Wee hosted an Iftar Dinner to celebrate Ramadan. Thank you everyone who joined us last night to share a good time in our Iftar Dinner. We had an amazing time with awesome conversations and sharing delicious dishes! Also, special thanks to Casa Blanca for donating delicious pastries to us. We appreciate it.

Moroccan cuisine is a mix of Mediterranean, Arabic, Andalusian and Berber cuisine with some influence of European cuisine. The reason for such a big food fusion is Morocco’s interactions and exchanges with other cultures and nations over the centuries.
 
Moderate and subtropical climate, cooled by breezes off the Atlantic and Mediterranean, made Morocco big producer of Mediterranean fruits and vegetables. Meat that is used in cooking includes beef, goat, lamb, chicken and seafood. The most important part of Moroccan cooking is flavoring. Local people use spices extensively in everyday food preparation and common spices include cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, paprika, coriander, saffron, cloves, anise etc. Herbs used for flavoring include mint, parsley, coriander, marjoram, sage etc. Morocco is also the biggest producer of argan oil,  plant oil produced from the kernels of the argan tree that is endemic to Morocco. In Morocco, argan oil is used to dip bread in at breakfast or to drizzle on couscous or pasta. It is also used for cosmetic purposes.
 
A typical lunch starts with the hot or cold salad, followed by tagine or Dwaz. Every meal includes bread. Next course contains meat like lamb or chicken, and on Fridays people serve couscous topped with vegetables or meat. Meal is finished with a cup of fresh mint tea.
 
 
Here are few recipes that nice Moroccan women from WEE shared with us.

​Couscous
 
Couscous is traditional Moroccan staple food and local people eat couscous usually on Fridays.
                                        
                                       
 
Ingredients ( For 6 people):
 
Spices:
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 pepper
2 teaspoon ginger
1 pinch saffron
2 teaspoons salt
 
Stew:
2 lbs lamb or 2 lbs chicken
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion chopped
4 cups water
1 cup tomato sauce
2 carrots, quartered
1 zucchini, quartered
1 yellow squash, quartered
1 (16 oz) can chickpeas
½ cabbage, quartered
 


​Couscous:
2 cups dry couscous
3 cups water
4 teaspoons chicken base
¼ cup butter
 
 
 
Harira soup
 
This soup is traditional dish of the Mahreb region in Morocco. It is served mostly during the Ramadan but it can be prepared during the year too.
 
  
Ingredients (For 8 people):
 
½ cup lentils
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup chopped cilantro
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained, reserve tomato liquid
2 cups water (or vegetable broth)
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
½ cup orzo pasta
2 tablespoons flour
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon tomato paste
 
 
 
Moroccan Sesame Spice Cookies (Chabakia)
 
Chabakia is one of the most popular desserts in Morocco that is traditionally served during the month of Ramadan.
 
Ingredients ( for 18-24 pastries):

1 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
3/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground anise seed
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water plus 2 tablespoons (at about ~110°F)
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (can substitute extra virgin olive oil)
2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 medium egg

Glaze and garnish:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 inch knob ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
vegetable oil for frying
 
 
       بالصحة
     (Enjoy!)
 
 
Maja N., Hayat Z.      

 

        The article Diversity Makes You Brighter by Sheen S. Levine and David Stark outlines how society can greatly benefit from diversity. In the article the authors describe that new scientific research concludes that groups that are diverse often have better critical thinking skills. They conducted a series of  experiments in which two groups competed to find accurate answers to the problems they were given. One group was diverse, and the other was homogeneous. They found that the diverse group's answers were 58% more accurate.
         The authors outline that the reason behind these findings is that within a diverse group the individuals were more likely to disagree, and therefore discuss thoughtfully together to come up with an answer. The difference in point of views forced those within the diverse group to deliberate critically. In addition, those within a homogeneous group tended to mindlessly copy others with out questioning the answers. The authors conclude that most environments, especially classroom settings, would greatly benefit from diversity as it helps prompt critical thinking.

Read more about this topic at:
​http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/09/opinion/diversity-makes-you-brighter.html?_r=0
Image from:
http://www.slu.edu/department-of-psychology-home/diversity-and-inclusion