Middle Eastern Archives - Strength and Sunshine

Slow Cooker Fesenjan Chicken (Gluten-Free, Paleo)

December 27, 2017 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 57 Comments

The traditional Iranian stew with chicken and the deep flavors of pomegranate molasses and walnuts, now made easy right in the crock-pot! Slow Cooker Fesenjan Chicken is a hearty gluten-free & paleo dinner recipe that will warm the belly and soul!

This delicious Iranian dish has been a longtime coming! A family friend had told me about Fesenjan about 3 or 4 years ago. She raved about the indulgent, rich, deep flavors of the pomegranate molasses and rich nutty walnuts, cooked down to flavor the chicken. Traditionally cooked in a stew pot for hours, letting the flavors infuse and develop. My mouth was watering just listening to her description of the dish and how much she and her family loved it.Read More

3-Ingredient Sesame Seed Crunch Candy (Gluten-Free)

December 20, 2017 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 51 Comments

A popular candy recipe with many variations throughout Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian, and Asian cuisines. This 3-Ingredient Sesame Seed Crunch Candy is perfectly sweet, nutty, gluten-free, paleo, optionally vegan, and top-8 allergy-free! Just toasted sesame seeds, honey, and sugar! Easy to gift or munch!

I know there’s going to be a few of you out there who still need to pick-up some Christmas gifts and with just a few days left, you’re sweatin’, aren’t you? Have to fear! I have a super simple, last minute, edible gift idea that will be just perfect for you! You know I’d never leave you hanging and one can never have too many edible gift ideas to choose from! Since you may have already overdosed on cookies, Christmas candy is the next best thing and this sesame seed crunch candy is good ALL year-round!Read More

Grilled Chicken Shawarma with Yogurt Tahini Sauce & Marinated Veggies (Gluten-Free, Paleo)

June 26, 2017 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 2 Comments

A gluten-free and paleo grilled chicken shawarma recipe served with a dairy-free yogurt tahini sauce and marinated veggies. This Arabic meal packs in so much flavor and is guaranteed to be a showstopper dinner!

I am so excited to share this recipe for grilled chicken shawarma with you! Not only is the name super fun(ny), but it is out of this world delicious and flavor-packed! Remember that birthday of mine a few weeks ago? I had big plans of making this meal on my birthday, but the weather did not cooperate and I knew I wouldn’t be able to shoot (photos for this very blog post). I ended up having salmon and yucca instead. The following day, however, the sun was shining and it was the perfect day to make this amazing gluten-free feast! If you’ve never had chicken shawarma before, you are about to be introduced to something so insanely delicious, you won’t know what hit your tastebuds 😉Read More

Middle Eastern Twice-Baked Baby Eggplants

February 15, 2017 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 86 Comments

Flavorful Middle Eastern Twice-Baked Baby Eggplants make a delicious gluten-free, vegan, paleo, and allergy-free appetizer or side dish. An easy plant-based recipe that will wow the tastebuds with new exciting flavors!

Ah, those recipes where I get to be fancy with simple ingredients and flavors; I love them most! When we take the time to learn about other cuisines, we realize we had all the beautiful foods, spices, and herbs that we needed, just lacked the knowledge of how to make them work together. That’s where we tap into the beauty and wonder of cooking.Read More

Grilled Ras El Hanout Chicken

July 20, 2016 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 67 Comments

With an essential Moroccan spice blend, Grilled Ras El Hanout Chicken will become a new favorite healthy dinner recipe to throw on the grill. Gluten-free, paleo, and Whole 30 approved, entice the senses of smell and taste with this exotic dish.

The great grilled chicken recipes never have to stop! I’m still seeing people complain about sad, dry, grilled chicken, maybe flavored with some salt and pepper. Do they know that life does not have to be so plain and lackluster? If you’re going to eat meat, let’s not “butcher” it further by the way we cook it. That may have to be my new mission in life. End the sad, dry, tasteless chicken and bring flavor back to the family dinner table!

Trust me, my friends, it does not need to be so sad! Chicken is that blank-slate protein I always talk about. It becomes the spices, herbs, marinate, whatever you use. That’s the first step. Ditch the salt and pepper and bring on the exotic “palate-intriguing” flavors! It’s like vanilla ice cream. Great, but we can make it so much better!

I was actually pretty shocked the other day when my brother requested I only season his piece of salmon with some pepper…that was it! Yes, my mind was blown. I get it though, sometimes we just want to appreciate the pure taste of a simple food. I feel that was about my veggies. But when it comes to chicken and fish…I can’t help myself but get a little wild with the flavors and textures.

His piece of salmon looked so sad with just pepper that I had to throw on some garlic powder; I just couldn’t help myself! Salmon had a buttery rich flavor on its own, but chicken? No. You HAVE TO flavor it up! I felt like a new flavor profile for this chicken and decided to use the full range of my spice cabinet. The Moroccan spice blend, Ras El Hanout, sounded like the perfect mixture of warming and delicious spices for some grilled chicken!

It’s a compilation of many spices and you may think it’s a bit crazy, but rubbing the chicken down with the dry rub is going to be one of the best decisions you make this week to that boring chicken I know you have sitting in the fridge! I really hope you make this Ras El Hanout from scratch, but I know not everyone is a crazy spice hoarder like me, so I do have a suggestion for a bottled mix if you really have to.

This chicken does get a tad better too. We’re topping it with some beautiful Harissa of course! There is NO WAY this chicken will leave you in tears now (maybe tears of joy, but not sadness!) I’m thinking the perfect weeknight summer dinner that should be on your menu this week is this chicken and some of my Harissa Potato Salad!

Grilled Ras El Hanout Chicken

Grilled Ras El Hanout Chicken

Author: Rebecca Pytell
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Main
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Scale

Ingredients

4 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts
Ras El Hanout Spice Mix:
1 Tsp Ginger
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Turmeric
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp Allspice
1/2 Tsp Coriander
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
1/4 Tsp Cloves
1/4 Tsp Mace (optional)
Dash of Cayenne Pepper (optional)
Zest of 1 Lemon
Harissa Sauce (topping)

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine all the spices and lemon zest. Mix together.
Rub the Ras El Hanout on the chicken breasts, all sides, and place them on a greased piece of foil (food allergy safety method).
On a heated grill, grill the chicken over medium-high heat, covered, for about 10 minutes, flip, and cook another 10 minutes of until thoroughly cooked.
Served with a drizzle of Harissa!

Notes

*My suggested brand of a pre-made Ras El Hanout.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1

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Enjoy this glorious grilled Ras El Hanout chicken! Let’s make a pact to end all boring chicken dinners while bringing the flavor and exotic zest to out family tables! We must leave no chicken behind! Let me see that flavor and spice! Enjoy!

So tell me:

+ What’s your favorite chicken recipe?

+ Have you ever had a Ras El Hanout flavored dish?

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