Lunch With Eva: Part Two

In our Lunch With Eva: Part Two post Eva answers the latest questions that have been asked about cooking and herself! Leave us your questions in the comments and we will answer them in our next Lunch With Eva!

What’s your favorite dish to make and eat?
My favorite dish to prepare is definitely tabouli, it’s so fresh and healthy and besides chopping up parsley, it's quick to prepare. While I absolutely LOVE eating all Lebanese dishes, my favorite dish to eat would have to be Riz Bil Djaja (chicken and rice). I especially love it with lots of toasted nuts!

Which foods can be prepared and frozen to eat later?
Almost anything! Besides our salads and dips, like tabouli and hummus, most dishes freeze well. We love to freeze spinach and meat pies, and we’ve also frozen our grape leaves and kibbeh. I do typically cook enough to feed an army so I end up freezing a lot of what I cook!

If using brown rice do I need to prep it (soak it) before use?
Yes, as a rule of thumb it's a good idea to soak rice in water before using. Speaking of brown rice, I have found that some brown rices cook quicker than others, so it’s best to try different brands to figure out which one works best for you.

Is there an alternative to crisco used in some recipes?
The only alternative that I know of is butter. I usually only use crisco in my sweets, but some of the elderly Lebanese women that I’ve known have used butter instead.