Main Dishes

Atkins Baked Meatballs with Cauliflower

For Pesach (Passover) this year, I am trying to tailor my original recipes to meet the criteria of my low-carb diet.  For the holidays, I usually prepare baked meatballs.  I find that they are simple to prepare, delicious and kid-friendly.

I love the baked method because it allows me to remove all the fat that drips off during the baking process and to season the meatballs later any way I choose.  After baking, I simply freeze the meatballs in small batches in  plastic zipper bags.  Before each meal, I just place them in a tightly-covered baking pan coated with my favorite sauce.  I reheat them at 375 degrees F for 30-40 minutes and they are perfect.

To accommodate our low-carb diet, I simply replaced my crumb filler with cauliflower couscous.  It is simple.  It is delicious.

baked meatballs

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Simple and Succulent Make-Ahead Brick Roast

We travel to Israel for Pesach (Passover) and I bring my already-prepared meats with us.   I kasher (make ready for Passover) my kitchen and ovens for one day and prepare all of my meats, slice them and then deep-freeze them in advance of my trip.  It allows me to enjoy the Yom Tov (holiday) time spent in Israel without all of the heavy cooking required for our large seder and Yom Tov meals there.

My favorite make-in-advance cut of meat is Brick Roast, also sometimes called French Roast.  It is a meaty, well-marbleized, tender and delicious cut of meat.  I find that it is easy to prepare because it is shaped like a brick: rectangular and evenly thick from end to end.

brick roast sliced

I made five brick roasts for my upcoming Pesach trip.  The roasts were simple to prepare and they came out delicious.  Best of all, once they are sliced, they freeze beautifully.

Here is the recipe: (more…)

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Sauce and Cheese

Davida and her friend, Chava, made dinner for themselves this week.  They looked around the kitchen and found a spaghetti squash sitting on the counter.  They roasted it, scraped it, filled it with sauce and cheese and then rebaked it just until the cheese melted.

It was a simple and delicious meal, gluten free and kosher for Passover.  I think it will be one of my new favorites, too.  Thanks, Davida and Chava!

spaghetti squash in shell (more…)

Bubby’s Gedemfte Chicken: Stewed Chicken for the Pesach Seder

Every year for the Pesach (Passover) seder, my mother-in-law a’H would prepare her famous Gedemfte Chicken. We all could barely pronounce its name, but we would all so look forward to this delicacy. There was nothing fussy about it. It was simple, it was delicious and it was falling-off-the-bone succulent.

During the  year, the kids would ask me to make it for them and I would refuse, saying that it was Bubby’s Pesach secret. The truth is…that it is a very simple recipe, so similar to the roasted chicken that I prepare almost every Friday night. The only true difference is that it is prepared in a crockpot and stewed until the chicken is so soft.

I wanted it to remain Bubby’s famous dish.  Even though my mother-in-law a’H is no longer with us, it has remained and will forever remain as Bubby’s Gedemfte Chicken recipe, prepared exclusively for our seder.

 

gedemste chicken (more…)

A Rare Treat: Simply Perfect Seared Ahi Tuna

ahi tuna on plate

Leah recently prepared dinner for us.  It was simple, luxurious and beautiful…and one of my favorite dishes.  She created perfectly seared  Ahi tuna, rare and delicious.

Ahi tuna preparation must start with a fresh piece of sushi-grade fish and must be seared carefully until just rare.  If done right, it takes almost no time and is delectable.   If it is cooked for even a bit too long, it becomes tough and unpleasant.

Leah nailed it and here is her recipe…

 

INGREDIENTS

Sushi grade Ahi tuna (about one inch thick)

1/2 tablespoon butter or extra virgin olive oil

cracked peppercorns or coarsely ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

 

DIRECTIONS
Pat tuna dry and sprinkle all four sides with salt and  coating of cracked peppercorns or coarse black pepper.In a saute pan or frying pan, heat the oil or butter over medium-high heat until the pan is hot.  Add the tuna and sear for one to two minutes on each long side. Turn tuna to sear the short sides for just a moment. Remove tuna from pan and let rest for a few minutes.  Carefully slice against the grain. Enjoy!

 

NOTES

Serve with lemon or lime and a bright green vegetable like steamed broccoli or  bok choy.

Alternatively, deglaze pan by quickly sauteing scallions, mushroom or bok choy immediately after removing the tuna.  The vegetables will absorb the delicious flavor of the ahi tuna and will make the perfect accompaniment.

Serve with spicy mayo sauce.  Stay tuned to this blog for an easy and delicious recipe.

ahi tuna on plate

 

Recipe, plating  and photo credits to Leah Respler

Blackened Atkins Low-Carb Tilapia Fillets

I wanted to develop a delicious low-carb tilapia recipe for our Friday night appetizer as an alternative to the salmon fillets that we have been eating on our new diet.  Don will only eat tilapia if is fried and with our new low-carb high-protein diet, there are so few choices for fry coatings.  This recipe is simple, delicious, juicy and so quick to prepare.  It is best served with a wedge of lemon.

I  coated the tilapia in a spice rub created from all my favorite spices and fried each piece. It smelled so delicious that even my non-dieters came to the kitchen to try a piece as it came out of the pan. Nobody missed the bread crumbs and everyone could not believe that the coating was carb-free.  Best of all, it will be a terrific Pesach (Passover) recipe, too. (more…)

Simple and Vegetarian: Beet-Stuffed Peppers

I have begun preparing for Pesach (Passover) and I have been trying to create recipes that are simple, nutritious, delicious and beautiful.  I think that this one is a winner.

I have remarked for years that beets are an under-appreciated ingredient.  Many people are turned off by its texture and have only been exposed to canned beets. Roasted beets are spectacular, both in taste and in color.  Beets are packed with nutrients and are a great source of  manganese, iron, fiber, folate, potassium and vitamin C.

Beets are the rock stars of this recipe.

beef-stuffed pepper on plate (more…)

Simple and Spiralized Salami Slinky: Three Ways

For our Purim seuda (festive meal), I wanted to prepare something that would be original, interesting to serve and fun enough for the kids.  I set up a dinner buffet with a carving station.  I wanted something that could be baked right in the oven with the other meats.  I came up with this simple and spiralized salami recipe.

The key to creating the spiral is to use the longest chopsticks that you own.  The skewered chopstick is threaded into the salami and the salami is cut in one long spiral, all the time turning the salami as you cut.  What you are left with a type of salami “slinky”.

I prepared this recipe with three different sauces.  The last two sauces can be used for Pesach (Passover) with Kosher for Passover sauce ingredients.

baked spiarlized salami-ingredients

 

INGREDIENTS

salami
1 or 2 long chopsticks

SPICY LOW-CARB SAUCE

4 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup mustard
squeeze of sriracha

SWEET SAUCE

1/4 cup marmalade or jam
1/4 cup barbecue or chili sauce
splash of orange liquor (optional)

PASSOVER SAUCE

1/4 cup marmalade or duck sauce
squeeze of ketchup
2 cloves minced garlic or garlic powder
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Low-Carb Cajun Salmon Fillets in Foil Packets

For me, the easiest part of my new low-carb, high protein diet is preparing the main dishes. I have just adjusted some of my basic recipes to fit the parameters of the diet, using spices and lo-carb vegetables to wow my palate. Since most sauces contain sugar and are therefore not allowed on my diet, I find that I must use spice combinations effectively in place of sauce. (more…)

Meat and Potatoes Cupcakes for Every Child at Heart

Tzippy Respler

I’m always looking for interesting, nutritious, kid-friendly and delicious recipes for my grandchildren, Avigail (age 2+) and Judah (9 months old).

They are hearty eaters and they will have quite a surprise when I serve these protein cupcakes.  I have taken my favorite meatloaf and mashed potatoes recipes and have combined them into these easy and irresistible meat and potatoes cupcakes.   Best of all, the leftover cupcakes can be frozen in freezer bags for their next visit. (more…)

Simply the best pareve cholent…ever (with optional pulled beef brisket)

Tzippy Respler

Cholent is a traditional Jewish dish served on Shabbos.  Since cooking is prohibited on Shabbos, the cholent is prepared before the Shabbos and left to cook on an even temperature during Shabbos.

Over the past twenty plus years of marriage, I have tweaked my cholent recipe.  It started out as my father’s recipe and it still has the basic flavor of his cholent.  I have simplified and enhanced the recipe to suit the tastes of the ones closest to me.

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