One for him and one for me. Today’s breakfast in bed is a strawberry, honey and vanilla chia seed pudding topped with fresh fruit, dried coconut and pumpkin seeds.
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Trying raw quail egg and beef tartare for the first time at @cutdubai
Amazing brunch, beautiful setting, and wonderful service!
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The year is 2015.
It’s a sunny Thursday afternoon, and the weekend is approaching.
You want to impress your significant other with your cooking skills. Pretend you were slaving away at the stove for hours. Just to cook something delicious and healthy just for them.
I’ve got your back, son.
This meal is my favorite because:
A) It requires NO DISH WASHING
B) It’s done in 20 minutes
C) It’s delicious
D) Need I go on?
I know the ingredients may seem like a lot of work, but trust me once you’ve got everything out on the counter top in front of you, it’s just a matter of splashing this there, and throwing that here.
1. Preheat your oven to a medium heat
2. Grab your tin-foil rectangles and place the salmon fillets in them
3. Throw the onions, ginger, garlic, carrots, celery, and peppers on top of the salmon
4. Splash soy sauce, sesame oil, and coriander leaves
5. Shape tinfoil into a pocket or parcel and make sure it’s shut tight (when in doubt, double cover it with tin foil)
6. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes
And voila! You’ve got yourself a steamy, juicy salmon fillet inside. Just serve at the table still inside the foil, and for a dramatic affect, cut it open AT the table.
Be careful! The steam may burn you if you’re not!
Serve topped with sesame seeds and coriander if you’d like.
I like to serve this with some soba noodles tossed in soy sauce and tofu! Yum!
Why don’t you go straight- up bananas with me and give this recipe a shot! I’d love to hear from you!
Also, since you’re here, why not follow me on Instagram @straightupbananas
In a previous post I had talked about the wonderland that is the Jumeirah fish market in Dubai. If you didn’t get to read it click here http://tinyurl.com/jumeirahfishmarket
This post is going to be about how I got those fishies to sing “under da sea” in my belly. Here’s a quick and easy salmon recipe.
I made teriyaki salmon with a simple yet healthy soba-noodle salad and it was mighty fine if I do say so myself. It’s an easy and healthy dinner/lunch recipe to have in your culinary repertoire.
Ingredients:
- Salmon fillet
- Soba noodles
- Bell peppers
- Fresh ginger
- A handful of cashews
- Coriander
- Soy sauce
- Chili flakes
- Spring onions
- Garlic
- Sesame seeds
- Honey
- Sesame oil
So first things first, you need to get the salmon in a marinade and let it soak up all those flavors for at least 30 minutes before cooking. The longer the better.
- For the marinade, grab a Ziploc baggie, and pour in ¼ cup of soy sauce, a swig of honey, a pinch of chili flakes, some grated ginger and a grated clove of garlic and just let those babies dye themselves in the soy sauce.
- As for the soba noodle salad, I promise you it could not be easier. Soba noodles need exactly 6-7 minutes to cook so if you’re a slow chopper, I suggest you cut everything up before you put the noodles to cook.
- Slice the garlic, spring onions, ginger, and bell peppers as finely as you possible can. (If you’ve got any other veggies on hand and would like to add them…why the heck not? You could add broccoli, zuchinni..basically any thing you want.)
- Boil the noodles and after they are cooked drain them and wash with cold water.
- Get started on the salmon, just braising it by searing it on a high heat on both sides and then pouring the marinade liquid to let boil gently until just flaky and cooked.
- On a high heat (and preferably in a wok pan) pour some sesame oil and cook the bell peppers for 1 minute; then, add the ginger and garlic and noodles. Flip a few times, then add some soy sauce and toss a few more times. Then turn off the heat, and sprinkle sesame seeds, spring onions, and coriander and you are in business.
- You could serve in a giant romaine lettuce leaf and top with toasted cashews and salmon fillet. Voila
These quick and easy salmon or seafood recipes are really good to have on you if you’re swamped and hungry–so you have a quick lunch or dinner to put together!
So there’s nothing I love doing in the world more than shopping for fresh ingredients to cook with, and my trips to the fish market at dusk are no exception.
A lot of people I know have asked me about the fish markets here in Dubai–the location, cost, and what you can get; so I thought I’d just focus on that in today’s post. (The exact location will be posted below.)
So there are two fish markets (that I know of) here in Dubai, one giant one in Deira, and one smaller, but equally fresh and well priced, here in Jumeirah. I’m telling you, once you go to the fish market and see the difference in quality and price, you will never ever EVER order fish out again!
The one in Jumeirah is located right across from the Customs office. It is crazy clean. In the front, you’ve got the vendors selling their daily catch and in the back you’ve got the fish cleaning area.
The market is right on the fishing-boats marina–so you know that when you get those fish, they’re going to be as fresh as it gets.
Here’s a few general rules when going to the fish market:
1- ALWAYS heckle the fish monger! We bought a kilo of salmon for 40 aed, he originally suggested we pay 65 aed lol.
2- The earlier in the day you can go, the fresher the fish.
3- The later in the day you go, the better the price you can get because they just want to get rid of whatever they have and go home. I know the situation’s a bit of a Catch-22 but you get to choose: fresher or cheaper?
4- Always make sure the seafood is fresh because unfortunately, sometimes, they will try to get rid of the older fish to make room for the fresher.
Remember! Fresh fish always has clear eyes as opposed to cloudy. Smells like the sea, NEVER fishy. Has super red gills. The fish shouldn’t be floppy, it should stand up straight if held upright. Got it? Okay!
My husband and I bought 1 kilo and a half of wild salmon for 50 aed, 1 kilo of tiger prawns for 60, and a kilo of hamour (reef cod) for 40 aed. Now you tell me what restaurant in Dubai serves 1 kilo of the freshest shrimps around for 60? I think it’s also worth mentioning that if you buy big quantities, you’ll get better prices per kilo.
Now to the cleaning station.
My friend Omar is a king! He’s the sweetest, and he always takes extra care of us. He’ll clean the seafood you just bought–scaling, skinning, deboning, deveining, filleting–you name it! the cleaning area charges 5 aed per kilo of whatever and saves you the trouble of having to go home and start messing with fish eyeballs and poop. Yes. I went there.
Lastly, I pinpointed the exact location today! You’re welcome!
25.175378,55.217231
Just copy and paste the coordinates on Googlemap or click the link http://tinyurl.com/fishmarketumsuqiem
You should be good to go!
If you go, let me know how much you liked it!
Healthy and Easy Lentil Soup recipe
This baby is a recipe I got from my wonderful mother. It’s her faux creamy orange lentil soup with veg. It is a winner, I promise!
Back at home we used to usually have this soup during the cold winter months, or during Ramadan for extra nourishment–protein and hydration. It’s an easy and quick vegetarian recipe to use when you just can’t be bothered to cook a decent meal–a bit of this soup and you’re warm, full, and fuzzy inside. It’s a good option for a healthy and quick lunch or/and dinner.
Ingredients:
Method:
First, chop the onions and carrots and saute until tender in a deep pot. While the veggies tender, measure your lentils and rice in a mug and wash until the water runs clear (getting rid of any excess starch or muck). To the onions and carrots add the garlic, green pepper, stock cube, and coriander and cook on a medium-low heat.
Once the cumin has been toasted, add 1 liter of boiling water and add rice and lentils. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for 20-25 minutes or until carrots are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with ripped coriander, a drizzle of olive oil, and lemon.
You can never go wrong with my Puerto Rican mother’s version of a Palestinian classic ‘Shorbit Adas’.
Here is an easy, quick, and yummy salad–the easiest, quickest, and yummiest salad ever created. Ever. EVER. EVER!
Glistening glazed beetroot with balsamic vinegar on a bed of peppery arugula…I mean COME ON!
For this recipe you will need:
In a skillet over a medium-high heat throw your beetroot, salt, and balsamic and allow to softly bubble until it becomes thick, gooey, and just coats the beetroot.
While that is bubbling away, crudely chop your arugula and place in a plate. Pour beetroot and balsamic glaze over salad and you, my good friend, are in business. Go devour that puppy!
You can play up this salad if you’d like by making it a bit more decadent. You could crumble in some blue cheese, goat cheese, or walnuts if you’d like—I was just trying to keep it clean and simple.
Go straight-up bananas and please give this salad a go and let me see the outcome! x
A Healthy and Easy Dessert or Breakfast Recipe
Okay. I will be honest. I eat like it’s no body’s business all the time. My poor husband. So I’m always looking for cheats and tricks that’ll make me believe I am indulging in the good stuff (and by “good” I mean bad for you), while I’m actually nourishing my body. Here’s a colorful little snack that will trick your mind into thinking you’re having dessert that is bad for you when it’s actually good for you.
Mix 1 cup of Greek yogurt, with a handful of frozen berries, sunflower seeds, slithered almonds, yogurt, and mint leaves.
I first tried this glorious combination in Greece on my honeymoon and have been hooked to it every since. I’ve actually almost had it every day since (1 year, 4 months and counting…) You can add this mixture to your granola in the morning for breakfast and you’ve got an easy breakfast that will have you good to go all day long, I promise.
Go straight-up bananas. Give it a go and let me know! x
Now this salad is an absolute killer, you don’t even know. I tasted this salad somewhere and thought I would try to emulate it myself when I got home and that’s exactly what I did!
For this recipe you will need:
Dressing:
Okay. First of all let’s make the dressing.
First place the raspberries into a bowl and squish with the back of a fork. Then, top with olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper, honey, and salt&pepper. Mix well and the dressing is done.
Now, assemble the rest of the salad. Slice the chicken, cucumber and olives, massage the kale, crack the walnuts, tear the basil, coriander, and lettuce and place all ingredients into a salad bowl.
Drizzle with your vinaigrette, toss, and serve. You will love me after this salad, I promise!
Go straight-up bananas and let me know how your endeavors go, I’d love to hear from you!
Some of you guys have sent me messages asking why I haven’t posted a recipe in a while–I am going to be totally honest, this passed month has been THE craziest month EVER…and I do mean ever. My mother and mother-in-law came to visit and I traveled to Nepal for a week (that is a whole different post), so in all honesty, I haven’t had a moment to even think straight. Sorry?
Anyhoo, I know guacamole may be a very basic recipe whether you use it as a dip with tortilla chips or tacos, or as a creamy dressing for any green salad–but I can promise you my easy version of the Mexican classic will knock your guests’ socks off!
For this recipe you will need:
I know it seems like a few more ingredients than your average guac, but I promise those extra ingredients will make ALL the difference! I like to add yogurt to give the dip more body; yogurt makes the dip creamier and almost the texture of an avocado mousse if that makes any sense? While adding the drizzle of olive oil gives a silky and glossy finish. What’s not to love, right?
First, dice the avocado inside the skin and scoop out with a spoon into a bowl. Using the back of a fork, squish and smash the avocado flesh until creamy.
Last, add the rest of the ingredients and drizzle a small amount of olive oil and salt & pepper to taste. Voila! You’ve got yourself a kick-ass dip that’ll have everyone coming back for seconds…guaranteed!
Go straight-up bananas and try out the recipe. Let me know how it goes!
Breakfast is some early sunshine on the balcony and a plate of color!
● a turmeric shot: coconut water, turmeric, lemon.
● avocado on oat toast
● a boiled egg with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
● a handful of almonds
Combined with a work out and some yoga in a bit–this is shaping out to be a lovely day!
For recipes check out straight-upbananas.com
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Gooey runny eggs on crunchy rye cakes with a sprinkle of dried basil, sea salt, and parmesan shavings because why not, right?
What did you have for breakfast?
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Last night’s dinner was a rich and spicy prawn and coconut milk soup packed with turmeric, lime juice, and bean sprouts for an extra crunch.
What did you have for dinner?
For more recipes check out straight-upbananas.com
Yet another parfait! I am becoming addicted to these little buggers, I tell you.
This parfait consists of the following layers:
● organic chocolate syrup
● crushed almonds
● granola
● mashed bananas
● yogurt and honey
● macerated strawberries and mint
My husband is a bit of a chocolate fanatic and I can tell you right now this recipe was a massive winner!
Go straight-up bananas! Give it a go and let me know how it goes! ♡
When family members with a farm visit bearing gifts! Fresh figs, ridge cucumbers, dates, grapes, and bananas. Hallelujah!