Confident Cook, Hesitant Baker

Mushroom and Leek Savory Bread Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:47:00 +0000

A few years ago, I had some random chunks of break that were taking up space in my freezer. I had company coming over and it occurred to me to turn that leftover bread in to a casserole or bread pudding of sorts. I am not a big fan of sweet bread puddings, so the savory version seemed like the right course of action.

The bread pudding was a huge hit at that brunch.

Fast forward a few years. I recently found myself planning Shavuot meals. On Shavuot, it is customary to eat dairy meals. I decided to turn back to that bread pudding I made a few years ago. We still love it and I decided to share it here.

Mushroom and Leek Savory Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
4 leeks, cleaned and sliced in to thin rounds
15 oz. baby bella mushrooms
1 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. fresh tarragon, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
3 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
6 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 cups half & half
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups cheddar and jack shredded cheese blend
additional salt and pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 cups cubed pumpernickel bread, crusts removed
3 cups cubed italian bread, crusts removed
olive oil spray

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat up the olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan.

Add in the onions, garlic and leeks and sauté for about 3-5 minutes.

Add in the sliced mushrooms and cook for another few minutes.

Stir in the fresh herbs, salt and pepper and cook another two minutes.

Cook until all of the veggies have softened. Remove from heat and set mixture aside.

While the veggies cook, you can quickly prep the bread cubes and get to work on those.

Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil spray.

Place the bread cubes on the baking sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the bread cubes start to brown.

Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, broth, half and half, additional spices, half of the parmesan cheese and half of the shredded cheese.

Add the lightly toasted bread cubes to the egg mixture.

Stir the vegetable mixture into the egg mixture.

Let the mixture sit for about 20 minutes.

Pour the mixture in to a 9"x13" pan.

Sprinkle over the remaining cheeses.

Bake in oven for about 25-30 minutes or until pudding is set and cheese starts to bubble and brown.

Remove from oven and let sit a bit before serving.

Enjoy!

Mocha Pound Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

I am slowly conquering my fear of baking cakes from scratch.

I am sheepishly admitting here that in the past, I have been known to simply doctor cake mixes in to creations of my own. I had no idea that it was so easy to create a cake of your own. I've made a few cupcakes here and there, but by and large I have stuck to Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker.

Until last week.

Last week, I made some chocolate brownies from scratch! Whoa! They came together super fast, and actually tasted pretty good! Who knew?

So the other day, when I was working on my chocolate crouton recipe for the Kosher Connection link-up post, I decided to come up with something on my own. I will admit that I did look for a chocolate pound cake at Trader Joe's. I couldn't find it. So I made my own. I decided to turn it in to a mocha pound cake. I was so amazed with the results, I had to share the recipe.

Mocha Pound Cake - (adapted from King Arthur)

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, room temperature
1.5 cups sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. instant espresso powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup cocoa
2 tbsp. sour cream
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, baking powder, espresso powder, cocoa, cinnamon and sour cream.

Beat in the eggs slowly.

Add in the flour and milk. Mix well - so that all the ingredients are combined.

Pour the batter in to the loaf pan.

Bake the cake for an hour at 350°F. You may need an additional 5-10 minutes. The cake may be a little moist on top. That's ok. Let the cake cool in the pan for a bit.

Remove the cake from the pan and let cool further.

I turned my cake into croutons. Check it out here!

Warm Berry Compote with Mocha Pound Cake Croutons and Vanilla Ice Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Today's recipe is part of the Kosher Connection link-up. The Kosher Connection is a group of food bloggers who happen to be kosher and are working hard to bring amazing flavors to the kosher community. This month's link-up theme is croutons.

When I first saw the email, I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical. What can I do with croutons that I haven't done before? I've made soup croutons before, and those were pretty awesome. I like croutons in my salad as well. Those have been done before, and I wanted to do something different. My daughter suggested cotton candy croutons. Not sure that's workable. It did lead me on a quest for sweet croutons.

I knew my croutons had to include chocolate. I came up with a mocha pound cake recipe that is perfectly suited for croutons. You can use your own favorite chocolate pound cake recipe or even a store-bought chocolate pound cake.

My original intention was to pair the croutons with a warm pudding dish. As I was discussing this dish with my family this morning, a warm compote was recommended. I've never made compote before, but I warmed up to the idea. I quickly ran over to my fruit & vegetable market and picked up some berries.

While this recipe has a few steps involved, it is totally worth it. This dessert was amazing. Will definitely make this again.

Warm Berry Compote with Mocha Pound Cake Croutons

Warm Berry Compote
Ingredients:

1 cup strawberries
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blackberries
3/4 sugar
juice of one lemon
1 tsp. corn starch mixed with 1 tsp. water

Directions for the Compote:

Place all of the ingredients, except for the corn starch slurry, in a sauce pan on the stove on medium-high. Stir everything together until the mixture begins to boil.

Once the mixture is boiling, add in the corn starch mixture.

Turn down the heat and keep cooking and stirring. The berries will begin to disintegrate and the mixture will thicken a bit. Cook the compote on medium low for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every so often. Keep the compote on low until you are ready to serve.

Chocolate/Mocha Pound Cake Croutons

Ingredients:

1/2 - prepared and cooled pound cake loaf
baking spray

Directions for the Chocolate Croutons:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Cut up the pound cake in to 1-2 inch squares.

Lay the pound cake pieces on a sprayed baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes. Flip cake squares over and bake another 4-5 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool slightly. You may notice that the cake croutons seem a bit soft when you pull them out of the oven. They will crisp up as they cool.

Serve the berry compote warm with some vanilla ice cream and the yummy chocolate croutons. Enjoy!

Asparagus and Leek Fried Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

We recently spent the day in and around Bucks County, PA. This area that stretches from the New Jersey border, near the Delaware River, is simply beautiful. Filled with beautiful farmland, old homes, and adorable little shops and wineries - there is just so much to see. As we were driving to our destination, we passed by a farm that advertised some fresh asparagus. I love asparagus! I got super excited, but we had somewhere to be. I made note of the sign and hoped that we'd be able to buy some of the good green stuff on our way home.

We stopped by the farm on our way back. At first I was disappointed to see that the place appeared "closed." On closer look though, I noticed a small little shack with open doors that appeared to have farm goods inside. I got out of the car to inspect. They had a small selection of asparagus, herbs, greens and fresh honey available. There was no shopkeeper, but all items were priced and there was a locked box to deposit your money in. Love it! I fished out a few dollars and bought some asparagus! Love this kind of shopping. Further down the road, we stopped at another farm for fresh brown eggs. It was a lovely day!

I was so excited to use this fresh and local asparagus. Earlier that morning, I had picked up some lovely fresh leeks. I love the way leek pairs well with asparagus. I was thinking about just sauteing the two as a side dish, but then it occurred to me to use the vegetables in my main dish.

Asparagus and Leek Fried Rice
Ingredients:

1 tbsp. rice bran oil or canola oil (or any other high heat friendly oil)
1 tsp. sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp. crushed fresh ginger
8 oz. chicken-style seitan (or protein of your choice)
2 leeks
1 lb. asparagus, cut to 1.5 inch pieces
4 cups cooked and cooled rice
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions:

Start by cleaning your leeks. Slice them in thin rounds and soak in cold water. The sand and grit will soak to the bottom. Blot dry with a paper towel.

In a large wok or fry pan, heat up the oil.

Add in the garlic, ginger and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes to soften a bit.

Add in the seitan chicken or any protein for that matter. Cook for two more minutes.

Add in the cleaned and trimmed leeks and asparagus. Cook for about 3-5 minutes.

Stir in the already cook rice. Mix to incorporate well.

Add in the rest of the seasonings. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring as you go. Taste and add additional seasoning as necessary. I love adding some chili pepper flakes and a squirt of sriracha when I eat it,

This dish is very versatile. Feel free to add other vegetables or change up your protein.

Enjoy!

Sesame Crusted Seared Tuna: Guest Post at This American Bite

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Thu, 09 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

I’ve been meaning to make seared tuna for a long time. Every time I head in to my local fish market, I check to see if they have a nice piece of fresh tuna available. My dad once made a fantastic piece of sesame seared tuna and ever since, I’ve wanted to recreate this dish at home.

It finally happened. I wandered in to the fish market and I saw the piece of tuna. This wild caught tuna looked perfect. I asked the shopkeeper to cut it to my specifications and I was on my way. I had everything else at home! Dinner was on its way.

With tuna, it’s important not to overcook it. If you overcook tuna, it becomes grey and hard to chew. I prefer my tuna raw, in sushi, but I also love it lightly seared. For my family members that prefer it more cooked, I sear it a few minutes longer for them. Everyone is happy.

I marinated this tuna for about 20 minutes and then coated in a sesame crust. After searing and slicing, I served over a bed of wilted spinach, along side some sushi rice.

To see the full recipe and more, head on over to This American Bite!

Jerusalem Day: Israeli Recipe Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Today is the 28th of Iyar. Also known as Yom Yerushalyim or Jerusalem Day. Have you heard of this special day? We celebrate Yom Yerushalayim or Jerusalem Day to commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem after the Six Day War. So today, we honor the soldiers who lost their lives in the war and spend the day talking about Jerusalem and what it means to us. We share memories, we sing and we dance.

For those of us not in Israel today, we can also celebrate with food. Israeli food. What's your favorite Israeli food? Falafel or Sabich? Shakshuka or maybe some Sachlab? When you think of Jerusalem, what food comes to mind?

In honor of Jerusalem Day, I want to share with you a roundup of Israeli recipes and restaurant reviews from both my site, and from around the blog world.

Do you have a favorite recipe that makes you think of Jerusalem? Post them to the comment box or send them to me at hindyg@confident-cook.com.

Thanks to The Jewish Federations of North America for sparking the idea for this blog post; they'll be featuring it on their Jerusalem Day website as a way to build buzz for their annual General Assembly, a major gathering of leaders from Jewish organizations in North America and Israel which will be in Jerusalem this November.

Drinks Banana, Dates, Milk and Honey Smoothie Limonana Strawberry Limonana	Falafel Homemade Falafel
Hummus, Tahini and Other Dips Babaganoush Homemade Hummus Hummus with Zaatar Lemony Hummus Matbucha Matbucha Madness Roasted Eggplant Dip Schug Tahini White Bean Hummus	Other Vegetarian Treats Malawach Cheese Pastries Roasted Eggplant with Israeli Salad Sabich Israeli Couscous with Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potato
Salad Cabbage Salad Israeli Salad Tabouli Beet Salad	Meat Recipes Lamb Kebabs Turkey Shawarma
Breads Pita	Desserts Chocolate Falafel Halva Halva and Pistachio Ice Cream Limonana Bars Limonana Marshmallows
Shakshuka Recipes Green Shakshuka Matbucha Shakshuka Shakshuka	Jerusalem Restaurants Dining on Emek Refaim in Jerusalem Kosher Vegetarian Restaurants Kosher Sushi in Jerusalem

Breakfast Tostadas

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:21:00 +0000

I’d love to be that kind of person who uses the term “brunch” regularly. I really want it to be part of my vocabulary. You know those people where brunch becomes a verb AND a noun in their life?

My reality is that brunch rarely happens in my life. Ever since I became a parent, I have given my mornings away to my children. I’m not complaining. I love what motherhood has given to me. I just miss my lazy Sunday mornings. Breakfast is my favorite meal and I would love for it to be leisurely – like a brunch should be.

A few years ago, I went back home to Minneapolis, a rare trip without children - to celebrate my sister’s 30th birthday. The weekend of celebrations was amazing and ended with Sunday morning brunch at a fantastic place called Hell’s Kitchen. This breakfast tostada that I’m sharing with you today is inspired by the brunch I had there. This breakfast is perfect hangover food, but also goes great with a mimosa or a bloody mary, or even a cup of coffee. Not that mothers should be condoning alcohol consumption or hangovers, right? Mothers do deserve some fun once in a while.

These breakfast tostadas would be perfect for a Mother’s Day breakfast. Most of the components can be prepared in advance and then you can save the egg prep for Sunday morning. I love layered dishes like this one.

To check out the fabulous breakfast tostada recipe and many others, head on over to JewHungry!

Spinach and Tofu Enchiladas Verde

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Several years ago, I ate a fantastic vegetarian burrito at Benny's Burritos in the West Village of Manhattan. Ever since then, I've been wanting to make something inspired by that dish. The combination of the spinach and tofu with fun spices and cheese, had a fantastic mouth feel that had me craving for something similar. I decided to turn that craving into reality with this enchilada recipe. This was a huge hit, and I wish I had doubled the recipe!

Spinach and Tofu Enchiladas Verde

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 package of tofu, drained and cubed and dried
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. chili powder
6 oz. bag baby spinach
8 whole wheat tortillas
2 cups salsa verde
2 cups Mexican blend cheese - shredded

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat up the oil in a large pan.

Pat dry the drained and cubed tofu. Add the tofu to the pan. Fry the tofu for 3-5 minutes. Flip over the tofu and cook another 3 minutes.

Add in the chopped onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes, until soft.

Once soft, add in the baby spinach and turn off the heat. Let the warmth of the other ingredients wilt the spinach.

Pour 1 cup of the salsa verde in to the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Place a few tablespoons of the spinach and tofu mixture in to a tortilla along with a sprinkle of the cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place in the pan, seam side down.

Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.

Pour the rest of the salsa verde over the rolled-up enchiladas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the enchiladas.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Seitan and Kimchi Quesadillas

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

I may be a little obsessed with kimchi these days. Well, kimchi and sriracha. I seem to be adding them to everything. Sometimes both at the same time. Just loving the flavors that they create when added to a dish.

Another thing I am loving these days is this Korean/Mexican food craze that seems to be happening at various restaurants and food trucks. Everything on the menu looks amazing.

The quesadillas I just made were inspired by some of those menus that keep popping up.

Seitan and Kimchi Quesadilla (serves 3-4 as an entree)

Ingredients:

2 tsp. canola oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 onion, onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. ginger, chopped
8 oz. seitan, sliced
1 cup vegan kimchi
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sriracha
2 tsp. hoisin sauce
1.5 cups shredded cheese - I recommend Daiya Cheddar or substitute with a Dairy Mexican blend
6 Tortillas (2 per quesadilla)
Additional 2-3 tsp. canola oil for frying the quesadilla

Directions:

Heat up the canola and sesame oil in a large pan.

Saute the chopped onions, garlic and ginger for about 3-4 minutes.

Add in the sliced seitan and cook for another 3 minutes.

Add in the kimchi and cook another two minutes.

Add in the soy sauce, sriracha and hoisin sauce and stir around so that everything is incorporated.

After a minute or two, remove from heat and set mixture aside.

Heat up the additional 2-3 teaspoons of oil in a fry pan.

Place your tortilla in the pan and layer some of the Daiya or shredded cheese then kimchi/seitan mixture then more cheese. Top with another tortilla and press down.

Let the bottom brown a bit and then flip over and brown on the other side. Each side takes just 2-3 minutes. When done, transfer to cutting board and slice in to wedges.

If you have some available, I highly recommend serving these quesadilla wedges along side some gochujang (Korean chili paste) as a dip.

Enjoy!

Honey Sriracha Glazed Tofu

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

This tofu dish was actually inspired by some chicken I prepared for my family. The other night, I set aside some chicken wings from the batch I was using for chicken soup. I had plenty for the soup and figured that if I baked them, they'd be perfect for my husband as an appetizer of sorts. As I looked in the fridge for seasoning ideas, I eyed the bottle of sriracha sitting in the door. I eyed a few other potential ingredients, and settled on this sweet and spicy sauce mixture. While I was mixing it up, I had to dip a pinky in to test the sauce. Perfection! I needed to make it again. I knew that this sauce would be perfect for baked tofu - something I often make for myself and I'm always looking for new ways to flavor simple tofu.

So, I set out to do just that on Friday. As I took the tofu out of the oven, I had a little nibble, and was so thrilled that I chose to adapt the sauce mixture for tofu. It is a perfect lunch or dinner treat and fantastic when served over rice.

Honey Sriracha Glazed Tofu

Ingredients:

1 block of extra firm tofu, drained well
3 tbsp. sriracha
3 tbsp. honey or agave for a vegan substitute
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce (omit if you can't find it)
2 tsp. crushed garlic
2 tsp. ginger paste
2 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
2 tbsp. chopped scallions

Directions:

Preheat oven to 385.

Drain the block of tofu.

Cut the tofu in to around 6-8 pieces. I sliced the tofu block in thirds crosswise and then sliced each of those pieces in thirds.

Lay the pieces on a baking sheet.

Mix up the rest of the ingredients, except for the scallions and sesame seeds, in a small bowl.

Brush the sauce mixture over the tofu, distributing it evenly.

Note: This image shows the recipe doubled.

Let the tofu marinate for around 20-30 minutes.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Flip the pieces over and bake for another 10 minutes.

Garnish with chopped scallions and sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Lemon Oregano Baked Salmon

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

My husband went to the farmer's market, where I had given him specific instructions along with a shopping list. Of course, once he got there, he improvised. He got what was on the list, and also what appealed to him. Which is totally fine. Happy to have a variety of fruits and veggies on hand - as long as we eat them.

The list included some fresh thyme. I love fresh herbs, and until my garden is ready, I have to make do with store-bought.

As I unpacked the grocery bags though, I didn't see any thyme. In place of the thyme was some fresh Oregano. I don't cook with oregano too often. I decided to make the best of it and come up with some recipes that would work with the oregano.

I had planned on salmon for dinner anyways. This Lemon Oregano Salmon just makes sense. It's very flavorful, was easy to make and everyone was happy.

Lemon Oregano Salmon
Ingredients:

2 1/2 Lemons
6 Sprigs Fresh Oregano
8 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 lb. Salmon Filet
1.5 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Slice on of the lemons in rounds and lay in a 9x13 baking pan.

Lay three of the oregano sprigs over the lemon slices. Sprinkle half of the garlic over the oregano and lemon.

Wash and dry the salmon and place the salmon over the lemon and oregano.

Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper.

Squeeze the juice of of one lemon over the salmon. Pour over the olive oil.

Chop up the remaining leaves of oregano and sprinkle over the salmon, along with the garlic.

Cover the salmon and let marinate for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to broil.

Broil the salmon for around 15 minutes. Fish should be done by then.

Serve over rice with a salad on the side.

Enjoy!

Chocolate, Caramel and Marshmallow Biscoff Cookie Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

I first encountered Biscoff cookies several years ago on a Delta flight. I immediately fell in love with these cinnamon and ginger spiced cookies. They melt in your mouth and are so fantastic with a cup of coffee. At the time, you couldn't find the cookies anywhere except for Europe and the plane. I can now purchase the cookies at my local store, and the cookie butter or Speculoos is available everywhere. It's all so good! If you haven't yet tried Biscoff or Speculoss, both the spread and the cookies, you're missing out.

I recently picked up a package of the cookies and decided I had to turn it in to something else. I love cookie bars. I came up with two different recipes. One of which I am sharing with you today.

Chocolate, Caramel and Marshmallow Biscoff Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 - 8.8 oz package Biscoff or Speculoos Cookies
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 stick Butter or Earth Balance Buttery Stick, melted

Caramel Layer:
14 oz or 1 package Kraft Caramel Squares, peeled
3 tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Marshmallow Layer:
1.5 cups Marshmallow Fluff
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. butter or Earth Balance

Chocolate Layer
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp. Earth Balance Shortening
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Place the cookies in the bowl of your food processor and process completely. Add in the brown sugar. Slowly pour in the melted butter to incorporate. Press crust ingredients in to a greased or parchment-lined 9x13 baking pan. Bake in oven for 17 minutes. Cool.

For the caramel layer, melt the caramel in a saucepan with the heavy cream. You must stir this often. You should be melting the caramel at a medium-low hear or it will burn. Once the caramels are melted, stir in the sea salt and the cinnamon.

Pour the caramel over the cooled cookie crust. Let the caramel cool completely. I recommend chilling in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

For the marshmallow layer, heat up the marshmallow fluff, cinnamon and butter in a microwave or on the stovetop. You only need about 40 seconds in the microwave so it is easily spreadable. Spread over the chilled caramel. Place back in fridge for another 30 minutes.

Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips with the shortening, stirring frequently. Stir until smooth. If the chocolate is too thick, you can thin with some additional shortening. Spread the chocolate over the chilled marshmallow. Sprinkle with the sea salt. Return to the fridge and chill for at least an hour.

Once everything is set, it's time to slice. It can get messy. Use a sharp knife. When not eating, keep these bars in the fridge for optimal conditions. These bars are very rich, so I recommend cutting in small pieces.

Enjoy!

Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles with Mock Duck

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

This month, in our Kosher Connection link-up, we are sharing "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." I had a very hard time with this. There are so many "best things" in my life of eating. Even the Food Network show breaks it up in to categories! If I could do some sort of award ceremony, I could give some special trophy for at least 10 different foods! I don't have one favorite. I love so many different dishes for so many different reasons.

I decided to share with you this one dish today. These Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles with Mock Duck are simple to prepare, and it's a dish that's pure comfort food. It has a flavor and mouth feel that I crave every so often. This dish brings me back to dinners out with my family at KinhDo Restaurant in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. One of the dishes we often got was this fabulous mock duck noodle dish. More recently, I had a noodle dish at Buddha Bodai in Chinatown that reminded me of this dish. I decided to combine the two.

I trekked out to Chinatown last week to pick up some of the ingredients. Hong Kong Supermarket, one of my favorite stores, carries a huge selection of Asian noodles and sauces that happen to be kosher. With some vegetarian oyster sauce and noodles in hand, I headed back home to make this dish. I was very happy with the results.

Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles with Mock Duck

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. canola oil
Onion
Garlic
Ginger
8 oz. Cremini Mushrooms, Sliced
10 -12 oz. of Mock Duck or Seitan, sliced up in to bite-size pieces (You can use more if you like. This is what I had on hand.)
1 package of Hong Kong Pan-Fried Noodles
3 tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
3 tbsp. Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
3 tbsp. Dark Soy Sauce
2 tsp. Crushed red chili peppers (optional)
2 cups Fresh bean sprouts
1/2 cup chopped Chinese chives

Directions:

Boil a pot of water. Cook the noodles for 1-2 minutes, then drain and rinse. The noodles are already cooked and don't need to be cooked any longer than that.

Heat up the oil in a large wok or pan.

Add in the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for 4-5 minutes.

Add in the mushrooms and mock duck or seitan. Cook for around 5 minutes, until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates.

Mix in the cooked and drained noodles. Stir to incorporate. Stir fry the noodles a bit.

In a small bowl, mix together the sauces with the crushed chili peppers.

Pour the sauce in to the noodle mixture. Stir well.

Mix in the fresh bean sprouts.

Stir fry another few minutes.

Mix in half of the chopped chives.

Garnish with the rest of the chopped chives.

Serve with some chili paste on the side.

Enjoy!

Spinach and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

One of my favorite meals is breakfast, but I rarely give it the honor it deserves. I find it hard to devote time for it. The perfect breakfast for me would be later in the morning, but leisurely. It would probably be a brunch. I don't have the patience to go beyond the coffee too early in the morning. I love eggs though, and I love other typical breakfast food.

I had an abundance of spinach in my house. So, I decided to turn some of it in to breakfast food. I came up with this breakfast casserole. I am so happy with the way it turned out. I had to share it with you.

Spinach and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:

oil spray
1 bag pre-cooked hash browns (I like to use Alexia or Simply Potatoes)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
5 oz. mushrooms, sliced (cremini, white button combo)
3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
1.5 cups shredded swiss or gruyere cheese, or a combo of both
2 tbsp. shredded parmesan cheese
8 extra-large eggs
4 tbsp. half & half
1 tsp. cayenne
2 tsp. ground pepper
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with the oil spray.

Empty the bag of the hashbrown potatoes in to the pan.

Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes.

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until you see the edges begin to brown.

When done, remove from oven.

Layer the onions and garlic, then the mushrooms and then the spinach over the potatoes.

Layer the shredded cheese over the veggie mixture.

Whisk together the eggs with the half & half and the rest of the spices. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies.

Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake in the oven at 375 for around 25-30 minutes or until the eggs are set.

Remove from oven and serve.

Enjoy!

Fresh Green Garbanzo Beans

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

I love finding new treats in my local grocery stores. We went to HMart this weekend for a post-Passover stock-up of all things Asian. It's one of our favorite stores, and when we have time, we love to wander the aisles. We love discovering new food territory for our tastebuds. My husband was browsing the produce area when he quickly ran to get me. He excitedly handed me this lovely plastic package and asked if I could do anything with it. The package held some beautiful, fresh green garbanzo beans. I quickly became excited with all of the possibilities.

Green garbanzo beans are freshly picked and harvested, unlike the traditional canned or dried yellow/tan chickpeas you can find at the store. These green chickpeas are much sweeter than the traditional variety.

What to do first? I rinsed off a bunch and plucked a few green chickpeas out of their shells and popped them in my mouth. Yum. They had a nice nuttiness and tasted very similar to fresh English peas.

I decided to sauté them in their shells and eat them like edamame. Spicing them with some sea salt, cumin and a bit of red pepper flakes. It definitely brought out the chickpea's natural flavors and made it perfect for snacking. These were very addictive and would be perfect for serving with cocktails before a meal.

I have a couple cups of the garbanzo beans left and looking forward to playing with them further.

Fresh Garbanzo Beans (Green Chickpeas)

Ingredients:

2 cups Fresh green garbanzo beans in their pods
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. cumin
additional sea salt - to taste

Directions:

Heat up a large saute pan with olive oil.

Throw in the garbanzo beans and the spices and stir a bit. Let the beans char a bit.

Cook for a few minutes, stirring to incorporate the spices.

Remove from heat and transfer to serving dish to cool

Sprinkle with a bit more sea salt.

Squeeze the bean pod in to your mouth and eat like you would edamame, discarding the shells.

Enjoy!

Product Review: Saffron Road Simmer Sauces

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:39:00 +0000

I'm so happy that Passover is over. I had a wonderful holiday, but the long week of holidays left me exhausted. I didn't really want to look at food. While some people turn to pizza or pasta for their first bite of leavened breads, my first must-have is always some warm Basmati rice. I rarely crave bread or pasta. Rice is something I could eat any day.

When I came upon the Saffron Road simmer sauces at Whole Foods, I was very excited to see that they were kosher certified. I love these kinds of flavorful sauces and usually have to make them from scratch. The fact there there were these packets of sauces and they happened to be kosher, opened a world of dinner possibilities for me. These sauce packets are flavorful and perfect for a busy weeknight.

Saffron Road recently sent me a package with all four varieties of the Simmer Sauces to try. That was a happy mail day! I had to try one of the flavors right away!

I decided to go with the Lemongrass Basil option first. I love Thai curries. Because these sauces are dairy or certified as made on dairy equipment, these could only be prepared with vegetarian proteins in my kosher home. If you don't keep kosher though, the options are endless. The Lemongrass Basil would be perfect with seafood or chicken. I prepared this dish with tofu and vegetables. The directions were easy to follow and dinner was perfect. It was ready to go in less than 10 minutes! How awesome is that! The Lemongrass Basil sauce is so flavorful and seeped in to the veggies and tofu very well.

For another dinner I prepared the Moroccan Tagine sauce. I added the sauce to a mixture of vegetables and chickpeas and then served over couscous. Again, I was surprised by the level of flavor in this dish! I didn't expect a shelf stable sauce to pack that much flavor.

Last, I tried the Tikka Masala sauce packet. I sauteed some veggies and tofu with onion and garlic. When the veggies were ready, I poured in the sauce. I had rice ready to go. Dinner took around 10 minutes to prepare. The veggies and tofu were great. The Tikka Masala has a nice heat level to it, with a bit of underlying sweetness.

All in all, these sauce packets are perfect for a busy night. If they had been certified as kosher pareve, I would have added them to some chicken, and would have expected similarly tasty results. These Saffron Road sauces are all natural and packed with flavor. I will definitely pick them up again. I am looking forward to seeing what else they have to offer.

Mom's Passover Brisket

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:56:00 +0000

Each year without fail, the day before Passover, I make a call to my mom. Not to wish her a happy Passover. I call for cooking advice and to ask how she managed to accomplish Passover for all of these years. For the past few years, I have been making Passover at home and each year I am more and more appreciative and amazed by the amount of work she puts in to each of the holidays.

This year, like years past, I put in that call. The call where I ask my mom for her Passover brisket recipe. It's been emailed multiple times, but instead of searching for the email, I get lazy and want to hear her voice, so I call her. I decided to finally put it down somewhere where I know it can be found quickly and easily. This brisket is always amazing. When cooked at a low heat for a long time, the brisket comes out amazingly moist and soft. So full of flavor. This brisket has pulled me from my mostly vegetarian diet several times over the past years. My mom's brisket is what I craved when I was pregnant with my daughter.

Passover Brisket (recipe from my dear mom, Lili G.)
Ingredients:

1 - 6 lb (or so) brisket
2 onions, sliced
1 bunch celery, sliced
6 carrots, peeled and chopped
10 cloves of garlic, smashed

Marinade:
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup ketchup or other kind of tomato based sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar or honey (you could also use some wine or marmalade in place of the sugar or honey)
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 sprigs of chopped rosemary and thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

Note: This brisket yields a lot of a gravy. So good!

Directions:

Combine marinade ingredients

Place brisket over chopped vegetables.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Mix marinade in a small mixing bowl.

Pour marinade over brisket and cover with foil. Allow to marinade for at least 4 hours.

If you refrigerate, remove and let it come to room temperature.

Set oven to 275.

Bake overnight - around 6 to 8 hours.

Refrigerate. When cold, remove fat and slice brisket thinly while still cold.

Place brisket slices back in sauce and warm in oven at a low heat.

Enjoy!

Passover Breakfast Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Our Passover morning changed one year for the better. I can't pin point exactly what year it was, but it was the year that my mom's close friend Phyllis started to bring us muffins. Until that year, we were stuck with matzoh for breakfast - or those eggy popovers. That magical year though, Phyllis brought us an amazing assortment of muffins. They tasted so good that we questioned whether or not they were actually kosher for passover.

Over the past few years that I have been making Passover in my own home, those muffins have been a staple. My kids depend on them. We have experimented with different add-ins, but the base has stayed the same. They mix up pretty quickly and everyone is happy.

Passover Blueberry Muffins (recipe from our good friend, Phyllis C.)
Recipe makes almost 2 dozen muffins
Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup cake meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup plain yogurt
2 cups blueberries or other mix-ins (we also love strawberry, raspberry chocolate chip, banana chocolate chip)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Sift together the dry ingredients in small bowl – the potato starch, cake meal, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

In a mixer, cream the softened butter with the sugar.

Add 2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bowl as you go.

Slowly mix the dry ingredients in to the eggs/sugar mixture. Fold in the 2/3 cup yogurt.

Let stand in fridge for 15 minutes.

Line muffin tins with paper muffin liners.

Place a tablespoon of muffin batter into each cup.

Mix you mix-in in to the remaining batter. Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full with blueberry batter.

Bake at 400 degrees in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Cool and remove from pans.

The Muffins freeze well. Makes 20 to 24 muffins.

*If you are looking for something gluten free or non-gebrokts for Passover, I highly recommend these muffins over at My Wife the Chef.

Oma's Cauliflower Cutlets

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 11:00:00 +0000

My Oma used to visit every Passover. She would show up a few days early to help with the cooking and cleaning and stay for a bit after. With her, came various meats from Omnitsky's as well as her standard fare of knishes, cookies and Coffee Crisp Bars. We can't go hungry after Passover is over, you know! Since the food she brought was definitely not enough, she got to work the moment she stepped in the door. From helping out with polishing the silver to putting the finishing touches on the gefilte fish loaf, she never stopped.

One standard that my grandmother and mother often make on Passover are cauliflower cutlets. It's a really tasty side dish that goes great with anything. I always knew what was coming when I would walk in to the kitchen and could smell that unmistakable aroma of steaming cauliflower. I started making these wonderful cutlets at home and it's always a hit with the family and guests.

My Oma with my younger sister and I. Around 1988 or so.

Cauliflower Cutlets
Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut in to florets

1 onion, chopped finely

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup matzoh meal or gluten free breadcrumbs (you can use regular breadcrumbs during the year)

2 eggs

1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tbsp. fresh thyme

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. paprika

Olive oil

Directions:

Cook your cauliflower in a pot of boiling, salted water. Cook until fork tender.

Drain the cauliflower and pour cold water over it to stop the cook process.

Transfer the cauliflower to a mixing bowl and mash the cauliflower with a potato masher or fork.

Add in the chopped onions, garlic and herbs and stir together.

Mix in the eggs and breadcrumbs or matzoh meal.

Add in the herbs and spices.

Form mixture in to small patties.

Heat oil in large fry pan.

Pan fry on medium high heat. A few minutes on each side. Flip when lightly browned.

Drain on paper towels.

Enjoy!

Passover Recipe Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:18:00 +0000

It's the final countdown to Passover! The food has been purchased, the counters have been covered and chicken soup has been made. I'm ready for Passover to start. Who's with me on this? I decided to get a head start and kashered my kitchen a few days early. I get a bit neurotic when it comes to planning and tend to be an early bird with everything. I feel like I can breathe now.

I wanted to share with you some Passover friendly recipe ideas that may be of interest to you. I will be sharing more Passover treats with you throughout the week so stay tuned!

Main Dishes:

Baked Salmon with a Cumin Rub
Baked Salmon Patties
Braised Chicken in White Wine Sauce
Braised Turkey with Root Veggies
Caramelized Mushroom and Onion Quiche
Parmesan Crusted Tilapia - (substitute Passover bread crumbs)
Passover Brisket
Quinoa Veggies Burgers - (In place of the rice flour, use Passover bread crumbs)
Spinach and Walnut Pesto
Vegetable Casserole - (substitute Passover bread crumbs for the panko)

Zucchini Pasta with Pesto - (Substitute other veggies for the peas)
Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Veggies

Soups:
Chicken Soup
Potato Leek Soup
Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup

Side Dishes:
Caramelized Onion Dip
Cauliflower Cutlets
Creamy Mashed Parsnips
Jalapeno Poppers
Oven Roasted Kale
Roasted Butternut Squash

Breakfast:
Passover Muffins

Sweet Treats:
Gluten Free Raspberry Tart
Macarons

Gluten Free Raspberry Chocolate Tart

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

So much about Passover, the customs and my memories - revolve around food. It goes beyond the foods that we aren't allowed to eat. I'm always thinking about what we do and can eat. I find that the easiest part about Passover are the main and side dishes. It's the desserts that are tough. What do you do when it seems like you can't eat anything? We adapt. There's always chocolate and fruit to fall back on.

Every special meal must include chocolate. I feel like that is a written rule in my book. This tart that I am sharing with you reminds me of my mom's flour-less chocolate cake that she often serves at the seder, along with some other chocolate treats I grew up with. One of my favorite flavor combinations is raspberry and chocolate. Growing up in Minneapolis, if someone brought the fabulous Raspberry Chocolate Torte from Gelpe's Bakery to the house on Shabbat - everyone was happy. Another favorite that I remember as a kid, was the Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream from Sebastian Joe's. All three of these fabulous treats were inspiration for this raspberry chocolate tart I am sharing with you. This tart will be served at one of our Yom Tov lunch meals, where we tend to feast on dairy. Happy to have a dairy dessert.

Gluten Free Raspberry Chocolate Tart
Ingredients:

For the crust:
2 cups almond meal
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. sugar

For the filling:
1 cup raspberry jam
10 oz. dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, or use good quality chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt

raspberries for garnishing

Directions:

For the crust:
Preheat over to 350°F.

Melt the butter.

Mix the almond meal, sugar and butter together in a small mixing bowl. It will be pretty crumbly.

Press the mixture in to a tart pan. Try to get up the sides as much as possible. I use a non-stick pan and do not need to butter or spray the pan. I would recommend buttering the pan a little if it doesn't have the non-stick coating.

Bake the crust in the oven for about 18-20 minutes. Check to see if the crust gets too brown.

Remove the crust from the oven and cool completely.

Note: If you want to make the crust pareve, I would recommend using coconut oil in place of the butter.

For the filling:
Heat up the heavy cream in a small sauce pan. Heat it until it just starts to boil and then remove from heat.

Place the chocolate in a small mixing bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let it sit for a few minutes. After a few minutes, whisk the chocolate completely. It should be shiny. It will thicken as it cools.

Warm the jam in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Spread the jam along the bottom of the tart crust.

Pour over the ganache filling and spread evenly with spatula. Chill in the fridge to set.

Once set, garnish with some fresh raspberries.

Serve. Enjoy!

Note: If you want to make the filling pareve, I would recommend using coconut milk or the non-dairy whipping cream in place of the heavy cream.

The No-Potato Passover: Cookbook Review and Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:00:00 +0000

It was another cookbook mail day in this house. Another day of excitement. I recently received the The No Potato Passover cookbook by Aviva Kanoff. Before this showed up at my door step, I had heard many good things about this cookbook. Just the title alone had me intrigued.

Aviva Kanoff uses this cookbook to take us on a tour of her various travels. Her food spans all cuisines, and just happens to be kosher for Passover. The book stresses that you don't have to eat a dozen eggs and a pound of potatoes to have a good and filling meal. Using whole veggies and proteins, you will not miss the potatoes. When looking for a starch, Kanoff turns to spaghetti squash and quinoa - two fabulous and healthy alternatives.

The cookbook itself is sure to please many of you. It is filled with recipes and photos. A photo is available for each recipe in the book. The book covers everything from salads to desserts. The most complicated ingredients in this book are imitation soy sauce and imitation mustard. For the most part, the recipe ingredients are easy to find. You don't need to have a specialty kosher store to make these dishes. I especially loved the variety of salad recipes. Many of the recipes are ones that I would use year-round.

One recipe that intrigued me was the Poached Peach & Chicken Salad. I definitely see myself serving this for an upcoming holiday lunch meal. I am including the recipe below.

Poached Peach & Chicken Salad
(The No Potato Passover by Aviva Kanoff, February 2013, Hardcover, $29.99)

Ingredients:

¾ cup balsamic vinegar
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Kosher salt & ground black pepper
2 peaches
(12 oz. total), halved & pitted
4½ tsp. olive oil
4 cups baby greens

Chicken:
1 lb. chicken breasts
1 tsp. salt
1½ tsp. paprika
1⁄8 tsp. garlic powder
1⁄8 tsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. rosemary
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare a medium gas or charcoal grill fire. (Note: If you don’t have a grill, you can
cook the chicken in a sauté pan in its marinade.)
2. Combine vinegar and thyme in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium
heat.
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the mixture is thick, syrupy, and
reduced to ¼ cup, about 6-9 minutes.
4. Cook peaches in the syrup for 2 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat, discard
the thyme sprigs, and season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
5. Season chicken and grill or sauté in a pan until cooked.
6. In a medium bowl, toss the baby greens with the remaining 2½ tsp. oil and season to
taste with salt and pepper. Arrange on a platter.
7. Top with the chicken and peaches. Drizzle with about 2 tbsp. of the reduced
balsamic, adding more to taste. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and remaining
juice from chicken and peaches.
Tip: Substitute chicken with 1/4 cup feta cheese for a dairy meal.

I am thrilled to let you know that I have one cookbook available for a giveaway. Don't forget to enter! You will love this book!

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Creamy Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup & Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Veggies and Cream Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:00:00 +0000

This year, Passover falls out very early in the calendar year. Most years, I am pretty put together with my Passover plans, but this year, I have put off a lot of my menu planning. The opportunity to write some recipes featuring Temp Tee cream cheese for JoyofKosher essentially got me to wake me up. Passover is right around the corner.

My seder menus are pretty easy to plan. The menu has been pretty much the same since my childhood. It's those days in between that really get you. I usually work during the intermediate days of Passover, so just like any other day, I need to come up with a fast and easy dinner. Because it's still March and we are still feeling bits of winter, we are still eating nice and warm foods right now. My Creamy Roasted Garlic & Potato Soup and my Zucchini Ribbons with Veggies and Cream Sauce are the perfect dairy dishes for weeknight dinners or lunch.

The Creamy Roasted Garlic & Potato Soup comes together easily and pretty fast. The toughest part is having to wait for the garlic to roast, which takes about a half hour. Once you have that done, it's smooth sailing. I always have vegetable broth on hand to make soups like this. The combination of the use of the immersion blender while adding the cream cheese, gives this soup an amazing creamy texture and flavor. Check out the recipe over at JoyofKosher.com.

The Zucchini Ribbons with Veggies and Cream Sauce is my answer to lack of good pasta on Passover. Nobody in my house will eat the packaged Passover potato pasta, so we improvise. Instead of making a noodle out of eggs, we look to our veggies for that texture. By using a peeler or cheese slicer, you can easily get a thin ribbon of zucchini. If you have a julienne peeler, you can achieve more of a spaghetti look and feel. I paired this dish up with whatever veggies I had on hand. The dish is easily adapted. In the past, I've simply sautéed the squash in olive oil and herbs. I wanted something richer this time around, and the Temp Tee cream cheese was the perfect addition. The cream sauce really turned this vegetable from a side dish to a dinner meal. You can check out the recipe here.

Creamy Roasted Garlic & Potato Soup Zucchini Ribbons with Veggies & Cream Sauce

Passover Made Easy: Cookbook Review & Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 00:37:00 +0000

The most exciting mail days in my house are when cookbooks happen to show up at my door. I get jittery with excitement at the prospect of new recipe ideas. I quickly open the door, put everything down and rip open the package. The excitement of a Passover cookbook is no different.

When I heard that Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek, the women behind CookKosher.com and Whisk Magazine, would be creating a Passover cookbook, I got excited. I have a few Passover cookbooks on my shelves, but nothing terribly new and innovative has joined the ranks in the past few years. I was so curious what would await. Leah Schapira's earlier cookbook, Fresh & Easy, is a fantastic cookbook with bright photos and easy to follow recipes that covered all bases. So I had high expectations. Once again, Leah Schapira did not disappoint.

This cookbook, Passover Made Easy, is filled with bright photos for every recipe in the book. It includes simple step-by-step recipes, along with plating suggestions and wine pairings. I love that this cookbook covers all bases that is sure to make the week of Passover easting much easier.

Beginning with a section on "Building Blocks," there are recipes for basics like Passover crepes and mayonnaise These simple items show up in various recipes, tweaked in to different forms, with amazing outcomes. I for one was excited about the mayonnaise. I am always disappointed by the mayo on the store shelves during Pesach. It always disappoints. Making it at home is so simple and tastes so much better! The crepes too, can be used for so many different recipes - as a noodle or sandwich wrap - or even a brisket egg roll! Fantastic!

The plating recommendations are extremely helpful. So much of Passover is spent entertaining guests at meals, that the recommendations for artfully plating the food is extremely helpful.

The recipes in this cookbook are varied and run the gamut from perfect Seder dishes like Eggplant Wrapped Chicken to casual weekday dishes like the Matzaroni & Cheese recipe. This cookbook is sure to have something for everyone. I for one am especially pleased that most of the recipes use whole ingredients, and not the processed jarred and boxed stuff on the shelves. Using fresh veggies, herbs and proteins, with very little matza meal involved is a welcome treat in my house.

I highly recommend you go out and get this cookbook. You will be happy you did.

I am pleased to be offering a giveaway of this cookbook, Passover Made Easy: Favorite Triple-Tested Recipes by Leah Schapira & Victoria Dwek. The giveaway will end next Sunday morning, March 17, so be sure to enter!

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Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Quiche with an Almond Crust

noreply@blogger.com (Hindy Garfinkel) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Just the other day, I participated in this fantastic Hamentaschen contest. I spent the early evening hours rolling out dough and shaping hamentaschen - over and over and over. So you could understand that I will not be hanging out with any rolling pins for the next long while. It was a fun day though, and the Hamentaschen were fantastic. I went the untraditional route with a caramelized onion, mushroom, garlic, thyme and gruyere filling. It just so happens that I over prepared. I made about twice the filling than was necessary. Oops. After brainstorming a bit, I decided to make a quiche with some of the leftover filling. Easy enough. But there's that pesky rolling pin involved with quiche. I don't like buying prepared crusts. I decided to put together an easy almond crust. It's gluten free and also kosher for Passover. Perfect timing. This came together very quickly and I will definitely be making this again for Pesach.

Gluten Free Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Quiche (Kosher for Passover)

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 tbsp. butter

1/2 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp. fresh thyme

1 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. ground pepper

5 cremini mushrooms, chopped

1 tbsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. ground pepper

1/3 cup shredded swiss or gruyere cheese

4 Eggs

1/3 cup milk

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground pepper

Crust:

1.5 cups almond meal

1 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. ground pepper

1 tbsp. fresh thyme

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tbsp. water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

For the filling, heat up the butter and olive oil in a pan. Add in the onions, garlic and mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes and let the liquid from the mushrooms evaporate. Add in the spices and turn heat down to medium low. Cook for around 20 minutes and let everything caramelize. Once done, set the pan aside.

Start preparing the crust. Mix all of the crust ingredients together in a small bowl. Spread the almond meal mixture in to a pie plate.

Bake the crust for 10-13 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Beat the eggs and the milk with a whisk in a small bowl. Mix in the salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the cheese on the bottom of the crust.

Top with the onion mixture. Pour the egg mixture over the onions.

Return to oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Serve quiche with a nice and hearty salad or a warm bowl of soup. Enjoy!