Shakshuka

Shakshuka is one of those dishes that rivals hummus and falafel as the national dish of Israel. It is a dish that many Israelis eat anytime of the day even though it most commonly eaten for breakfast or brunch. Even though it was brought to Israel by Tunisian Jews and other North African Jews, it is loved by all Israelis. Shakshuka is a very easy dish to make and takes no time to cook. In 20 minutes or less, you will have made a delicious and healthy meal for yourself.

Ingredients:
half an onion diced
2 cloves of minced garlic
two grated tomatoes
tablespoon sriracha sauce
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon mint
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 eggs
salt
ground black pepper
olive oil

Method:
In a frying pan, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering in the pan, add the diced onions. Cook the onions for 3 minutes. Next add the diced red bell peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Now you may add the minced garlic, oregano, and mint. Cook until the garlic is fragrant which should be about a minute. Next, add the grated tomato, water, sriracha,cumin, and allspice. Bring the sauce to a boil, and then simmer for 3 minutes. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Finally, add the raw eggs to the sauce. Cook the eggs until the egg whites have set while the yolks are still runny. If you like the yolks more cooked cook the eggs longer.

Apple Crisp for Passover

During Passover, many recipes need to be altered so as to be admissible for consumption during the holiday. One of these recipes is Apple Crisp. Instead of using flour for the topping, use matzah meal to create a delicious passover friendly version of this classic dessert.

Ingredients:

Filling:
5 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
juice of one lemon

Topping:
!/2 cup sugar
1 cup matzah meal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Method:
Grease a 9 by 15 inch baking dish. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Place the sliced apples in the baking dish. Next add the rest of the filling ingredients. Make sure to thoroughly mix the ingredients for the filling. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the topping ingredients excluding the almonds. Mix until the topping resembles coarse cornmeal. Now you can add the nuts. Sprinkle the topping over the apples in the pan. Place in the oven for baking. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pan juices start to bubble through the topping and the topping has browned. If after 30 minutes the juices are not bubbling through the topping, you can bake longer.

Mandelbrot: Passover Biscotti

One of my favorite things about Passover is having mandelbrot. Mandelbrot is a Passover friendly cookie that is a lot like biscotti. Usually mandelbrot has chocolate chips, raisins, and nuts mixed into the dough. If you know of someone with a nut allergy you may remove the nuts from the recipe and add more raisins and chocolate chips.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups matzah meal
1/2 cup matzah cake flour
1/4 cup potato starch
3/4 white sugar
1/4 brown sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup of chocolate chips and raisins

Method:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl that is large enough. Place aluminium foil on a baking tray. Spread the cookie dough evenly into 2 long shapes on the baking tray. Make sure to flatten as much as possible. Bake the mandelbrot for 20 minutes at 350°F. Remove the mandlebrot and slice while hot. Turn off the oven. Return the mandelbrot to the turned off oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes in the turned off oven remove immediately.

Passover Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

As it is Passover, there are many foods that cannot be eaten. Many of my favorite desserts cannot be eaten since they contain flour. One of those desserts is cheesecake, however there is a way to make a Passover friendly version. Using macaroons as a crust, you can create an amazingly delicious cheesecake that is Passover friendly.

Ingredients:

nonstick cooking spray

1 (10 oz.) can of chocolate chop macaroons 

2 tablespoons of melted butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 (8 oz.) bars of softened cream cheese 

Glaze: 

3 ounces good quality milk chocolate broken into small pieces

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 

Method: 

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 inch nonstick springform pan with nonstick spray. Place macaroons into a food processor. Pulse until the macaroons form into crumbs. Transfer into a medium mixing bowl. Mix in the melted butter. Press the crumbs into the prepared pan. In a stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sugar and eggs to the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared crust. Bake on the center rack uncovered for 1 hour. Turn off oven and leave the cake in the oven for an additional hour to cool. Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature. While the cake is cooling at room temperature you may prepare the chocolate glaze. Place the small pieces of quality chocolate into a medium mixing bowl. Heat the cream in a small pot until it begins to simmer. Once at a simmer, pour the cream over the chocolate. Stir the cream and chocolate until it is smooth. Using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate over the top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Run a paring knife around the rim of the cheesecake to loosen it. Release the sides of the springform pan and cut into slices for serving.

Charoset

There are many foods that are associated with the holiday of Passover. Matzah, gefilte fish, matzah ball soup, horseradish, and one of my favorites charoset. For those that do not know what charoset is, it is a mixture of nuts, grated apples, cinnamon, sugar, and red wine. It is a favorite among children and adults and is an integral part of the Passover seder. The charoset is suppose to resemble the mortar the ancient Israelites used while they were enslaved in Ancient Egypt. As a kid I remember eat bowl after bowl of charoset along with matzah ball soup at my family's Passover seder. Charoset recipes vary but this recipe is a traditional Ashkenazi style of charoset. While charoset is food most commonly associated with the holiday of Passover, it is delicious on its own and can be made anytime of the year if you have the craving. 

Ingredients: 

5 granny smith apples, peeled and cored

1 cup of chopped walnuts

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoons sweet red wine

Method: 

Using a box grater, grate the peeled and cored apples using the side with the large holes. Place the grated apples in a large mixing bowl. Add the nuts, cinnamon, and the sugar to the grated apples. Next, add the wine to the apple and nut mixture. Combine all of the ingredients until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together. Taste to see if you need to add more cinnamon, sugar, or wine. 

 

Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus as a side dish is extremely common. Most of the time, we eat it steamed or boiled. These methods of cooking might make asparagus an extremely nutritious and healthy side dish, but they do not do anything to add any additional flavor to the asparagus. By roasting the asparagus, the natural sugars found in the asparagus caramelize and create a deeper asparagus flavor versus steaming. Give roasting your asparagus a try and I am sure you will wish you had made more.

Ingredients: 

1 bundle of asparagus

1 tablespoon of canola oil 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion power 

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried mint 

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a sheet of aluminium foil on a baking tray. Wash the asparagus under cold running water. Cut off the woody ends of the asparagus. Combine the seasonings and the oil with the asparagus. Place the seasoned asparagus onto the baking tray. Roast the asparagus at 350°F for 20 minutes. 

Roasted Spaghetti Squash Seeds

Just like pumpkin seeds, you can roast spaghetti squash seeds as a healthy and low carb snack. When you are making spaghetti squash, reserve the seeds to use as a snack. Season your spaghetti squash seeds however you like and roast in a 300°F oven for 20-25 minutes. If you are on a low carb diet, this recipe is a must try.

Ingredients:
seeds from a spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon salt

Method:
Remove the seeds from the spaghetti squash. Wash the seeds under cold running water and pat dry with a paper towel. Next, preheat your oven to 300°F. Place a sheet of aluminium foil on a baking tray. In small mixing bowl, combine the spaghetti squash seeds, canola oil, and salt. Once combined, place the seeds in a single layer on the baking tray. Roast the spaghetti squash seeds at 300°F for 20-25 minutes. Be sure to stir the seeds around the baking tray halfway through the cooking process.

Spaghetti Squash

Pasta is a top ten comfort food here in the United States. Some of our favorite comfort dishes are centered around pasta such as macaroni and cheese, baked ziti, lasagna, and spaghetti and meatballs. While we love to eat pasta, we are becoming more health conscience and understand that eating pasta with great frequency is not good for our health. With low carbohydrate diets becoming very fashionable, our love of pasta must come to an end if we are to give the diet a go. For the low carb dieters that love pasta, have no fear. By using spaghetti squash, low carb dieters can eat their pasta and be on their diet at the same time. Cooking spaghetti squash is extremely easy and if you are feeding just yourself, it can last you for a few days of meals. Serve the spaghetti squash with your favorite tomato sauce for a delicious low carb pasta meal. 

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash

Method: 

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place aluminium foil on a baking tray. Wash the outside of the spaghetti squash. Be sure to poke a few holes in the spaghetti squash to avoid having the spaghetti squash explode while cooking. Roast the spaghetti squash on the foiled baking tray at 350°F for one hour. After roasting the spaghetti squash for one hour, let the squash rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes. After resting, cut along the equator of the squash. Discard the pulp while saving the seeds for roasting. Use a fork to separate the squash strands. Combine the strands of spaghetti squash with your favorite tomato sauce and enjoy your low carb pasta meal. 

Baked Salmon

One of the easiest ways to prepare salmon is to bake it. I like to dredge the salmon in seasoned breadcrumbs and then bake at a 425°F oven. This recipe is an homage to shake and bake fish.

Ingredients:
Fresh Salmon
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese


Method:
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Place aluminium foil on a baking sheet. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the seasoned bread crumbs, salt, white pepper, paprika, Parmesan cheese, canola oil, sesame oil, minced garlic, basil, and oregano. Wash the salmon under cold wash, and place the washed salmon into the mixing bowl. Coat the salmon in the bread crumb mixture completely. Spray the foiled baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the breaded salmon on the baking sheet. Place the remaining breading on top of the salmon. Bake the salmon at 425°F for 15 minutes.