Baked, But Not Fried Taters

French fries are a necessary evil. Back in the states, there is debate among which fast food chain has the best. Here in Tunisia, I rely on Ma Maison for fries, a la Ma Cuisine. For those of you who are non-Francophiles, I make them in my kitchen. You can get 'pommes frites' in restaurants locally, but most of the time they are by no means of the Mickey D's or Wendy's variety.

This one's easy, and a combination of a couple of recipes and a technique that I saw on the Food Network. Dust off your spices, people. If you can get potatoes, you can make this recipe. And the best part, they aren't fried.

Baked Fries
3 Medium Potatoes (This will make about 1 cookie sheet of fries. If you can find potatoes that are longer, you can make long 'steak' type fries.)
1-2 TBsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel and cut potatoes. I'd suggest cutting them in longer, thicker pieces to accommodate the heat and baking time (more like a steak fry). After cutting, throw cut pieces into a bowl and rinse/soak 2X with cold water. Pat fries dry. The rinsing/soaking gets rid of the starch'on the fries and drying the fries allows the olive oil to stick better. Though I have read this is a technique to get better fried results, I believe it helped with this batch of baked ones.

Mix olive olive with all the spices. Drizzle onto fries in a bowl and toss, being sure to coat all the fries. Lay in single layer onto cookie sheets and sprinkle on a little salt.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning fries 1/2 through baking time. Fries are done when they have a deep golden color.

If you are like me and are looking for a healthier way to make fries, try this out. Your family won't know the difference except for the golden arches packaging.

Who you calling shrimp salad?

Eat too many chocolates for Valentine's? Yep, me too. This recipe will get you back on track with eating right.

Many times, I'm left with bits of vegetables at the end of the week prior to grocery shopping. Not enough to make anything substantial, but just enough to enjoy. My Spicy Shrimp Salad puts all those good veggies to work. The best thing about this salad is that it's low in Weight Watchers points, but high on flavor.

Only 2 things in the recipe I bought at the commissary or had shipped to me. However, you may have canned black beans at your local supermarket. The salsa is important as well, as we'll use this to make a dressing. If you absolutely cannot get salsa, try some canned tomatoes, canned chilies or something else that is low in calories.

Spicy Shrimp Salad - makes1 good sized serving
Lettuce, chopped/shredded
1/4 cup cucumber, diced
1/4 cup red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4-1/3 cup tomatoes, diced (the tiny grape sized ones are in season here right now and are especially good for this recipe)
1/4 cup of canned or frozen corn, rinsed (I prefer the canned variety on the local market since it tastes fresher)
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed (Fiber, fiber, fiber)
1/2 cup medium frozen shrimp, thawed and diced
1/4 avocado, peeled and diced
1 piece of turkey bacon, crumbled (Yeah, yeah...I had some leftover from the weekend. Who can resist avocado and bacon?)
1 TBsp of sour cream and 2 TBsp of salsa, mixed

Combine everything. The sour cream and salsa serve as the salad dressing. If you want, use low fat or fat free sour cream for even more dressing. The salad is 7 Weight Watchers points.

Hope you enjoy this one because I certainly have :)!

Yummy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Gotta love when the scale tells you that you need to 'scale' back your portions and eat a little better. One step that I usually take to start eating healthier is to eat soup. It makes a GREAT lunch with a side salad or all in itself. A recipe that has worked for me over and over again is out of Hungry Girl's recipe book (check out her website at www.hungry-girl.com ) for her Chicken Tortilla Soup. Oh, and by the way, I can't buy canned soup here, so this is a real winner!

I was able to get most of the ingredients here, with the exception of the Mexican seasoning. However, staying true to my Texan roots, I keep a steady supply of taco seasoning on hand and use it anytime the recipe calls for any sort of TexMex, chili, fajita or other miscellaneous mixed seasoning. Thanks Mom, for the use of your Sam's Club card!

Oh, and one other thing...if you are on Weight Watchers, this soup is only 2 points per cup and it turns out to be a hearty 2 points at that! I'll show some optional throw-ins should you choose to beef it up a little. This recipe makes about 4 - 1 cup servings.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 - 4 ounce breast of chicken, poached and shredded
1/2 cup of diced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 TBsp of fajita or other Mexican seasoning (trust me, taco seasoning works great if that's what you have in stock!)
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
3 cups of fat free chicken broth (you can substitute in water with bouillon cubes like I did or use vegetable broth)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of canned corn (you can also defrost frozen corn)
1 TBsp lime juice (I used lemon...it worked great)
1 TBsp of jalapeno pepper, chopped finely (I ended up throwing in some chili flakes because I forgot to buy this item at the store. You can also leave it out if you are scared of a little heat.)

On medium/high heat, saute onion, garlic, seasoning, and spices in a soup pot for about 3 minutes until onions are soft. Add the broth and and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn and canned tomatoes. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Finally, add chicken, jalapeno, and lime juice and simmer for about another 5-10 minutes.
Optional add ins: 2 crushed tortilla chips (what is tortilla soup without the chips?), 2TBsp of Shredded cheddar cheese, 1 TBsp sour cream or creme fresh, chopped green onions, 1/4 cup black beans (this adds great fiber and is very filling), more corn

Promise, promise, promise, you will love this one. Soup's on!!

Hummus, My Nemesis No More!

Hummus is awesome. I used to buy the stuff out of the refrigerated section at Wegman's (ahh, Wegman's) in Fairfax, VA. Despite the fact that I am in the Med region now, hummus is not something normally made in Tunisian cuisine, though you can find it at Cafe Beiruth, my local Lebanese joint in Berges du Lac.

The chickpea (or pois chiche) has haunted me since my arrival in Tunis. I tried on several occasions to make hummus from both canned and fresh chickpeas and could not for the life of me get it right!!! I even asked for guidance of my friend Chantal on what I was doing wrong. Then one day, about 2 or 3 months ago, I got it right. Now, I make no claims that my hummus is the best or even close to Chantal's, but I'm confident that this recipe is good to serve to friends and my husband, who, bless his heart, has been with me through the trials of hummus batches over the past 18 months.

Three things that I learned about making hummus:
1. The tahini paste makes the difference. I was buying the wrong stuff when I got here. Make sure that yours is not sweetened with a lot of sugar, often labeled as "Nature" here in Tunis. I finally found the stuff that works, thanks to Stefanie!!
2. Food processor, food processor, food processor. It will save you loads of time, and get the hummus to the right consistency.
3. Taking the skins off the chickpeas. What?? Yep, I never knew this either. Though a little bit of a time intensive process, I found that I can take the skins off while waiting for something else to boil/cook/bake. The chickpeas blend into a smoother consistency when you take this step.

Yes, this one is all local ingredients. Nothing from the commissary, nothing from mail order or the states. Let's get started.

Hummus
2 cans of chickpeas
1 lemon, juiced
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped into fourths
salt
2 TBsp tahini paste (again, make sure that it doesn't contain much sugar.)
Water
Olive Oil
A couple of 'dollops' of sour cream, unsweetened yogurt, or creme fresh (Ah ha! This is a trick that Chantal told me about. It will smooth out the hummus a bit and give it a little bit of a kick.)

Rinse chickpeas. Take skins off by rolling or pinching them between your thumb and pointer finger. Discard skins.

Place chickpeas into food processor along with 1 TBsp of lemon juice, tahini paste, sprinkle of salt, 1 garlic clove, and a little water (about 2-4TBsp). Pulse repeatedly. Scrape sides of food processor and pulse a couple of more times. Add sour cream and pulse some more. If you like your hummus a little more garlicky, go ahead and add the second clove. Stream in some olive oil, and run food processor for about 10-20 seconds. The hummus should start to have a dip like consistency. Add more lemon juice, water, sour cream, or olive oil to taste and when the consistency is a little thicker than sour cream. Serve with pita bread, pita chips, or cut up veggies (carrots, celery, red/yellow pepper strips).

It's easy, right? For me, it was all about learning from my mistakes and asking a few friends. Happy hummus making!

Curry Chicken Dippin' Strips and Fried Rice

OK, so Erin and I have been on a chicken kick lately. Like she said, it's easy and you usually can't go wrong with it. I would say that hubby and I have chicken at least 3 times a week, which tells you a lot!

These dishes came from http://www.foodtv.com/ and I made a couple of changes. It's actually 2 recipes (BONUS), and will accommodate protein, starch, and veggies into the meal. Gotta love that.

Oh, and what would a LLOR recipe be without a RANDOM KITCHEN APPLIANCE ALERT!

Chicken Curry Dipping Strips
1 pack of chicken breasts, sliced into strips (usually 3-4 chicken breasts)
1 small container of plain yogurt (I use Activia Nature. It's the closest to non-fat unsweetened.)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 -2 tsp of yellow curry (I have no curry in my spices, believe it or not. To make do, I pulled a small bag of yellow spice that my maid keeps here when she cooks and decided that it kind of smelled like curry. Winner!)
1/2 tsp dried ginger (If you have the real stuff, use it!)

Mix yogurt and spices together and place the cut up chicken in the mix. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1.5 to 2 hours. To cook, lay chicken strips on grill pan, OR use your George Foreman grill like I did. Cook strips through until no longer pink inside and grill marks appear.

I had a jar of peanut satay sauce in my cabinet from Carrefour that I used as a dipping sauce (can you believe it??). Try other sauces from your fridge...get creative!

Fried Rice
2-3 cups of rice, cooked (white or brown, depending on your preference)
4 medium mushrooms, sliced thin (use more or less, depending on what you have)
olive oil
1 egg, slightly beat
4 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup of carrot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of red chili flake
1/2 tsp dried ginger (use the fresh if you have it!)
2 TBsp soy sauce
1/2 cup of frozen peas, defrosted, at room temperature

Put a little olive oil in a large fry pan or wok and cook egg with a dash of salt. Remove and cut up egg into square pieces. Wipe out pan and heat up 1 TBsp of olive oil. Cook carrots and green onions in oil for about 1 and 1/2 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, chili powder, ginger, and stir fry for another minute. Add soy sauce, 1TBsp of olive oil, and rice and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes. Finally, add egg and peas and cook until peas are heated through.
For the fried rice, if you have sesame oil or peanut oil, you can use that. I just find that I always have olive oil on hand....especially in Tunisia where it's so inexpensive :).

Enjoy this meal. It was a real winner the other night!!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

I know, enough with the chicken already. But, really, chicken is about as much a staple in my kitchen is as flour. It's cheap, easy to work with, and keeps a hungry family happy. This recipe is one of my go-to entrees and doesn't take too long to get on the table. It also delivers a whole lot of American appeal, as it smells like something I'd eat in my Aunt Virginia's kitchen. She might serve it with a plate of bread and Oleo, some jello salad, and finish things off with her amazing chocolate chip cookies....but I digress.

What you'll need:

1-2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups of chicken stock (made from bullion, or from a can--if you're really lucky)

3 carrots, peeled and diced

a few stalks of celery (if you can find them), roughly chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

1 package of pre-made pie crust (I use Pillsbury when the commissary stocks it)

1-2 tblsp. corn starch

fresh or frozen peas, optional

What to do:

In a small pot, place the diced potatoes and cover with water. Cover pot with lid, turn heat to high and wait for the water to boil. At the same time, in a stock pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil and add whole chicken breasts, carrots and celery. Turn heat to low, and let simmer, poaching the chicken until fully cooked. After about 10 minutes, check the chicken, and if no longer pink, remove from the broth and set aside. Check the potatoes from time to time and poke with a knife until soft. Once potatoes are finished, drain the water and add potatoes to the broth. In a small bowl, add about 1/2 cup of broth to 2 tblsp. of corn starch, whisking with a fork until smooth. Turn up the broth with the carrots, potatoes and celery and add the corn starch mixture. Stir the corn starch into the broth, making sure to incorporate it completely into the broth without lumps. When fully incorporated, turn down to medium to low heat. As the broth starts to thicken, chop the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the broth. Add peas, frozen or fresh at this time and let the broth simmer for about 5 minutes.

While the broth is thickening, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Take a pie plate or a 9 x 13 dish and 1) pour chicken broth mixture directly into the pan or 2) line the plate/dish with a pie crust, and then pour the chicken broth mixture over the crust. For those who really like the pie angle of the Pot Pie recipe, this is a good choice. Once the chicken broth is in the plate/dish, take a(nother) pie crust and stretch it across the top of the dish. Crimp the edges and then cut in a few slits on the top to allow hot air to escape. (And if you have some extra pie crust, maybe use some cute cookie cutters to cut out shapes in pie crust and affix to the top of the crust.)

Place the pot pie in the hot oven and let cook for about 30 minutes, or until the crust starts to brown. Once browned, pull from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve immediately. This makes a great weeknight winter meal and is great for lunch left-overs. My children won't eat veggies on their own, but those veggies seem to become invisible once hidden inside pie crust. I find myself making this recipe whenever I feel homesick. It's great comfort food.