Whole plant foods, no added oil, no added sugar, no refined flour, little added salt. Middle Eastern recipes only. 2026-09-05T00:00:00.000Z https://eathealthyandcheap.com/cuisine/middle-eastern/ Eat Healthy and Cheap https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/zaatar-cauliflower-and-freekeh-bowl/ 2026-09-05T00:00:00.000Z

A sheet-pan bowl of za'atar cauliflower and chickpeas over chewy freekeh, finished with lemon, sumac, and a thin tahini drizzle.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/adas-bil-hamod/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

A lemony Lebanese soup of brown lentils and chard with soft potato, sharp with garlic and cumin and a heavy pour of lemon juice in place of salt.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/baba-ganoush/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

Eggplant charred until it collapses, then blended with tahini, garlic, and lemon into a smoky, silky spread. The blackened skin is the whole point, and there is no oil in sight.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/baharat-roasted-chickpeas/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

Chickpeas roasted dry until crisp and tossed hot with warm, peppery baharat and sumac, a crunchy Middle Eastern snack made with no oil and no salt.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/balaleet-gulf-saffron-cardamom-vermicelli/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

Whole-grain vermicelli toasted and simmered soft with saffron, cardamom, and dates, a sweet-savory Gulf breakfast with no oil, sugar, or egg.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/balila-warm-chickpeas/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

A Lebanese breakfast of warm chickpeas tossed with garlic, toasted cumin, and lemon, then finished with parsley. It is the whole bean that hummus is blended from, left as it is.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/batata-harra/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

The Lebanese side of crisp-edged potatoes tossed off the heat with a raw garlic, cilantro, and chile mixture, roasted dry instead of fried and finished with lemon.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/crispy-roasted-chickpeas/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

Chickpeas dried well and roasted with no oil until they crackle, then tossed hot with smoked paprika, cumin, and a squeeze of lemon. A crunchy, high-protein snack for the cost of a can of beans.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/daqoos-gulf-tomato-hot-sauce/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

The Gulf's everyday hot sauce: tomatoes simmered with garlic, cilantro, and green chili into a thin, tangy pour for rice and beans.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/date-walnut-bites/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

Medjool dates and toasted walnuts pulsed with oats and cinnamon and rolled into bites. No added sugar, no oil, no baking. The dates are the caramel, the glue, and the sweetener all at once.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/fattoush-bread-free/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

A Levantine chopped salad of romaine, cucumber, and tomato in sumac-lemon dressing, its crunch coming from dry-toasted bulgur instead of fried pita.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/ful-medames/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

Egyptian stewed fava beans mashed with garlic, cumin, and lemon, then topped with diced tomato, red onion, parsley, and a swirl of tahini instead of olive oil.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/hindbeh-bi-zeit/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

Bitter greens wilted soft and piled with deeply caramelized onions, the Lebanese classic rebuilt without oil and finished with a hard squeeze of lemon.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/hummus-from-scratch/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

Chickpeas simmered until they nearly fall apart, blended hot with tahini, garlic, and lemon into a silky, restaurant-style hummus with no added oil or salt.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/makhlouta/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

The Lebanese pantry-clearing soup of lentils, chickpeas, and beans simmered with bulgur until thick, seasoned with cumin and a lift of lemon.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/meghli-levantine-spiced-caraway-pudding/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

A dark, water-based pudding thickened and spiced heavily with caraway, anise, and cinnamon, sweetened with dates and crowned with soaked nuts.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/msabbaha/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

The Levantine breakfast of whole warm chickpeas bathed in a loose lemon-tahini sauce with cumin, half of them crushed to thicken the bowl.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/muhammara/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

The Aleppo dip of charred red peppers and walnuts, sharpened with pomegranate molasses and warmed with cumin. Ground walnuts and a little bulgur give it body where most recipes lean on oil and breadcrumbs.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/mujaddara/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

Lentils and rice under a heap of deeply browned onions. The onions are the dish, and here they are browned dry rather than fried, so they still turn sweet and dark without oil.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/qamar-al-din-apricot-pudding/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

A chilled apricot pudding for Ramadan: dried apricots blended smooth, set with a little cornstarch, and scented with orange zest and cinnamon.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/rummaniyya-gazan-lentil-and-eggplant/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

A sour Gazan soup of brown lentils and eggplant, deepened with tahini and pomegranate molasses, finished with dill and fresh seeds.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/salatet-jarjir-arugula-sumac-salad/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

A bright Levantine arugula salad: peppery leaves with tomato and red onion, dressed in sumac and pomegranate molasses, scattered with seeds.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/salatet-malfouf/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

The Lebanese cabbage salad shredded fine and dressed with lemon, garlic, and dried mint, crisp and sharp with nothing but acid carrying it.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/lentil-soup-shorbat-adas/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

Shorbat adas is the smooth, cumin-and-lemon red lentil soup that opens the fast at iftar tables across the Levant, blended silky with no cream and no oil.

https://eathealthyandcheap.com/recipes/shorbat-freekeh-levantine-freekeh-soup/ 2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

A smoky Levantine soup of roasted green wheat and chickpeas in a spiced tomato broth, warmed with baharat and lifted with lemon.