Last week we entertained out-of-town guests and I wanted to welcome them to Portland with an abundance of healthy, fresh food. The guests were visiting from Hawaii, and I learned that the produce on the Island tends to be insanely expensive and not of the freshest variety. I wanted to prepare a meal with lots of fresh, organic produce, but not have to fiddle with a new recipe, so I cooked what I know: Lebanese-style food. This is by no means an authentic meal, but it’s relatively simple and extremely delicious.

I shopped and prepared everything that very day, though all of this can be prepared up to two days in advance.

The Menu

Relish tray: carrot sticks, thinly sliced cucumber, assorted pitted olives, fresh feta cheese, sliced tomatoes with cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of basil.

Balsamic Hummus: I use this recipe, and add a splash or two of balsamic vinegar when my blender tells me I need more liquid. Dollop in a pretty dish, make a well and pour in a bit of olive oil; sprinkle with paprika.

Pita Bread: For this meal I purchased the freshest whole wheat pita bread that I could find and sliced it in small slices. I am not really a baker and didn’t want to experiment on guests, but I have wanted to try this recipe for quite some time now.

Tabouli: This is the recipe that I use, and I love it. The only thing I do different is bump up the bulgur to 3/4 cup and omit the cayenne. We had tons of leftovers and have been wrapping spoonfuls in lettuce leaves and it’s just been rad.

Spiced Nuts: The ultimate snack and my favorite, served in a delicate dish.

Forbidden Rice and Sauteed Mushrooms and Spinach: Basmati rice would have been more appropriate, but I used what I had on hand. Simply add one cup forbidden rice to two cups water. I let this soak in the pot for several hours before cooking. Once water has boiled, cover and reduce heat to simmer for one hour. Take off heat, fluff with fork and transfer to a pretty bowl. This is so flavorful, I don’t feel that it needs any salt or seasoning. For the mushrooms: Heat 2 Tbls. olive oil in a large cast iron skillet and saute 1.5 pounds sliced crimini mushrooms, 3-4 (minced) garlic cloves, a sprinkle of sea salt and 1-3 Tbls. bacon ends (meat, not fat) over med.-high heat. Once reduced, add 1/2-1 bunch rinsed and chopped spinach to the pan and allow to wilt. Transfer to a pretty bowl and serve on top of rice.

Roasted Greek Chicken: Rinse and dry 12 organic chicken drumsticks. Spoon just a bit of coconut oil (or sub. olive) onto each drumstick and sprinkle with Cavender’s seasoning. Bake at 425 degrees for 40-50 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy. Amazingly good and seriously simple.

Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing: You may remember that I love this dressing over fruit. I chopped 1 small pineapple, 1 Braeburn apple, 1 orange, 1 banana, and a couple handfuls of red grapes and tossed it with the juice from half a lime and a drizzle of honey. Blueberries would add even more color and flavor.

Beverages: Ice water garnished with lemon slices and kombucha served in chilled shot glasses. I am somewhat addicted to white rose and spiced apple kava right now. Oh, and of course beer. I suppose wine would have been more appropriate, but whatevs.

Mangia! What are your favorite Mediterranean or Middle Eastern dishes?