Thai Cucumber Salad

 *This was originally found in The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts program.

Ingredients:

2 cucumber, peeled and diced

2 red bell peppers, diced

6 green onions, sliced up to about halfway up the green part

3/4 c. cilantro, chopped

1/2 c. chopped peanuts (optional)

Sauce:

2 limes, juiced

2 T. soy sauce

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional - can add more for added spice)

2 tsp white sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1. Mix cucumbers, peppers, green onions, cilantro and peanuts in a large bow. 

2. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Taste. Add a little more sugar if it's too sour for your taste.

3. Pour sauce over salad. Mix gently to combine.

4. Serve right away, or refrigerate for up to 5 hours and then serve.

Izmir Köftesi

 Preheat oven to 180.

For the Meatballs:

1 kilo ground beef

1-2 c. bread crumbs (can use gluten free)

2 onions, grated 

Fresh parsley

1 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

Grate the onions and squeeze the juice out of them. Chop the parsley finely. Mix all of the ingredients together and form into flat meatball shapes.

For the Vegetables/Potatoes:

4-5 potatoes (enough to cover the bottom of a glass baking pan), peeled and cut into 1-in wedges

2 green peppers, diced

Onions, diced

2 large, peeled, chopped tomatoes (or 1 1/2 -2 cans of diced tomatoes)

1 T. tomato paste

1/2 tsp sugar

Salt

Pepper

1 T. chopped fresh thyme (or you could use some dried if you don't have fresh)

Pan fry the potatoes with salt and pepper to begin until partly cooked and browned. Layer them in the bottom of a lightly oiled glass 9x13 pan. Sauté the green peppers and onions in the pan until tender and layer them on top of the potatoes. Next, brown the meatballs in the pan, and lay them in rows on top of the veggies/potatoes.

Meanwhile, add the tomatoes, paste, sugar, salt, pepper and thyme to a sauce pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the meatballs, and put it in the preheated oven until everything is cooked through. 

*If you are in a hurry, you don't have to fry the potatoes first, but wait and add the meatballs to the pan in the oven until the potatoes are mostly cooked to avoid burning the meatballs. 

Afiyet Olsun!

Ayse's Green Beans

 Ingredients:

2-3 c. green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

1 T. tomato paste

1 tsp. sugar

Salt, to taste

A drizzle of olive oil

Water

Cooked rice (optional for serving)

Put all of the beans in a sauce pan. Add the remaining ingredients on top of the beans. Put the water in the pot, filling it to no more than halfway. Cook a few minutes and then mix. Continue cooking with cover on, stirring occasionally, bringing the water to a boil. When it boils, turn off the stove. 

Can serve as a side dish as is or over rice.

Afiyet Olsun!