Yaza Labneh: A Thick, Delicious Lebanese Spread & Dip

[1] Start the day with a bowl of labneh, fruit, and granola (photos #1 through #7 © Yaza Labneh). [2] Spread labneh on your bagel. Here, it’s layered with sliced mini cucumbers and pitted olives. [3] Blend labneh and olive oil for a creamy salad dressing. [4] For a snack, top labneh with chopped cucumbers,…
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Za’atar: A Staple Spice Of The Middle East & How To Use It

Za’atar is a flavorful spice blend used in many dishes throughout the Middle East. It’s also found its way to American fare from crusted tuna to hummus to chicken wings. The spelling is also romanized as zaatar, zahtar, za’tar, and zatar. Za’atar (ZAH-tar, American pronunciation ZAH’tar) is both a culinary herb and a spice blend.…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Mediterranean Food For Labor Day & A Mezze Buffet

Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers*, and an all-American cookout is traditionally on the menu? But what if you decided instead to observe the cuisine of laborers elsewhere? Most of us have a Labor Day grilling routine. We decided to try a different grilling menu, focusing on a sure-to-delight…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Fattoush, A Middle Eastern Bread Salad

In our neighborhood, a casual Middle Eastern place sells the classics: falafel, shawarma, shish kebab, etc. We used to have a regular lunch of the spreads—baba ghannouj and hummus—plus grape leaves and tabouli. Then, one day, we decided to order something new. Looking at the menu, we chose fattoush. Fattoush (alternatively spelled fattush, fatush, fattoosh…
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