Delicious Banana Muffins: Approved by Leah

As a Shabbos gift, one of my friends recently sent over some delicious banana muffins.

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 a swipe of the frosting on her birthday cake and then exclaimed, “Now may I have a clementine?”

At Leah’s urging, I asked my friend, Michal, for the recipe and she was more than willing to share it.  It is simple and filled with banana deliciousness.

(more…)

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 extensive repertoire of cookie recipes that never fails to impress us.  She baked a delicious batch of fat chocolate chunk cookies tonight that made our mouths water.  Don and I had to enjoy them with our eyes (although I sometimes wonder if Don cheats and enjoys them by mouth when no one is looking).

chewy chocolate chunk cookies (more…)

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.  Because of their shape, they cook quickly and create a beautiful crust.  skirt steak-grilled perfectly

Here are five simple tips for preparing the perfect  kosher skirt steak: (more…)

Simple, Colorful and Crunchy Baby Bok Choy Salad with Apples, Peppers, Tomatoes and Craisins

baby bok choy salad with apples, craisins, peppers, tomatoes and toasted sesame seeds

 

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 dried cranberries and toasted sesame seeds. It was delicious with a surprising array of colors and textures.

It was a simple salad that create a wow for both the eye and the palate.  Bok Choy stands up well to dressing since it has a firmer texture than lettuce, so this salad can be prepared several hours in advance with dressing drizzled right atop the salad ingredients.  It is best to toss right before serving. (more…)

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 so, if one is dieting.  It is essential to set aside time and place to enjoy each meal and snack throughout the day.   It is equally important to feel satiated and not deprived when dieting.  Breakfast is an essential piece of that wholesome feeling while dieting.

To compensate for  my nauseous relationship with breakfast, I now opt to eat breakfast only after my day has begun.  Nowadays, I start my day with an hour-long walk and then eat breakfast after my walk is complete. It is simply a wonderful morning routine.

Because my diet stresses low-carbs, cereals are not an option.  Most mornings, I opt to eat a two-egg omelet.  Of course, it is not in my nature to eat the same type of omelet all week long.  Therefore, I have been experimenting with different types of omelet toppings or fillings and I have listed some of my favorites.

Here is the recipe for the perfect omelet: (more…)

Crockpot Drunken Mushroom Soup

drunken mushroom soup ready to eat

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.

drunken mushroom soup-preparation

INGREDIENTS

2-3 packages whole or sliced mushrooms
1 small onion or shallot, cut into chunks
1-2 zucchini, cup into 1 inch chunks
4 cups water or  vegetable broth
1 cup wine
1 tablespoon salt
4 cloves garlic or 1 tablespoons granulated garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse ground pepper
dash ginger (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Fill crockpot with mushrooms, onion and/or shallot, zucchini, wine and seasonings. Fill crockpot 3/4 to top with water and/or stock.  Cook on high for at least 5 hours. For a smooth texture, blend with a stick blender before serving.  Garnish with fresh herbs.

drunken musroom soup-under glass liddrunken mushroom soup ready to eat

NOTES

Know your crockpot and which settings to use.  I cook my soup
on the high setting of my six quart crockpot for about 6 hours and only turn it down to low or auto once the soup has been completed.  Your crockpot may need to be set to auto for the duration of the cooking. If you are not sure, start your soup at high.  Check on the soup after 4 hours.  If it tastes ready, then turn it down to auto or low until serving. If not, cook the soup for longer, checking every hour.
For a creamy dairy variation, add 1/2 cup heavy cream to soup ingredients.
Use your favorite mushrooms.  For this  soup, I used a combination of baby bella and white mushrooms.  You can add them to the crockpot whole or sliced.Use your favorite wine.  For my soup, I used the rest of a bottle of  Merlot that was left over from Shabbos.  You can use white, red or any combination of wine.

MY FAVORITE AMAZON SUPPLIES FOR THIS RECIPE
Cuisinart Stick Blender

Stainless Steel 6 Quart Manual Crockpot

At War with Weeds: A Homemade Non-Toxic Weed-Killer

weed killer spray

Our nineteen year old son, Aaron, is our resident landscaper.  Aaron has always been a budding entrepreneur and handy around the house and yard.  When he was thirteen years old, he took some of the monetary gifts that he had  received for his Bar Mitzvah celebration and purchased a bright red lawn tractor.  He convinced us to hire him as our resident gardener to earn back the cost of the tractor and he has acquired other garden tools since then, too.   For the past six years, Aaron has used his tractor to manicure our lawn and yard, his tiller to turn our flower and vegetable garden areas and his edger to edge our lawn.

Problem is…Aaron is studying in yeshiva this year in Israel.  We have had to manage without him and we have had to find easy solutions to our gardens’ overgrown messes. Don has been driving the tractor around the lawn and yard to cut the grass.  I have been planting the vegetable garden and mulching the flower beds.    Aaron will be home for a few weeks in the summer and we have lots of landscaping and maintenance waiting for his expert care.

One of the biggest problems is battling the weeds.   In the past, Aaron has tilled the garden beds with his gas-powered tiller which has cut down on the weeds.   This year, Don and I have had to figure all of it out on our own.  I have discovered this amazing homemade weed killer that does the job without the toxins found in most commercially available products.  This solution works best when used on a hot, sunny day and sprayed in the morning.  The sun will wither the sprayed weeds as long as there is no rain expected within the next 24 to 48 hours.

Here it is:

(more…)

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 want it. You can also use a sport-top water bottle for most of these uses, but the water bottles tend to be constructed of a thinner and less robust plastic, not intended for extended use.

squirt bottle uses

 

Here  are some other wonderful uses for a simple dish detergent bottle. Just make sure to mark the bottle with the contents and the date that it was prepared.  You can print a squirt bottle label and adhere it to the bottle using glue stick.  This can avoid any dangerous mixups:

(more…)

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 dish.

We scrubbed zucchini, cut them is half logs and roasted them for 12-15 minutes .  Once roasted, we scooped out some of the pulp and then filled them with cheese.  We put them into the oven for 5-10 minutes more and voila!

These will make a perfect and simple low-carb recipe for Shavuos (Countdown to Shavuos: Floral Inspirations and Dairy Recipes).  Enjoy!

zucchini logs-up close

(more…)

Three’s a Crowd? A Trio of Floral Arrangements

I love to arrange flowers of the same color and my favorite floral centerpieces are white.  Often, I can find beautiful flowers at my local supermarket that are sold as three bunches for a single price.  When that happens, I usually pick all white flowers and I arrange them as a trio of floral arrangements.

When time is short,  I find that it is easiest to create a series of arrangements using one color.  Each arrangement uses a different flower in that same color and it works best if the flowers are different heights and textures.

This arrangement uses soft and puffy hydrangeas, structural cala lilies and tender stems of bell-shaped flower to play off the softness of the hydrangeas and the architectural height of the cala liles.  To make things interesting, I used some steel grass from a previous arrangement to set off the clean look of the cala lilies.  I rounded off the corners of  a palm leaf to create a round backdrop for the bell-shaped floral stems.

There are many perks in creating three smaller arrangements, rather than one larger one.  They are simpler to arrange and can be set up in different configurations for each meal.  After dinner, I move these to the kitchen or anywhere else that needs a breath of floral freshness.

Try your own trios of floral arrangements.  I would be interested to hear about your favorite combinations.

(more…)

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 my garden and an assortment of salted nuts and craisins.  I served this bark as the perfect accompaniment to small squares of Simply the Best Flourless Chocolate Cake.  I plan to also served this as a wow garnish for simple pieces of cheese cake for Shavuos.

chocolate bark with nut mint and pansies up close with logo

(more…)

Simple and Easy 5-Ingredient No-Boil Lasagna

 

no-boil-lasagna-before-cooking

 

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 of oven time.

You can use either no-boil lasagna noodles or regular lasagna noodles.  For the no-boil lasagna noodles,   I prefer the ones that are wavy.   If you opt to use regular lasagna noodles, just add more watered-down sauce in the last step to the corners of your pan.  That way, the regular lasagna noodles will soften sufficiently during the baking process.

It is one of our family favorites and it will become yours, too.

lasagna-portion (more…)

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 forego cheesecake, but I wanted to make sure to use a minimum of carbs in my cheesecake preparation.  I decided to create portion-size cheesecakes to keep the portion size well-controlled.  This will allow us to enjoy a taste of heaven without feeling deprived, but keeping our diet “cheating” to a minimum.

Best of all, I skipped the carb-heavy crust and created some beautiful and tasty garnishes to embellish these simple and delicious mini cheesecakes.  They are light, delicious, fresh-tasting, gluten-free and simply divine.

This recipe does not require a springform pan or a water bath for baking.  It is best to bring the ingredients to room temperature just before preparation.  Preparation takes a few minutes and the baking takes less than 20 minutes.  It is best made in disposable or porcelain ramekins.  It makes 6 medium size or 12 mini ramekins.

 

Supplies

3-4 inch ramekins Set of 6 three ounce ramekins or aluminum disposable mini ramekins 39mm

 

Ingredients

1 pound cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

mini cheese cakemini cheese cake with strawberry and chocolate garnishmini cheese cake with chocolate barkmini cheese cake with chocolate bark only

Directions

It is best to bring the ingredients to room temperature before baking to prevent cracking, although I have made this recipe effectively with ingredients right out of the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Spray ramekins with cooking spray.

Beat  cream cheese with eggs with a whisk, in a food processor or with a mixer, just until smooth and creamy.  Add rest of ingredients, beating and incorporating well.  You may have to scrape sides of bowl to incorporate everything well until combined, smooth and creamy.

Pour mixture into ramekins, filling 2/3 of the way to the top.  I find it easiest to pour the mixture from a glass measuring cup with a spout..

Bake mini ramekins for 15 minutes, 3-4″ ramekins for about 18-20 minutes.  Cheesecake will rise slightly.  Centers should be set, although the cheese cake will appear to be slightly jiggly.

Remove from the oven and  cool completely.  Chill the cheesecakes in the ramekins for at least 2 hours or overnight.

The cheese cakes can be served directly  in the ramekins or can be removed from the ramekins and served upside side.  If removing from the ramekins, carefully turn over on a serving plate.  Allow cheese cake to rest for a few minutes before garnishing.

Garnish with fruit, berries, edible leaves and flowers, chocolate bark (Chards of Colorful Chocolate Bark: Whimsical and Delicious)or whole or crumbled cookies.

 

Variations

This recipe can be made as a small single cheesecake.  Generously grease a round baking pan.  Prepare ingredients as above and pour ingredients into greased round pan.  Increase baking time to 30 minutes or until center is set.  Garnish as above.

 

Prepare a crust by crumbling 1 cup of  your favorite cookies with 3 tablespoons of melted butter or coconut oil.  Press into the bottom of each ramekin and bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool before pouring cheesecake batter over the crust.  Continue to bake as above.  You may have to gently coax cheesecake out of ramekin or pan using a smooth knife to unseat the edges of the crust.

mini cheese cake with crust and edible pansies

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) on the Torah in synagogue on the Shabbos before his wedding.  Pam’s guests joined the family and Ariel in synagogue Shabbos morning for a beautiful davening and kiddush.

I prepared a delicious fillet of salmon that Pam served for Seuda Shlishis (third meal on Shabbos afternoon).  It is one of those stunningly colorful main dishes that can be prepared in one pan and served so easily as a showstopper buffet option. It was so simple to prepare and oh, so beautiful and delicious.

This dish can be served cold, warm or room temperature and can also be prepared in individual portions.

salmon with roasted vegetables on platter

(more…)

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.

last week's roses in a square bowl

As the Jewish holiday of Shavuos approaches (see Countdown to Shavuos: Floral Inspirations and Dairy Recipes), I would like to add some other ways to make use of a few good blossoms.

last week's gerber daisies in a large rose bowl

(more…)

Upcycled Glass Jar Floral Arrangement: Simply Stunning

My friend Marilyn, and her family joined us for a meal over Pesach (Passover). Since we were in a small apartment in Jerusalem with our extended family, we did not have enough room to host everyone in the dining room. Instead, we set up tables and ate in the courtyard. Marilyn sent flowers before Yom Tov (holiday) in the perfect arrangement. It was a gorgeous grouping of narrow clear bottles lined up side by side in a metal caddy spilling over with white garden roses. The arrangement was narrow and long, just perfect for our narrow outdoor tables.

It created a stunning visual impact without taking away from the table space needed for setting and serving. The white roses lasted for several days, but the centerpiece containers were so easy to fill that I refilled them for the last few days of our stay in Jerusalem with an array of other flowers. Both arrangements were simply stunning.

Over Pesach, I commented so many times about the beauty and the practicality of this centerpiece. I was determined to recreate it with upcycled materials for use back in the States. And….here it is!

upcycled square arrangement-top view (more…)

Bekurim: First Fruits from Hollister

This morning, on my return from my morning walk, my neighbor, Hollister,  surprised me with a wonderful gift.  He handed me a bag with the first heads of lettuce harvested from his vegetable garden.  I protested that he should keep this precious first harvest for himself, but he insisted that he wanted me to have them.  I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the bounty.  You see…first fruits, also called Bekurim,  are very special.

hollister lettuce up close (more…)

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 types of barks and every one has been a winner.  I like to spread the chocolate as thin as possible, so that a little bit of chocolate creates the thinnest piece of luxurious decadence.  Once the bark has cooled, I break it into asymmetric chards.  I serve these by themselves or as an embellishment to fudgy brownies or ice cream.

chocolate bark confetti as embellishment

 

(more…)

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 the Caesar salad.

Because of the high fat content in this dressing, I usually skip the croutons, though they can be easily bought or prepared Simple and Delicious Croutons Fashioned from Leftover Bread or Challah and then added right before tossing. I make sure to just add the minimum amount of Caesar dressing.  Since it is creamy, it clings well to the leafy greens and a little bit of Caesar dressing really goes a long way.

This salad dressing is one of my “regulars”.  That is, it is one of the popular dressings that I prepare in advance and store in a squeeze bottle for use throughout the week for a large Shabbos salad, individual lunch salads or dinner salad . Since it is thick and very creamy, it is easiest to decant this dressing into a wide-mouth squeeze bottle (click to  order Amazon wide-mouth squeeze bottles).  Once in the squeeze bottle, I can just squirt the minimum amount of dressing needed for my salad.

This dressing is best served on greens and large-cut vegetables that have body and do not wilt easily.  Try it on Romaine Lettuce, Bok Choy, large-cut tomatoes, Pepper slices or fresh green beans.  Try topping your Caesar salad with grilled fish, chicken or steak.  For a diary alternative, top with sliced, cubed  or shredded cheese.

To update the Caesar salad for a dairy meal, I just chop or tear romaine lettuce and add the Caesar dressing.  After tossing and right before serving, I sprinkle some good quality grated Parmesan cheese over the salad. Voila!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup of mayonnaise
4 tablespoons lemon juice or juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (see kosher notes)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
4 cloves of garlic or 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1/2 cup oil 
squeeze of mustard 

(more…)

Countdown to Shavuos: Floral Inspirations and Dairy Recipes

We are commanded to count 49 days or 7 weeks of sefira (counting) from Pesach until the holiday of Shavuos.  Every night after it gets dark, we make a bracha and count one more day toward Shavuos.  While Pesach commemorates our becoming a nation and our freedom after our miraculous exodus from Egypt, Shavuos commemorates our receiving of the commandments of the Torah.

There are two holiday customs that are unique to Shavuos.  We eat an assortment of dairy foods and we decorate our homes with flowers and greenery.  Both commemorate the events leading up to the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.

We eat a dairy feast on Shavuos, unlike the festive meat meals that we enjoy  on all other holidays during the year.  We learn that “there is no great joy, except in meat and wine”.  On Shavuos we make an exception to that concept and eat at least one festive dairy meal.  There are a number of reasons for the custom on Shavuos to  eat dairy foods on Shavuos.  Here are a couple of those reasons:

As the Torah was received, the Jewish nation became obligated to observe the kosher laws. Since the Torah was given on Shabbos  as a day of rest, cattle could not be slaughtered and utensils could not be koshered.  For this reason, the Jewish nation ate dairy food on that day.  We have kept this custom until today.

The Torah is compared to milk, for it is nourishing and wholesome for our souls. Chalav is the Hebrew word for milk and the numerical value of the letters spelling chalav totals forty.  Moses spent forty (40) days on Mount Sinai when receiving the Torah .

We decorate our homes and synagogues in honor of Shavuos with greenery and flowers.   We commemorate the setting of the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai and we mark the observance of Shavuos, known as chag ha’bikurim (festival of the harvest of first fruits). Here are some reasons that we decorate with flowers and greenery on Shavuos:

Mount Sinai was chosen to be the site for the receiving of the Torah because of its humility. Once chosen, the humble and flower-free desert mountain sprouted greenery and flowers.  This adornment of physical beauty enhanced the spiritual beauty of this monumental event.

Since Shavuos is also the festival of the harvesting of first fruits,  it is customary to adorn the home and synagogue with fruits, flowers and greens. During the time of our holy temple in Jerusalem, farmers tied a ribbon around their first fruits and brought those cherished ripe first fruits to Jerusalem in a lavish and joyous ceremony.   Floral decorations on Shavuos commemorate that first fruit ceremony.

The blossoming of our souls with Torah is compared to the the desert blooming with flowers, as it did at the time that the Torah was given on Mount Sinai.  Just as a barren mountain was adorned with flowers at that time, our ordinary lives can bloom with the light of Torah.

It is customary to decorate with  fragrant herbs, plants and flowers around our home and synagogue.  This symbolize the fragrance that Torah brings to the world.

As a countdown to Shavuos, I will be posting floral inspirations and dairy recipes over the next weeks until Shavuos.

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 generally prepared using high-carb ingredients like potatoes and barley.  Over the past few months, I have experimented with lots of different ingredients, until I finally have an option that tastes great and is mostly low-carb.

To satisfy the rest of the family, I often put in lentils, barley and some potatoes, but Don and I only choose the vegetables that conform to our diet.  When I do that, I try to leave most of the low-carb vegetables whole or in large chunks, so that Don and I can easily find them.

low-carb cholent

I like to cook a well-marbled roast right in the cholent.  The fat content is important, so that the meat stays moist and does not dry out during the long cooking process. I take the roast out right before serving and place it on a separate plate.  I use two forks to shred the beef, putting them facing each other at the center of the roast and pulling toward the edges.  I  serve the meat on a separate platter from the cholent.

INGREDIENTS

1 zucchini, scrubbed and cut into large slices
1 turnip or kohlrabi, cut into cubes
2 cups whole mushrooms
3 stalks of celery, scrubbed and cut into large slices
2-3 garlic garlic cloves, whole or minced
2 Potatoes, peeled or scrubbed and cut into large pieces (optional)
1-2 cups of cauliflower, riced in food processor (see kosher notes)
1 cup beans, soaked overnight or canned and drained (may omit for gluten-free)
2 small whole onions, peeled
1/2 cup barley (optional)
1/2 cup lentils (optional)

1 generous squirt ketchup  (optional)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
paprika

kishke, wrapped in parchment paper
small brisket, deckel or brick roast

DIRECTIONS

Place vegetables in crockpot Friday morning.  Add rest of ingredients and combine gently.

 Fill crockpot with water until ingredients are completely covered plus 1 inch more of water.  Make sure to leave at least one inch of space between top of water level and top of pot.

Place small brisket on top of cholent, submerging only slightly in cholent liquid.
low-carb cholent with meat
Cover crockpot and turn crockpot on high until right before Shabbos begins (Friday at sundown).  Then, lower crockpot to your favorite Shabbos setting (see notes).  My crockpot stays on high, perhaps yours will need to be on auto or medium setting.
Enjoy this delicious cholent Shabbos morning for lunch.   I remove the meat from the top of the cholent,  placing it on a separate platter.  I take two karge forks and place them with the tines facing each other at the center of the roast.  I pull the meat toward the edges, creaing a shredded beef dish.  I them serve the rest of the cholent in a serving bowl, taking acre to keep the low-carb vegetables whole and esy to find.

VARIATIONS

To create a gluten-free version, replace the barley with brown sushi rice

Add onion powder, zatar, garlic powder, or your favorite spice for a zestier alternative

KOSHER NOTES

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

(more…)

Scallion Confetti Curls: A Simple Garnish

Garnishes put the wow into a dish.  This one is fast and simple.

scallion-garnish-ingredients.jpg

 

Cut green part of scallion into three to four inch sections.  Slice narrow and long ribbons with a sharp paring knife.

scallion granisj-cut small

Separate scallion pieces into thinnest slivers possible using knife or by hand.

scallion-garnish-in-ice-water

Drop the green onion slivers into ice water and submerge completely for at least 20 minutes or refrigerate overnight.

 

 

Voila!

 

scallion-garnish-finished

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 between the vibrant red cabbage, the green cucumbers and the white sesame seeds is breathtaking.

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.

This salad is unusually versatile and robust.  The vegetables and dressing may be prepared separately in advance. When you are ready to serve, all you need to do is toss the salad ingredients with the dressing. The leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to two days.   This will become one of your favorites, too.asian cabbage salad-up close

It yields 6-8 servings.

 

INGREDIENTS
2-3 cups of shredded  red cabbage (or one large bag shredded red cabbage)

2-3 small or 1 large seedless cucumber, scrubbed and diced.
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, plain or toasted

DRESSING

4-6 tablespoons oil (optional)
3 tablespoons cider or rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
4-6 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic or garlic powder
dash of fresh or ground ginger (optional)

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the ingredients.

Up to two hours before serving, drizzle the dressing ingredients right on top of salad ingredients.  Toss with the dressing before serving.  Sprinkle some extra sesame seeds on top.

VARIATIONS

For a sweeter taste, add 1-2 tablespoons Agave syrup, honey or brown sugar

Sprinkle any of the following after dressing.  Toss gently
diced red onion
slivered almonds or pine nuts
sunflower seeds, raw or roasted
1 bunch scallions, sliced thin
celery, scrubbed and cut thin
cut baby corn, well drained
canned water chestnuts, well drained
1/2 package ramen noodles (without the flavor packet)

Mini Tefillin Bag Favors for a Bar Mitzvah

For the Bar Mitzvah celebrations of my nephew, Chaim, and a friend’s son, Shmuli, I decided to make miniature tefillin bags filled with cookies to use as favors and cupcake toppers.  Tefillin bags store a Bar Mitzvah boy’s new tefillin and are so symbolic of a young man’s unique new adult role as part of the Jewish nation.  These sweet miniatures highlight this new role.

tefillin bag-chaim cohen w logo

tefilin bag-shmuli
(more…)

Simple and Satisfying Tofu Salad

tofu saute

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 open the covering on the tofu container and peel back the top.  I then drain the tofu liquid, slice or dice the tofu  and then add my marinade ingredients right in the original plastic tofu container.

This tofu salad combines the soft texture of the tofu and mushrooms, spicy marinated onions and the crunchy texture of romaine lettuce to achieve a delicious and layered salad experience. (more…)