Year: 2013

Pasta-Free Spinach Manicotti

This one is for all the low-carbers out there. The people with diabetes and those on restricted diets who drool over the cheese-filled pasta delicacies plastered all over their newsfeeds. You don’t have to feel deprived anymore. I’ve taken the cheesy manicotti experience and revamped it into a lighter, healthier version that is so good, you won’t even realize there’s no pasta in it!

To tell you the honest truth, I’m not the biggest pasta person. I mean, I enjoy a good plate of pasta, I do. But I’m just not one of those people who dreams about a giant bowl of penne ala vodka (duck confit ravioli, maybe). So when I’m watching my carbs, I care more about my bread-less sandwiches than my pasta-free baked ziti. And you know why? Because I always find a way around it. I’ll make spaghetti squash baked ziti, cauliflower mac ‘n cheese, cheesy stuffed mini peppers, or roasted eggplant parmesan with feta. And now, this. Oh. Em. Gee. Best reinvention to date. Seriously.

With Shavuot just a week away, think about reinventing your standard indulgent menu of french onion soup, lasagna and cheese blintzes for lighter, healthier versions of your favorite dairy dishes. You won’t be left feeling bloated and heavy, but you’ll still enjoy all the delicacies that the holiday of Shavuot offers. Lighten things up with my refreshing, palate-cleansing strawberry rhubarb soup and save your calories for a decadent dessert, coming up later this week!

No-Pasta Spinach Manicotti

large spinach leaves
manicotti filling (recipe below)
marinara sauce
shredded mozzarella

For the filling:

1 15oz. container ricotta cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
1 tsp lemon zest
salt, to taste

Method:

Mix the filling ingredients and add to a ziploc bag. Snip off the tip so that you can use as a piping bag. Set aside.

Quickly blanch the spinach leaves by dipping them in boiling hot salted water, just enough for them to wilt and then shocking them in an ice bath. Layer 3 spinach leaves on a cutting board, overlapping them slightly (you may need more or less, depending on the size of your leaves). Pipe some of the cheese filling near the ends of the spinach bed, leaving room at the sides. Fold the sides over the filling, and roll it closed, starting from the stems, to create a cigar.

Spoon some marinara sauce on the bottom of square ramekin dishes and place stuffed spinach rolls over it (however many will fit). Spoon some additional sauce over the spinach manicotti and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Repeat with remaining spinach, until you have used up all your filling.

Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is bubbly and it begins to brown and crisp up around the edges.

1 year ago: carrot muffins
2 years ago: meat lasagna

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Crockpot Mushroom Barley Stoup

It was Rachel Ray who first coined the phrase stoup, and this is a perfect example of what it is: thicker than a soup but thinner than a stew. It’s surprising that I’m posting a hearty dish like this when the weather is finally starting to warm up, but when I made this on a cold and chilly day earlier in the week, my Facepage page went gaga over it. I don’t know if it’s the whole slow cooker thing, but I definitely wasn’t expecting this soup to go viral. Not that it’s not delicious. Because, my, is it ever. With fall-off-the-bone flanken, two types of mushrooms and hearty root vegetables simmered in a thyme-scented chicken broth, this is good enough to make purely for the smell that will waft through your house for hours.

Serve with crusty bread for a whole meal in one bowl!


Crockpot Mushroom Barley Stoup

2 pieces flanken (short ribs)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 parsnips, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 container button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 container baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
5 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp soy sauce
10 cups beef or chicken broth
3/4 cup barley
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

In a hot pan, sear the flanken, browning it on all sides. Add it to the crockpot. To the same pan, add oil and saute the onion, garlic, celery, parsnip and carrots, scraping up the bits of the flanken as you go. Add to the crock pot. Saute the mushrooms (add more oil, if needed) and add to the crockpot. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

VARIATION: To make this soup pareve, omit the flanken and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

SUBSTITUTIONS:  If you don’t like thyme, you may use 2 bay leaves instead.

SHABBAT OPTION: to make this for Shabbat lunch, just add 2 cups of water or stock and cook on low overnight.

Note: If you don’t have a slow cooker, you may cook the soup in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and  simmer for approximately 2 hours, until barley and flanken are tender.

Related Recipes:
fire roasted tomato rice stoup
wild mushroom barley soup

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Quesadillas Five Ways

With Cinco de Mayo coming up, I thought it would be fun to celebrate with 5 different quesadilla recipes. I started making quesadilla’s for dinner whenever my kids are being fussy about the food I’ve made. I always keep a package of mini wraps or tortillas in the freezer, so I have a quick and easy dinner to fall back on, just in case. Once in a while, I’ll make myself one for lunch or a light dinner, adding things like pineapple & jalepeno or broccoli and cheddar. Adding fun and flavorful ingredients to a wrap can help turn a plain tortilla into a quick and easy meal that’s not just for kids!

There are 2 basic ways to prepare a quesadilla. You can either fill half the quesadilla and fold the tortilla over, or place the fillings over the whole tortilla and top it with a second one. I prefer to go the half-way route, and make a few flavors instead of one.

What are some of your favorite quesadilla flavors? Share them in the comments below!

All quesadillas are traditionally served with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. 

Broccoli-Cheddar Quesadillas

tortillas or wraps
1 package frozen brocolli stalks, blanched and drained well
1 package shredded cheddar cheese

Method:

Heat up a skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Place tortilla in the pan and sprinkle with cheese. Top half of the tortilla with broccoli stalks. Once the bottom of the tortilla has browned and the cheese has melted, fold the tortilla over and press down with a spatula. Cut into wedges and serve.

Pineapple-Jalapeno Quesadillas

tortillas or wraps
1/4 fresh pineapple, thinly sliced
2 jalapenos, thinly sliced (seeds removed, if desired)
shredded muenster cheese

Method:

Heat up a skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Place tortilla in the pan and sprinkle with cheese. Top half of the tortilla with pineapple and jalapeno slices. Once the bottom of the tortilla has browned and the cheese has melted, fold the tortilla over and press down with a spatula. Cut into wedges and serve.

Taco Quesadillas

tortillas or wraps
1 avocado, mashed and seasoned with lemon juice and salt
oven smoked mozzarella cheese
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 tomato, diced
1 small red onion, diced

Method:

Heat up a skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Place tortilla in the pan and spread a layer of avocado on it. Top with smoked mozzarella cheese. Add black beans, corn, diced tomatoes and red onion to half of the tortilla. Once the bottom of the tortilla has browned and the cheese has melted, fold the tortilla over and press down with a spatula. Cut into wedges and serve.

Mediterranean Quesadillas

tortillas or wraps
prepared pesto
black olives
roasted red peppers
feta cheese crumbles

Method:

Heat up a skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Place tortilla in the pan and spread a layer of pesto on it. Top with feta cheese. Fill half of the tortilla with olives and roasted peppers. Once the bottom of the tortilla has browned and the cheese has started melting, fold the tortilla over and press down with a spatula. Cut into wedges and serve.

Eggplant Parmesan Quesadillas

tortillas or wraps
marinara sauce
shredded mozzarella cheese
fresh basil leaves
breaded fried eggplant slices
grated parmesan

Method:

Heat up a skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Place tortilla in the pan and spread a thin layer of marinara sauce over it. Top with shredded mozzarella. Spread fresh basil leaves, eggplant slices and grated parmesan over half of the tortilla. Once the bottom of the tortilla has browned and the cheese has melted, fold the tortilla over and press down with a spatula. Cut into wedges and serve.

1 year ago: pineapple chicken & BBQ jalapeno pizza
2 years ago: BBQ pulled chicken sammies

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Braised Collard Greens Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

When I used to think of greens, I would imagine spinach, kale, and maybe some swiss chard, but collard greens were never really on my radar. I had never cooked with them, and all I knew about the large leafy vegetable was that Southern cooks like Paula Deen and The Neely’s like to eat them.

After recently graduating from the professional culinary training program at the CKCA, I made a promise to myself to be more open and willing to try new things and cook with ingredients I’ve never used before. So when I saw some bright green bunches of fresh collard greens at ShopRite the other week, I couldn’t help but take up the challenge.

I had absolutely nothing in mind – all I knew was this: Southern cooks like to stew the greens with smoky ham hocks or bacon. I wanted to keep the dish light, healthy and vegan, so I decided to do a play on the smoky factor and add some cumin and smoked paprika. Chickpeas and diced tomatoes help round out the dish, and stuffing it into roasted sweet potatoes just takes it over the top!

Since collard greens are a sturdy, tougher leaf, they benefit from cooking for long periods of time. You can prepare this dish in your crockpot for a set-it-and-forget-it weeknight meal, or serve it up as hamin, instead of a heavy cholent, on Shabbat.

I’m really proud of my first attempt at cooking with collard greens. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

Side note: I apologize for the lack of step-by-step photos. This recipe just sort of happened as I went along and I wasn’t planning on blogging about it. It was just so good that I knew I had to share!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Braised Collard Greens

1 bunch collard greens, washed well to remove dirt
1 onion, thinly sliced in half rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 28 0z. can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1-2 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste
8 organic sweet potatoes

Method:

Remove the stems from the collard greens and roughly chop. Set aside. Heat oil in a skillet and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and continue to saute until fragrant. Add cumin and paprika and saute until onions are well-coated and fragrant. Add collard greens and stir to incorporate with the onions. Add tomatoes, chickpeas and 1 cup vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 hours, adding additional stock, if needed.

For the sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Place on a baking sheet and roast until soft and syrupy, about 1 hour.

Cut a slit through the center of the sweet potatoes and stuff with braised collard greens. Serve hot.


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Breakfast Quinoa with Silan Roasted Figs

Unlike other fruits and veggies, figs have a relatively short season. They are usually available in late summer and early fall, but can also occasionally be found in short supply in early summer. They also have a short shelf life, which is probably why you won’t find them imported throughout the year. Since fresh figs are so hard to come by, I am sure to pick up a carton whenever I see them.

Figs and honey are a natural pairing, but figs and silan are like a match made in heaven. Silan is a thick syrup made from dates that’s like a cross between honey and molasses, with a taste similar to roasted sweet potato syrup (the sticky stuff that oozes out of the sweet potatoes when you roast them for a long time). Roasting the figs with silan just takes the whole fig experience to new heights, you’ll never want to eat them any other way!

What’s even better than silan roasted figs? Silan roasted figs over milky quinoa porridge! If you’ve never prepared quinoa as a breakfast cereal, you must give it a try. It’s just like oatmeal or porridge, except it’s got a bite to it. If you’re a fan of quinoa, try preparing it with milk instead of water, and adding sweet additions like apple-cinnamon, maple-brown-sugar, or this fabulous topping of fresh figs & silan. You’ll be making quinoa for breakfast a lot more often!

Breakfast Quinoa

2 cups milk
1 cup quinoa
pinch of salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
silan roasted figs (recipe follows)
warm milk, for serving

Method:

Thoroughly rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and drain well. Bring milk to a slow boil, stirring occasionally to ensure that it doesn’t burn. Add quinoa and salt. Cover the pot and simmer for 12 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon and continue to cook for another 6-8 minutes until milk is mostly absorbed and quinoa is the consistency of creamy porridge.

Spoon quinoa into serving bowls and pour over some warm milk. Top with silan roasted figs and drizzle with additional silan.

Silan Roasted Figs

1 container figs, trimmed and halved or quartered
silan
sea salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle figs with silan and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until caramelized and browned around the edges.


1 year ago: carrot muffins
2 years ago: berry sorbet with fresh pomegranates and blueberries

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