Cucumber & Yogurt Dip

Ingredients:

- 3 pieces of seedless cucumber

- 1 cup plain yogurt

- 1 cup water

- salt

- juice of 1 lemon

Method:

- In a bowl, grate the cucumber or chop into small pieces.

- Add yogurt & water and mix well until blended.

- add salt and lemon juice according to taste.

- Serve with oozie, falafel or as a dip for any other dish.

Oozie.. ~ Syrian

Ingredients:

2 cups short grain rice

1 Americana square minced beef

2-3 finely chopped onions

1 cup green peas

1/2 cup roasted pine nuts

1 Maggie chicken cube

salt / Black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon mixed spices

1 pack of Americana frozen phyllo dough

Method:

- Wash the rice and soak it in water for 15 minutes.

- In a pot, sauté the onions until golden then add the minced beef.

- Add salt, black pepper, curry, mixed spices and Maggie chicken cube and mix.

- Add rice to the the meet and mix well on low heat.

- Add 4 glasses of boiling water or until it covers the rice, and let the rice simmer for 10 minutes

- Meanwhile in another pot, boil the chick pea to soften them.

- Add the green peas and pine nuts to the previous mixture and leave it to cook until all the water evaporates and the rice is cooked.

- Once the rice mixture is done leave it to cool on the side.

- prepare the phyllo dough by cutting it into squares and using a small bowl as a mold, line the bowl with the phyllo dough, fill it with the rice mixture and fold it to close.

- Place the finished phyllo filled dough in a large oven pan, brush each one with butter then place it in the oven for 20 -25 minutes until golden.

- Serve it with cucumber yogurt salad.