Author: chanie

Tuna Salad with a Twist


I’m definitely a tuna person. Cream cheese? not so much. Lox, not a chance! So tuna is bound to show up on my lunch menu quite often. I like my tuna 2 ways: albacore, and in water. I like to mix up my recipes so it doesn’t get too boring.

To prepare tuna, I start with an empty sink and a pair of gloves! I drain the can of water and empty the tuna into a bowl. Then, using my hands (remember, I’m wearing gloves), I break the tuna apart, so that I end up with perfect flakes that are not too ground, nor too chunky.

Classic tuna with mayo always works, but adding additional ingredients turns it into a salad for a complete meal when served with crackers, rice cakes, or cucumber slices. Sometimes I add a bit of harrisa and lemon for a quick and easy spicy tuna. Other times I’ll mix it into some pasta for a heartier dish, or into salad nicoise – an all time favorite. In this recipe, I use a surprise ingredient which really ups the ante from traditional tuna salad, to something out of this world! What is it? Golden raisins! It may sound weird at first, but I urge you to give it a try. You’ll be pleasantly surprised!

To make these fun cucumber rolls, just slice english cucumbers or zucchini lengthwise, very thin (preferably using a mandoline, but it can be done by hand or with a peeler). Put a spoonful of tuna salad about an inch away from either end. Roll the end over the tuna, and continue to roll up. Fasten with a toothpick. NOTE: If you slice the cucumbers paper thin, you won’t need a toothpick, they will stay closed on their own.

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Asian {Bigger} Bowl Soup


When it comes to food, we’re texture-people in my house. I’ve got no use for a hand blender ‘cuz my husband and kids will not touch those creamy-as-baby-food soups. I’m good with any soup, but if it’s a family affair, I have to scoop out half of the vegetables before I puree, and add them back to the pot. There has got to be a “bite” in there, otherwise it just doesn’t fly. Asian big bowl soup has become a family favorite. I like to call it “Bigger” bowl because I load the soup up on tons of extras for some serious crunch and flavor. We especially love the addition of water chestnuts and bamboo shoots strips. They stay amazingly crunchy, even after sitting or rewarming!

I love making this soup for Shabbos on these late Friday nights. We don’t end up making kiddush until sometime after nine (more like closer to ten), and my husband and I are half-asleep at the table. The soup covers both the 2nd and 3rd course, being chock full of chicken, pasta and vegetables in a yummy broth. I have one big bowl of the stuff and I am ready for bed!

I found the original recipe in Susie Fishbeins’s Kosher by Design Short on Time cookbook (the only one I really use from her collection). I’ve adapted it to include lots of different veggies. Usually, I just go through my vegetable bin to check what’s on its way out. Since the veggies are going into a soup anyway, it doesn’t really matter if they aren’t fresh. Go ahead and use whatever suits your taste. You can also experiment with pasta in this dish. I’ve used linguini, udon noodles, even rice! It’s a “big bowl soup” after all, so go ahead and fill it up!

NOTE: Since we are lightening up this week, I have to mention that you can definitely leave out the ramen noodles. They are fun, and my kids love them, but for DH and I, we skip the extra calories.

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Spice-Crusted Chicken

There is no one on this earth that cannot make this recipe. It’s that easy. Well maybe not no one – you’ve got to have an oven, chicken, and a few basic spices. If you’ve got that, and you’ve never cooked anything other than eggs in your life, you can do this.

This has to be my #1 go-to recipe for a quick weekday dinner. It’s got tons of flavor with minimal effort, and it pleases even the most discriminating palette. I like to make this recipe when I’m cooking dinner for our local Bikur Cholim because I’m pretty sure anyone who will eat chicken will eat it.

What makes this chicken so good? Well for one, it’s baked in it’s skin, keeping the chicken nice and moist. Baking it on a high temperature (400 degrees), with the help of some olive oil, makes the skin super crispy, and all those spices get toasted to perfection.

Here’s the best part. If you’re on one of those low-carb or no-sugar diets like atkins or south beach, you can make yourself a super flavorful dinner without store-bought BBQ sauce that is so full of carbs. If you are watching your fat intake as well, don’t eat the skin, but feel free to scrape off the yummy spices and spread it on your chicken. If dieting is not on your agenda, go ahead and sop up all the drippings from the bottom of the pan, they are seriously delicious!

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Busy in Brooklyn Lightens Up

At least for this week! :) After all that cheesecake, lasagna and blintzes, I think we all need to lighten up our menu’s just a bit. My husband decided to join the diet bandwagon as well, and I wanted to make him feel good about it. I figured for his first day of dieting, I would treat him to a special dinner. But not just any dinner. A dinner that would show him that you can have your fast food and eat it too!

This was my plan – make his favorite fast food, have it look delicious, taste even better, and keep it lighter than the deep-fried version!

The Steak Santiago sandwich from Subsational is among my husband’s favorites. It includes rib steak with lettuce, tomato, onion and their spicy mayo. To lighten this up, I made an open-face sandwich on a half of a whole wheat baguette with lean sandwich steak, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and sauteed onions. I whipped up some easy garlic mayo with a lowfat canola variety.

Next, onto the fries. Of course fried anything was out of the question. And I had to give the potatoes the boot as well. Instead, I roasted some butternut squash fries with some chili powder and smoked paprika. They came out delicious.

Finally, just for fun I had to throw in a few chicken nuggets. I dipped a few pieces of chicken breasts into light olive oil and flavored corn flake crumbs and baked until crispy (about 15 minutes at 400 degrees – 8 minutes on one side, 5 on the other).

Needless to say, my husband was more than satisfied with this lightened up version of his favorite fast food. Of course I won’t be doing this regularly, but it’s good to know that our favorite comfort foods can still be eaten, albeit on special occasions, and a little on the lighter side!

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Strawberry Rhubarb Soup


Strawberries and rhubarb are as fresh and delightful as the spring air they herald. They pair wonderfully in recipes and add a burst of color as well as tang. The natural sweetness of the strawberries lends itself well to rhubarb’s tartness for a perfect balance of flavors.

While many people opt for a creamy potato leek soup, or a cheesy french onion soup for their dairy Shavuous meal, I like to take advantage of the fresh seasonal fruits for a cold and refreshing fruit soup. Think about it – you’ve got steaming lasagna coming, and lots of rich and creamy cheesecake for dessert, who needs another heavy plate of soup? This light and refreshing soup makes the perfect starter.

NOTE: the leaves of a rhubarb plant contain oxalic acid and can be toxic. While many stores sell the stalks already trimmed, make sure all the leaves are removed before using.

With minor tweaking, you can also use this recipe as an ice cream sauce or compote, see below for details.

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