Mar 29, 2012
Posted by Mel
Before I started eating clean (and prior to viewing Food, Inc.), I thought that meat was meat. I didn’t concern myself with where or how the animal lived, what it ate, or its general health. I also didn’t think much about the taste variance in meat. Sure, I knew the $60 steak at Ruth’s Chris would taste better than the $7.99/lb. slab at my local grocery store, but for everyday eating, it...
read more
Mar 29, 2012
Posted by Mel
I’ve probably eaten hundreds (if not thousands) of stuffed grape leaves in my life. And about 99% of them were made by my dad. We always called them “stuffed grape leaves,” never dolmas, and they were pretty straight forward: white rice, lamb, minimal seasonings, and a light coating of lemon-egg sauce. We’d soak the leaves in the sink (never in a bowl), then my dad and I would...
read more
Mar 29, 2012
Posted by Mel
Merguez is a fresh sausage popular in North African cuisine. Usually made with lamb — or a mixture of lamb and beef — it’s spicy but not too hot, heady with earthy seasonings like cumin, garlic, fennel, paprika, and just a hint of cinnamon. Although it contains many of the same spices as Ras el Hanout, the flavor is completely different flavor because of the proportions of the spices. Spice...
read more
Mar 21, 2011
Posted by Mel
It’s been said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend.
I say diamonds are a girl’s (and boy’s) best friend when they’re made out of meat!
I think I was really missing my family last week, ’cause I dug into some Lebanese family favorites. I had cravings for tahini dressing… and turned my spinach into Lemony Spinach… and I transformed ground lamb in Kibbeh...
read more
Dec 28, 2010
Posted by Mel
What could be more comforting on a cold winter evening than ground beef and gravy topped with mashed potatoes? I’ll tell you what: flavorful ground beef topped with creamy mashed cauliflower!
Cottage pie is a traditionally British or Irish dish made from beef, and it’s a kissin’ cousin to shepherd’s pie, which is made with lamb. The term ‘cottage pie’ has been around...
read more
Oct 11, 2010
Posted by Mel
Last week, I saw a gorgeous lamb steak in the butcher case at our fancy-schmance grocery store – and yesterday, I found an article in an old issue of Living magazine with instructions on how to properly grill various vegetables. Hooray! That means we get a Greek Grill-Out for dinner, and you get easy, delicious, dino-chow recipes. Don’t you love when it all works out?!
Grilled Lamb...
read more
Jul 16, 2009
Posted by Mel
It’s a rest day, and you know what that means: there’s no workout to discuss, so let’s talk food!
Yay, food!
I’m taking y’all to north Africa, so you might want play this while you read:
(Yes, I know Ofra Haza, a.k.a.”Madonna of the East” was from Israel, not Morocco. Just enjoy the song and stop being so persnickety.)
According to my book Cooking at the Kasbah,...
read more
Mar 5, 2009
Posted by Mel
Think eating healthy is boring? Think paleo is dull? Think taking care of yourself is no fun?
Think again, my darlings. And make yourself some Moroccan Meatballs.
Morocco has long been on my list of must-visit countries. Twisty alleys, markets crowded with vendors, scampering trained monkeys… I need to see it all. The country sits in the northwestern corner of Africa, and the influence of Arab and...
read more
