Veal Curry

I have a rather ironic secret being that I am a food blogger. Here it is: I am not a good meal planner. What I mean by that is that I never know what I am going to cook ahead of time and therefore planning shopping is a nightmare. But even when I try to organize myself and plan and shop according to plans, on the weekend it doesn’t work out. When I am really in the mood to cook, I usually cook what I feel like eating at that time and most of the time that means painful runs to the store tagging at least the twins along. Most of the time I try to make do with ingredients I have in hand.

Colombian Empanadas and “Aji”

I picked up my kids at Sunday school and my 7-year-old asks me what is for lunch. I told him I was tired and asked him how pizza or nuggets sounded. He got really upset and told me he wanted real food. My children are like that. Junk, frozen food is not something they really enjoy and I am proud of them for that. But sometimes I wish they did like this because even a Halal mama doesn’t feel like cooking sometimes.

I am still craving Colombian food. These empanadas are a bit different than the most traditional empanadas made in Argentina and Chile as they are made with Precooked Yellow Corn Meal instead of regular flour. Don’t be intimidated as these are so easy to make, even my 4-year-old can do it (see video). These empanadas are usually served with Aji, a Colombian spicy sauce usually made with jalepeno. I didn’t have any so I made a sauce I usually make to eat with steak and added some crushed red pepper flakes.

Beef Tagine with Olives and Potatoes

It is bitter cold in Chicago so for the first time since I’ve been back from Brazil I felt like making a tagine. As usual, I did not take out my tagine but rather used my beloved pressure cooker. Not because I am lazy, but because of the short time I have available to prepare my meals during busy days as a halal mama of four.

People have a vision that a stay-at-home mom spends her day watching Oprah, baking cookies and working out. Well, perhaps some women have this schedule but that is not my reality and that of my best friends. First, there is the fact that I still have two rumbustious toddlers at home who not only require my undivided attention but also lunch and a lot of snacks. Then, there are my older kiddos with their busy schedules, extracurricular activities, homework, and so much more. Not to mention, there is taking care of the home and laundry which never take pity on me. Well, enough of that, let’s get to the recipe because it is time to run again!

Ghormeh Sabzi

I have been debating whether to post this recipe or not. Not because it isn’t a great recipe, but because it is not very typical of me to use short-cuts. I don’t bake cakes from a box, I make my own sweet-and-sour sauce, and so on. But this time around I must confess I used a short-cut, actually two: dehydrated vegetables and canned beans. Still, it was delicious and combined with the meat being prepared in my pressure cooker, this made for a totally non-time-consuming, mid-week dinner.

Rissoles (Brazilian Savory Snack)

We're in the midst of another exciting World Cup and I can’t believe I have yet to mention it here at Halal Mama’s World Kitchen. While I don’t really follow sports (NBA, NCAA, MLB and the likes mean nothing to me) I do make an exception for the World Cup. I guess when it comes to soccer I'm as Brazilian as can be. I wear the shirt, the hair band, the glasses, carry the flag, and shift my schedule every which way so that I can watch every single Brazilian game. This year I even toted a little radio with me to my kids' swimming lessons so that I wouldn't have to miss Brazil playing while half-heartedly cheering on my little swimmers.

Eggplant Khoresh (Khoresh-e Bademjan)

My parents have been together for 47 years. My Persian father was working and living in Brazil when he met my Brazilian mother all those years ago. I grew up in Brazil and only visited Iran once. Even though I was very young at the time I still remember some things very clearly. My most vivid food memory of Iran was eating Kabab Koubideh at the local bazaar. I can still remember the fragrance and amazing taste of the Koubideh and the fluffy, saffron-steamed rice full of butter served with egg yolk on top. Perhaps this is where my obsession with rice began. My mother, being the amazing woman she is, helped bring a little of Iran back into our Brazilian home by frequently cooking my father's favorite Persian dishes.

Beef and Quince Tagine

Everyday should be a celebration of those we love - our mothers, fathers, significant others, children and friends. I'm not suggesting you lavish on the gifts but rather treat those special to you with respect and kindness by showing them daily how much you love and appreciate them. This can be done in so many words or simply by living this practice. I suppose one way I do this is by putting real care into what I feed my family.