Lamb Chops with Yogurt-Mint Sauce

Tyler and I went on an impromptu run to Williams & Sonoma this past weekend and boy did we have the best luck! We found a Chinese bamboo steamer (I've always wanted one), a jar of sumac and za'atar (love!), and the star of the meal tonight, a hot mint jelly, which was only $2.99 for a big jar! Ty came up with the idea to make lamb chops with a yogurt-mint sauce for dinner and it turned out perfectly. Not only was it delicious, but it was so easy to make. We made it in less than 30 minutes. Hope you love it as much as we did!

What you'll need:
2 lamb chops
1 tsp. of sea salt
1 tsp. of sumac
1/2 cup of fat-free plain yogurt
4 tbsp. of hot mint jelly
Handful of fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Season the meat with sea salt and sumac. Sumac has a really tart, lemony flavor. It's the perfect seasoning for a more gamey meat like lamb.

2. Grill on the foreman or on the stove. It should take about 10 minutes per chop. Once it's done, set aside. Always let your meats rest to ensure maximum tenderness and minimum runniness.
3. Now it's time for the sauce! Chop up some fresh parsley. We used the parsley from Tyler's herb garden. Mix the yogurt, hot mint jelly, and parsley in a bowl.

4. And you're done! Just add a sprig of parsley on top of the meat and drizzle a little sauce on the chop or you can set it on the side. It's delicious!

Fattoush Salad

Fattoush, which means "crumbled bread" in Arabic, is one of my favorite Levantine mezza dishes. I first had it in Amman and was absolutely floored by the bright flavors I tasted in each bite. Who knew vegetables could be so delicious?! Traditionally, fattoush is a mix of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, parsley and mint, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac or za'atar (fabulous!) seasoning, and of course, pita chips! When I was looking in the fridge tonight, I realized I didn't have a lot of the ingredients, but I went ahead and tried making my own version, using the ingredients I did have! I'll show you how to make a simplified version of fattoush and you'll be saying "wow". And even better, it doesn't take long to prepare at all! This version is just for one person. Enjoy!

What you'll need:
1 Cucumber
Lots of Grape Tomatoes, around 15
A handful of pita chips
A handful of dill (thanks to Suzanne for letting us pick some from the garden. It was delicious)
A dash of sea salt and pepper
1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. of lemon juice

Directions:
1. Peel and dice the cucumbers into one inch cubes.

2. Slice the grace tomatoes into small one inch cubes.

3. Mix cucumbers and grape tomatoes together.
4. Finely chop the dill and mix in with the cucumbers and toatoes.

5. Dress the mixture with the EVOO, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Now crush the pita chips. You can either use store-bought pita chips like I did or make your own. If you do decide to make your own, just take a pita, break into bite size pieces, and bake in the oven till golden brown. Season with a little salt and pepper or get creative, and use some interesting seasonings!

7. Mix the pita chips in with everything else. Serve immediately. You don't want the pita chips getting soggy!

 

Classic Israeli Salad

Wow, it has been a very long time since my last post. But I would like nothing more than sharing my first home cooked meal with you since being overseas these past few months :)

While overseas, I got to spend a good amount of time in Amman and Tel Aviv and it was fabulous. My favorite past-time, not surprisingly, was getting to experience the local cuisine. Middle Eastern food is so vibrant. I could honestly write a novel about the richness and depth of flavors of their food. I spent my days trying all the different varieties of falafel, hummus, schwarma, the fresh herb salads, and the little sweet treats from the bakery. And it'd be wrong of me to not mention the wonders of their black coffee with cardamon and chai tea. Just delightful.

To celebrate and commemorate my time there, I decided to prepare baked chicken sprinkled with cajun seasoning and Israeli salad and fresh corn on the cob. What I'd love to share with you is my twist on the Israeli salad. It's an incredibly easy and super delicious way to treat yourself to those much needed vegetables. Enjoy!

What you'll need:
1 Cucumber
1 Tomato
1/2 Onion
Bunch of cilantro
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

 Directions:
1. Chop the cucumber, tomato, and onion into small cubes. Place into bowl.
2. Chop cilantro into small pieces. Mix with vegetables.
3. Add lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.
4. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

And that's it!