Roasted Tomatoes with Pomegranate Molasses, Sumac and Almonds

Last weekend I made slow roasted tomatoes with balsamic vinegar. Today I wanted to try a couple of variations. First I wanted to roast the tomatoes a little more quickly so I increased the oven temperature by 50%.

We love Middle Eastern food in our house so I wanted to use pomegranate molasses and sumac in this version of the tomatoes. It seems like I am always reaching for the pomegranate molasses and sumac lately. Finally I decided a few slivered almonds would be tasty and in keeping with the Middle Eastern theme.

Roasted Tomatoes with Pomegranate Molasses, Sumac and Almonds
Serves 8

Ingredients:

Approximately 17 Roma tomatoes (enough to fill a half sheet pan)
2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon of pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
½ teaspoon of sumac powder
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

Cut the Roma tomatoes in half top to bottom. Remove the stem end and the seed sacs.

Combine the pomegranate molasses, pomegranate juice (to thin the molasses), and lemon juice and whisk to combine.

Use a spoon of put a little of the juice into each tomato. I think I used about a ½ teaspoon per tomato half (so not much really). Next sprinkle the tomatoes with the sumac and kosher salt and put the pan in the oven.

Check the tomatoes in one hour to see if they are a texture you like. I roasted my tomatoes for an hour and fifteen minutes. I sprinkled the almonds onto the tomatoes just before serving so they retained their crunchy texture.

Nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 89.06
Calories From Fat (11%) - 9.75

Total Fat - 1.14g
Saturated Fat - 0.12g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 73.26mg
Potassium - 695.7mg
Total Carbohydrates - 19.43g
Fiber - 3.58g
Sugar - 12.43g
Protein - 2.77g

Comments:

If you like Middle Eastern food I think you will really like these tomatoes. The sweet and tart flavor from the pomegranate molasses works well with the tomatoes, lemon juice and sumac. The flavor of these tomatoes is complex and yet familiar. The crunchy almonds are a nice textural variation next to the soft tomatoes. I think this is my new go to tomato side dish for when I am having Middle Eastern food.

Middle Eastern Kitchen Sink Salad

We are going out to dinner tonight, and that normally means far more calories and fat than I would like. So, in an attempt to mitigate the damage for lunch today we had a salad. This salad is based on what I had on hand that fit the Middle Eastern theme. It turned out really good.

In traditional fattoush the bread is tossed with the salad, but my husband likes the bread to be crispy. Therefore, I put the bread on the top of the salad instead of inside. This salad was milder in flavor since I didn’t want to head into the heat to get any parsley. The flavors all blended nicely and made a tasty and filling salad.

Middle Eastern Kitchen Sink Salad
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 whole wheat flat bread, torn into bite size pieces
8 cups of mesclun greens
2 cups of diced tomatoes (red and orange)
3 tablespoons of lemon dressing for fattoush
1 teaspoon of sumac
4 Moroccan lentil sliders (1 1/3 servings)
4 tablespoons of muhammara

Directions:

In a heavy skillet (something like cast iron) toast the flat bread pieces in the olive oil turning often so they don’t burn. They should be crunchy in less than 5 minutes.

Wash and spin the lettuce dry. Add the tomatoes and salad dressing and toss to evenly coat the vegetables with the dressing. Sprinkle the sumac on the salad and toss to coat evenly.

Microwave the lentil sliders until warm (1 minute in my microwave). Serve the sliders on the side with the muhammara.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 397.62
Calories From Fat (29%) - 114.94

Total Fat - 13.46g
Saturated Fat - 1.65g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 865.03mg
Potassium - 1204.55mg
Total Carbohydrates - 50.52g
Fiber - 23.61g
Sugar - 6.21g
Protein - 25.92g

Comments:

This salad is fairly low in calorie and full of fiber and protein. We both enjoyed this salad and its Middle Eastern flavors.

Fattoush – my way

If you like lemon you will like fattoush. I first had this at a Lebanese restaurant and instantly loved it. The original recipe is high in calories from the olive oil in the dressing. My version of fattoush uses chia seeds to emulsify the dressing with much less fat. I kept the important parts of the salad, the small dice of tomato and cucumber, the lemon juice, sumac and toasted flat bread.

If you are unfamiliar with sumac it is a ground dried berry that has a tart lemony flavor. I buy my sumac on-line from Zamouri Spice.

Fattoush – my way
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat roll up, torn into bite sized pieces
1 teaspoon of olive oil
10 cups of mesclun greens, torn into bite sized pieces
½ cup of fresh parsley, leaves picked
1 cup of red tomatoes, finely diced
1 cup of yellow tomatoes, finely diced
2 cups of cucumbers, finely diced
¼ cup of broccoli sprouts
3 tablespoons of lemon dressing (recipe below)
14 ounces of brined artichokes, cut into bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons of sumac powder

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed skilled. Toss the flat bread pieces in the oil and cook over medium heat until the bread is crispy. When crispy turn off the heat and finish the salad.

Put all the vegetables into a large bowl and toss with the dressing. When the vegetables are evenly coated sprinkle with the sumac powder and toss to coat.

Place the salad and top with the crispy flat bread pieces so they stay crispy as long as possible.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 284.18
Calories From Fat (31%) - 87.75

Total Fat - 10.36g
Saturated Fat - 1.34g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 965.78mg
Potassium - 1155.62mg
Total Carbohydrates - 39.64g
Fiber - 15.49g
Sugar - 7.41g
Protein - 15.02g

Lemon Dressing for Fattoush Salad
Makes 12 tablespoons

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons of ground chia seeds
juice and zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of water
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients and stir so the chia seeds are evenly distributed. Stir every few minutes while the chia seeds are absorbing the water. The dressing is ready to use in 10 minutes and will hold in the refrigerator for days.

Nutritional Information (per tablespoon):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 44.62
Calories From Fat (72%) - 32.07

Total Fat - 3.71g
Saturated Fat - 0.46g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 40.32mg
Potassium - 15.08mg
Total Carbohydrates - 2.61g
Fiber - 1.87g
Sugar - 0.14g
Protein - 0.77g

Comments:

This salad is light but filling. It is a good salad to have if you are eating late and don’t want a heavy meal to digest before bed. I make this a lot of lunch since I normally always have lettuce, tomato, cucumber, lemon and flat bread in the house. If you like feta, the almond feta would be nice on this salad.

Middle Eastern Inspired Wheat Berry Salad

This salad is easy to put together and improves as it sits in the refrigerator. It makes a great cold lunch or picnic item. The great thing about using wheat berries is that they are minimally processed and therefore retain more of their nutrition.

The wheat berries and sunflower seeds retain their chewy texture, which is a nice counterpoint texturally to the softer vegetables. The sumac helps to enhance the lemon flavor and adds an additional sour note to the salad that is unusual.

If you are unfamiliar with sumac it is a common Middle Eastern spice that grows wild in both the Middle East and Italy and comes from the dark purple berries that are dried and ground. The taste of sumac is fruity and sour. Sumac can be purchased online or is found at well stocked Middle Eastern markets. If you can’t find it, add more lemon juice and zest to the recipe for a similar flavor.

This salad is very healthy with the inclusion of the garlic, onion and tomatoes, which are all reported to help protect you from cancer. A serving of this salad contains more than 15 grams of fiber, which is half of what you need for the entire day, and more than the 12 grams of fiber the average American consumes in a day.

I serve this salad as an entrée when the weather is warm and I want something refreshing for dinner. Since the entire dish has less than 400 calories and 15 grams of protein. I think it makes a great light, yet substantial dinner packed with a lot of nutrition.

Middle Eastern Inspired Wheat Berry Salad
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup of wheat berries, which will be cooked and cooled
4 cups of water to cook wheat berries
zest and juice from one lemon
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
1 tablespoon of sumac powder
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1 pound of snow peas, sliced into ¼ to ½ inch lengths
½ red onion, finely diced
½ cup of raw sunflower seeds
1 hass avocado, sliced
8 cups of lettuce
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook wheat berries in at least four cups of water until tender. The wheat berries will take at least an hour to cook. Be certain to check them periodically to make certain the water has not evaporated. When the wheat is tender to the tooth, but still a little firm, pour the wheat berries into a colander and drain. Rinse them in cold water if you are in a hurry.

Combine the lemon zest and juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and sumac. Move cooled wheat berries to a dish with a lid. Pour the dressing over the wheat berries and toss to coat evenly. Add the tomatoes, snow peas and red onion and refrigerate covered, until ready to serve.

Before serving the salad taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly. To serve place two cups of lettuce on each chilled plate. Top with one quarter of the wheat berry salad and fan a quarter of the avocado on top of each serving.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 396.17
Calories From Fat (34%) - 135.61

Total Fat - 16g
Saturated Fat - 1.99g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 29.5mg
Potassium - 1031.35mg
Total Carbohydrates - 54.79g
Fiber - 15.34g
Sugar - 7.3g
Protein - 15.28g

Comments:

This is a good salad when you want something cold that is still substantial. The salad would make a nice lunch or light dinner. This salad would also be good with cucumber or fresh parsley. If you have any almond feta on hand that would make nice addition to the salad.

If you haven’t tried making wheat berry salads before this may have you making many variations. We enjoy the chewy texture of the wheat berries in all types of cold salads. You can use the wheat berries in place of brown rice or pasta in any cold salad.

Be careful when eating as sumac will stain your clothing. If you rinse the sumac out immediately with cold water the stain won't set.

Millet and Raw Asparagus Salad

We eat a lot of salads in our house. I am always looking for new ways to add vegetables to our diet. Asparagus is something that we eat a lot in the spring. Typically we eat our asparagus lightly cooked. Today I wanted to try something with raw asparagus that became the starting point for this salad. As usual I wanted the salad to be filled with healthful ingredients. I have outlined the benefits of the major salad ingredients below.

Millet is a whole grain that is a good source of vitamin K and magnesium. Vitamin K is necessary for normal blood clotting. Magnesium has been shown to lower high blood pressure and to reduce the severity of asthma and the frequency of migraine headaches.

Asparagus is high in folate, which is essential for cardiovascular health. Asparagus also contains inulin, which the human body cannot digest but the good bacterium in our digestive tracts does. When the good bacteria in our digest system thrives there is less room for the bad bacteria.

The raw red onion is high in chromium that helps the body to respond appropriately to insulin. Regular consumption of onion has been shown to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. The antioxidant quercitin that is found in raw red onion has been shown to halt the growth of tumors in animals. A number of studies have also shown that those populations that consume the most onions also exhibit a lower incidence of all types of cancer.

This salad incorporates a number of healthful ingredients and tastes great too. This middle eastern inspired salad may become a regular on your spring table.

Millet and Raw Asparagus Salad
makes 6 dinner servings

Ingredients:

1 cup of millet
2 ½ cups of water
¼ teaspoon of salt
½ red onion, diced finely (approximately ¼ inch)
12 ounces fresh asparagus, but into 1/8 inch rounds
zest and juice of two lemons
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon of harissa
1 teaspoon of sumac

Optional Ingredients:

¼ cup olives, diced
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced

Directions:

Combine millet, water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Then turn off heat and allow millet to stand undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, Harissa, and sumac and stir to combine. Add diced onion and asparagus to the dressing and toss to coat. Add cooked millet to dressed vegetables and toss to coat. If you choose you can add diced olive and parsley at this point in the recipe. Stir salad to evenly distribute these into the mix. Store salad in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Serve cold over field greens or mesclun mix. If desired garnish with chopped olives and minced parsley.

Comments:

This salad is lemony and fresh. It has a hint of heat in the background. If you like heat you can safely double the amount of harissa in the recipe. If you don’t eat raw asparagus you should give this salad a try. I love the slightly crunchy texture of the asparagus and raw onion that is contrasted to the softness of the cooked millet. The cold salad is a nice counterpoint to the heat from the harissa in the background. Next time I may add chopped walnuts to this salad for a little additional texture.