Couscous Salad with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Mushroom

Couscous is one of my favorite variety of starchy food, and I love to incorporate it mostly in my salads -It is also known that couscous is among the healthiest grain-based products!-.

Here is what you will need to prepare this salad:

- A drizzle of olive oil

- A pinch of garlic powder

- 1/4 cup of couscous

- 1/3 cup or about less than a half cup of water

- 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes (Halved)

- 3 mushrooms (Halved)

- A small bunch of spinach

- Drizzle the cherry tomatoes and mushrooms with some olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper and pop them into the oven for about 10 minutes 180 c.

- Until they get roasted, in a saucepan, bring water to boil. Add salt and stir, then add couscous and directly remove from heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Couscous should absorb all the water, fluf with fork and sprinkle with garlic powder.

Little Tip: You can add vegetable stock instead of  water to add more flavor to the couscous!

- Mix the spinach leaves along with couscous, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms and serve immediately.

Enjoy your warm salad! 

Breakfast After Ten

Me and couple of my family members had a lovely LONG WEEKEND, so we decided to have a fantabulous breakfast in the garden! It was one of these beautiful windy mornings, fresh air, great company, lots of chit-chats and good food -Thanks to our lovely Dana for this beautiful gathering-!

Anyway, I thought of sharing part of the feast with you guys... Happy weekend beautiful people!! xx

Guiltless Baked Banana

Baked banana is a pleasant warmness in a plate for such lovely cold weather! It's naturally sweet and Better yet, it's healthy!!

This recipe is soo simple that you will only need literally 3 little ingredients; 1 banana, pinch of cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons of honey!!

All you need to do is peel and cut the banana in half lengthwise, put it in a baking dish and sprinkle the rest of the ingredients on top. Cover with aluminum foil and into the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. And voila!!! You can have this dish with some whipping cream, ice cream, with oatmeal, or even on top of pancakes!! 

Enjoy my loves...

Home-made Granola

I've been asked by soo many of my lovely readers and followers on how to make an easy homemade granola recipe for quite sometime. I know that searching for a plain granola or according to any of your taste is a bit hard to find -or a little bit expensive-. to make the long story short, I have prepared for you the simplest recipe that you can add anything you like (nuts or dried fruits) to the recipe and make it just the way you like it!

Okay, so let's begin!!

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups oats (Quacker)

- 1/2 cup sliced almonds

- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 2 tablespoons honey

- 1 small pack of sweetener (I use Stevia) 

- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

- Pinch of salt 

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 180 c.

- Combine oats and almonds in a bowl.

- Melt the butter and mix it well with the rest of the ingredients (Honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt).

- Now, combine the honey mixture onto the oats and almonds using a spoon or a spatula until the oats are well coated. -The mixture should be a bit clumpy-

- transfer the granola to the baking sheet and spread them evenly, and into the oven for about 20 minutes stirring the granola every 8 minutes.

- Let the granola cool down, and it will dry up nice and crunchy.

- Store the granola in a container for up to two weeks, better yet in the fridge!

This is how the granola will look after cooling it down, golden and crispy!

This is how I enjoy my granola... 

Happy New Year my lovely followers and readers, keep checking my Instagram ( @Alla_Alsh ) or my Twit Acct for my daily activities...

See you next year insha'allah...  xxx

Mixed Berry Parfait

Hello again my dear readers,,, Hope you all had a wonderful Eid break!!

Here is a sweet, easy, and short post on how to make your own healthy mixed berry parfait that you can have it in the morning to get you going through the day, or even as a light dinner!

Simply, what you'll need:

- 1/2 cup of any of your favorite berry mix (Fresh or frozen; doesn't matter)

- one small packet of sweetener, I use either (Stevia or Splenda). Or you can substitute it with one tablespoon of honey

- Low-fat yogurt 

- 1/3 cup granola

Method:

1. Combine yogurt and sugar/honey in a bowl

2. In a glass or goblet, alternately layer granola, yogurt, and berries. To build the parfait, you need to repeat the layers until all of the ingredients are used completely.

3. Garnish with granola and berries. 

4. Chill or immediately serve,,, Enjoy!

Serves 1...

Sweet Potato Wrap

Hello my pretty followers/readers, I am soo sorry for my absence for quite some time. But I am finally here with a new delightful recipe awaiting for you to try! 

It is soo easy to prepare, delicious, fulfilling, and it is vegetarian friendly!!! All you need is the following:

- 1 medium sweet potato, roasted, peeled and mashed

- 2 wraps, I use low fat tortillas, no cholesterol (Garden Spinach and vegetables)

- 1/2 small onion, chopped

- 4 small mushrooms, diced

- Drizzle of olive oil

- 1 teaspoon paprika powder

- Dash of ground pepper

Method:

1- Roast your sweet potato in the oven 200 c for 35-40 minuts.

2. Warm the wrap in a large pan -No oil needed in this step!-, just to soften it up for about 1 or 2 minutes on each side!

3. In a pan, drizzle some olive oil and saute the onion and mushroom.

4. When potato is ready, peel and mash with fork or a potato masher.

5. Sprinkle paprika powder and ground pepper on the mashed potato.

6. Spread the mash potato over the warm wrap, add the mushroom and onion, roll the wrap and slice it in half, and enjoy the goodness of this recipe!

Happy eating!! xxx

Winter, I'm So Excited!!

Hello my lovely readers, the last days of summer and sunshine are almost over, and I am not complaining at all!! In fact, I am welcoming winter with open arms! This collage explains to you some of the reasons of my deepest love to this slushy season! <3 

I generally love every season, but I have to say that winter is my favorite! To me, winter is the weather of coziness, laziness, enjoy staying outdoors, lot's of good comfort food, and enjoying the weather with a bit of style. I absolutely love winter!!!

Old readers and new readers, what's your fave season of the year and why? =)

Watermelonade

Here is a quick and easy this summer's most refreshing drink that you can easily prepare and enjoy in no time! -The ingredients below makes for 2- 

Ingredients:
- 2 slices of watermelon (Deseeded and cubed)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon sugar, or don't, if you prefer to avoid added sweetener!
- 120 ml water

Method:

- Add the watermelon chunks in a blender - The smaller the chunks, the easier to blend-, juice of one lemon, and 2 tablespoons water. Blend well until it's smooth.

- Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to 100 ml water, and mix until the sugar is dissolved.

- Mix the watermelon puree with the sweetened water, add more sugar to adjust the taste. Serve it cold/ with ice and drink away!

Happy Sunday everyone... xx

Pesto Spaghetti Salad

Yesterday I was so hungry and had nothing in my kitchen to make a proper lunch for myself! So I found few things here and there and thought of making spaghetti salad with pesto dressing from these few limited ingredients! And it turned out to be a fulfilling yummy dish! I was going to make pesto spaghetti only, but I was so hungry that I had to add few of what I have left in my fridge, so I turned it into a yummy salad that can be eaten cold or warm!

Ingredients:
- Whole wheat spaghetti
- 1 Tomato, diced and deceeded / or 5 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 Bell pepper cut into small squares
- 1 Spring onion (small)
- 1/2 Avocado cubed
- 3 mushrooms

Pesto Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- Few mint leaves/ cilantro
- 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
- 1 clove fresh garlic / 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- Few drizzles of olive oil
- pinch of ground pepper
- A juice of half lemon

Method:
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
- In a food processor, gradually add the pesto ingredients and blend until everything is well combined.
- Now combine both the pesto paste and spaghetti, and enjoy!

Happy cooking! xxx

Weekend Links

The prettiest camera strap ever!

Pastel eyes ! I like the pastel green, must try it one day..

When will I stop it!

20 Free high resolution denim textures

Beautiful HUGE natural flowers bouquet

I want these thin knuckle rings

This will be add to my next week menu!

Finally, a song that is stuck in my head for a while now Mushaboom


Happy viewing everyone!! xxx

Cookies & Cream

I love ending my lovely long and busy week with a yummy treat; Oreos & Baskin Robbin's Vanilla Ice Cream!! Isn't it a pleasant way to begin your weekend with or what? =D

Thank you guys for reading my blog, have a great weekend! xxx

Ghabga Night at Bushra

This weekend, me and my girls went to Bushido restaurant to check out their Ramadan experience that's called Bushra at Bushido. The whole restaurant was totally transformed into this beautiful Arabian theme and atmosphere. 

We had such an amazing time with lots of laughter. Here are some quick photos taken that day...

The lovely sweet waiters... 

Me and my dear friend/blogger Maha from A Day in The Sandbox

Shahad is wearing this beautiful dress that she got from Jordan

The lovely Asma and her exquisite sense of style

My dear dear friend Ameena and her elegant self designed Jalabeeya

Lovely nail art done at Mubrad Nail Spa

P.S. Soo sorry for the bad bad bad quality of some of the photos, the place was utterly dark and my camera was not cooperating with me at all that day... =/

Ramadan Tidbits

These are few photos taken last week when my mom came back to Bahrain for a little visit. There is nothing more heartwarming than spending the special month of Ramadan with your loved ones...

I love everything in this picture; my mom's soft hand, the Arabic coffee (Gahwa), and the Yummy Luqaimat

Happy Thursday!!

xxx

Saffron by Jena 2

Yesterday me and my dear friends went to have Suhoor at the second branch of Saffron by Jena; Saffron 2. It is also located in Muharraq, not far from Saffron 1. The place is more spacious than the first one, with a mix feel of traditional and contemporary atmosphere. 

There was a set menu at the time we arrived, so they served us with various Bahraini traditional food. Everything was nicely presented, the food and flavors were impeccable, and the service was wonderful. 

The lovely alleys that leads to Saffron. I couldn't take proper pictures, due to our lovely humid weather, LOL...

Small shots of Laban before we start our feast...

Assorted yummy Suhoor...

Lots and lots of sweet for our dessert...

And before we leave the place, the waiter served us with small shots of refreshing rose drinks and sprinkles of rose water at the door... 

Saffron by Jena 2:

Twitter: @SaffronbyJena

Tel: 00973 13 623191

Blaze Burgers Ramadan Special

Yesterday, Blaze Burgers invited me and a number of bloggers to try out their Ramadan and Eid menu specials....

I was soo excited to meet the Blaze Burgers team, my fellow bloggers, and of course to try out their FOOD!!!

I love the idea of Blaze monthly specials, it keeps us guessing and anticipating, makes everyone excited to try out their coming specials...

As soon as the food and shakes came to our table, the sound of our cameras invaded the place, all of us started snapping pictures to post them in our blog, twitter, and instagram... =D

At the beginning, they served us some yummy appetizers.

Mushroom cheese bullets

Chips and dip. The dip was Blaze Burger's signature sauce (That will be available in the coming future insha'allah). Trust me guys, it was so soo gooood that I had to use it as a dip for everything I ate!! 

The Date rahash milkshake

Here comes THE BEST BURGERS IN THE WORLD, that's what it's called, and what it taste like too!!!

Here's how it looks after cutting it, mouth-watering and JUICY!!! Oh, and I forgot to mention that this burger will be served as Eid special!!!! YUMM!!

Maha from A Day In The Sand Box enjoying her Best burger in the world, and I don't blame her... 

Mini crunchy burgers with honey mustard sauce, it was heavenly...

*Sigh*, The Strawberry rose milkshake was literally indulgent!!

We ended the lovely gathering with this delightful dessert; Date crumble with ice cream and pistachios.

Had a very nice evening, thank you so much Blaze Burgers for the pleasant and lovely invitation, it was pleasure meeting the Blaze Burgers team...

Blaze Burgers: 

Located in Adliya behind coco's 

Phone: 00973 17 744773 

You can find Blaze Burgers on Twitter : @BlazeBurgers

Also on Facebook

Saffron by Jena

Last week, me and my gorgeous friend Ameena went to this lovely place called Saffron for breakfast -that we heard soo many good reviews about- located in the newly restored Souq Al Qaisariya in Muharraq. The cafe is realatively small, so the place was packed with lots of excited people that are waiting in line for their turn to enjoy and have a little feast from the various traditional Bahraini menu.

The place and the traditional decoration was really lovely, not forgetting about the Bahraini and other Arabic old songs that enhanced the whole atmosphere of the cafe. Good service, reasonable prices, and a yummy food that is nicely presented.

I highly recommend you to visit this cafe; as it has the old Bahraini tradition feel with great food and an amazing experience!! Try it and let me know what do you guys think... =)

Tel: 13 62 31 91

Twitter Acct: @SaffronbyJena

My Week In Pictures - Part 2

Few days ago, I shared with you the first part of my week in pictures post (Here). This is the second part of some random pix of my week spent in the beautiful Doha with my family, nothing fancy but I hope you guys enjoy it.

Khubiz ergag with Nutella, and a mini 3egaili (  عقيلي ) form Souq Waqif

You know what that means........... Yupp, soaking up some sun time ☼

Mommy's yummy food *drool*

Lebanese food at La Cigale Hotel

Souq Waqif

My sis Bedoor, inside the Souq

Another beautiful angle of souq waqif

Citruss

Took some souvenirs from mom

And more M&M'S for me and Bedoor on the plane back to our beloved Bahrain!!! I'm telling you guys, it's addictive!!!

 

Well, that's about it folks... Drinking my chamomile tea and will head to bed, very late today for my bed time... xx