Author: chanie

Veal Shepherd’s Pie with Celery Root Mashed Potatoes

I love shepherd’s pie, especially in the fall, when the weather is turning cold. Warming up to a hearty one-dish meal is the perfect end to a chilly night. I was getting a little bored of the classic beef sherpherd’s pie, so I decided to reinvent it with lighter and tastier ingredients.

For inspiration, I went to my local produce store and looked around for some seasonal ingredients to help take my shepherd’s pie to the next level. The knobbly celery root (also known as celeriac) caught my eye and I was determined to find a place for the humble root vegetable. Celery root adds a delicious hint of flavor to mashed potatoes, and lightens up it’s texture. Of course, it also helps deguiltify the whole mashed potato thing altogether :)

To go along with my lightened up topping, I replaced the beef with veal – a tender calf meat that’s lighter and lower in fat than beef.  This nontraditional shepherd’s pie recipe turned out extraordinary. It might be even better than the original!

Check out the creative uses of other root vegetables in the Kosher Connection October Link-Up below!

Veal Shepherd’s Pie with Celery Root Mashed Potatoes

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1 lb. ground veal
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups beef or chicken stock
1 dried bay leaf
2 tbsp dry red wine
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large celery root, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp margarine (I used smartbeat light)
1/3 cup pareve milk (I used almond milk)
pinch of nutmeg
salt, to taste
Melted margarine or olive oil, to brush

Method:

Saute onion, carrot and celery in olive oil until golden. Add veal and stir to break up the meat. Cook until veal changes color. Add flour and stir for about 2 minutes, until combined. Add stock, bay leaf, wine, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for approximately 30 minutes, until thickened.

For the topping, add potatoes and celery root to a pot of salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Strain in a colander. Return the vegetables to the pot and mash well over a low flame. Remove from heat and mix in margarine, milk, salt and nutmeg. Taste and adjust to desired consistency and flavor.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon veal mixture into a greased baking dish (or individual baking dishes) and top with mashed potatoes. Brush with margarine or olive oil and bake until golden, about 25 minutes.

1 year ago: leftover turkey pot pie

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Rainbow Cupcakes

We all know I’m not much of a baker, but when my newsfeed got flooded with Noah rainbow crafts of all kinds, I was inspired to create something fun with my kids. All those multicolored rainbow cakes were definitely out of my league, mixing one batter is enough for me – forget 6! (not to mention all that unhealthy food coloring). Inspiration struck from my pinterest crafting board, where I pinned this cupcake idea a while back. I simplified the idea by using a simple glaze instead of a buttercream, as well as mini marshmallows instead of pastry cream. The results are absolutely adorable! Feel free to use your favorite cupcake recipe, or follow my easy no-mixer recipe below.

*In the story of Noah, G-d promised never to destroy the world again with a flood, and as a symbol of that promise, he made a rainbow appear.

Rainbow Cupcakes

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup orange juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners sugar
2-3 tbsp milk
blue food coloring
rainbow sour belt candy
mini marshmallows

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk flour, sugar and baking powder to combine. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, orange juice, oil and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into cupcake tins filled with liners, until they are 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, combine the confectioners sugar with the milk and stir until smooth. Add a few drops of food coloring, until the glaze reaches a deep sky blue. Once the cupcakes are cooled, spread the glaze over them. Allow the glaze to set for a few minutes and prepare the decorations.

For each cupcake, set aside 1 sour belt and 3 mini marshmallows. With a knife, or using your hands, pull each marshmallow apart into 2 pieces (this will expose the sticky part and help them stick together). Press 3 marshmallow halves together to form clouds. Take the sour belt candy and gently press each side into the cupcakes to form a loop. Place the clouds on each side of the rainbow, pressing down to secure it in the icing.

Yields approximatley 24 cupcakes.

1 year ago: 3 layer chocolate cake martini

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Healthy Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal


Fall has got to be my favorite season. That crisp, clean air and the colorful pallete of falling leaves just make me want to cozy up to a warm cup of apple cider. But even more than the weather, I love the fall bounty. With fruits like cranberries, apples and pears and vegetables like pumpkin, parsnips and kale – there’s so much to choose from! I can’t wait to get started on healthy comfort foods to keep my family warm all winter long. This delicious baked pumpkin oatmeal is the perfect way to get started!

Baked oatmeal is all the rage right now, with flavors like apple pie, mixed berry, banana bread, and peanut butter cup, to name just a few! But fragrant pumpkin oatmeal just takes the cake for me. It’s rich and creamy with spices of autumn – the perfect treat for any time of day, even dessert! I’ve created a healthy version with no added fat and only a small about of sugar, so it fills you up without filling you out :) You can even prepare individual portions in cupcake pans for the perfect healthy snack on the go!

If you love pumpkin, here are some other great recipes to try:

pumpkin crisp
pumpkin banana bread
pumpkin whoopie pies
Rivka’s pumpkin cake
pumpkin hamantaschen


Healthy Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

3 cups old fashioned oats
2 tbsp organic brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup craisins (optional)
3 cups milk
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
additional maple syrup, for serving

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients including the oatmeal, brown sugar, spices and craisins. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients including the milk, eggs, pumpkin, syrup and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a greased 9×13 pan and bake until set, about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.

Variation: The oatmeal may also be baked in indivual ramekin or cupcake tins, just cut down the baking time.

NOTE: The “batter” can be prepared the night before. Just refrigerate and stir before baking.

This recipe was posted on Foodie Friends Friday LinkUp Party

1 year ago: pumpkin crisp

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{Mechshie} Meat & Rice Stuffed Vegetables

Growing up in an ashkenazic home, it just wasn’t succos without my mother’s holishkes (stuffed cabbage). I had never even heard of sephardic dishes like stuffed grape leaves or eggplants until I married into a sephardic family. My mother in law loves to prepare authentic Syrian dishes like mehshie (pronounced mechshie). She stuffs everything from artichokes to onions, each with it’s own unique twist.

After being married for a few years, I finally decided to learn how to prepare some of her signature dishes, so I could make them for my husband. She lovingly shared her family recipes, teaching me how to prepare each and every dish. When two of the recipes seemed similar, I asked her why I couldn’t combine them. I soon learned that the mere thought of combining two types of stuffed vegetables was deemed sacrilegious!

Of all my mother-in-laws mehshi recipes, stuffed zucchini’s is my favorite. It’s simmered along with dried apricots in a sweet tomato broth. The apricots become melt-in-your-mouth soft, and together with the zucchini pulp, create a delicious sweet and tangy sauce. Tomato mehshi is treated in the same way, and being my husband’s favorite, I decided to combine the two in one pot. I also opted out of the dried mint, because in my world, mint and meat just don’t mix. Although this dish is a heresy to my mother-in-laws traditional culinary roots, it is a delicious modern twist on a old world custom of eating stuffed foods on the holiday of Succos. So lets get stuffing!

{Mehshi} Meat & Rice Stuffed Vegetables

2 large zucchini, cut into thirds
6 plum tomatoes

Filling:

1.5 lbs ground meat
1/2 cup rice (I prefer basmati)
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c water

Sauce:
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 can water
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups dried apricots

Method:

To prepare the filling, combine the meat, rice, allspice, salt and water in a bowl and mix well to combine (I like to do this by hand, using gloves). Try to handle the meat gently, don’t squeeze it too much as this tends to toughen it up.

Using a paring knife (or a long vegetable corer, known as a ma’vdeh), core the tomatoes and zucchinis. Place all the pulp from the insides of the vegetables in the bottom of a greased wide saucepan. Stuff the vegetables with the meat filling, taking care not to fill them too tightly as the rice will expand during cooking. Place the stuffed zucchini’s and tomatoes in the pot, and place apricots all around.

In a bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Pour the sauce over the vegetables. Cover the pot and bring the liquid up to a boil over high heat. Lower the flame and simmer for 1-2 hours. If the sauce is still liquidy, uncover the pot and cook on high until it reduces to a thick sauce.

NOTE: If you have leftover meat filling, roll it into small meatballs and place in the pot alongside the vegetables.

VARIATION: For a sephardic version, add 1 tsp of dried mint to the ground meat mixture, as well as 1/2 tsp mint to the sauce. Alternatively, you can use a few tablespoons of tamarind paste instead of the tomato sauce.

Watch me make mechshie with TorahCafe here:


Watch on TorahCafé.com!

Related Recipes:

globe zucchini mechshie with tamarind and prunes
savory baby eggplant mechshie

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New Year, New Resolutions + A Power Breakfast

I’m not one of those mother’s who stands at their son’s bris, just 8 days after giving birth, looking like they’ve just run a marathon (I mean that in the skinny sense, not in the just-been-through-labor sense). I squeezed myself into control top pantyhose, and my feet were so swollen, I could not fit them into a single pair of shoes. I still remember sending my brother to Macy’s the night before the bris to get me a pair in the next size. Alas, they did not fit on my feet either, and there I stood, dressed in my finest, with Crocs on my feet. Thankfully, I decided to make a last ditch effort and try on a pair of short boots that I had, and with a little nudging, they made it.

My son is now nearly 2 years old, and the swelling has by far subsided. But I put on a lot of weight. Unfortunately, I belong to that small percentage of women who actually gain weight while nursing, and gain weight, I did. It also didn’t help that I started my blog sometime around then, so the pounds just piled on. Yet here I am, coming on my 2 year blogoversary, and I’m proud to say that I’ve lost it – 35 lbs. and counting! I am half of the dress size I once was, and I’ve never felt better!

It wasn’t easy, let me tell you. I’ve done this a few times before. In fact, I’ve done it after every baby. But as I get older, it gets harder, and the pounds become more and more stubborn. I may not be as thin as I was before I had my kids, but I’m more fit than ever, thanks to a strict exercise regimen. When I started out my weight loss journey (if you follow my blog, you may recall this post) I was so out of shape that I started physical therapy for the pain in my knees and ankles. I tried to start walking but I could barely get through one block before my knees buckled. All that extra weight on my petite frame was just too much for my body to take. I started off going to a personal trainer, who began our sessions with low impact exercise to minimize the strain on my knees and ankles. As time went on, she upped the ante, pushing me to my limit, and not allowing me to give up when the going got tough. I hated going to those sessions, I really did. I dreaded them like a high schooler dreads a math test, but I persevered and boy am I thankful to Esther (my trainer) for pushing me.

After a few months of personal training and dieting, I wanted to change up my routine so I began taking Pilates. The Pilates instructer actually taught me french for 3 years in high school. I had met her a few months before, but she could not seem to place me. I reminded her my maiden name, and some of the classmates I was with, but she just did not remember me. When I stepped into her Pilates class, quite a number of pounds less, she immediately realized who I was. I could not believe that I had gained so much weight that it rendered me unrecognizable. Of course it became our little joke, as she teased me for being the one to kickstart my weight loss.

Pilates was, and is, a lifeline for me. It’s low impact, so I can do it even after a long day, yet it’s rewards are so much greater than the effort it requires. Pilates has helped me strengthen my core, improve my posture, and gives me a sense of overall confidence. But being a low impact exercise, it wasn’t enough to keep up with my weight loss, so I joined a running group. My running instructor, Shaina Sara, uses the pose running method, which is extremely difficult at first. That first month of running was practically torture for me and I wanted nothing more than to back out of the group. But I’m no quitter, so I pushed myself and kept going at it. I’m still a work in progress, but I have come to enjoy every run, even while it taxes my body. Running makes me feel powerful and strong, and the endorphins it releases put me in the best mood.

Following my weight loss journey, my husband finally decided to join the diet bandwagon with his facebook “run for likes” campaign. The same husband who could not wake up for anything short of a fire, is now jumping out of bed at 6 AM to pound the pavement. His determination has inspired me to keep going, even as I get tired and lazy to go for my runs.

I am sharing my journey with you because I want all of you to know that it’s never too late to get healthy and fit. I’m a food blogger, no-one loves good food more than me. If I did it, you can to! Exercising has breathed new life into me. I used to feel tired and lethargic, unable to keep up with my kids. But now I’m full of energy and I feel so strong. It doesn’t matter how much you weigh, or what size you are, you can always bump up your fitness routine and get on track to a healthier you. With the New Year upon us, I’m renewing my commitment to stay healthy and not fall back into my old ways. It’s so easy to revert back to our bad habits, but I’m going to push myself to continue to stay healthy and strong, and I hope you will too!

BIB Power Breakfast

1 toasted Ezekiel English muffin
1/2 avocado, mashed
1 tsp lemon juice
pinch of salt
2 egg whites + 1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste
1 large spoonful cottage cheese

Method:

Mash avocado and season with salt and lemon. Whisk egg whites and egg and season with salt and pepper. Scramble over low heat to desired consistency. Spread avocado on both sides of the english muffin. Top with eggs. Finish with a spoonful of cottage cheese and some freshly ground pepper.

1 year ago: couscous with thyme & honey roasted carrots, parsnips and beets

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