RAMADAN KAREEM Ramadan is the month of fasting, charity, good deeds, prayer and intense worship for Muslims around the world. It is that time of the year where days seem endless and nights fly by. Ramadan is a season to reflect, control yourself and feel the hardships that many face. Although Ramadan is not intended to be centered around food, it ends up that way. But for us, home cooks, it is always rewarding to see people, especially kids, enjoy our food after a long day of fasting. In this guide, my goal is to help you cook ahead, meal prep and freezer cook for the month so you can enjoy all the spirituality coming your way. FREEZER FRIENDLY RECIPES Your freezer is your best friend during Ramadan. Use your freezer to get ahead of the game. Freezer friendly meals can save time and ease your days especially during weeknights. You'll be surprised at how many things you can freeze. From main, pastry, drinks to desserts and even Suhur meals. Make sure you freeze food in freezer friendly bags or containers. Also do not forget to label food before freezing. Sometimes when food has been frozen it is hard to tell what is in there, trust me I've been there. Here is a list of recipes that you can freeze. DRINKS Follow recipes for drinks as written, add sugar or not it is up to you. Divide liquid among containers according to your family's consumption, label and freeze. When ready to use, just thaw in fridge overnight or even on the countertop during the day. • Tamarind. • Qamar Addeen. You can also prepare Sobia powder and wait until you are ready to serve to mix it with the liquids. MAIN DISH • Browned ground beef: brown ground beef and divide into 1 pound portions and freeze. It comes very handy when stuffing fatayer, samosas or phyllo meat pie. You can add some vegetables later or even make sandwiches when you feel you do not have the energy to cook something fancy. • Kibbeh: make kibbeh and freeze, when you are ready to serve just fry them as directed. They are best when freshly fried. • Kofta: make kofta mix, shape and then freeze on a baking sheet separated so they will not stick to each other. Pack in freezer bags. When you are ready to serve, take it out and bake or grill according to the recipe, just give it a couple more minutes. • Chicken kofta: same as beef kofta above. • Baked Bechamel Pasta: I like to make it, bake it then let it cool down completely before freezing. Some like it better to assemble the dish and then freeze. When they are ready to serve, they thaw in the refrigerator and bake. • Sausage cauliflower patties: these are freezer friendly, low carb and so delicious when you just do not know what to eat. They are very useful especially during the last 10 days of Ramadan when you are very busy, and everyone just had enough of the classic Ramadan recipes. • Low carb chicken parmesan: you will need to prepare the chicken until the step where you coat with parmesan cheese. Freeze separated with parchment paper. When ready to cook get them out and proceed without thawing. • Stuffed veggies mix: like grape leaves or zucchini and onions, you can sauté onions, wait for it to cool down then add tomato sauce and chopped herbs. Freeze in portions in containers or bags. When you are ready to use, thaw and heat it up a bit and add the rice or meat and proceed with the cooking as usual. DESSERTS • Baklava: the beloved baklava can be made completely cut into squares or diamonds then freeze portions separated by parchment paper. Some people like freezing baklava unbaked. Same goes with these Baklava fingers as well. • Basbousa: can you imagine that? yes you can freeze Basbousa completely baked. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. • Qatayef: these stuffed pancakes have special place in everyone's heart. Make Qatayef, stuff then freeze individually. When ready to consume, fry from frozen and dunk in syrup. Make sure to make a huge batch as these are a Ramadan favorite treat. SUHUR/ SNACKS • Chocolate covered dates: can be made and refrigerated for a long time. It is great to have with coffee or black tea after iftar. • Ful medammes: by far the most common dish to show up during Suhur time. Can be made a head divided among containers and stored in the freezer with its cooking liquid for the whole month. Try this Shakshuka style beans casserole so filling and tasty. • Egyptian Beleelah/Belila: cereal the old and nutritious way. Cook the wheat al dente then drain and portion in containers or bags and freeze. Thaw in refrigerator overnight then use as usual with milk, sugar and a dash of cinnamon. MENU PLAN (Here are some suggestions for the first week of Ramadan) • Day1: Qamar Addeen drink, phyllo meat pie, white rice, green bean casserole, Kofta and mango knafeh parfaits for dessert. • Day2: Date shake, chicken in slow cooker, white rice, green soup (molokheyah), green salad and Qatayef for dessert. • Day3: Sobia, stuffed grape leaves or onions in slow cooker, kibbeh, tzatziki sauce and Basbousa for dessert. • Day4: Tamarind juice, shish kebab, tahini dip, Tabouli, pita bread and Qatayef Asafiri for dessert. • Day5: Qamar Addeen drink, stuffed artichoke casserole, Chicken Kabobs, white rice, green salad and semolina cake with cream for desserts. • Day6: Khoshaf, beef empanadas, rice and chicken casserole with cream, green salad and Qatayef for dessert. • Day7: Tamarind drink, chicken kofta kabobs, hummus, Mediterranean chickpea salad, pita bread and baklava fingers. Please note It is worth mentioning that this menu is for guidance and inspiration, meaning you will have leftovers and the last thing we want is to waste food. So, if you have left over from one day, use the menu of the second day as an inspiration to complete your meal. Example: if you have left over kofta but you ran out of juice, use the second day menu to make a different juice today. got it? I hope this has been useful for you. Tag me on Instagram when you make a recipe and do not forget to go give recipes you like a 5 star rating as it helps others as well. If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected]. You can also leave me a comment anywhere on the blog as this is the quickest way to reach me. Happy Ramadan ❤️. .