This week is the first week of Lent for Christians following the Western church.

Although we are not fasting this year at home, we still made some Lent recipes.
For more inspiration recipes from the blog, I have posted an old collection of vegan and vegetarian recipes from my blog to try.

If you’ve clicked the link above, you’ll see how terrible some of the photos are. The post itself was published in 2015, so the photos on it are taken between 2013 and 2015. My humble photography skills 🙈🤦🏻‍♂️

The post is a great reminder for me of how far I’ve stepped forwards in terms of photography, composition, light, styling, and writing. I have worked so hard to get to this stage, and as I shared before, I am back on the blog for myself mainly. I reminded  myself why I started this and why I did it for all this time. On this occasion, I woke up with the quote “MAKE GOOD ART” by Neil Gaiman in my head and I couldn’t but listen to the whole speech that quote is taken from. Always hits where it should!

Speaking of making art, last Saturday I was giving a tour in Tripoli (north Lebanon, not the one in Libya) and as usual took my camera to take some shots. Apparently, the shots I took of people and vendors there are amazing (from the comments) and I actually am in love with them. I felt very confident approaching people and getting close with the camera and asking them if I may photograph them. I am in love with the results. (check these 8 photos below)

On my trips to Tripoli, I am always amazed by the produce and the simple yet beautiful displays of fruits and vegetables they create. One think I always notice is the different wild greens that I don’t see in Beirut. Tripoli is still connected to the rural areas, and people still forage to get food on the table.

I saw one man with a display of greens I haven’t seen before. The man told me they are wild rocket leaves. Back home, mom noticed them as wild watercress that grows next to water streams. Whichever its name or origin is, I got it and we made a simple dish that is very basic and common in our cuisine.

This dish can be prepared with any greens available. Dandelion greens, wild dill, wild watercress, jews mallow, or any sturdy greens you’d have on hand. We added a small bunch of wild dill (we have the feathery tops growing wildly in mountains here) to give it a kick of flavor. Give it a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of good quality olive oil and serve it with more fresh greens, olives, and fresh soft bread

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