90 middle recipes

Maple-walnut pound cake baked in a tube pan with a cinnamon-walnut streusel layer through the middle and on top. Dense, buttery, and loaded with maple and brown sugar flavor.

Lentil fatta salad with soft-cooked lentils, cubed pita bread, scallions, fresh lemon juice, and olive oil. A warm Middle Eastern salad with hearty texture.

Shawrbat adas majroosha, a silky pureed lentil soup spiced with cumin, coriander, and saffron. A traditional Middle Eastern recipe finished with fresh lemon juice.

Semolina pastries stuffed with pistachios, cinnamon, and sugar, then dipped in orange flower water and rolled in powdered sugar. A Middle Eastern-style cookie.

Classic homemade hummus with chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and scallions, blended thick and creamy. Vegan Middle Eastern dip ready in 15 minutes.

German chocolate upside-down surprise cake: a German chocolate cake with a cream cheese filling that bakes into the middle and a pecan-coconut top when flipped.

Layered strawberry Jell-O salad with bananas, pineapple, pecans, and a hidden sour cream layer in the middle. A retro Southern potluck classic that sets up beautifully.

Middle Eastern lamb and bulgur pilaf with chickpeas, whole pearl onions, butter, and cinnamon. One-skillet comfort food served with cool yogurt on the side.

Peanut butter and jelly streusel bars with a brown sugar PB cookie base, strawberry jam middle, and oat-crumble topping. The lunchbox sandwich reinvented for the cookie tray.

Lentil and spinach soup brightened with lemon juice, coriander, and a slick of olive oil. A vegan, gluten-free Middle Eastern-style soup served with pita. High in fiber, low in fuss.

Homemade tahini from scratch with just toasted sesame seeds and oil. Smooth, nutty paste for hummus, baba ganoush, salad dressings, and Middle Eastern cooking. Keeps for months in the fridge.

Spicy bulgur salad with fresh tomatoes, fennel, radishes, herbs, and romaine in a cumin-cinnamon-cayenne lemon dressing. A tabbouleh-style dish with warm Middle Eastern spice.

Smoky roasted eggplant spread with cumin, coriander, and fresh herbs. This low-fat appetizer dip is baked until silky smooth and packed with warm Middle Eastern spices.

Stuffed oranges filled with wild rice, chickpeas, and raisins bound in an orange-tahini sauce. A vegetarian Middle Eastern-inspired dish served in the orange shell itself.

Chocolate walnut filled cake bakes a cocoa tube cake with a hidden ring of walnut filling running through the middle. Sugar-replacement-friendly tube pan dessert sweetened with fructose for low-sugar baking.

Hummus bi tahini is the traditional Middle Eastern chickpea dip, blended creamy with tahini, lemon, olive oil, and garlic. The tahini-first technique gives it that authentic silky texture.