon for ocean spray juice and another for Silk almond milk from Target. And I wanted some of those sour infused raisins from Target. They add sugar to them, so they're really not that healthy. But they fill my jelly bean craving so... That's a fine trade.

Husband bought two boxes of Morningstar breakfast patties, Market Pantry cranberry-pomegranate juice, ocean spray blueberry juice, two packages of the golden infused raisins, two cartons of vanilla almond milk and a quart of half and half... The total came to $19-something so it should have been $17-something with the coupons but the cashier missed the one coupon. But we still had a $5 gift card from an earlier promotion and my discount so I guess that works out okay.

At Wegmans, he spent $11 and bought vegan mayonnaise for the child, organic spring mix for the tortoise, broccoli and a bag of Doritos.

Now today we were heading to Kline Farm to buy eggs, meat and local honey (another attempt for alleviating the daughter's ear problems). We stopped at Forks Mediterrannean Deli because we were hungry. We spent about $13 for four portions of zaatar bread, roasted sunflower seeds and a bag of the zaatar spice. Yes, I hope to make my own zaatar bread.

Finally, we made it to the farm. We spent $38.50 and bought:
- 3 lbs ground beef
- 1 lb beef cubes
- 1 pound chipped steak
- a fairly big jar of local raw honey
- apple butter by a local artisan
- one dozen brown eggs

Another no grocery, no dairy packed lunch

My daughter wanted to pack lunch again and not only have I still not gone to the store (trying to survive until payday which is an unrealistic endeavor) but we had tacos for dinner and had no leftovers. Sigh.

What's a mom to do?

Assess breakfast. Child ate heap of watermelon her grandparents brought, Graham crackers and unsalted cashews.

So... Lunch.

How does this sound?
- a thermos of plain soymilk
- a spoon
- cornflakes with dried blueberries from Forks Meditterranean  Deli
- green and red grapes
- the remaining mandarin oranges from yesterday
- sesame brittle from Forks Meditterranean Deli

Spinach feta middle eastern sandwich

An incredible vegetarian lunch today. We warmed our last zaatar (spelling?) bread from Forks mediterranean Deli and added feta and sautéed spinach.

For the spinach, I heated a tablespoon of butter and some garlic in the Le Creuset iron skillet, tossed in the spinach and added about 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper. Probably 1.5 cups frozen spinach.

Breakfast sandwich

I took:
- one Morningstar breakfast patty
- one homemade biscuit
- one squirt ketchup
- hearty thick smear of roasted red pepper dip (mouhammara)

Incredible!

A trip to Forks Mediterranean Deli

So, at lunch time I went to CVS to get Zyrtec for my daughter and some household items. I had a coupon for free Zyrtec but they didn't have any, so I had to buy the big bottle of generic at $14.

But I also stopped at Forks Mediterranean Deli, where I got a 16 ounce bottle of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil for $5.99. Last bottle was 25 ounces and I believe it was $7.99. But they didn't have that size. I also got Zaatar bread, two packages with two flatbreads each, for $3.25. They even had Zaatar spices, but I'm not ready to venture into making my own Zaatar bread.

I also bought unsalted cashews, dried strawberries and dried pineapple rings. My total was $$22.69.

Funky Food Day

I didn't cook for the holiday. We marched in a parade and stopped at the diner for burgers.

This morning, we had the last sausage cheese waffle.
Then for snack we had the chocolate coated matzo.

For lunch, the child had:
- greens (with added baby spinach from the garden) and peppercorn ranch
- mixed nuts low sodium
- the last of the canned pears, sprinkled with blueberry juice and thawed blueberries
- that seasoned pita from the Mediterranean Deli (kataar bread?)
- apple juice
- water

I had:

- unsweetened black iced tea with peppermint
- the seasoned pita
- salad of spring mix, extra baby spinach from the garden, Wegmans sesame ginger vinaigrette, and hot wasabi bar mix

and maybe a handful of mixed nuts...

Roasted Red Pepper veggies

So my daughter requested leftover chicken shawarma for lunch, part of the birthday feast we had from Forks Mediterranean Deli. Last night's feast was a near vegetarian delight, chicken shawarma being the only meat on the menu.

We had that seasoned bread that my former boss loved, hummus, cucumber yogurt salad, roasted red pepper dip, mini pitas, mango nectar and four different mediterrannean sandwiches: the falafel, tabouleh and feta, feta with black olive and cucumber (my new fav) and the shawarma.

I took some frozen cauliflower, carrots and broccoli and melted the following in a skillet to use the roasted red pepper dip as a sauce:
- one tablespoon butter
- one tablespoon olive oil
added:
-one heaping teaspoon red pepper dip
let that simmer and broke it apart so the flavors could get into the oil and butter
added:
- one heaping tablespoon fresh parsley from the garden
- one half teaspoon chives from the garden

added about two cups vegetables

Hummus

I bought tahini last night so now I'm excited to make hummus:

In the food processor:

• one can chick peas, drained
  
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1/2 teaspoon four-color organic peppercorn
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• a drizzle sesame oil
• 3 roasted garlic cloves
• generous amounts of parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  

My previous hummus recipes:
http://angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com/search/label/hummus