Category: Diet

Spicy Roasted Carrot Fries

It’s been such a pleasure having some of my favorite peeps guest post on my blog the past few weeks! I think the part I appreciate the most is how they all put so much thought into making something that was so ME. Amy made shakshuka which is one of my favorite foods. Sina made Paleo cookies ‘cuz I’m a Paleo enthusiast who could eat cookies at every meal. Melissa made a deconstructed bakba (that went crazy viral!) ‘cuz I’m all about putting my fun twist on traditional foods. And Miriam whipped out her spiralizer because as many of you know, it’s my favorite kitchen gadget!

I’m sure most of you already know Miriam, the famous blogger from one of the most popular blogs out there – Overtime Cook. If you live in a far off country without internet, and you haven’t yet made it to her blog [in which case, why would you be reading this? But lets not get technical here ;)], you’ve probably seen her amazing cookbook, Something Sweet. Whenever I’m looking for a dessert on the weekend, or a treat for my guests, that’s the cookbook I go to – hands down. And whatever I make is always a winner! Besides being an awesome baker, Miriam likes to create simple healthy dishes and I’m so grateful that she’s sharing one of them with you today!

Welcome Miriam!

Hey Busy in Brooklyn readers! I’m so excited to be guest posting here while Chanie enjoys some special time with her gorgeous new baby! My name is Miriam Pascal, and you might know me from my blog, Overtime Cook, or from my cookbook, Something Sweet. And although my cookbook is all about desserts, I love to make simple and easy real food recipes as well, which brings me to these curly carrot fries.

When I was wracking my brains, trying to think of a good recipe to share here on Chanie’s blog, I immediately thought of a recipe using a spiralizer. I think we all know how much Chanie likes to use one – right?! Well one of the great benefits of a spiralizer, aside from the ability to make zoodles and other spaghetti shaped veggies, is the ability to make super-fun curly shapes out of potatoes or veggies.

Did you grow up on those frozen curly fries? I know I did. These Curly Carrot Fries are a perfect way to enjoy that nostalgic memory without all the extra calories. They’re baked, not fried, plus they’re made out of carrot instead of potatoes. Oh, and did I mention the blend of savory and sweet flavors thanks to the spice mix?

I should warn you that you might want to double this recipe….or else the whole tray might get noshed on before you even get to the table!

Pssst… I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but Rosh Hashanah is closer than you want to think, so put these carrots on your menu!

Spicy Roasted Carrot Fries

6 medium carrots, peeled
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Prepared tahini sauce, optional, for dipping

Method:

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Use a spiralizer to cut carrots into curly “spaghetti” shapes and place into a bowl. Cut the leftover cores into thin strips and add to bowl. Add oil, salt, garlic, cumin, chili and cinnamon to the bowl. Toss until all carrots are fully coated.

Spread carrots over the prepared baking sheet and bake at 425 for 35-45 minutes, until the carrots are starting to brown and turn crispy. Serve hot, with tahini, if using.

Plan Ahead: These are best straight from the oven, but can be reheated just like they cooked – flat on a cookie sheet, uncovered. They’re also really good served at room temperature.

Related Recipes:

gluten free zucchini fries
butternut squash fries
veal marsala with turnip noodles
cheesy zoodle marinara

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Beet, Kale & Goat Cheese Shakshuka

I’m super excited to start off my guest posts with a recipe by the talented, creative and adorable Amy from WhatJewWannaEat! Amy and I met through the close-knit kosher blogging community and we share a love of creating fun twists on traditional Jewish foods. Amy is all about putting the JEW in everything, and her bagel posts on Insta always make me hungry! The girl knows the way to my heart (or should I say, my stomach?) ‘cuz she put her own spin on one of my all time favorite dishes, shakshuka! I can’t wait to cook up this dish, and with the Nine Days upon us, there’s no better time to Jew it. (see what I did there Amy?!)

For more great recipes for The Nine Days, check out my Nine Days category, browse my Pinterest board, or scan through the dairy and fish categories in the index!

If you want to win a copy of Amy’s soon-to-be-released cookbook, Sweet Noshings, plus a bonus gift from ModernTribe, don’t forget to enter my GUEST BLOGGER CONTEST! More details here.

Shalom, y’all! I’m Amy from What Jew Wanna Eat, and I’m pumped to share a recipe over on Busy in Brooklyn today. On WJWE, I blog about modern takes on classic Jewish recipes, like Sumac Roasted Salmon or Chocolate Cardamom Halvah, and my first cookbook Sweet Noshings comes out in just a few weeks! I am also the owner of ModernTribe, an online shop for fun Jewish gifts. So I’m busy, but not as busy as Chanie. I’m impressed how she cares for five children all while running her popular blog and doing numerous cooking demos. So I was thrilled to help out when she asked me to guest post on BIB.

I’ve loved following Chanie for years for creative, sophisticated kosher recipes (like Cauliflower Nachos with Harissa Cheddar Sauce or Drunken Hasselback Salami) and daily eats/impressive Shabbat prep on her Instagram. Because I live in Austin, TX, I was online friends with Chanie before finally meeting her when I was in NYC last year. Now we are Internet and real life friends!

Chanie is an expert at using ingredients in surprising ways (Corndog Hamantaschen anyone?), and I love how she incorporates healthy elements into so many of her recipes. With it being the Nine Days, I wanted to create a healthy, hearty and dairy dish to share with y’all. Chanie has made a few versions of shakshuka over the years, so I thought I would offer my own! I love taking classic favorites, and putting my own twist in them, so I added earthy beets, kale and tangy goat cheese for lots of added color and nutrients to your basic shakshuka (which I also love). If you try this recipe, I’d love to see it over on Instagram!

Beet, Kale and Goat Cheese Shakshuka

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups beets (can be a mix of yellow and red), peeled and diced
¼ cup white onion, diced
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 ½ pound fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced (or 1 ½ 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes)
1 cup kale leaves, packed
¼ cup goat cheese
3-6 eggs (up to you!)
Cilantro for garnish
Crusty bread or pita for dipping

Method:

In a large sauté or cast iron pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add in beets and onion with ½ teaspoon of salt and sauté for 5-6 minutes until slightly soft. Then add in garlic and sauté for one more minute.
Add in cumin and red pepper flakes and stir. Then add in tomatoes and simmer uncovered until sauce is thick and beets are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add more salt if desired. Then add in kale and stir to wilt.
Crack eggs one at a time into a ramekin and then gently pour each one into an egg-sized hole you make in the shakshuka, evenly spaced around the pan. This method helps the eggs keep their shape. Simmer eggs for about 5 minutes until the whites are just set. They will continue to cook from the heat of the pan.
Dollop with goat cheese, garnish with cilantro, and serve with crusty bread right out of the pan!

Related Recipes:

zoodle shakshuka
garbanzo bean shakshuka
spaghetti squash shakshuka
portobello shakshuka
quick and easy shakshuka

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Grilled Chicken Salad with
Jalapeno Honey Mustard Dressing

It was one of those nights, after many days of eating the wrong foods (read: fried, takeout, you-name-it), when I decided I needed to eat a salad for dinner. Luckily, we always have a stash of oven grilled chicken in the fridge (see my super easy recipe below!), so I just threw together whatever I had in the fridge and pantry and this salad was born. I’ve been making this dressing forever, so that wasn’t exactly an afterthought, but it turned out to be the perfect compliment to the composed salad dish.

If you’re an avid follower of mine, you already know that I post almost everything I eat on Instagram (whenever people stop me in the street to ask me what I’m up to foodwise, I just tell them to follow me there, ‘cuz I post just about everything that goes into my mouth!!), so when I whip together a healthy salad for dinner, I try to plate it up nice and pretty, you know, #eatingfortheinsta. So I fanned out my avocado all  fancy and stuff, and the recipe requests poured in. Next thing I know, my inbox is filled with pics of this salad – all composed and perfect, and this recipe-afterthought became an instant sensation.

The dressing is a hit in it’s own right, and lots of readers have told me it’s become a family favorite. So…I finally decided it was time to blog about it! As a recent text message from a reader reminded me, not everyone uses Facebook or Instagram, so I gotta think about the readers that just come here for the good stuff. Rikal, this is for you ;) !

If you’re not a fan of composed salads (salads that have been neatly arranged on a platter, like this), then just go ahead and and mix everything up in a big ‘ole bowl. I promise it’s just as delicious!

Happy Grilling you guys! Check out the links below for lots of other grilled chicken salad recipes that are perfect for summer or when you get that healthy-eating-binge!

Grilled Chicken Salad

1/2 head napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1-2 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 avocado, diced
1/3 cup cashews
handful of golden raisins, optional
2 grilled chicken breasts, thinly sliced (recipe follows)

On a platter, spread out the cabbage. Top with broccoli florets, avocado, cashews, raisins and chicken and drizzle with jalapeno honey mustard dressing.

NOTE: You may use raw broccoli or thawed frozen broccoli and roasted or raw cashews.

Easy Grilled Chicken

2 chicken breasts
Montreal steak seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste (optional, the steak seasoning is salty)
olive oil

Drizzle olive oil over chicken and sprinkle generously with Montreal steak seasoning. Grill or broil on high for approximately 5-6 minutes per side.(depending on thickness)

Jalapeno Honey Mustard Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
1 small jalapeno, veins and seeds removed
1 clove garlic

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

NOTE: You may use dijon or yellow mustard. The dijon will be slightly creamier, while the yellow mustard will have a sharper mustard flavor.

#eatingfortheinsta!

Related Recipes:

grilled chicken shawarma salad
grilled marinated chicken
Asian chicken salad
sesame linguini with marinated chicken breasts

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Mixed Berry Frozen Yogurt Bark

The 4th of July holiday weekend is just around the corner and have I got the coolest (pun intended) recipe for you! Creamy, crunchy, sweet, tart, and incredibly refreshing frozen yogurt bark, and it’s red, white and blue too!

If you’ve missed out the frozen yogurt bark trend, it’s a new, fun way to enjoy your favorite yogurt. Forget banana ice cream, frozen Greek yogurt confections are what’s hot! I love that there are endless possibilities – from the yogurt base, to the assorted toppings, there is SO much you can do.

With my patriotic spirit in mind, I went with a mix of berries and added granola for crunch. You can use fresh or frozen, which makes this super easy, and store-bought or homemade granola – so basically, this bark practically makes itself. And with a full summer ahead, we all love those types of recipes! Especially when they’re healthy, refreshing, and cold (have you BEEN outside lately?!).

These recipes aren’t just fun for me, they’re actually a necessity. You see, I don’t tolerate the heat very well (which is why, while I love my family in Florida, I would NEVER move there) and from what I hear, NYC is in for a HOT summer. If I could haul around a freezer of ice chips on my back, I probably would, but I have to settle for light and cold foods instead. I HATE cooking in the summer and with a baby coming soon (aaahhh!!), I hate it even more. Any tips for surviving the heat this season? I’m all ears.

In the meantime, it’s going to be lots of yogurt and fruit for me, which is great, because that’s exactly what I’m craving. I love Norman’s line of thick, creamy Greek yogurts but my favorite of all time is their guava yogurt. I can literally eat it for breakfast, lunch and ice cream. Oh wait, is ice cream not a meal? It is for this overheated pregnant mama ok?!?!?!?!

So, if you’re like me and you like to indulge in yogurt and imagine it’s ice cream, give this no-guilt mixed berry yogurt bark a try! It’s guaranteed to cool you off, if only for a few minutes, until your next venture outdoors.

Good luck with the summer heat you guys, and remember to stay hydrated! Oh, and of course, Happy Independence Day! Enjoy the holiday weekend :)

Mixed Berry Yogurt Bark

2 cups Norman’s plain Greek yogurt
2-3 tbsp honey or maple syrup (or, to taste)
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 cup mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
1/3 cup granola (make your own)

Method:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix the yogurt, honey and vanilla in a small bowl and spread out on the baking sheet until it’s 1/4″ thick. Top with mixed berries and granola. Freeze for a few hours, until solid, and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container and enjoy straight from the freezer.

VARIATION: Use vanilla flavored yogurt instead of the plain and omit sweetener and vanilla.

This post was sponsored by Norman’s. All opinions are my own. 

Related Recipes:

4th of July tartufo
4th of July chocolate-dipped kettle chip stars
blueberry frozen yogurt bites
terra stix white chocolate bark
blueberry sweet potato granola salad with  yogurt dressing

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Strawberry Basil Popsicles

Even though my Shavuot spent in Upstate New York was kinda chilly, there are signs of summer at every turn. The fresh smell of grass in the air, the sun peaking out through the clouds, and the mosquitoes coming out of hiding (scratch, scratch). As a foodie though, I look for the signs of summer at the market. The fresh berries, in-season sweet-as-sugar melon and the beautiful fragrant leaves of basil that blossom to their fullest potential. Ahh, the sweet, sweet smell of summer!

In this quick and easy recipe, the best of summer comes together in a healthy, Paleo creamsicle that is as sweet as it is refreshing. It’s my go-to all summer long!

Strawberry Basil Popsicles

1 can full fat coconut milk
1 pint strawberries, hulled
8 large basil leaves
1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Special Equipment: popsicle molds

Method:

Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze until solid.

Yield: approximately 10 popsicles, depending on size.

TIP: to easily remove popsicles from their mold, run under warm water for 30 seconds.

A bucket of popsicles makes an amazing hostess gift for summer parties! Gift one at your next cookout!

Related Recipes:

orange creamsicle pops
cherry yogurt popsicles
strawberry limonana

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