Going green, going veggie: 3 vegetarian Palestinian appetisers

Climate change is one of the biggest dilemmas of our time. However, did you know that one of the easiest ways to help fight the effects of climate change is to eat less meat?

Yep, that’s why we’re sharing tasty veggie recipes from around the world!

For our latest addition, I’m sharing three delicious vegetarian appetisers from my home – Gaza.

Quick, simple and super-tasty, they make a great addition to any meal. Take a look!

Each appetiser:

Level: Easy
Serves: 2-3 people
Total time (preparation): Around 10-15 minutes

Gazan salad (Ghazzawi Daqqa)

Ingredients:

2 medium-size tomatoes
1 medium-size onion
2 green chilli peppers (Anaheim variety – available from Maghrebi/Middle Eastern/Turkish shops)
1 tablespoon dried dill (or fresh green dill)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt

Method:

1. In a bowl (preferably in a clay bowl called zebdiya), ground the dried dill.

2. Cut the green chillies into small piece and add to the bowl. Gently soften with a mortar.

3. Dice the tomatoes and chop onions into medium-size pieces and add into the bowl.

4. Season with salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix well and then serve!

Serving suggestion:

Usually served with pita bread.

Gazan-style beans (Zebdiyat Foul)

Ingredients:

1 can of broad beans (Or 250 grams of dry broad beans)
2 green chili peppers (Anaheim variety – available from Maghrebi/Middle Eastern/Turkish shops)
½ tomato
½ onion
4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt

To garnish:

Fresh parsley

Method:

1. Empty the beans can into a colander and wash repeatedly. Please note: if you’re using dried beans instead of canned beans, you’ll need to soak the beans in water overnight and then boil them until soft.

2. Grind the green chillies using a food processor.

3. Add the washed beans into a bowl (preferably in a clay bowel called zebdiya) and mix together until well blended but with a rough texture.

4. Juice the lemon and add along with the olive oil add half of the minced green chillies into the bowl. Mix well, taste and salt as desired.

5. Mix the remaining chilli pepper then finely diced tomato and onion and put on top of the bean mix in the bowl.

6. For additional garnish, add plenty of chopped parsley and olive oil on top.

Serving suggestion:

Usually served with pita bread.

Hummus (Hummus Fatta)

Ingredients:

1 can of whole chickpeas (about 250g)
2 tablespoons plain (unsweetened) yoghurt
3 tablespoon tahini (available from most Middle-Eastern shops)
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
Cumin
2 loaves pita bread

To garnish:

Fresh parsley
Paprika

Method:

1. Wash the canned chickpeas under running water several times and then add into the food processor. Please note: if you’re using dried chickpeas instead of canned beans, you’ll need to soak the chickpeas in water overnight and then boil them until soft.

2. Add the juice of one lemon and a cup of water to the mix. Start the food processor and make sure you blend until the mix is soft in texture. Add a little hot water and continue to mix if the mix is still not soft.

3. Cut the pita loaves into small squares using a kitchen knife. Oil a pan and heat, then fry the pita bread pieces until they become crunchy and golden. For a healthier choice, add the bread cuts into a tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven.

4. Mix the yoghurt with the tahini, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and remaining lemon (juiced) and stir well. Taste and add salt, pepper or lemon as desired.

5. Spread the pita bread cuts in the serving platter/dish. Top the bread with the hummus mix and then add the yoghurt mix on top. Drizzle the olive oil on top.

6. On the top of the mix sprinkle ground cumin, paprika, and parsley (finely chopped). Also, add some chickpeas or roasted nuts for an extra special look!

Serving suggestion:

Usually served with pickled olives, cucumber and peppers (available from Middle Eastern/Turkish shops). The dish is usually eaten with a spoon while adding plenty of olive oil to soften the mix.

Mmm delicious! We hope you enjoy these delicious appetisers.

Sahteen! Enjoy!

If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, keep an eye out for more here on the blog. We’ll be featuring a monthly meat-free recipe as part of our campaign to stem the tide of climate change.

In the meantime, you can help fight the effects of climate change by writing to your MP to call on the UK government to keep climate change on the agenda. Simply click here to fill in our simple, easy-to-use form and take action today!