The Last Supper

Written By: Pascale Kanaan

In preparation for our 5 Day Juice Reboot—yes, that’s right, we are fasting on just juice for 5 whole days—we broke bread and enjoyed our last “solid” meal on Sunday night. According to the Reboot with Joe (more on this to follow), you are supposed to prepare your body for the cleanse by eating light and healthy the week prior. So instead of binging on junk food, we opted for a traditional Lebanese mezza and mixed grill meal. Come to think of it, this Middle Eastern spread was probably not that different from what Jesus and his disciples enjoyed 2,000 some years ago. Here are the recipes for this fabulous feast.

Fattoush Salad

(Recipe adapted from Fresh & Easy: What to Cook and How to Cook it)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 handfuls of pita chips (instead of deep-frying pita bread, I used Stacy’s Pita Chips. They work just as well and are delicious.)
• 2-3 uncooked beets, shredded or coarsely grated (or you can use carrots)
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 7oz (200 g) cherry tomatoes
• 2 small cucumbers, sliced
• 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, mashed
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 generous tsp dried mint
• 1 generous tsp sumac
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Directions:

1. Trim, then either shred or coarsely grate the beets. It’s best to wear rubber gloves while you do this, as the juice stains everything it touches. Put into a large bowl.
2. Finely shred the lettuce, chop the scallions and slice the cucumbers. Add the tomatoes and roughly chop the parsley leaves. Pile on top of the beets, then cover or seal the bowl and keep in the fridge until needed.
3. Make the dressing. Crush the garlic. Squeeze the lemon juice and mix it with the garlic, oil, honey, dried mint, sumac, and salt and pepper. Dip a little of the bread or lettuce into it and taste. Adjust the seasoning or sweetness if you need to. Pour the dressing over the salad–it will sink into the beets so the greens won’t get soggy.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle the pita chips over the salad then toss well.

Tabbouli  

Printable Recipe 

 Ingredients:

• 1 large bushel curly-leaf parsley
• 2 tomatoes (I used 3 smaller brown tomatoes from Trader Joes, they are in season right now and so delicious)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup bulgur wheat
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle (optional)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 Directions:

1. Mix everything together in a large bowl and serve. You may want more or less of certain ingredients, depending on your taste. You will learn what you like each time you make it.

Baba Ghanoush

(Recipe adapted from Fresh & Easy: What to Cook and How to Cook it)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 1 eggplant
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 2/3 cup thick Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 organic lemon
• 1 bunch fresh dill
• 1 tsp paprika
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Flatbreads or pita bread to serve

Directions: 

1. Preheat the broiler (grill) and lightly oil a large baking sheet or pan. Cut the eggplant in half, then score deep cuts into the flesh. Put onto the sheet.
2. Broil (grill) the eggplant for 10 minutes on each side until the flesh is very soft and mushy. Meanwhile, crush the garlic.
3. Use a spoon to scoop the eggplant flesh into the bowl of a food processor.
4. Now add the yogurt, tahini, garlic, the zest of the lemon, and half of its juice. Process until smooth, then take out the blade and snip in the dill leaves. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Kabobs

Printable Recipe

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pack all-natural chicken breast, cut into large cubes
• plain yogurt
• 1 large garlic clove, mashed
• 1 red onion, quartered
• 1 green bell pepper, quartered
• mini heirloom tomatoes

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into large cubes. Coat with yogurt and mix in garlic, salt and pepper to create a marinade. Slide onto skewers alternating red onions, green bell peppers and heirloom tomatoes between each chicken cube. Throw them on the grill for a tender and healthy entrée.

Kofte

(Recipe adapted from Fresh & Easy: What to Cook and How to Cook it)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 1¾ lb good-quality ground (minced) lamb (We used 1 lb of 85% lean ground beef instead.)
• 1 onion
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 egg
• pita bread, to serve
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 Directions:

1. Finely chop the onions and crush the garlic, the finely chop half of the mint.
2. Put the ground (minced) beef into a large bowl with the onions, garlic, chopped mint, cumin, chili powder, thyme and egg. Season generously with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
3. Mix everything together with your hands until evenly combined. If you want to check the seasoning of the kofte, you can pan fry a little piece of the mixture and add more seasoning to your taste. With slightly damp hands, shape the kofte mixture into sausage-shaped molds. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, or for up to 2 days.
4. Before you begin cooking, check that your charcoal is glowing white hot, or your gas grill (barbecue) is preheated to 400°F. Cook the kofte for about 10 minutes, turning often, until dark golden all over and hot through to the middle. When ready, serve the kofte with the pita breads.