Category: Recipes
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Simple Corn Grilled in the Husk
There are certain things that are best cooked in their natural packaging. Corn on the cob falls into that category. The perfect natural packaging for corn on the cob takes my breath away. I find it miraculous that corn grows so perfectly in the husk with a protective layer of corn silk to cushion the tender…
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Patriotic Chocolate Bark: Simple and Pareve
Chocolate bark is one of the easiest dessert creations. It takes moments to prepare, is a canvas for creativity and can be served in a myriad of different ways. This one is perfect for a patriotic July 4th celebration. It is a combination of chocolate, nuts, sprinkles and colorful fruit. It can be served whole to…
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Cauliflower Personal Pizza: Simple and Low-Carb
Davida has been my lunch-time cook and she made this delicious cauliflower pizza for me today for lunch. She used cauliflower couscous to create the crust and then just layered sauce and cheese atop the crust. It was relatively simple to prepare and delicious to eat. Thanks, Davida! INGREDIENTS 1/2 head of cauliflower, grated…
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A Salad of Bounty and Inspiration
There are friends who transform your life. They may not be the friends you see regularly. They may not be the friends that are your neighbors or even part of your community . They are people who have entered your orbit and make you see the world differently. They are people who live their…
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Cowboy Caviar: A Simple and Hearty Salad with Attitude
Cowboy caviar is one of those salads that is prepared mostly with items that you already have on hand in the pantry. It is a hearty bean salad that really packs a spicy bite. It is the perfect salad to serve at a barbecue because it stands up well and pairs so beautifully with grilled food. Cowboy caviar…
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Delicious Banana Muffins: Approved by Leah
As a Shabbos gift, one of my friends recently sent over some delicious banana muffins. They were so banana-ey, moist and delicious, that my daughter, Leah, asked me to get the recipe. Leah rarely eats baked goods, so I knew that these muffins were special. I vividly remember that as a two-year old toddler, Leah took…
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Simple and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies
For Shabbos and Yom Tov, I always like to have some delicious and beautiful baked goods sitting under the dome of my pastry platters on my kitchen counter. Since I am still on the low-carb diet, I must discipline myself to enjoy my tea without the sweets. Davida is our resident baker. She has an…
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Simple Tips to the Perfect Kosher Skirt Steak
On Sunday, we hosted a barbecue for our immediate family. We grilled all the regulars: hot dogs, burgers and ribs. The star of the show, though, were the skirt steaks. Skirt steaks are meaty, flavorful, tender, inexpensive and simple to prepare. They are long and thin, versatile and take practically no time on the grill.…
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Simple, Colorful and Crunchy Baby Bok Choy Salad with Apples, Peppers, Tomatoes and Craisins
Baby Bok Choy was on sale this week at our local market. I was determined to create a new colorful and crunchy salad using the baby bok choy as the base green. I added bright tomatoes and peppers for color and green apples for crunch. I finished the salad off with a sprinkling of…
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A Month of Perfect Low-Carb Omelet Choices
I never enjoyed eating breakfast until I started a low-carb diet a couple of months ago. In the past, I would skip breakfast because eating an early morning meal just never agreed with me. I would feel nauseous after eating early and the nausea would linger, affecting my entire day. Breakfast is important and especially…
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Crockpot Drunken Mushroom Soup
I love the heartiness and depth of a wine-based mushroom soup. Mushrooms and wine are a combination made in heaven, with the wine adding depth to the earthiness of this soup. Made in a crockpot, this drunken mushroom soup is a cinch to prepare and is simply divine. INGREDIENTS 2-3 packages whole or sliced mushrooms 1…
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Wow Uses for a Simple Dish Detergent Bottle
My mother has always been the ultimate recycler, decades before recycling and upcycling became fashionable. My mother still decants oil from a large container into a clean dish detergent squirt bottle. The squirt nozzle is perfect for squirting oil onto salads, roasted vegetables and a saute pan. It keeps the oil contained and helps place the oil exactly where you…
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Simple Cheesy Zucchini Logs: Gluten Free and Low-Carb
Davida and her friend, Chava, made delicious calzones for Melave Malke a few weeks ago: Davida’s Easy and Delicious Calzones for a Melave Malka Feast. Although the calzones looked and smelled heavenly, Don and I were only able to enjoy them vicariously. Since we are still on low-carb diets, we needed to find an alternative cheesy…
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Simple Chocolate Bark with Flowers and Dried Fruit
Chocolate bark has become one of my favorite simple and beautiful dessert embellishments. This week, I created a sweet and delicious bark that was sweet, bright and beautiful with some surprisingly savory ingredients, as well. I melted a combination of white and milk chocolate and added fresh pansies from my flowerpots, mint and rosemary from…
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Simple and Easy 5-Ingredient No-Boil Lasagna
This is the simplest and most delicious lasagna recipe that you will ever make. It requires one mixing bowl and one baking lasagna pan with no boiling . It creates a firm and easy to slice lasagna with minimal effort and mess. It takes only a few minutes to prepare and one hour…
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Simple Mini Cheesecakes with Gorgeous Garnishes
Shavuos is on its way! Cheesecake is one of the staples of the upcoming holiday of Shavuos, since we are commanded to eat dairy foods at our festive meals (Countdown to Shavuos: Floral Inspirations and Dairy Recipes) on Shavuos. This year, Don and I are still on a low-carb diet. We didn’t want to…
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Perfect Salmon with Roasted Vegetables
My childhood friend, Pam, hosted and enjoyed many guests for her son’s Aufruf (literally meaning “calling up”) Shabbos. It was an exciting Shabbos for Pam, her husband Ron and her family, as her son, Ariel, is getting married this week. It is customary for a Jewish groom to be called up to recite a brocha (blessing)…
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A Few Good Blossoms: Floating Arrangements
I began this SimpletoWow blog in January with an original post, It’s all about the arrangement (psst….even with last week’s roses), on arranging last week’s open and just-wilting roses. It was intended to showcase simple and wow ways to use what you have in surprising and unexpected ways. As the Jewish holiday of Shavuos approaches (see Countdown…
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Chards of Colorful Chocolate Bark: Whimsical and Delicious
Chocolate Bark is so versatile and beautiful. The finished product can be elegant, playful or whimsical, depending upon the ingredients selected. The background can be any type of chocolate, dairy or pareve. The embellishments can be any combination of sweet or savory to create beautiful colors, tastes and textures. I have tried so many different…
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Simply the Best Caesar Dressing
Caesar dressing takes a simply leafy salad and creates a wow. I have found that if I want to make sure that just about all my dinner guests eat the salad, all I have to do is prepare Caesar salad. Men will eat Caesar salad. Kids will eat Caesar salad. Just about the finickiest eaters will dig in to…
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Simply the best cholent…with low-carb ingredients
Tzippy Respler Don and I are still on a low-carb diet. During the week, we try to eliminate carbs almost completely. On Shabbos, we allow ourselves to enjoy a small amount of challah at each meal, but still try to adhere to the low-carb protocol as much as possible. Cholent is a challenge, because it is…
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Scallion Confetti Curls: A Simple Garnish
Garnishes put the wow into a dish. This one is fast and simple. Cut green part of scallion into three to four inch sections. Slice narrow and long ribbons with a sharp paring knife. Separate scallion pieces into thinnest slivers possible using knife or by hand. Drop the green onion slivers into ice water and submerge…
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Asian Red Cabbage Salad…Simple and Wow
Salads should be simple and beautiful. This Asian-inspired cabbage salad was developed by my daughter, Leah, and for the past year has been one of the most popular salads in our home. Red cabbage is such a gorgeous color that it wakes up just about any salad. In this salad, the color and texture contrast…
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Simple and Satisfying Tofu Salad
Tofu is a wonderful ingredient to add to a salad for a satisfying source of protein. Tofu is like a sponge; it merely absorbs the flavor of your marinade. I find that extra-firm tofu is a reliable ingredient for roasting, grilling and sauteing and I use it often. To cut down on cleanup, I simply slit…
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Davida’s Easy and Delicious Calzones for a Melave Malka Feast
Melave Malka (Saturday night meal) is the name given to the meal that we eat at the Shabbos has departed. The literal meaning of the words Melave Malka is “accompaniment of the queen”, referring to our escorting of the Shabbos Queen out of our homes after the spiritually uplifting Shabbos. The Shabbos is often metaphorically described as a…
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Simple Chocolate Bark with Flowers and Dried Fruit
I love thin and delicious chocolate bark embellished with all my favorites. It is a simple dessert and also makes a perfect garnish for a simple cake or mousse. It is the perfect accompaniment to Simply the Best Flourless Chocolate Cake As your bark background, you can use your favorite chocolate: white, milk or dark. The…
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Simple Onion Baked Chicken Cutlets
This recipe is a simple go-to recipe when time is short and I need to crank out a delicious and hearty meal with very little lead time and a minimum of effort. It requires very little hands-on time and can be baked in the oven in about 20 minutes. It is crispy and crunchy, delicious and very…
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Balsamic Beet Slaw: Easy, Fresh and Delicious
Leah is our resident vegetarian. She loves to mix up salad ingredients and find her own combinations of vegetables and dressings. As a midnight snack this week, she created this delicious beet salad. I often shred and/or spiralize vegetables and keep them in containers in the refrigerator. I also prepare dressings weekly and refrigerate them in…
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A Salad Bar for the Entire Week
Our family loves salads and we try to spread the love to the rest of the world. From the time that the kids were eating solids, salads became a mainstay in the Respler home. It is rare that we make the same salad twice because there are SO many options. Most recently, when I entertain,…
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Simple, Creamy and Perfect Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette
Our favorite dressing is balsamic vinaigrette. Nine out of ten times when ordering salad at a restaurant, we choose balsamic vinaigrette. For the past many years, every time I made a balsamic vinegar-dressed salad, I would take out half the contents of my spice cabinet to dress the salad. A few weeks ago, I took…
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Simple Low-Carb One-Pan Shwarma Chicken with Rainbow Roasted Vegetables
This shwarma chicken recipe transports me to those amazing shwarma places all over Israel. Although the shwarma flavor of this dish is reminiscent of Israeli Shwarma often served in pita or lafa, this recipe is low-carb since the shwarma is surrounded by gorgeous roasted vegetables instead of a bread pocket. This recipe combines the magical…