I Love Leb

...Lebanese cuisine that is.  It started my freshman year at Meredith.  Instead of eating in the usual dining hall we had the option of grabbing a wrap from Cate, the student center.  Deli meat has never really been my thing and the girls on my hall had been raving about something called "hummus."  I've never been a picky eater, and so I decided to give it a try.  A few weeks later I was begging the sandwich lady to lay it on thick and wondering if she would really miss just one carton of it.

I came to realize I could actually buy it at the grocery store and later discovered I could make it myself!  Thus began my lifelong attachment to hummus.  

You don't have to hang around Raleigh for too long before you learn about Neomonde's.  It is this fantastically authentic Lebanese deli right across from Meredith and one of my absolute favorite places to dine.  Many of the authentic dishes I tried for the first time there have become my staples and I now prepare a lot of it myself.  I just can't quite recreate their hummus though!

Last Sunday afternoon I spent a few hours preparing a double portion of a few of my faves and wanted to share the recipes with you!  I was pleasantly surprised at how well the dishes kept for the following 5 days.  I wouldn't recommend keeping anything around much longer than that...but I promise you'll have no problem finishing these puppies fast!

Mjaddarah - caramelized onions, lentils & rice

Hummous - decent, but Neomonde's is still better

Spanakopita - pick up whatever greens are in season at your local farmer's market!

Tabouli - great version

Pick up some whole wheat pita bread & plain Green yogurt & you are set!

Enjoy and stayed tuned for my upcoming entries:  Jaclyn leaves for Uganda & Chas's baby chicks!