A Healthy Arab Vegetarian Christmas Dinner

posted on: Dec 18, 2019

By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer

How many times have most of us looked forward to Christmas dinner and, after the feasting, regretted our overindulgence?  Bloated with turkey and other rich foods, it usually takes us a number of days to get back to normal. In the meantime, we often suffer the discomfort of overeating and, at the same time, gain a few pounds.

Never again!  This is the last time!  Are phrases we often express, only to forget them when the next year rolls around. Our resolve always seems to melt away at the thought of gorging on a sizzling turkey with its butter saturated stuffing.

Yet, one can revel in a delicious yuletide feast and not rue the decision to overeat.  In fact, a Christmas dinner can be a wholesome and healthy meal. The excess of meat need not be a problem.  Cereals and legumes make great replacements. Consumed by the toiling masses since the dawn of civilization, these fiber-rich edibles when cooked with the right amount of herbs and spices make tasty and hearty substitutes in preparing a traditional Christmas dinner.

For centuries, the workers and peasants in non-affluent lands employed little meat in their cooking.  Instead, they combined grains and vegetables with a good number of herbs and spices to give their vegetarian dishes a savory taste, more satisfying than those produced from all types of meat.  The herbs: chervil, fresh coriander leaves, garlic, mint, parsley, and thyme are blended with the spices: aniseed, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, marjoram, oregano, pepper, saffron, tarragon, and turmeric to produce mouth-watering foods.

To enhance their creations with even more zest, almonds, dried fruits, lemon juice, olives, onions, and sesame seeds are used extensively.  The fusion of these condiments with grains and vegetables produce a world of healthy and succulent delights. A Christmas feast consisting of some of these appetizing dishes, versions of which are cooked in the countries edging the Mediterranean, is a never-to-be-forgotten event.

Vegetable Couscous

An ideal replacement for turkey can be couscous, the national food of all the North African countries.  A Berber dish embellished by the Arabs and Spanish Muslims, it is prepared from a multitude of ingredients.  In the homes of the wealthy, meat forms an important component, but in the abodes of the poor, vegetables constitute the main element.

Note: A couscousiere is needed, but if one is not available, a double boiler with a perforated top may be substituted.

2 cups couscous (found in Mediterranean markets and some supermarkets)

4 tablespoons butter (optional)

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup finely chopped coriander leaves

1 small hot pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup lentils, rinsed

1 cup cooked chickpeas

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

2 medium carrots, scraped and quartered, then cut lengthwise into 2 inch long pieces

2 medium parsnips, peeled and quartered, then cut lengthwise into 2 inch long pieces

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into about 1-inch cubes

1 small turnip, about 3 inches in diameter, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes

5 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup raisins

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice

pinch of saffron

6 cups water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Place couscous and butter in a bowl, then mix with fingers until all kernels are coated.  Place in the top part of the couscousiere, then set aside.

In the bottom part of couscousiere, heat oil, then sauté onions, garlic, coriander leaves, and hot pepper over medium heat for 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients, except cinnamon and sesame seeds, then bring to boil. The fit top section of couscousiere on the bottom part, then if the stem is leaking out seal together with a wet piece of cloth impregnated with flour.

Cook over medium heat, stirring couscous once in a while to ensure that no lumps are formed.  Cook for 20 minutes then slowly sprinkle a cup of water over the couscous while stirring all the time.  Cook for further 30 minutes, stirring couscous a number of times to break any lumps.

Remove the top part of couscousiere to ensure vegetables are cooked.  If not, cook for further few minutes.

Place couscous on a large serving platter, pyramid shape with a large well on top then places cooked vegetables with a little of the sauce in the well.  Sprinkle couscous with cinnamon and sesame seeds. Serve immediately with remaining vegetables in a bowl and sauce in a gravy boat.

Burghal and Potato Pie – Kubbat Bataata

This dish makes a great replacement for turkey stuffing.

1 1/2 cups bulgur (found in Middle Eastern and health stores and some supermarkets), soaked for10 minutes in warm water, then drained by pressing out water through a strainer

3 cups mashed potatoes

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

3 cups finely chopped onions

2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

6 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

1/2 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds

Thoroughly combine the burghal, potatoes, flour, basil, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, 1 cup of the onions, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Divide into two even portions then set aside.

Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan, then sauté remaining onions along with garlic, coriander leaves, and pine nuts or almonds over medium heat for 10 minutes.  Stir in remaining salt and pepper, then set aside.

Spread one portion of burghal and potato mixture in a 9 X 13-inch well-greased pan, then place frying pan contents evenly on top.  Spread other portions of burghal and potato mixture on top, then smooth. Cut into 2 X 2-inch squares, then sprinkle with remaining oil.

Bake in a 400° F preheated the oven for 40 minutes or until edges turn golden brown, then serve hot or cold.

Eggplant Delight

1 large eggplant, about 2 lbs.

2 cloves garlic, crushed

5 tablespoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste, found in Middle Eastern and health stores)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Seeds from one pomegranate

Roast eggplant in a 350° F preheated the oven for 1 hour or until the skin blackens and becomes crisp.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Peel eggplant, then place in the food processor.  Add remaining ingredients, except tomato, then process into a paste.  Spread on a flat serving platter, then decorate with pomegranate seeds and serve.

Green Peas in Olive Oil

2 cups fresh or frozen peas

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Place all ingredients except lemon juice in a saucepan, then bring to boil.  Cover, then cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until peas are done. Stir in lemon juice, then remove from heat and serve hot or cold.

Crouton Salad

This salad must be served immediately after preparation.  Its texture and taste will vanish as the croutons become soggy.

3 medium tomatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes

3 cups chopped lettuce or dandelion leaves, packed

1 1/2 cups finely chopped green onions

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint (1 teaspoon crushed dried mint may be substituted)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

5 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups croutons

Place all ingredients in the salad bowl, except croutons, and combine.  Add croutons, then gently toss. Serve immediately.

Potato Salad

5 cups diced into 1/2 inch cubes boiled potatoes

5 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons vinegar

4 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place potatoes in a serving bowl then set aside.

Thoroughly combine remaining ingredients, then pour over potatoes.  Toss just before serving.

Orange and Radish Salad

12 seedless mandarins, peeled

1 cup red coarsely grated radishes

1/3 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Section mandarins, then place along with radishes in a salad bowl, then set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.  Pour over the mandarins and radishes, then toss and serve immediately.

Rice Pudding

3 cups of water

1/2 cup brown rice

4 cups of milk

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup raisins

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons shelled and chopped pistachios

Place water and rice in a saucepan, then bring to boil.  Cover, then cook over the medium beat for 30 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients, except pistachios, then bring to boil. Cook over medium heat for further 15 minutes, stirring constantly.

Place in 12 serving cups then allows cooling.  Sprinkle with pistachios, then serve.

NOTE: Served at one time these dishes will make an excellent vegetarian Christmas dinner for about 12.

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