Passover

Kosher for Passover recipes

Simple and Passover-Ready Individual Mushroom Onion Quiches

My friend’s daughter, Gila, is getting married and her friends planned a shower for her.  I volunteered to make a dairy Onion-Mushroom Quiche.

Since the shower guests may be arriving at different times, I thought that it would be best to prepare individual mini-quiches.  That way, the platters would look complete all evening and the individual quiches could be easily warmed up as needed.

This is one of my favorite go-to recipes.  It is simple.  It is low-carb.  It is suitable for Passover and an excellent Chol Hamoed (Passover intermediate days) dish.  Serve it up with a fresh green salad and it is a winner!

quiche-baking in oven

 

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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…)

Simply the Best Potato Kugel Ever

potato kugel-ingredients

This week, I have started compiling my favorite simple Pesach recipes.  Here is one that I plan to make for Pesach this year.

My daughter, Michelle, was married last June and moved to California.  While growing up, Michelle never really showed much interest in cooking, but was always quite a baker. Since getting married, though, Michelle has become quite an accomplished cook.  She spends much time poring over kosher cookbooks and finding the best recipes to prepare for herself and Scotty.  She has shared some of her new recipes with me and they have become some of my new favorites, too.

When we visited Michelle and Scotty late last summer, Michelle surprised us after our long flight with a hot and delicious potato kugel.    It was simply the best potato kugel that I ever tasted.  Michelle got this recipe from her mother-in-law,  June, who is a renowned cook.

This recipe is simple and  delicious.  It is gluten-free…  and it is a winner!

potato kugel-in oven

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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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Simple Baby Arugula Salad with Red Peppers, Tomatoes and Avocado

arugula salad for mason jar-tossed up close

 

I love the dark green color, peppery taste and crisp texture of baby arugula. It is one of those ingredients that has its own audacious personality and must be bought as fresh as possible. It is one of those love-hate greens: some love it and others cannot tolerate its assertive flavor. I embrace it for exactly what it represents, a super green that comes with its unique dose of attitude. Perhaps, living in the New York area has transformed my Midwest timidness into an appreciation for the assertive.

Baby (or wild) arugula has beautifully shaped leaves and is very low in Cholesterol. It is a good source of protein, thiamin, riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Manganese. It is simply a green with wow powers.

This baby arugula salad uses an assortment of tomatoes and red peppers. It takes slivered celery slices and some small cubed avocado. It is served with just a light drizzle of dressing so as to preserve the freshness of the baby arugula greens.

I usually try to eliminate or reduce the oil in salad dressings. I find that the spices and acid components of dressings are essential for flavor and most of the time, the oil is unnecessary or can be greatly reduced.

The dressing for this salad is best made by sprinkling the spices and drizzling the liquid ingredients directly on the vegetables right before serving. That way, the salad remains light, fresh and not weighed down by the dressing. Any additional toppings (see variations) should be sprinkled on after the dressing and then tossed right before serving.

arugula salad for mason jar-tossed

 

INGREDIENTS

2-4 cups of Baby or Wild Arugula, soaked, rinsed and cut/torn into bite size (see notes below)
Any combination of the the following vegetables:

peppers, any color, cut into small strips
cucumbers, scrubbed and cut into slices
small heirloom, cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
celery, cut into thin slices

DRESSING

Kosher salt, sprinkle generously
Coarse black pepper, just a pinch to taste
Balsamic vinegar, lightly drizzled
Olive or canola oil, lightly drizzled (optional)

 

 

arugula salad for mason jar-before tossing

DIRECTIONS

Right before serving, sprinkle salt and pepper on top of vegetables. Lightly drizzle with balsamic vinegar and oil. Toss all salad ingredients together. Enjoy!

 

KOSHER NOTES

Kosher laws disallow the eating of any whole insects and therefore most greens require a process of soaking, rinsing and in some cases, pureeing. Kashrut authorities differ somewhat on the proper checking of leafy vegetables. This blog was not designed to be your kosher authority, so please consult your local rabbinic authority regarding using greens such as arugula.

VARIATIONS

For a lighter flavor, substitute cider vinegar, lemon juice or lime juice for balsamic vinegar

Add any of the following additional toppings and sprinkle on after the dressing and toss right before serving

hearts of palm, well-drained and cut into thin slices
almonds or pine nuts, chopped

Dressing may also be made in advance and refrigerated.

Serve salad with strips of grilled or fried chicken cutlets and top with spicy mayo or jalapeno dip

arugula salad for mason jar-serving suggestion

Enjoy!

Simply the Best Low-Carb Zucchini Soup

zucchini soup-ingredients

On my low-carb diet, I often eat soup for lunch. They are filling, hearty and warm the soul. One of the things that I am enjoying and hope to retain once I complete the diet is the idea of making regular times for meals and snacks. I find that I am more satiated by meals and snacks that I anticipate and actively prepare in advance.

I have never made a zucchini soup before and decided to try and create a low-carb one for lunch. The only zucchini soup that I have enjoyed in the past is one made by my friend, Malka, and it is delicious. I hope that this low-carb variety comes close to hers.

Zucchini is a rather bland vegetable, comprised of 95% water. Believe it or not, a whole zucchini has more potassium than a banana and is only about 33 calories. This soup will need sauteed onions and garlic, a rich broth and some fresh herbs to wake up the bland, but nutritious zucchini.  Since zucchini and herbs take very little time to cook, the added benefit of this soup is that it does not take long to prepare, even in a crockpot. (more…)

You Say Tomato…I Say Heirloom Tomato Salad
heirloom tomato saladLeafy salads are fresh and delicious, but take quite a bit of prep time.  Soaking, rinsing and drying lettuce just seems to take forever.  Here is one salad that go from the refrigerator to the table in record time.  It uses an assortment of tomatoes and optional scallions.  Rinse, slice, dice, halve or leave small tomatoes whole. Then, dress it. That’s it.  Period.

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Rainbow Carrot Curls: A Wow Garnish

Trader Joe’s sells bags of organic rainbow carrots.  The carrots come in all hues of the rainbow: dark red, white, bright yellow and the “ordinary” orange carrots.  It is a small splurge, but well worth it in the “wow” factor.

rainbow carrots ingredients

These carrots are low in calories and powerful in vitamin A and antioxidants. Rainbow carrot curls will add a pop of color and a delicious flavor to your plating.  Here is the simple technique to create rainbow carrot curls.

 

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Simply the best chicken soup…ever!

What would a kosher blog be without a recipe for chicken soup?

I have been making chicken soup for the past nearly thirty years of marriage.  I serve chicken soup at just about  every Friday night Shabbos dinner in my home. It is on my Shabbos menu whether the weather is frightfully cold or unbearably hot.  It is one of those recipes that I almost never make during the week, except for a special occasion or weekday holiday.

My first chicken soup in the eighties used whole vegetables and chicken parts.  Over the past decades, I made changes to suit my family and their different tastes.

When the kids were little, I started cutting the vegetables into chunks so that I could easily measure out what each one wanted.  I replaced  chicken parts with boneless chicken breasts because it yielded too much of the gray nastiness on the sides of the pot  and required me to skim the soup.  There were phases when I used cheesecloth packets for the chicken and herbs and phases where I made a more rustic soup.

Now that the dust has settled, here is where I am: (more…)

Kale and Cabbage Kugel: a Pareve Souffle

I grew up believing that spinach was the most powerful vegetable in the universe (remember Popeye?) I have raised kids in a generation that views kale the same way that we viewed spinach. Kale is the new spinach.

My daughter, Leah, loves kale. To keep her happy (and healthy), I try to always have a large bag of kale available for her in the freezer. I buy a large package of fresh kale, clean it and store it in the freezer. Then, it is available for all her favorite kale recipes. She uses kale in smoothies and pesto and she has tried to convince the rest of the family to love it, too. Some of us will eat it and others are just not there…yet.

Leah developed this kale and cabbage kugel recipe using some of her favorite ingredients. It is bright, green and healthy.

If you prefer spinach, you may substitute spinach for some or all of the kale.

kale and cabbage

INGREDIENTS

Oil for sauteing
2 cups cabbage
1 large onion
2-3 cloves garlic (optional)
2 cups of kale or spinach (see kosher notes below)
4-5 eggs
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1-2 teaspoons salt
Pepper to taste

kale cabbage kugels in oven

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a large baking dish.  Saute onions, garlic and cabbage until soft and golden brown (about 20-25 minutes).  Puree kale with eggs, vinegar and seasonings in food processor or blender.

Combine cabbage mixture with kale and egg mixture.  Pour mixture into Pyrex or baking pan.  Bake kugel 30-40 minutes.

 

VARIATIONS

Sprinkle nuts, crumbs or crispy fried onions on top of mixture before baking for an extra bit of texture and crunch.

 

KOSHER NOTES

Kosher laws disallow the eating of  any whole insects and therefore most greens require a process of soaking, rinsing and in some cases, pureeing.  I have found that flat-leafed greens like baby spinach and flat-leaf  kale are much easier to check for insects than their curly-leaf counterparts.  Kashrut authorities differ on the proper checking of leafy vegetables and some disallow the use of spinach and kale altogether.  This blog was not designed to be your  kosher authority, so please consult your local rabbinic authority regarding using and preparing greens such as spinach and kale.

kale cabbage kugel x2

kale cabbage kugel with onions

Recipe, Baking and Photo Credits: Leah Respler

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…)

Simple Crockpot Mushroom Soup: Low Carb

Don and I just started a high-protein, low carb diet.  I have to admit that I’ve never been on an official diet before and I’m excited for the challenge. I visited my local market today and spent hours perusing the aisles for ingredients that will work for this new diet. I bought items that I never thought that I would use, items like soy flour and sugar-free caramel syrup. Now the challenge will be to create exceptional flavor with new ingredients. I thought that I would start by modifying some of my favorite recipes to meet the parameters of this new diet. To keep the blog updated with these diet-friendly recipes, I have created a new category on the blog menu for low-carb recipes. (more…)

Simple Rainbow Roasted Vegetables


For as long as I can remember, I have been making roasted vegetables for Friday night dinner. Years ago when our local pediatrician asked my kids what their favorite food was, they answered without hesitation, “roasted vegetables!”. (more…)