Mabbuha / matbucha / stewed bell pepper and tomato salad

A bit fruity, sweet, sour and picante with a creamy texture. While it goes with many kinds of dishes, I like pairing it with an eggplant omelet for breakfast.
This is a recent WOW dish for me, and something I make repeatedly to have on hand. Adapted from a recipe by Ta-im, an Israeli restaurant in Tokyo, published in Ryori Tsushin [The Cuisine Press] May 2018 issue.

Whole recipe:
309 calories; 6.4 g protein; 25.0 g fat; 34.5 g carbohydrate; 2.7 g net carbs; 287 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 10.7 g fiber

1/6 recipe:
52 calories; 1.1 g protein; 4.2 g fat; 6.1 g carbohydrate; 2.7 g net carbs; 48 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 1.8 g fiber

1/8 recipe:
39 calories; 0.8 g protein; 3.1 g fat; 4.6 g carbohydrate; 2.7 g net carbs; 36 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 1.3 g fiber

Arugura to biitsu, kurumi no sarada, zakuro doresshingu / arugula, beet and walnut salad, with pomegranate dressing

Nutty arugula paired with toasty walnuts, earthy sweet and juicy baked beets, and sweet yet punchy kumquats. A simple dressing made with pomegranate molasses binds these elements amazingly well.

1/2 of recipe:
162 calories; 3.7 g protein; 12.6 g fat; 14.0 g carbohydrate; 10.0 g net carbs; 66 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 4.0 g fiber; 497 mg potassium

Bakuraba / baklava

This satisfies Tom's new habit of eating sweets without increasing sodium intake. But when I made these baklava earlier last year, he blamed me for him gaining weight, as I repeatedly experimented to figure out a good proportion of ingredients, especially erythritol (calorie- & net-carbs-free sugar substitute) so it does not re-crystallize when completely cool and does not trigger any noticeable cooling sensation in the mouth.

My original thought was, if I made 28 small pieces in one batch, they should last for 28 days or at least a few weeks. Making baklava from scratch is time consuming, but it would be not bad if each batch lasted that long ... So far I have been proven ridiculously wrong. Tom cannot stop reaching for more pieces. Although the recipe below is not heavily sweet, as with other sweets I make, it could be addictive. 

Whole recipe:
2,396 calories; 37.5 g protein; 175.1 g fat; 225.9 g carbohydrate; 165.9 g net carbs; 44 mg sodium; 158 mg cholesterol; 15.3 g fiber

1 piece (1/28 recipe):
86 calories; 1.3 g protein; 6.3 g fat; 8.1 g carbohydrate; 5.9 g net carbs; 1.6 mg sodium; 6 mg cholesterol; 0.5 g fiber

Pita pan / pita bread

So easy to make and tastes much better than pre-packed pita.

Whole recipe:
1,270 calories; 39.6 g protein; 19.2 g fat; 231.4 g carbohydrate; 213.6 g net carbs; 282 mg sodium (with shiokoji salted rice malt; 849 mg with kosher salt); 0 mg cholesterol; 17.8 g fiber

1 pita (1/4 of recipe):
315 calories; 9.9 g protein; 4.8 g fat; 57.9 g carbohydrate; 53.4 g net carbs; 71 mg sodium (with shiokoji salted rice malt; 212 mg with kosher salt); 0 mg cholesterol; 4.5 g fiber

1 pita (1/5 of recipe):
254 calories; 7.9g protein; 3.8 g fat; 46.3 g carbohydrate; 42.7 g net carbs; 56 mg sodium (with shiokoji salted rice malt; 170 mg with kosher salt); 0mg cholesterol; 3.6 g fiber

Tahini sauce

The proper companion for falafel.

Faraferu / falafel

My first falafel at a Lebanese cafe in Colombo, Sri Lanka, over 15 years ago was the discovery of a whole new taste. This is mild-mannered falafel with enough fresh parsley and cilantro to perk it up.