Persians food might win the price for best and most abundant use of fresh herbs
Some cultures healthy food traditions have managed to survive moderization. Middle Eastern cuisines often hit this mark: ample, varied and delicious preparations of vegetables, and a good balance between protein, fat, fiber & carbs, a love for greens, and an orientation towards colorful. Other cuisines (looking at you England & USA) have widely lost their land based ways and veered towards beige foods that promote chronic illness.
Despite my love for middle Eastern food, I've yet to visit the food meccas at the top of my list: Lebanon, Israel & Iran. I have found my own way with the cuisine, from a bit of life experience and a lot of recipes gleaning.
I dated a guy whose father was from Iran. For a time we lived with his family. Although the relationship was tumultuous, when it came to his family's food culture, it was a perfect match. For whatever reason, it's mostly been rare in my social and romantic life that I feel met in my love and passion for food.
Not true with this family. The dad shopped weekly at the farmers market, bringing home big hauls of herbs, fresh dates, whatever fruit was in season and all cuts of meat. They would roast whole meats on an open grill in their backyard, grew food & made rituals out of meal preparation. Despite being the worst romantic relationship of my dating years, it was 100% food compatibility. They were adventurous eaters, with a beautiful & highly functional kitchen.
When I was finally spit out the other side two years later, much worse for the wear, I mourned the connection with his family, the loss of our shared dogs, and the fact that I didn't do a better job writing down all I'd learned from them about Persian Food.
Muhamarra, Shashuka, Oven Kebab, Cucumber + Feta Salad, all in heavy rotation here
Over the years, I've made up for those lost recipes on my own. Parenthood (and being married to a “eat to live” kind of guy), has pushed me to find the most flavorful ones with the least amount of work involved. Despite my deep love for food, family life has created in me a sort of lazy cook vibe. It needs to have few ingredients and be easy to throw together. Here's some of my favorites that hit the mark:
Muhammara is a favoite dip to bring to events with fresh vegetables.
This year I started making oven kebabs, which are about as lazy as it gets. Prepare the meat, spread it on a baking sheet and bake/broil. I use a combo of lamb and beef which. I always pair it with a cucumber & feta salad of sorts, and whatever vegetables are in season at the moment. Pick eaters can wrap it in pita. My daughter, who is quite picky, devours it.
Oven Roasted Cauliflower Not my recipes, but one I found online. It has 5 stars and almost 900 reviews.
Oven Kebab Dinner formula:
Make oven kebabs. Use whatever meats your family likes, ground turkey, chicken, lamb, beef.
This is a delicious dressing to keep in your back pocket for the transition from summer to fall. Make it when you are feeling sad about summer ending. I like to pair it with salads with different combinations of greens, walnuts, roasted winter squash, cucumber, fresh herbs, and/or feta.
For One Big Salad:
Ingredients:
32 oz wide mouth mason jar
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
A couple of slices of red onion, cut into chunks
1 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons ginger, Roughly Chopped
1 tablespoon Honey
1 tablespoons Pomegranate Molasses
small handful of fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, dill, parsley)
1/2 teaspoon sea Salt
½ cup organic Avocado Oil
¼ cup olive oil
For a week's worth of Salads
Ingredients:
32 oz wide mouth mason jar
Juice of 4 limes (zest from 1 of those limes)
¾ cup Unsweeteend Rice Wine Vinegar
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
¼ small red onion, cut into chunks
¼ cup Honey
¼ cup Pomegranate Molasses
Large handful of fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, dill, parsley)
2 teaspoons sea Salt
2 cups organic Avocado Oil
1 cup olive oil
Directions:
Put all ingredients except the oil in a big mason jar. Let sit for 10 minutes
Put a hand blender in the mixer, turn it on, and slowly add the oil.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Is it too acidic? Add more salt or Oil or Honey
Too basic (boring)? Add more salt or acid
Don't be afraid to experiment and taste. Even if you don't love how it comes out, think about what it could use to improve on it next time!
The recipes I share represent my own personal journey. I began as a hedonist chef. When many of the foods I was eating stopped feeling good in my body, I took a deep dive into Functional Nutrition, figuring out what my labs were saying about my health, and what that meant about how I eat. I applied this information to my vast recipe archives, modifying & rearranging the way I eat to suit my health needs & my culinary standards.
The thing is, each of us needs to go on a separate journey. No two bodies are alike. And we each have different capacity and preferences around food and cooking.
It is my great love to guide others on this kind of journey, where we take a deep clinical dive into your health & lifestyle, and then adapt your cooking and eating to your real-time physiological needs.
Curious about what it would look like for you to fuse health and pleasure? Let's chat:
