Heavenly MEZES for New Year & Christmas Tables 🎄 Cretan Meze, Pomegranate Kisir, Beet Arugula Salad

[@erinzeb]

They're all so beautiful! It's funny that Burak said the first one is like Turkish pesto, because I was thinking it looked like pesto's Turkish cousin. I suspect this one might be even tastier than pesto, though. 😋

[@aimeemorgado8715]

Once again 😢you and your team delight and surprise us with more treats. You have inspired so much of my vegetarian lifestyle, I cannot thank you enough! Every recipe is easy and delicious ( yes healthy too). With the chaos and anxiety that fills media, you create a place of beauty, love, and joy. Best wishes to you, your amazing team, your families, and everyone who watches . The kindness this space generates is healing and hopeful. I pray everyone finds peace, joy, and beauty. TO LIFE!

[@chefalpharzawadi9819]

Actually Am chef Ali from Kenya .I work in Kuwait in one of the Turkish hotel. I always following your guide as I love more about Turkish cuisine .

[@michaelatopalov1990]

I am visiting family and friends here in Macedonia where we are enjoying fresh pomegranates, dried figs, persimmons. I love, love, love kisir and your recipes look awesome. Will have to try it with family!

[@bauerhausws7611]

These recipes are perfect for holiday gatherings. We meet on Friday nights for a gathering we call Deep Soup, meaningful conversation over beautiful simple vegetarian soup and a bread. I find inspiration every week from you and your team! Hummus is a weekly event, thanks to you and your tahini and hummus recipes. Cold, wet Alaska is warmed by a virtual visit to Istanbul!

[@amateurepicurean8168]

Refika (& lovely team) such great ideas for the holiday table. During the season, we're always on the lookout for something different to serve to our guests. These certainly fit the bill!! They look stunning and surely taste wonderful. It has been a joy to follow you and your crew this year. Please do have a happy and safe New Year.

[@fafasedareloaded1558]

I like all of them!! With toasted pitta bread or even toasted plain bread, I can celebrate both Xmas and New Year just with them... No hours in the kitchen, not long shopping lists, not leaving a fortune in the supermarket... Great ideas as usual, Refika! Thanks a lot!

[@aimeemorgado8715]

Your comment makes me happy- I work in a supermarket and people can be rather stressed and unhappy during the holidays. I will love imagining you having a stress free, beautiful, and delicious celebration. After all- most of our celebrations ( regardless of your faith, creed, country, or origin) really are about sharing love and joy. 🎉 wishing you a wonderful holiday season from Colorado’s mountains in the USA. ❤

[@fafasedareborn4502]

thanks for your wishes dear!! I have never understood why an occasion for gathering with beloved ones should produce so much stress, cost so much money (food is more expensive than ever these last 2 years....) and be so tiresome as it implies passing hours in the kitchen. i used to do the above till one some years ago i said...enough!!! i want to ENJOY, CELEBRATE, LAUGH, EAT AND SHARE PRECIOUS MOMENTS with my friends / family without being a human wreck after cooking days before after work. because we STILL HAVE TO WORK during hour holidays.... since that year?? easy, daily food with a festive touch and many easy and quick mezzes like the ones that refika showed us today. last year we celebrated with various kinds of home made pizza and eveyone could choose the topping they wanted. meat balls with different sauces and salads. various dips with bread sticks. it was perfect, cheap, relaxing, delicious and we enjoyed our gathering without being tired. dessert? a rich simple apple pie with icecream. it is not the food that makes a celebration a success, but the people that share the same and their mood. and since we were not tired....our mood was in cloud 9!

[@fafasedareborn4502]

@@aimeemorgado8715 thanks for your wishes dear!! I have never understood why an occasion for gathering with beloved ones should produce so much stress, cost so much money (food is more expensive than ever these last 2 years....) and be so tiresome as it implies passing hours in the kitchen. i used to do the above till one some years ago i said...enough!!! i want to ENJOY, CELEBRATE, LAUGH, EAT AND SHARE PRECIOUS MOMENTS with my friends / family without being a human wreck after cooking days before after work. because we STILL HAVE TO WORK during hour holidays.... since that year?? easy, daily food with a festive touch and many easy and quick mezzes like the ones that refika showed us today. last year we celebrated with various kinds of home made pizza and eveyone could choose the topping they wanted. meat balls with different sauces and salads. various dips with bread sticks. it was perfect, cheap, relaxing, delicious and we enjoyed our gathering without being tired. dessert? a rich simple apple pie with icecream. it is not the food that makes a celebration a success, but the people that share the same and their mood. and since we were not tired....our mood was in cloud 9! Απάντηση

[@fafasedareborn4502]

@@aimeemorgado8715 and of course, wishing you a great holiday season too, be patient with the stressed customers and just tell those who you know for years that life is too short to take it seriously....less so, when you are taking so seriously something that should produce only joy! greetings from Piraeus, Greece... virtualhug

[@MartinAhlman]

I just wish I could link you to "swedish rödkål". Braised red cabbage. It's so tasty! Want to try it? Bring your gang to my house! Who can resist another part of the rainbow???

[@ezgieftekin4495]

As a Turkish, I tried Refika's kısır recipe before and did not like it much I knee the bulgur with chopped garlic, onion, salça and spices. Garlic and onion is a must in kısır. No idea why she doesn't add them to be honest... but really likethe other mezes. They taste really good. You can find white cheese in Turkish markets.

[@jackstrubbe7608]

I particularly like beets, so I am most motivated to try it first! It's now 10 pm in Seattle, so I know the grocery market in the morning after breakfast will be in my day tomorrow. I have my own home-canned beet relish which might work for it, but will do this fresh one first to see if it would be a good conversion.

[@jp5419]

Reminds me of Armenian Ich. Yum.

[@elisabetta4478]

My pick would be the one with basilico(basil).

[@catherinekodal5865]

Love your excitement for Christmas and the new year, wonderful meze, especially the beetroot yummy, ❤

[@Spinnglish]

Mmmmmm

[@chloespetservices]

I like them all, but the basil one is much like a pesto but with feta. This would be gorgeous with a pasta as a salad. Will be making the beetroot & rucola one for sure. Next Tuesday for a birthday bash! ❤

[@kristinesugala4492]

I Like all

[@Jen-iy7lq]

The Crete Meze and Beetroot Arugula salad were phenomenal hits last week! Kisir and Ezme coming this week and I can't wait for the feedback. Thanks to Refika and her team for the awesome recipes.

[@tazwowe]

All of your food looks so good

[@deniseferron3397]

Oh my lord! I need to make all of these. And they’re all so beautiful and vibrant!

[@jorgtb7265]

Yummy…we are huge fans of your beetroot kisir recipe ❤️ but all of them are really mouthwatering. Dear Refika, we wish you and your entire team wonderful last weeks of the year 2023. warm greetings from Germany ❤️

[@ladybuggriffis2299]

These recipes look amazing and healthy. Your videos are so inspirational thank you and your team are wonderful. Be safe and many blessings❤️🦬🐞🥰

[@VeronicaD0862]

We have here in Venezuela… specially in my city Maracaibo, so many kinds of fresh white cheese that I would like to know what you need on these. No feta here. So I don’t have a reference of it. The pomegranate one is for my next life. $5 each here. 😂 The one with beets is my favorite.. we eat a lot of it because of my Russian heritage.

[@lisaann006]

I would love to make pomegranate kisir and beetroot arugula sounds delicious 🎉🎉🎉

[@fawziabhugeah4585]

Refika I like all. My friends like all your recipe which I always try..Thanks

[@maureendevlin4280]

All are testy I’m salad fan 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@michaelatopalov1990]

My son discovered adding pomegranate molasses with raw cabbage salad….so yummy!

[@myChefDiary]

Beautiful ❤

[@karenrogers7379]

... Why didn't I move to Turkey instead of Costa Rica?!? I've been thinking and saying it for years. Thank you for your wonderful videos, I still subcribe and watch often. And, I try to still make your recipes, with limited ingredients of course. Tomorrow I will be making your 'Greek Yogurt', since these people have not clue about good cheese, or good yogurt. I will be using a 'starter' from a store that imports Greek yogurt and other good food from all over the world.

[@medihakaya4593]

Great! All of them are nice but I am a sucker for kısır. 😂😂

[@gwynwellliver4489]

I love beets! ❤

[@katelesage]

I love you!!!

[@constancelacount6341]

Many blessings to you and your loveable team! I wish you all a very happy season for sharing and loving!

[@Refika]

Thank you so much for your lovely message ♥️ we all feel very excited about meeting with you guys in the new adventures where we share our passion for food next season in 2024🎄lots of love from me and the team!! 😘

[@lucieadjek8506]

Refika, you are absolutely GREAT 😍🥰🥰👍with all these fabulous recipes. I just can't thank 🙏🏿🙏🏿you enough & your question of telling you which one is our favorite is difficult to answer. I ❤️ THEM ALL. & Thanks 🙏🏿🙏🏿so much for sharing these recipes at this period of Christmas. I now have something wholly & solely different for my Xmas feast. My warm hearted greetings to you and your crew family. Lots of ❤️❤️❤️&🥰🥰🥰 to you guys 😄🤗

[@andreacontreras2278]

The colours are amazing!

[@gideonpaulalcaide]

the colors are sooooo beautiful!!!!

[@rahulbose4323]

Thank you so much

[@cassieoz1702]

Hahaha, it's well and truly summer here. Forecast 42C today!

[@Refika]

Lucky you! ♥️

[@maryryan]

Thank you Refika for sharing these awesome recipes with us ❤️.... They all look really yummy 😋 😍

[@cbrahas]

They all look amazing!! Yummmmm!!😊

[@banucebeci2442]

I love your food.😊

[@erinzeb]

Safe, healthy, happy holidays to you all, too!

[@debbrown5648]

They all sound great!

[@pixielated2003]

All.look amazing . I will be trying these ASAP.

[@kathleenkocan628]

Delicious. Italian Ricotta Salata is a good substitute in the green cheese.

[@8809-c9x]

All are beautiful. Thank you for all your recipes. 🎉Happy holidays 💖

[@rekchand1]

Refika awesome receipes.Thank you for sharing these 👍👌🙏🙏

[@chrisholmes66]

Amazing recipes

[@maryclairegaloni8727]

These are absolutely amazing 🎉

[@ramonajordan3875]

Happy Holidays! Sending love to you all.

[@ThePotThickens]

Oh yum. These look great! I’m happy to see the Katie dish is naturally vegan. I think the beetroot dish could easily be made vegan too. The green cheese? Maybe not. I still need to find a good vegan cheese. We are not there yet. But maybe this will be my challenge to make a vegan version that is delicious.

[@jenjoy4353]

Happy Christmas and New Year’s. I love your videos

[@TragicallyDelicious]

I love watching you cook, and even moreso, trying your recipes. I bought several bottles of a few spices from your etsy shop and I am still using some (I am going to have to restock so I hope you are back soon x0x0 )

[@johnnewton3837]

Thank you! This is joyful food🎉

[@Jane-ms9ky]

Green one is called pesto.

[@judymarielamb2408]

They all look delicious 🥰

[@katelesage]

I am obsessed with pomegranates since a child. I usually just eat them raw and stain everything around me..

[@sharmishthabanerjee6852]

awesome recipe CHEF , please show Eggplant meat and kuzu tandir recipe please

[@cz2301]

Where i live in Asia, one pomegranate costs 3 euros each, wow, so expensive..

[@goodsingersnotjustcutesong1323]

Hello from Wyoming, USA. I can't find a cookbook link. I hope it's still available for a Christmas gift!

[@trudegimpl9694]

Yummi Yummi do you mind if I eat the Turkish Pesto with Pasta? 😂😂😂

[@Refika]

They’d go really well together 😋

[@Duchess_of_Cadishead]

Being gluten intolerant, would quinoa substitute for the bulgur?

[@Refika]

Yes, you can :)

[@uniqueforever20011]

I have been searching for meze prepping classes, do you offer those? If not please offer. BTW thank you for sharing these 🙏

[@maggie2936-q1m]

Refika, your dishes are always so beautiful. Whichever one I am eating would be my favorite. ❤️

[@claudiaiovanovici7569]

You don't cook the bulgur? The warm water is enough?

[@Refika]

Yes because the bulgur wheat undergoes a different cooking process as it soaks in hot water, expanding and softening without the need for direct heat, resulting in a nutty-flavored, versatile, and nutritious grain. ♥️

[@claudiaiovanovici7569]

Thank you for replying :) I really love your channel.@@Refika

[@olcaygezer8604]

Adınız Feyza galiba Türkçede anlatırsanız turklerde bilir ve yapar

[@charlesl.arson.l]

🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂💋😇😇😇😇😇

[@nadaezian579]

Hi Refika and her team! I really liked your chanel and I tried several recipies of yours. I liked you much more when you mobilised your plateform for helping those who suffred from the earthquake. For me, even if it was not my country, I helped your community with what I could, because I was very touched... But I'm so sad and so disappointed about your silence about Palestine... You have a big platform where you could speak up, but you chosed silence rather than humanity and truth... I'm really disappointed knowing that your ancestors fought like hell for El Aqsa. .. Anyway sorry for my english and I wish that you'll read my message. Thank you

[@shabnamdhalla2765]

Sad Bethlehem are not celebrating Christmas.

[@infidelisatall]

Kısır is a great vegan dish.

[@cherieburger15]

Always womderful!

[@filizdoganyenilmez6484]

❤

[@VeretenoVids]

Yum, yum, yum!!! All three look fantastic but I definitely need to try the "Turkish pesto" as Burak called it.

[@Refika]

Hi dear ♥️ It's incredibly tasty; you can enjoy it on its own or paired with a crispy slice of toasted bread. If there happens to be any left (though I doubt it), you can reuse it as a pasta sauce or a cheesy filling for pastries. Please leave your thoughts here when you give it a try!