Tag Archives: healthy

Classic bulgur pilaf and vermicelli

Posted on March 3, 2017 | 5 comments

Bulgur or burghol in Arabic برغل is the crushed whole raw wheat berries. It provides iron, protein and fiber while it still contains the outer bran and germ of the wheat. With such powerful whole grain, you guarantee a wholesome vegetarian dish,full of nutrients and flavor, plus offering a longer period of satiation, especially during lent, for people abstaining from meat.

Bulgur pilaf with vermicelli is one of my favorite simple dishes, that comes to rescue you on a lazy day. Doesn’t need preparation at all, using one pot and can be served in less than half an hour with a heap of yogurt to seal the deal.

There is two types of bulgur, one finely crushed we use in kebbeh or tabbouleh and this one, the whole grain cracked in half which is love the texture, firm but soft and fluffy after being cooked, mostly in pilafs.

To serve two people you will need:

1 cup bulgur
2/3 cup vermicelli
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups water
salt to taste
yogurt to serve with (as er your taste)

Start with cooking the vermicelli with butter and oil until golden brown. Add the bulgur and combine well and cook for another minute before adding the water. When it starts to boil reduce heat to simmer until all water disappears, it will take 20-25 minutes.

Turn off the heat and cover the pot with a towel for 10 minutes. Open the lid and fluff it with a fork to serve it warm with yogurt or simply as is.

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

5 Comments

Posted in main dish

Tagged bulgur, burghol, cooking, cracked wheat, doha, easy, fibers, food blog, food blogger, food photography, healthy, jaymmy, lebanon, marmite et ponpon, no fat, protein, qatar, quick, recipe, vegan, vegetarian, wholesome

Fatteh hummos – chickpeas, yogurt and pita

Posted on March 1, 2017 | 3 comments

Fatteh, a wholesome levantine dish, varies from one country to other; could be vegetarian or featuring meat, but the main ingredients are chickpeas, yogurt and crushed toasted pita.

The arabic word “Fatteh”means “crushed”, so fatteh or fattet hummos has its name after the crushed toasted pita and so other middle eastern dishes with crushed toasted pita like “Fattoush”.

For this simple dish yet flavorful you will need: (yield two portions)

3 pitas toasted and crushed in medium pieces
500g yogurt (or two cups)
2 tbsp tahina
1tsp salt
2 cups chickpeas boiled
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves crushed

For garnish:

50g butter
1/3 cup pine nuts
chopped parsley or mint for decoration

You first start with a layer of toasted pitas, some people likes it fried, but i prefer to keep it light and healthy.

After boiling the chickpeas, or if you are using canned ones, add the garlic (cloves or powder) while it’s still hot and pour it over the bread, of course after removing its water.

To prepare the yogurt sauce, mix it with tahina and salt then top the chickpeas with it. Fry the pine nuts with butter and drizzle over the yogurt and garnish with finely chopped parsley or mint.

It can be served as healthy breakfast, appetizer or main dish. You can always save leftovers in the fridge as you can eat it cold, at room temperature or hot. There are many variations to it, but this way is my favorite. Some people add lemon juice to the yogurt, fry the pitas or add cumin powder to the chickpeas, fried ground beef or chicken… no harm in trying!

This vegetarian version is very easy and quick especially if you are using canned chickpeas, it will be served on your table in less than 20 minutes. It’s an ideal dish to keep you full for a long time during lent, for people abstaining from meat.

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

3 Comments

Posted in appetizers & salads, main dish

Tagged abstaining meat, chickpeas, crushed pitas, easy, fatteh, fattit hummus, food blog, food blogger, food photography, food porn, healthy, hommus, how to do, jaymmy, lebanese food, lebanon, lent, marmite et ponpon, pine nuts, qatar, quick, recipe, toasted pitas, vegetarian, yougurt

Sup up your sandwich 5 – Boursin cheese,spinach and strawberry

Posted on February 21, 2017 | 1 comment

Many of you find no time to cook dinner after long days at work, with kids or simply not fan of cooking. Sandwiches come to rescue the situation and satisfy your cravings; You can sup up any simple sandwich to become a consistent delicious meal. Not just that, it’s a pleasure to the eye also with all these colors blend.

Today’s sandwich in the makeover series, could serve you for breakfast as well; it is packed with nutrients and rich in compounds such as fibers (spinach), omega 3 fats (walnut), antioxidants (olive oil) and vitamins.

Did you know that the anthocyanin in the strawberry boost the short term memory by 100% in eight weeks? I think i will be hooked on strawberries for the next eight weeks!

To make this super sandwich you will need:

Viennoise bread, or any type you favor
Boursin cheese (nature)
handful spinach baby leaves (6-7)
green leaf lettuce (2-3)
4-5 walnuts
2-3 strawberry sliced
1 tbsp olive oil

Olive oil supplementation was found to positively affect the thickness of bones. It helps in the absorption of calcium in your body. I love how we Lebanese, and specifically our moms, do things by nature, like adding olive oil to a Labneh sandwich without having this knowledge. And many others examples that makes me feel proud of our healthy cuisine… Back to our sandwich, drizzling the olive oil on your Boursin cheese will help you benefit from the calcium in it and add a delicious taste.

If you are not fan of Boursin cheese, try it with goat or cottage cheese, they can both give you this pleasure! You will love this flavorful and fresh sandwich.

If you like the idea of the sandwich makeovers, stay tuned for the next post with another delicious, quick and healthy choice.

Don’t forget to give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More posts are yet to come.

1 Comment

Posted in appetizers & salads

Tagged boursin cheese, bread, cheese, doha, easy, food blog, food blogger, fruits, healthy, jaymmy, lebanon, lettuce, marmite et ponpon, olive oil, qatar, quick, recipe, sandwich, spinach, strawberry, superfood, vegetables, viennoise, walnut

Sup up your sandwich 4 – Italian sub

Posted on February 8, 2017 | Leave a comment

All you need is the right and a smarter choice of pairing your sandwich ingredients. Today’s fourth option of sandwich makeover is Italian sub.

Italian bread (or sub bread)
Swiss cheese slices
Salami, i chose the one with cracked peppers
Turkey breast slices, i chose it smoked with herbs
Lettuce, green leaf type
Tomato slices
Pickles (cornichon)
Onion
Mayo – ketchup sauce

To build up your sandwich start by

a layer of Swiss cheese, i used emmental slices, heat it in the oven to melt (optional)
then a layer of turkey, as i mentioned above, i used the smoked one with herbs
followed by salami, i like the one that comes with cracked pepper,
onion, cut them rondelles shape
lettuce, i used the green leaf one
tomato slices, you can take a bit of its juice and seeds if you find it a lot juicy
and pickles, homemade cornichons prepared by my mum
Finally mix 1 tbsp of mayo with 1/2 tbsp of ketchup to spread it on the top layer of the bread to seal the deal.

You can serve it immediately or warm it a bit in the oven if you like the bread a bit crispy. With a side salad it makes a nice meal.

I am sure this sandwich is going to be on your to do list, it’s one of my favorite full of flavors awe sub. You can make your own, adding black olives, green peppers or removing onion if they aren’t your thing! Feel free to add or omit as per your taste.

If you like the idea of the sandwich makeovers, stay tuned for the next post with another delicious, quick and healthy choices.

Don’t forget to give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More posts are yet to come.

Sup up your sandwich 3 – crab orange

Posted on January 26, 2017 | 1 comment

All you need is the right and a smarter choice of pairing your sandwich ingredients. Today’s i third option of sandwich makeover is crab and orange. You will need (yields two sandwiches):

8-10 crab sticks shredded
1 ripe avocado
1 small orange
rocket leaves (a bunch of 14-16 leaves)
capers (around 1 tbsp) – optional
bread of your choice (mine is multi cereal bun)
mayo citrus dressing

Start with a coat of the dressing on the bun, actually the two halves of the bun, this way the bread absorb the dressing and it won’t fall off making a mess while eating. To prepare this sauce mix:

juice of a lemon
2 tbsp juice of orange (half an orange almost)
1 tsp brown sugar, let it melt in the citrus mix
3 tbsp mayo

back to the sandwich, add the shredded crab sticks and one round slice of orange. Orange is a nice fruit for a tangy flavor that goes really heavenly with the crab and the buttery avocado. Avocados are high in fat, but 64% of it, is the heart healthy monounsaturated. They also offer good nutrients like vitamin E and potassium. Then 7-8 rocket leaves, this very low in calories vegetable; 100 g of fresh leaves hold just 25 calories. Nonetheless, it has many vital phytochemicals, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals that may immensely benefit your health. Finally capers (optional), the small pickled flower buds imparting big and bold taste, to add a vibrant flavor to your sandwich, only if you’re fan of the taste.

If you like the idea of the sandwich makeovers, stay tuned for the next post with another delicious, quick and healthy choices.

Don’t forget to give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More posts are yet to come.