Author: chanie

Low Carb Portobello Pizza

Every once in a while, I like to take a break from eating too much carbs. They just make me so tired and lethargic. Stopping to eat them also makes me tired and lethargic. But after I get over those first few days of transitioning, I am high-energy and light on my feet.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been battling my weight. You name the diet and I’ve probably tried it. Weight watchers (meetings and all), check. Suzanne Somers, check. Atkins, check. South Beach, triple check. The Low GI Diet, check. My Own Version of a Diet, quadruple check. The Seafood ie SEE FOOD Diet, yeah!! lol. Through all my dieting, I have definitely learned about my body, and I found that the diets that work best for me are the low (but not NO) carb diets. “No” carb diets definitely take off the pounds, but the second you go off of it, you gain everything back. “Low” carb diets, on the other hand, help you regulate your blood sugar so that you don’t have cravings and you stay full for longer. You don’t feel deprived since you can incorporate some healthy carbs.

I learned to swap certain foods for their healthier counterparts, as opposed to eliminating them altogether and feeling deprived (which only leads to cravings and cheating). For instance, I’ll have a small baked sweet potato, instead of  mashed potatoes. Or if I really want to be good, mashed cauliflower. Since I absolutely LOVE pizza (who doesn’t), I sometimes substitute Tumaro’s Gourmet LOW CARB Tortilla’s for the crust (or you can use 1/2 of a whole wheat pita) or, my all time favorite recipe – portobello mushroom pizza.

Portobello mushrooms are so meaty and hearty. They work great in this recipe because they really fill you up, without filling you out! You can get creative with toppings, using onions, peppers, or whatever you would put on traditional pizza. I love the taste of the spinach because I almost feel like I’m eating lasagna.

Portobello Mushroom Pizza

1 portobello mushroom
marinara sauce of your choice (or plain tomato sauce for even less carbs)
1 handful of thawed frozen spinach
oregano
garlic powder
shredded mozzarella cheese

Method:

Preheat your toaster oven to 400. Line your oven tray with foil and grease with cooking spray. Turn mushroom upside down and remove stem. Clean with a damp paper towel (never wash mushrooms, they absorb all the water). Pour some marinara sauce into the cavity. Squeeze the thawed spinach so that there is no excess water and spread on top of marinara sauce. Sprinkle with garlic powder and oregano. Top with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If needed, toast or broil for 1-2 minutes to crisp up the cheese.

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Sangria Sunday


In the spirit of Chodesh Adar, I decided to throw a Sunday Fun Day Party here, with a recipe for delicious light and fruity sangria, and some kick-off-your-shoes music! First things first…the sangria!  Sangria is a chilled Spanish drink, typically made using red wine, sugar, juice and seltzer. It is sometimes laced with brandy and/or liquor. It can be made with a range of fruits to soak up all the delicious flavors. I wanted to make something for the ladies out there so I played around with measurements, and this one isn’t too heavy or too sweet, it’s just right!

Sangria

1 bottle of Matiz Rioja (Spanish table wine) or any fruity dry wine
1/2 cup brandy
1 shot of peach shnapps
1 cup orange juice
2 cups ginger ale
1/4 cup simple syrup – How to make simple syrup
1 mango, diced into small chunks
1 apple, diced into small chunks
1 orange, segmented – How to Segment an Orange
1 cup grapes, halved
Sliced lemons and limes for serving

How to:

Sangria requires the use of simple syrup. Simple syrup is a liquid form of sugar which can also be referred to as sugar syrup or sugar water. It’s a sweetening agent used by bars and coffee shops, and is best used when making cold homemade beverages that require a sweetener (since sugar can’t dissolve easily in a cold beverage).

Cut up fruit and add it to the pitcher. Pour wine, brandy, shnapps, orange juice, ginger ale and cooled simple syrup into pitcher. Refrigerate to chill and allow flavors to blend. The longer the Sangria sits, the better it tastes (try refrigerating it for 24 hours!).

To serve, spoon some fruit into a glass. Pour Sangria over fruit and garnish with a sliced lemon in the cup and a lime on the rim. If you choose, you can add the lemons and limes into the pitcher. I prefer not to do this, because if it sits for too long, the bitter rind seeps into the drink and it becomes undrinkable.

Now for the music! Where oh where do I start. It’s Adar and I’m sure you’re all familiar with the phrase “Mishenichnas Adar Marbim B’simcha.” I’m not sure how literal I’ve taken that in the past few years (or since I’ve been a teenager). Adar nowadays has me scurrying about for Shalach Manos for family and friends, gifts for teachers, costumes and shalach manos for the kids. When do I ever take a minute to breath and just, I dont know…dance?! Yeah, that’s right, dance! And I’m the type who barely dances at weddings. Someone has to pull me by the hand and drag me into the middle of the circle for that awkward moment when you dance with the kallah, and you have nothing in the world to say to her (you ALL know what I mean!). I’m the one standing outside the circle, trying to look busy, or out searching for a bottle of wine! So, you know what? Being as I’m such a horrible dancer (I once took “wedding dance classes” and when everyone was following the instructor to the right, I was going to the left), the one place I can let loose is at home, where no one over the age of four can see me (and yes, even my four year old dances better than me!).

Now what can get me, the ultimate bad dancer to kick off my shoes and move to the beat? Some unbelievably good music. And that’s what I got! My amazing sister-in-law, Chanie, just bought me the new EIG8TH DAY CD, CHASING PROPHECY. I’m a huge fan of Eighth Day and their eclectic music. It’s bluesy and chassidic all at the same time. And their poetic lyrics are so full of soul! Chasing Prophecy is by far their best CD yet. I love EVERY SINGLE song. I have been listening to it over and over and over again, and I just love it more and more with each time. And yes! It made me kick off my shoes and dance! Like a little girl, I swirled around, and grabbed my kids by the hands. They looked at me like I fell off the moon. Because for once, just once, I let all my inhibitions go, and I danced like a free bird with not a care in the world. And you know what? it felt SO GOOD! As for my kids, they giggled and giggled and are wishing on their lucky Adar stars that these happy months of candy, costumes and dancing mommies never come to an end. And so too, am I. Happy Dancing!

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Sushi Salad

This is one of those recipes that is super easy, delicious, and gets finished to the last drop every time I make it. I serve it often for Shabbos lunch and my guests absolutely love it. You can prepare the rice before Shabbos, put it in a Ziploc bag, and take it out two hours before plating.

I really dislike the taste of mock-crab. I find it spongy. If you like it, definitely go ahead and add it to the salad. You can also flake some cooked salmon on top. If you’re brave, and go for raw fish, go ahead and add that. Lox is also a good idea. I once chopped up some baked fish sticks and sprinkled it on top for an added crunch (think tempura crumbs on sushi). Or, serve alongside fried flounder.

Check out my other version of sushi salad here.

Sushi Salad

2 cups sushi rice
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 sheets nori
1 handful shredded carrots
1 avocado, cubed
3 Persian cucumbers, peeled and diced into tiny pieces (like you’d find inside a sushi roll)
black & white roasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Gold’s wasabi sauce

Method:

Rinse the sushi rice until water runs clear. Soak rice in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes. Add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil. Stir once. Cover with lid. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand in covered pot for 10 minutes. Pour 2 tablespoons rice vinegar over rice and mix. Put into a Ziploc bag and refrigerate, or use immediately (when it comes to room temperature).

For the nori, with tongs, hold a sheet of nori over a low flame, moving it slowly over the flame to toast it. Be careful not to hold it too close or it will burn. Tear the nori into bite size pieces.

To plate, spread the rice out on a large platter. Top with nori. Sprinkle shredded carrots, and then avocado cubes. Finally, top with cucumber bits and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds (you can buy the Freunds or roast them in the oven yourself). Mix the wasabi and soy sauce together and pour over salad.

Believe it or not, a couple of years ago, I actually made these for Shalach Manos. I prepared everything ahead of time. Something like 10 cups of sushi rice. Bags and bags of diced cucumbers. And of course, the heaven-sent store-bought shredded carrots. I didn’t use avocado because of the browning. I bought these great black square plates (and some other asian-inspired ones) and started plating. It took hours. Maybe if I wasn’t such a perfectionist, things would have went a bit faster. It was crazy. I would never do it again. I sent chopsticks and my wasabi-soy dressing. I printed out the recipe and called it “SHUSHAN SHUSHI SALAD” (now try saying that five times in a row!). The end product was so cute and a great mishloach manos, but unless you only plan on making a few, I wouldn’t recommend it!

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The New Chic Ear Warmer


It was Whitney Port, from “The City” who popularized the updated Ear Warmer look in 2009. Anthropologie was the first to introduce the modernized version, in a knitted light-grey tone, called the “Roaring Rose Headwrap.” Now these bands are all the rage, available in stores and online, in every color and style. I’ve made a few in the last year, both knit and crochet. They are incredibly easy to make and warm too!

I like the monochromatic look with the headbands, but I did make my daughters a colorful one to go with one of their skirts. It really completed the outfit (see pictures below). Go ahead and experiment with different color flowers and embellishments.

Ear Warmers

How to:

First make a 1″ square to check your gauge. You’ll want to see how many stitches you need for the width of the band. Using worsted weight yarn and a size G hook, I like how 14 stitches look. You can also experiment with single, double, or half double crochet etc. to make the band. I like to use the hdc stitch since it allows me to finish faster, but its not as open-worked as a double crochet. Everyone’s head sizes differently. You will need approximately 30 rows, but try the headband on as you go to see if you need more or less.

ROW 1: Ch14.
ROW 2: hdc in each st across, turn
ROW 3-30: repeat row 2
Join and sew in ends.

For a finished look, you can sl stitch around the sides of the headwrap, using the same, or a contrasting color.

If you’d like, you can also crochet your headwrap so that it gets smaller around the back. To do this, start off with about 4 stitches, then increase your stitches by one at the end of each row. When you reach 14, continue to crochet 14 stitches for 10 rows (or more, if needed to fit around your head). Then, start to decrease your stitches by one at the end of each row until you reach 4 again. Join.

For the flower, follow the pattern in the Shell Stitch Crochet Hat post.

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Leftover Chicken Soup Pot Pie

I’ve got to hand this one over to my favorite Facebook page, “Whats for Supper” (introduced to me by my sister-in-law CR), which was started by two sisters, Chava and Naomie (from what I gather anyway). As the name suggests, each day, they post what they are making for supper, and invite all their followers to do the same. Naomie sometimes suggests interested cooking tips, and the health benefits of various foods. They’ve created a family atmosphere, a place to shmooze about more than just food!

Now back to the food. In one post, a little while back, they offered suggestions of what to do with leftover chicken soup. I always have leftover soup, and it kills me to throw it away! Only one of the recipes appealed to me, and that was chicken pot pie. The delicious, creamy comfort food that we all love (and you thought it couldn’t get any comfier than chicken soup) is surprisingly easy to make. Making chicken pot pie using leftover chicken soup seemed a bit “off” at first, but once I tried it, I couldn’t help but make it again the next week. And it just keeps getting better. If you don’t like the sound of it, you can go ahead and boil up some chicken and carrots from scratch.

If you have other vegetables in your soup, like celery, parsnips etc. feel free to add them. (Almost) anything goes!

Leftover Chicken Soup Pot Pie

1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock (leftover from soup)
1/2 tsp dried thyme or rosemary
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
leftover chicken from chicken soup, cut into 1 inch dice
(or 2-3 pieces of cooked chicken)
leftover carrots from chicken soup
(or 1 large cooked carrots, diced)
1 potato, boiled and cut into a small dice
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 sheet puff pastry or puff pastry squares for individual pies , thawed
1 egg, beaten

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and add onion, saute until translucent, add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and continue to saute until the flour starts to take on some color. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer, whisking as it cooks to incorporate the flour. Season with herbs, salt and pepper. Add chicken, carrots,  potato and peas and stir to incorporate. Pour into an pie dish (or individual dishes) and cover with puff pastry (stretch lightly if necessary). Seal well and place on a baking sheet. Brush the puff pastry with egg. Make a few slits in the pastry to allow steam to escape when baking. Bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes.

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