My three boys lovingly prepared the best dinner for me for Mother's day. I wanted to share the recipes they created, because these would easily fit into your repertoire as well. Meatless, super tasty, and the smells coming from the kitchen were outstanding! My eldest is especially good with adding that special touch; his idea was the pineapple which really did add a very nice tartness. We included some of our favorite hummus ... It was all a very nice Mother's day treat.
Menu
Salad Shirazi - Tomato Cucumber Salad
Batata Harara - Spiced Potatoes (roasted)
Shakshuka - Eggs in tomato sauce
For the salad, be sure you dice the veggies quite small as this helps them absorb the yummy dressing.
Salad Shirazi
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 Roma tomatoes, small diced
1 English cucumber, small diced
¼ cup finely chopped onions (soaked on cool water for 5 minutes to lessen the onion bite, if you like; drain well before adding to salad)
½ green bell pepper, chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup cilantro
2 to 3 tablespoon fresh
½ cup chopped fresh mint
Salt and pepper
1 tsp Sumac, to taste (optional)
Juice of 2 large limes (4 tbsp)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Directions
In a large bowl, place the diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and bell peppers.
To flavor, add fresh herbs, dried mint, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Add sumac, if using. Finally, add lime juice, and olive oil. Toss to combine.
If you have the time, cover and chill this salad in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour for best taste.
We baked the Shakshuka in the oven to finish, which helps to uniformly cook the sauce and eggs, rather than possibly burn the bottom. You can easily double this recipe. If you do so, cook the tomato sauce as directed. Then halve the sauce into 2 9 x 13 pans (lined with foil for easy clean-up if you'd like), and then create the wells and bake the eggs as directed. As the sauce will cool a bit during the transfer to the pans, this might make your bake time up to 10 - 15 minutes longer.
Shakshuka
Servings: 4 - 5
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
2 yellow peppers, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
1 green pepper, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped fine
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch red pepper flakes optional
Salt and pepper
1 28-oz can tomatoes (either whole, and then you can chop them, or already chopped tomatoes)
½ cup tomato sauce
6 large eggs
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a large cast iron or oven-proof skillet. Add the onions, peppers, garlic, spices, pinch salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 - 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook a bit longer to allow the mixture to reduce and thicken. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Preheat the oven to 375.
Using a wooden spoon, make 6 indentations, or "wells," in the tomato mixture (make sure the indentations are spaced out). Gently crack an egg into each indention.
Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the eggs are done to your liking.
Uncover and add the fresh parsley and mint. You can add more black pepper or crushed red pepper, if you like. Serve with warm pita, challah, or crusty bread of your choice.
We love a good roasted potato recipe! This one yields a pile of spicy crispy pieces that are so good! I recommend you double the recipe just so you have extras for leftovers the next day!
Batata Harara: Middle Eastern Skillet Potatoes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
6 medium-sized gold or other favorite waxy potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, (or use Aleppo pepper flakes to reduce the heat somewhat)
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
juice of 1 lime
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions
Heat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Pile potatoes on the sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic, red pepper flakes, coriander seeds and turmeric.
Toss the potatoes, and mix well to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Bake 40 - 50 minutes, tossing well halfway and rotating the pan, until the potatoes are crispy and golden.
Remove from heat. Squeeze the lime juice over the hot potatoes and add the fresh cilantro and parsley. Toss well.
You can serve this potato salad warm or at room temperature.