serves 6

1       pound lentil

6      scallions, chopped

1      red bell pepper, diced

1      yellow bell pepper, diced

2     cups chopped parsley

6     tablespoons olive oil

zest of one lemon

1/2  cup lemon juice

salt to taste

1/2  cup crumbled feta cheese, optional

-Place all the vegetables in a salad of bowl.

-Wash the lentil, cover with water and bring to boil.  Boil the lentil until cooked but not mushy, drain and add to the vegetables.  Drizzle with the olive oil and toss gently.

-Add the lemon zest, the lemon juice and the salt.

-Sprinkle with the feta cheese, if using, and serve.

Lentil Pilaf

serves 4-6

1/2      cup olive oil

1          large onion, thinly sliced

2         cups lentil

1         cup short grain rice

salt to taste

-In a pot, place the lentil with 8 cups of water and salt.  Bring to a boil.  Boil until the lentil cooked but not mushy.  Drain, save the lentils and 2 1/4 cup of cooking liquid.

-In heavy pot, heat the olive oil and cook the onion until golden brown.  Remove from the heat, remove the onion with slotted spoon and place aside.

-Return the pot to the stove, add the saved lentil cooking water and bring to a boil.  Add the lentils and the rice, stir, cover and cook covered for 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat and allow the rice pilaf to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

-Spoon the pilaf on a shallow serving platter, sprinkle with the caramelized onion and serve.

Lentil Cilantro Soup

serves 4-6

3        large eggplants

2        large onions, julienne

1        red bell pepper, cut into thin slices

4       tablespoons olive oil

1        32-ounces can diced tomatoes

1        clove garlic, sliced

1/2   teaspoon thyme

salt and pepper to taste

4        tablespoons crumbled feta, optional

-Cut two 1/2-inch thick slices from top of each eggplant and place on cookie sheet.  Cut the rest of eggplants, lengthwise, into 1/2-inch thick slices and place on the cookie sheet.  Brush each slice with olive oil on both sides. Place the cookie sheet under broiler and broil until golden brown.  Remove from the oven  and set aside.  Take the round slices and set aside for decoration.

-In heavy pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion for 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and the thyme, stir and cook for couple of minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes, the salt and the pepper.  Bring to a boil and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

-Spoon half of the tomato sauce into baking dish, place the broiled long eggplant slices on top of the sauce.  Spoon the rest of the sauce on top of the eggplants.  Cut the eggplant round in half and arrange them with the cut pepper on top of the sauce.  Cover with foil and bake in 395 degree F. oven for 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven, remove the foil, sprinkle with feta cheese and serve. YOU CAN SKIP THE FETA CHEESE TO MAKE VEGAN DISH.

For the milk pudding:

4      tablespoons cornstarch

4      cups milk

4      tablespoons sugar

1      tablespoons orange blossom water

For the orange pudding:

2      cups orange juice

2      tablespoons cornstarch

2      tablespoons sugar

1/2  teaspoons orange blossom water

For topping, optional

1/4  cup chopped unsalted pistachio nuts

-For the milk pudding, dissolve the cornstarch in cold water.  Pour the milk, the cornstarch mixture and the sugar into heavy pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon.  When you feel a slight resistance while stirring, and the mixture coats the back of the spoon, it has thickened sufficiently.  Add orange blossom water, stir and cook for 1 minute.  Remove from the pan from the heat.  Allow to cool slightly, then pour the pudding into ice cream dishes.  Leave at least a 1 inch space at the top to make room for the orange pudding.  Place the dishes in the refrigerator while you are making the orange pudding.

-For the orange pudding: Follow the same steps as milk pudding, replacing the milk with the orange juice.  When the orange juice thicken.  Remove from the heat,  allow it to cool slightly.  Take the milk pudding from the refrigerator and spoon the orange pudding on top the milk pudding making sure it cover the top.  Chill until ready to serve.

-To serve: Sprinkle with the pistachio and enjoy.

serves 6-8

6     cup cooked garbanzo beans

4     tablespoons olive oil

1     medium carrot, chopped

1     medium onion, chopped

1     celery, finely chopped

2     cloves garlic, mashed

2     cups chopped  green cabbage

1     teaspoon chili paste or chili powder

1     16-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1     teaspoon sage

salt to taste

-In a heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil, and then saute the onion, the carrot and the celery for five minutes.

-Add the garlic, the sage, the chili paste and the cabbage.  Stir and cook for couple of minutes.

-Add the crushed tomatoes, the salt, half of the cooked garbanzo beans and 4 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

-In a food processor, puree the rest of the garbanzo beans with 1 cup of water.  Add this puree into the soup.  Stir, adjust the seasoning and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.  Enjoy

Chili Paste

Make 1 cup

3         cups dried red pepper

1/4     cup olive oil

1         teaspoon sea salt

-Bring 8 cups of water to a boil.  Drop the pepper in the pot, bring back to a boil. Boil for couple minutes.  Turn off the heat and allow the pepper to rest for 4 hours.

-Squeeze the water out of the pepper and place in a blender with the oil and salt.  Puree into smooth paste.  Scope into a jar, cover with little olive oil and place in the refrigerator.

Rice and Vegetable Pilaf

serves 8

1/4       cup olive oil

1            small onion, chopped

1            clove garlic, mashed

2            cups frozen sweet peas, thawed

1            cup diced carrots

1            cup dried cranberries

1            cup boiled wild rice

2            cups Basmati rice

1            teaspoon allspice

1/4        teaspoon ginger

salt and pepper to taste

1/2        cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/2        cup pine nuts, toasted

-In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion over medium heat for couple of minutes.  Add the garlic, the carrots and the dried cranberries.  Stir and add four and half cups of water to the vegetables.  Add the allspice, the ginger, the salt and the pepper and bring water to boil.

-Add the sweet peas, the wild rice and the Basmati rice.  Stir and bring back to a boil.  Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat.

-Allow the rice to rest for five minutes, and then spoon into large serving platter.  Sprinkle with the toasted almonds and pine nuts.

Vegan and Gluten Free Mac and “Cheese”

serves 6-8

4        tablespoons olive oil

1        medium red onion, finely chopped

1        cup chopped carrot

1/2   cup chopped celery

2       cloves garlic, sliced

1/2   teaspoon chopped fresh sage

1       teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/2   cup short grain rice

1/2   teaspoon turmeric

2       cups water

salt and pepper to taste

6      ounce silken tofu

1       pound gluten free short pasta

-In a heavy post, heat the olive oil and saute the onion for couple of minutes.  Add the celery and the carrots and continue to saute for five minutes.

-Add the garlic, the sage and the tarragon.  Saute for couple minutes and add the rice and the turmeric.  Stir until the rice is well coated.

-Add the water, the salt and the pepper.  Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked and smell and taste done.  Remove from the heat.

-Place the cooked rice in a food processor with the tofu and puree until you have smooth yellow paste. THIS IS YOUR VEGAN CHEESE.

-In a pasta pot, bring salted water to boil, and drop the pasta. Stir and boil for 6 minutes or until the pasta is al-dente.  Remove from the heat and drain well.

-Place the pasta in a bowl, add the vegan cheese and toss well.  Spoon the pasta in a baking dish and bake in a 375 degree F.oven for 25 minutes.  You can sprinkle ground toasted almonds on the top if you like.

I’ve been, as anyone know, lecturing my husband on his intake of food ever since we’ve been married.  I know that in his younger days he was a world class eater, and even though he’s now a bit older, he hasn’t slowed down all that much.  But now, after having returned from my vacation, I find that I now have to lighten up on him, primarily because I came back home ten pounds heavier than when I left.  I would like to say that I enjoyed every calorie that has now stayed on my hips, but as a nutritionist who usually preaches restraint, and light eating, I am forced to say I shamefully overdid i.

Eating at local markets and restaurants is a must in order to truly appreciate the culture and the country your are visiting.  It’s better than, say, eating at an American fast food joint when in Paris or Rome.

My point is this: A vacation is a vacation, so don’t worry about a couple, or 10 in my case, extra pounds when dieting will make your holiday less pleasurable.  You can always lose a few pounds through exercise and eating restraint after you’re back home, but you may never be able to get back to a wonderful restaurant you pass by while on your vacation.

A good idea while traveling is to try find restaurants where the locals eat. and try to avoid the places that are heavily advertised in travel brochures and magazines.  When I am in Rome, I investigate the side streets for little trattorias (family cafes).  If the menu outside the front door is in English as well, you know it’s a tourist place.  If the menu is only in the local language, you have a good chance of hitting a gastronomical home run.  Restaurant owners know that tourists will not be back in any event, the result being the cooking that is most likely haphazard and the prices will be higher.  There are exceptions to this rule, the very expensive restaurants for example, who are protective of their international reputation.

Here is salad recipe that I make to help me lose my 10 extra pounds

Cucumber, Carrot and Oregano Salad

serves 4

4           small seedless cucumber, or pickling cucumbers

2           carrots

1           cup fresh oregano leaves

4           tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

4           tablespoons olive oil

4           tablespoons lemon juice

zest of one lemon

salt and pepper to taste

-Slice the cucumbers and carrots into thin rounds.

-In a large mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients except the feta cheese.

-Mix well, adjust the seasoning then sprinkle the cheese on top.