Moro for dinner

I hadn't planned to post again so soon - seeing as my goal was once a week - but dinner last night was something different for me as it all came from some Moro recipes I'd found on the web.
The other thing I should mention is that I've been trying too cook healthier food as my husband recently had a cholesterol test and it came out as 5.5 (apparently should be below 5 for those not in the know). That doesn't seem so high - and I think compared to the test he had a few years ago (when he was eating a bacon and egg sandwich every morning!) it wasn't - but one of our friends mentioned it was a killer so now he is really freaked out and wants to eat better. Another point you should know about me is that my big skill is in fact cooking very unhealthily. Not lots-of-deep-fried-things-and-super-greasy-pizza-unhealthy but sauces-with-butter-and-cream-unhealthy (if there is in fact a difference?) and my version of a light meals always has cheese (Parmesan, buffalo mozzarella, goats cheese etc.) and my 'vegetarian' type salads always have either said cheese or prosciutto or bacon - who could live without pork! Unfortunately these things from a cholesterol point of view - where you shouldn't eat a lot of saturated fat - are not good. So this Moro stuff is an attempt to cook less red meat - hence the chicken ( I kind of went off chicken after my varsity digs mate told me i always make it - need to revive that trend), and vegetable dishes and salads without cheese.

So here are the recipes. Only thing I would say is way too much garlic in the tahini sauce (try put in 1/2 clove instead) - I wouldn't want to by the guy having a 7am meeting with my husband today!


Tabbouleh

85g Bulgar wheat
200g Rosa tomatoes, diced
4 spring onions, sliced
Approx 30g fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 small bunch fresh mint, roughly chopped

Dressing:
1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 tbs lemon juice
3 tbs olive oil
sea salt and black pepper

Soak the Bulgar in boiling water until just tender, then drain.
Add the tomatoes, spring onions and herbs.
To make the dressing add the garlic, salt and spices to the lemon juice first and then when mixed add the olive oil.
Just before serving add the dressing and mix through. Check seasoning.

Raw beetroot salad with pistachio sauce

200g raw young beetroot, peeled and very thinly sliced (I think a mandolin would make this much easier but I had to attempt it with a knife and the beetroot dangerously threatened to leap at my light grey shirt)
Squeeze or 2 of lemon juice
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
a small handful flat-leaf parsley, picked

For the pistachio sauce:
100g shelled unsalted pistachios
2 tbs finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp finely chopped mint
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
7 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
4 tbs water (I used more but I guess it depends on the consistency you want)
sea salt and black pepper

Finely chop the pistachios (I used a hand blender).
Mix together with the other ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.
When you are ready to serve the salad, dress the beetroot and parsley leaves with the lemon juice and oil and season. Spread out on a large platter and spoon the pistachio sauce over. Serve immediately.

Lebanese chicken

4 each free range chicken drumsticks and thighs (they recommend chicken wings but I was trying to avoid all the cholesterol laden chicken skin)
Marinated in:
3 garlic cloves, crushed with salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp freshly ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs good tahini paste from a jar
1 tbs olive oil

For the tahini sauce:
2 garlic cloves, crushed ( I would use 1/2 clove)
3 tbs good tahini paste from a jar
juice of a lemon
5 tbs water
sea salt and black pepper

Lemon wedges
1 small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked from the stalks
sea salt and black pepper

In a large bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken, making sure they are well coated, and leave to marinate for at least an hour.
To make the tahini sauce, crush the garlic cloves to a paste with a good pinch of salt. Transfer to a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the tahini paste and then thin with the lemon juice. Add water until it is the consistency of double cream. Check the seasoning.
Roast chicken in a 220 degree C oven for about 25 minutes until cooked. Alternatively BBQ or braai (as we call it in South Africa) is recommended.
Check for seasoning. Serve with tahini sauce, parsley leaves and wedges of lemon.