A Great Lunch

by Dale Harcombe | More from this Blogger

05 Nov 2009 01:37 PM

As promised in my Home blog here is the gluten free recipe Lebanese meal. Tabouli, traditionally has burghul or cracked wheat in it, but we make it gluten free. Several members of my family prefer the gluten free version and make it that way even though they don't have a gluten problem.

Tabouli (sometimes spelt Tabouleh)

2-3 tomatoes finely chopped

I onion (I mostly use onion. I like the contrast of white with the other colors in the salad but you can also use three quarters cup chopped shallots if you prefer.)

I bunch chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste. (I tend to use little salt but everything I make except desserts has a good dash or more of pepper)

1/2 bunch chopped mint

1/3 cup lemon juice

quarter cup olive oil

Combine tomatoes, onion, parsley mint, salt and pepper. Add whisked lemon juice and olive oil. Mix thoroughly. Refrigerate till chilled.

My daughter adds half cup peeled and chopped cucumber for extra taste. It may make it less authentic Lebanese but who cares? Taste is the most unimportant thing you're after.

Baba Ghanoush (again there are very various other spellings but I'll stick with this. It is an Egg plant Dip)

I medium sized eggplant

2-3 cloves garlic

quarter cup lemon juice

quarter cup tahini paste

salt and peper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking dish with a little canola cooking spray or lightly oil baking dish.

Cut several slits in each side of the egg plant - this is important. No-one ever mentioned this to me, when I first was given the recipe for this dish. For years I cooked it no problem, then one day the egg plant exploded as I opened the oven. It resulted in burns to my face and shoulders, and an extremely messy kitchen.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning once during that time. Don't worry that the skin goes charred. You don't use it.

Scoop out the flesh. Place eggplant pulp and all other ingredients in a blender. Blend till it a smooth paste.

Chill

Serve tabouli and baba ghanoush with Lebanese bread is the traditional way. But if you're gluten free, a gluten free wrap or white corn tortilla works just as well.

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Learn more about Dale Harcombe

Dale has a passion for books and writing. She writes in various forms, from articles to poetry to fiction for children and adults.

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