When I miss home — I recreate its food

I’m half Egyptian, half Lebanese. Egyptian food is, largely, peasant food — they eat to live (and work).
Whereas Lebanese cuisine is edible art; they live to eat and the eyes eat, first.

To honor both of my halves, here’s a simple lunch I prepared the other day: pita bread, with melted cheese and zaatar spice.

Dolma or wrapped grape leaves, with yogurt dip and hummus —which is becoming more popular as people discover how tasty and healthy the Mediterranean diet really is.

Olives are a big part of my culture, as is olive oil and the star of this meal are the meat balls, aka kibbeh

Spiced ground meat, onions, pine nuts and grain, fried: a popular feature of Levantine dishes: Lebanon, Palestine and Syria.

If I were to better represent my Egyptian half, I might have whipped up some refried beans —good protein source & the poor man’s meat — and, maybe, served it up with a fried egg, pickles & spring onions.

Here’s an example from another day:

Why not give one of these fairly simple dishes a try (salad and chips are always optional). They are delicious, light, and good for you !

Typically, such meals would be served with fresh fruit juice or a yogurt drink. You might want to opt for a fusion, instead, and treat yourself to an energizing berry smoothie like the beauty that I created, below. Cheers 😊