Diet – Page 8 – Busy in Brooklyn

I used to hate raw fish. It make me all squeamish. Raw meat too. I mean why would you want to eat raw food, possibly swimming with parasites, if you could eat it cooked, am I right? I was fine with a runny egg or two. Or three. But not the real proteins. Put a fancy plate of beef tartare with a raw egg in the center in front of me and I was out the door.

But then sometime about a year or two ago, I decided I was done being afraid of food and I wanted to try everything. I’m still not a fan of beef tartare but I’ve come to love raw sushi. It’s so much fun to be able to order off the entire sushi menu now, and not just the cooked rolls! You’ll be surprised just how easy it is to prepare pepper-crusted tuna sashimi at home. Just make sure you get the freshest, best quality tuna out there for this dish.

Pepper Crusted Tuna

2 sushi-grade fresh tuna steaks
coarsely ground black pepper
kosher salt
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Coat the tuna steaks evenly on all sides with a generous amount of freshly-ground black pepper and a pinch of kosher salt. In a frying pan, heat the olive and sesame oil over high heat. Sear the tuna steak for a few seconds on each side, just enough to form a crust, but not to cook the fish through.

For a medium-rare steak, cook for 1 minute per side.

NOTE: to make even rectangular or square slices, first cut your tuna steak into strips and sear each one individually. Slice thinly against the grain.

Pineapple Guacamole

2 avocados
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small or ½ large jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, minced
½ small red onion, diced small
⅓ cup finely diced fresh pineapple
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
cilantro, optional

Peel and dice 1 avocado. Add to a bowl and mash. Peel and dice the second avocado and add it to the bowl without mashing. Add remaining ingredients and gently mix to combine. Adjust seasoning, as necessary.

Herbed Crema

1 cup sour cream
handful of fresh parsley or cilantro, or a mix
1 clove garlic
1 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
kosher salt, to taste

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

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Banana Nut Greek Yogurt Bowl

On January 7, 2016January 14, 2016

by chanie

in Breakfast, Brunch, Dairy, Diet, Fruit, Recipes, Snacks

2 Comments

Bowls are all the rage right now, at least that’s what everyone’s calling them! They’ve got grain bowls, smoothie bowls, salad bowls and soup bowls. Of course these are foods that have gone into bowls before, but now instead of mixing stuff together, the food is neatly organized on a base of smoothie batter, grains, greens or broth. It’s prettier and we all love seeing so many different options on our plates, right?

I’m not a big fan of smoothies, and the idea of topping off a fruit soup with more fruit just doesn’t do it for me, but yogurt I can take. I love to start with a base of plain tangy Greek yogurt. I almost feel like I’m indulging in soft serve (if I dream a little, ok?) and topping it off with some of my favorite toppings makes it feel like a treat. And since muffins or pancakes or scones are not happening around here, I’ll take it!

OK I may have just said that I don’t like smoothies, but the truth is, there is one smoothie that I love and that’s what inspired this yogurt bowl. So if you are into smoothies, give it a try too!

Banana Nut Greek Yogurt Bowl

1 container plain Greek yogurt
1 banana, sliced
2 medjool dates, chopped
toasted oats or granola
heaping spoonful of almond butter
drizzle of silan (date honey) or honey
pinch of cinnamon
fresh figs, optional

Method:

Add the Greek yogurt to a medium sized bowl and top with sliced bananas, dates, oats, almond butter, silan and cinnamon. Enjoy!

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Bundt Pan Rotisserie Chicken

On December 23, 2015January 14, 2016

by chanie

in Diet, Dinner, Meat & Poultry, Paleo, Passover, Recipes, Shabbos, Whole30

27 Comments

I have a confession to make. I used to be afraid of chicken. And I don’t mean of eating it.

Yes, you read that right. When I was a teenager, I wasn’t too fond of helping in the kitchen, and when I had to make chicken, lets just say it was an ordeal. I always wore gloves, but sometimes the chicken got the better of me and I would throw it into the sink, terrified that it would come to life and leap at me.

I mean, do you blame me? Look at that chicken sitting there all pretty. It looks so…well…human.

It took a few years, but I got over my fear. And just time in time for this GENIUS homemade crispy rotisserie chicken hack.

I can’t take credit for this stroke of brilliance. All credit goes to Justin Chapple, the senior editor of Food & Wine Magazine, who’s Mad Genius Tips constantly blow me away!

When I saw a short clip of this easy bunt pan rotisserie chicken on Instagram, I was all over it. I made it for Shabbat that week, and I’ve been making it ever since. It’s my husband’s favorite way to eat chicken, and we always fight over the crispier-than-ever chicken wings!

My favorite thing about this recipe is that it’s super healthy and indulgent nonetheless. You feel like you’re eating fried chicken (it’s that crispy!), but without those extra calories. It also makes a great one-dish meal when you add potatoes or other veggies.

Bundt Pan Rotisserie Chicken

1 whole chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 sticks celery, diced
a few sprigs of thyme
1 lemon, cut in quarters (do not peel)
1 bay leaf
olive oil
salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 425. Place the vegetables and aromatics around the bundt pan and cover the hole with a piece of foil. Pat the chicken dry and rub with olive oil, salt and pepper and place the chicken cavity over the bundt pan stick. Roast for approximately 1 hour, until chicken is cooked through (internal temperature should be 165 degrees) and the skin is golden and crisp.

VARIATION: You may use other vegetables and/or aromatics, such as parsnips, turnips, potatoes, fresh garlic cloves (no need to peel), rosemary etc. If you are roasting vegetables that you’d like to serve with the chicken (such as potatoes) and they aren’t tender by the time the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken from the bundt pan and return the vegetables to the oven, baking until tender.

NOTE: Try to keep the chicken as raised as possible. This ensures that the skin gets crispy all around.

Related Recipes:

lemon & garlic whole roasted chicken

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Cowboy Cookie Dough Bites

On October 29, 2015November 5, 2015

by chanie

in Breakfast, Cookies, Dessert, Diet, Recipes, Snacks

15 Comments

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been blogging here at BUSYINBROOKLYN for the last five years. Yes, for almost five years (my blogoversary is in January) I have been consistently posting recipes and sharing my love and passion for food. It truly blows my mind.

If you’ve been following me since the early days (and I know some of you loyal readers have), you might remember a popular cookie that was one of my very first posts, these cowboy cookies. Why these kitchen-sink-style cookies are called cowboy cookies is anyones guess, but they are popularly made with oats, pecans, coconut and chocolate chips. The chunky cookies are so fantastic, I decided to create a healthy, vegan version using medjool dates, one of my favorite things. The result? They look like cookie dough, the taste like cookie dough, and they’re all natural. You gotta love that!

Now when you’re making a raw truffle, you have to go for good quality ingredients because nothing is getting cooked. That’s why I use my favorite brand of chocolate chips, California Gourmet. There’s a reason their popular blue and red bags are now available in over 300 stores, most recently available in Illinois. The rich and chocolaty pieces really take these truffles up a notch!

Ever since my family has been introduced to a slew of food allergies, I’ve been trying to find ways for all my kids to be able to enjoy treats like cookies, without using any eggs. My eldest daughter loves cookie dough (she always picks out that flavor in the Ice Cream store) and my youngest is positively obsessed with chocolate chips. A cookie dough truffle was definitely the way to go, but I never imagined that something so wholesome would taste SO GOOD, and so much like cookie dough. My next challenge? Making an egg-free birthday cake. Anyone have any suggestions?

With the big FIVE YEAR blogoversary coming up, I’m also taking suggestions on what improvements you’d like to see on the BIB blog, and new recipes and ideas that you’d like me to post in the coming months. Share your ideas, comments and suggestions with me below!

Cowboy Cookie Dough Bites

12 medjool dates
1 cup oats (I used quick oats but rolled oats may be used as well)
1/2 cup pecans
1/3 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 tbsp flax seeds
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of kosher salt
scant 1/4 c California Gourmet chocolate chips

Method:

Add all the ingredients, besides for the chocolate chips, to a food processor and process until the mixture comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl (this may take a minute or two). Add in the chocolate chips and knead it into the “dough” by hand. With damp hands, roll about 2 tablespoons of dough into balls. Makes approximately 15 cookie dough bites.

NOTE: I used large, fresh and moist medjool dates for this recipe, If you’re dates are not very moist, you can soak them in hot water for a few minutes. If the mixture seems too dry, you can add more dates. If it seems very sticky (a little sticky is normal), you can add a bit more oats or nuts.

I want to offer a huge congratulations to California Gourmet for winning the NEW PRODUCT award (in the baking category) from Kosherfest this year! You truly deserve the honor!

This post is sponsored by California Gourmet Chocolate Chips. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. View the list of over 300 stores that carry the brand here).

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Zoodle Shakshuka

On October 22, 2015November 5, 2015

by chanie

in Breakfast, Brunch, Diet, Lunch, Paleo, Recipes, Whole30

10 Comments

If a food could be my bestie, it would be shakshuka. I can’t get enough of the stuff. Why do I love it so much? Lets count the ways…

it’s sweet.
it’s spicy.
it’s saucy.
it’s got runny eggs.
it’s got runny eggs. (I love runny eggs OKKKK?)
it’s easy to make.
you can dip fresh pita in it.
you can make so many varieties.
you can eat it for breakfast, brunch (my favorite), lunch or dinner.
it’s Israeli and Israel is my <3

Speaking of #10, I’m sharing this recipe with you all in honor of the #LOVEISRAELFOOD which is the brainchild of my fellow Brooklyn foodie and Instagrammer Aliza Salem (follower her @theghettogourmet!). Aliza put together a fun foodie campaign in support of Israel, where we all share our favorite Israeli dishes on Instagram! Go out and buy some Israeli products and post a photo of your dish with some of these hashtags:
#buyisraelicookisraelibakeisraeli, #loveisraelfood, #changeforisrael and #onenationoneheart! I can’t wait to break the internet with all our droolworthy dishes!

I’m getting in the spirit of things with this zoodle shakshuka, because I had to bring together two of my favorite things: zoodles and shakshuka! I spiralized both zucchini and yellow squash, to give this a 2-tone effect, and it came together in no time. Who doesn’t love that!

Zoodles are all the rage these days, so if you haven’t hopped on the zucchini noodle train, it’s time. I wrote all about the different tools that you can use to prepare zoodles a little while ago, so give it a read!

If you’re not much of a reader, I’ll sum it up for you in one sentence. For quick and easy zoodles, use this and for a fun tool that you can use with lots of different produce, use this. It’s that easy my zoodle novice friends.

And if you’re looking for some inspiration for the #loveisraelfood campaign, you know you’ve come to the right place. You can try stuffing some roasted eggplant like this, or grilling up some halloumi like this. You can go a little crazy with halva flavors like this and this or work in some za’atar like this and this. Of course you can go more classic like falafel and shawarma or go a little crazy with rosewater or harissa. Whatever you do, it’s sure to be delicious. B’taavon!