Our goal is to always come up with new unique cuisines. We respect the tradition but also enjoy pushing the envelope. We realized that as good as the traditional American Thanksgiving dinner is, it is always good to change things up a bit. While Thanksgiving’s origins are deeply rooted in the history of the pilgrims after their arrival in 1621, fast forward 400 years and the holiday tradition is still running strong. The point? Giving thanks for the blessing, appreciating what one has and helping those less fortunate.
Your Thanksgiving to do list is long. Cross off your appetizer preparation and order through Mejana®!
Here are a few appetizers we offer:
- Labneh (Strained yogurt, zaatar, olive oil)
- Hummus (Chickpeas, tahini, lemon, olive oil)
- Cheese Rolls (Manchego & Feta cheese in phyllo dough)
- Makanek (Sauteed sausages)
- Dip Sampler (Hummus/Mhammara)
For this blog, we decided to share a recipe that is both creative and something new to bring to the dinner table this year.
Recipe 1: The Loaded Lebanese Rice (For Thanksgiving)
Loaded Lebanese Rice includes ground beef, nuts, and raisins.
The rice (medium-grain) is mixed with ground beef or lamb. To provide the layers of flavor, add a lot of toasted nuts as well as dried fruit (raisins).
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups medium grain rice
- Olive oil
- Only 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- Add 1 lb lean ground beef or lean ground lamb
- Include 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp ground cloves, divided
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1/2 cup dark raisins
Step-by-step
- First, soak the rice for 15 minutes.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil (cooking pot), while adding red onions (chopped) also add the ground beef/cloves/ground cinnamon and salt and pepper. (Cook until meat is brown)
- Then mix the rice while seasoning it with the chosen spices and add 2 cups of water.
- Increase heat to high so the water is boiling and lower it when the liquid has reduced.
- Keep the heat on low for 20 minutes, also then remove from heat and set the pot aside while it cools down for another 10-15 minutes.
- Finally, mix in the parsley, either toasted nuts/almonds, and raisins. As a result, you get the Lebanese rice hashwe.
Click here for the dinner menu!
