Category: All Things Halal

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Halal Lucky Charms and the Cereal Experiment

by Corbin ♥ 12 Comments

Written and Test Kitchen-ed by Theresa Corbin

Yes! I did. I discovered a Lucky Charms marshmallow recipe. But it didn’t work, like AT ALL. Then I found another. And that was an even worse disaster (for all of those who are confused, Lucky Charms marshmallows have pork gelatin in them. Don’t know what halal is? It’s all good. Just click here.)

Halaly Charms

 

But after a few very messy attempts and a lot of stubbornness that I will call patience, I reverse engineered my very own recipe of the illusive Lucky Charms marshmallow– and I call it HALALY CHARMS!! And it is glorious!

What follows is a gangsta recipe that is not for the faint of heart. It is for the OG (Original Gangsta Grandma).

But first let me ramble on, as most food bloggers do, about my love affair with the food item in question. Let me tell you a little tale. Name has been changed to protect the guilty.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl name Eresa-Tay who loved sweets and cereal. When she stumbles upon a cereal that also had candy it in, it blow her mind.

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Eid In A Can

by Corbin ♥ 4 Comments

Written and test kitchen-ed by Theresa Corbin

What is better that cheese in a can? 

That’s right, Eid in a can!

eid in a can

Eid means “Celebration”. There are two Islamic celebrations: Eid al-Fitr- celebrated after the month of fasting (Ramadan), and Eid al-Adha- celebrated after the pilgrimage (Hajj).

Cake (frosting + sprinkles)/love = Eid in a Can. It’s a simple equation, really.

Eid (al-Fitr) is right around the corner. And despite the fact that I don’t like posting stuff about food during Ramadan, I wanted to share my favorite DIY gift tutorial. Cake in a can!!

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Halal Jambalaya

by Corbin ♥ 8 Comments

Most recipes from my home land of New Orleans include pork (or alcohol). It is a sad reality that I have to face everyday. I thought about organizing a marathon to raise awareness of this travesty, but no one I know wants to run or even walk.

Alas, I have dried my tears and become a creative cook because I refuse to let a little pork get in the way of destroying the traditional dishes of my people.

One of my favorite home town dishes is jambalaya (JUM-bah-LIE-yah). It is a twist on Spanish paella with French and Caribbean spices.

halal jambalaya

Test kitchen-ed and written by Theresa Corbin

In jambalaya, andouille (ANN-do-ee) sausage usually features in the recipe. And if not that spicy, pork sausage, then some other form of ham is mixed in. But it shouldn’t be a big surprise to know that you can just leave the pork products out and !viola! you have a halal jambalaya recipe.

It really is that easy. And you really don’t miss it. You can add any other kind of meat that you want. I added chicken, but shrimp, crab, beef sausage, or all of the above, work just as well.

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My Halal Kitchen: A Review

by Corbin ♥ 1 Comment

Reviewed by Theresa Corbin

I have been a fan girl of the website myhalalkitchen.com for some time. I might need a restraining order from the Pinterest page. So when I heard there was a book coming out, Oh My God, y’all, I was so excited. 

My Halal Kitchen review

If you are not familiar with the phenomenon that is Yvonne Maffei and her website, check it out. She did a podcast right here on islamwich not too long ago. Check that out too.

Yvonne’s website is a resource of all things halal (permissible), including tips, recipes, halal substitutes, a blog, and so much more. And with a following of 1.2 + million people on Facebook alone, it is a phenomenon not to be missed. 

The book, My Halal Kitchen by the same genius mind who created the website by the same name, is to me and many other Muslim American foodies, the answer to a prayer in an American gastronomic scene that is wrapped in bacon and battered with beer (i.e. mostly haram).

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Interview with My Halal Kitchen founder, Yvonne Maffei: Podcast ep. 3

by UmDayo ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

In this episode of the islamwich Podcast, Kaighla interviews the founder of My Halal Kitchen, sister Yvonne Maffei.

We discuss her journey to Islam, how MHK was conceived, the state of halal food marketing among American consumers, how MHK is a dawah effort, and some tips she has for healthy, delicious eating in Ramadan.

 

 

My Halal Kitchen

…is a website dedicated to spreading love and understanding of the beauty of halal food. MHK aims “to provide home cooks with the tools to prepare completely halal meals, including those with the necessary substitutions to make every dish halal and without having to filter a recipe for non-halal ingredients. It aims to make the lives of readers better by expanding the list of available recipes that are wholesome, healthy, delicious, economical and halal.”

Without further ado, we present to you our interview with Yvonne.

 

Shownotes:

  • We talk about a few popular halal restaurants, the huge one among them being The Halal Guys, a food cart in NYC that’s insanely popular among all New Yorkers, regardless of religion.
  • Yvonne’s two cookbooks are My Halal Kitchen and Summer Ramadan Cooking. Her cleaning book is called Clean Your Kitchen Green.
  • Check out Yvonne’s favorite halal food companies,  Saffron Road and Crescent Foods.
  • Yvonne mentions some “halal food myths” she works to debunk.
  • Yvonne uses some Arabic words, like halal, tayyib, & zabiha. Check out our extensive glossary.
  • It happens that Yvonne was one of the people who helped guide me (Kaighla) to Islam back in 2009!

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Ramadan Ramp-Up

by Corbin ♥ 5 Comments

Written by Theresa Corbin

Ramadan is coming! And we are excited!!

What is Ramadan, you ask?

Ramadan is a month of fasting from sun up to sun down and so much more. Read more here if you are a non-Muslim and have like a million more questions.

Why would we be excited about THAT, you ask?

Well, if you let it, fasting in Ramadan can transform you into a healthier and more spiritual, grateful, charitable, patient, and disciplined person. Ramadan is a month where you empty your stomach to feed your soul.

This year, I decided to be prepared for Ramadan instead of letting it sneak up on me like I usually does. And I thought why not share my prep with the good people who come to islamwich. So here are a few great ways to prepare for the holy month. Please feel free to share yours in the comments.

Ramadan Ramp-up

Three ways to Ramp-Up to Ramadan

Pre-Ramadan Reminders

Fasting prior to the month of Ramadan is pretty much the only way to get your stomach ready for the Ramadan-athon. And bonus!, fasting any time of the year is good for the soul.

This year I made a printout that both lets me keep track of how many days are left until Ramadan and lets me know the times I have to begin and end my fast.

I bought a document frame (8.5″x 11″) at the Dollar Tree (holla! it’s a dolla!). Printed this doc that you can download here and used one of my liquid chalk pens (you can use dry erase marker or any marker that can be wiped away daily) to update on top of the glass of the picture frame. Read more ›

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Making Mocktails

by ssiam ♥ 2 Comments

Written by Stephanie Siam

Mocktail (noun): Any alcohol free, non-alcoholic beverages, and specifically the non-alcoholic versions of typically alcoholic beverages like cocktails.

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I don’t know about where you live, but it’s starting to get hot here in Oman. And when the weather gets hot, I don’t feel much like eating (amazingly, there IS something that curbs my appetite). However, no matter who you are, resisting the temptation of a chilled fruity drink is futile.

So, today we thought we’d turn it down a notch by sharing a couple of amazing mocktail recipes that will leave you refreshed and fulfilled on those hot summer nights or warm spring afternoons.

First things first: you may be wondering how to create a tasty but uniquely palatable drink that doesn’t just involve mixing some grenadine (pomegranate syrup) with a Coca-Cola. Granted, the following recipes do include grenadine. However, it’s not the main ingredient.

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