Turkish food is my absolute FAVOURITE. I never get bored of eating this delicious cuisine. If you’re unfamiliar, mezze is small plates of different foods, often thought of as appetisers. Some can be hot and some can be cold. But, if you’ve been to Turkey, Greece, Lebanon or parts of the eastern Mediterranean, you probably know that mezze can be the entire meal!. A traditional Turkish mezze is usually served with some fresh Turkish pide bread, which you can also find the recipe for on my blog! https://bakewithzainab.wixsite.com/bakewithzainab/post/turkish-pide-bread
Today i'm going to be sharing with you all some of my favourite cold mezzes! Let's get straight to it!
Vegan
Healthy
Nutritious
Simple & Easy Recipe
Gluten-Free
Protein-Packed
Indulgent
Great For Parties
Health Benefits;
Hummus:
Hummus is a great source of plant-based protein, providing 7.9 grams per serving. This makes it an excellent option for people on a vegetarian or vegan diet. Consuming enough protein is essential for optimal growth, recovery and immune function. In addition, hummus includes iron, folate, phosphorus and B vitamins, all of which are important for vegetarians and vegans, as they may not get enough from their diet.
Turkish Salad:
Whether you're looking to lose weight, improve your nutrition or simply adopt a healthier lifestyle, salads can be either your best friend or your worst enemy. Although they seem innocent enough, salads can quickly turn treacherous when they're topped with creamy dressings and packed with fatty, high-calorie mix-ins. But if you make smart choices, you can build a healthy salad that's not only tasty but healthy.
Tzatziki:
While it’s very creamy, it’s pretty low in calories, with about 35 calories in two tablespoons of tzatziki sauce. It can help reduce appetite, regulate hunger hormones and increase metabolism.
Recipe For Hummus
~ Makes 6 Servings ~
Prep Time - 10 mins ~ Cook Time - 0 mins ~ Total Time - 10 mins
Ingredients:
260gs of cooked chickpeas (i usually just buy mine canned)
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice (bottled is fine)
1/4 cup of well-stirred tahini
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tbsps of extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 tsp of ground cumin
1/2 tsp of mustard powder
Salt to taste, start with half a tsp
2 to 3 tbsps of cold tap water
Dash ground paprika for serving
Method
1. In a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process for 30 seconds more. Make sure that the hummus is smooth and creamy.
2. Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, mustard and a 1/2 tsps of salt to the tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process another 30 seconds or until well blended. Open, drain, and rinse the chickpeas (make sure that you drain the chickpeas properly getting all the water out - i like to use a sift and then wash them too). Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl, then add remaining chickpeas and process until thick and quite smooth; 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Most likely the hummus will be too thick or still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water until you reach the perfect consistency. If the hummus isn't thick skip this part. You don't want watery hummus!
4. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Serve hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and dash of paprika. Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week. Or if you are making the mezze, pour into a bowl, leave to a side for later and begin to make the tzatziki.
Note: If you leave it out with no lid on, it will become abit more dry.
Recipe For Tzatziki
~ Makes 6 Servings ~
Prep Time - 10 mins ~ Cook Time - 0 mins ~ Total Time - 10 mins
Ingredients:
350gs of dairy-free greek-style yogurt (or plain yogurt)
1 cucumber
2 tbsps of lemon juice (freshly squeezed or bottled is fine)
1 tbsp of minced garlic paste
Extra virgin olive oil for serving
Dash of paprika for serving
Method
1. Begin by peeling and de-seeding (you can do this by scraping the inside of the cucumber with a spoon) the cucumber before grating. The cucumber needs to be a dry as possible and not 'watery'.
2. Combine the cucumber, lemon juice, yogurt and garlic paste into a medium sized mixing bowl. Give it a good mix and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and dash of paprika. Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week. Or if you are making the mezze, pour into a bowl, leave to a side for later and begin to make the mixed salad.
Recipe For Mixed Salad
~ Makes 6 Servings ~
Prep Time - 10 mins ~ Cook Time - 0 mins ~ Total Time - 10 mins
Ingredients:
4 cups of mixed leaves, sliced
2/3 of a cucumber, chopped into small pieces
1/3 of a yellow bell pepper, chopped into small pieces
8 cherry tomatoes, chopped into 8 pieces
10 green pitted olives
10 black pitted olives
1 lemon. chopped into 6 wedges
2 tbsps of lemon juice (freshly squeezed or bottled is fine)
2 levelled tbsps of dried mint (or mint sauce)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of fine black pepper
optional* drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Method
1. In a large mixing bowl add in the leaves, cucumber, pepper, tomatoes and olives. Add in the lemon juice, mint, salt, black pepper and give it a good mix. Pour into a bowl, drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top and all lemon wedges around the sides ready for serving. If you are making the mezze, leave to a side for later and begin to make the chilli coriander chutney.
2. You can also store mixed salad in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Recipe For Chilli Coriander Chutney
~ Makes 20 Servings ~
Prep Time - 10 mins ~ Cook Time - 0 mins ~ Total Time - 10 mins
Ingredients:
1 bunch of coriander leaves, chopped
5 cloves of garlic
1 large tomato
5 green chillies
1/2 a tsp of ground cumin
Lemon juice to taste (start with 1 tbsp - i usually add 2 - freshly squeezed or bottled is fine)
1 tsp of salt
Method
1. In a high powdered blender, add in all of the ingredients and blend for 30 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the blender then process another 30 seconds or until well blended. A tbsp of two of cold tap water can be added if the mixture is not blending.
2. Store airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 months. If you are making the mezze, pour into a small bowl and add to serving board.
Your mezze is ready to eat and pairs perfectly with some delicious homemade turkish pide bread! Recipe for the pide bread is in the link below;
A great dish appetiser that all the family can enjoy! Great for any occasion and any amount of people. Perfect for parties or even if you fancy a quiet night in!
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