Category: Dinner

ChimiChicken

Chimichurri is my latest obsession. The herbaceous sauce originates from Argentina, where they serve it with grilled meat., but I’ve been putting it on everything and it is GOOD! I’ve always been a pesto person (my spinach pistachio pesto is LIFE!), but because we try to keep my house nut free, I prefer to have a green sauce on hand that doesn’t make me worry. Of course pesto without nuts is not pesto (no matter that your local market labels it as such!), so I moved on to the next best thing.

Now while chimichurri is delicious on it’s own – a perfect dipping sauce for london broil or grilled chicken – I’ve been mixing it into mayo for a lipsmacking aioli that’s delicious on burgers, or as a dressing for a fresh chicken salad – so so good!

One thing I hadn’t done was actually cooked with it (since it’s traditionally served raw), but when I had a container left over at the end of the week, I decided to throw it over some chicken with some tomatoes and the results were absolutely delicious. This one is a winner!

ChimiChicken

1 chicken, quartered (skin-on)
2 bunches of cherry tomatoes on the vine

Chimichurri
1 cup cilantro, parsley, arugula or a mix
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 scallions
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add all the chimichurri ingredients to a food processor or blender, blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Place the chicken and tomatoes into a baking dish and pour the chimichurri over it. Bake, covered, for 1 hour. Uncover, raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue baking, basting every 10 minutes, until chicken starts to brown and crisp. Serve with rice, farro, quinoa, or mashed potatoes.

Related Recipes:

pulled pesto chicken burger with fire roasted tomato jam
grilled chicken fattoush with za’atar ranch
spice crusted chicken

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Lemony Orzo Soup with Meatballs

Hello, hello my fellow winter bunnies. It’s officially cold out, even the snow has made an appearance this week. I find winter pretty depressing tbh, and if it was up to me, I’d stay indoors snuggling under my covers until Spring!

The only thing that really gets me through winter is my down coat, fingerless gloves (so I can answer my DM’S!), some uplifting music, and hearty soups. That last one is mandatory.

I’ve never been that much of a soup person because it’s just ANOTHER thing to make for dinner, but I’ve found that my kids really love a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter night, and if you play your culinary cards right – it doesn’t have to be that extra thing at dinner, it can actually BE dinner.

To turn your soup into a one pot meal, follow these basic guidelines:

1. include a protein: chicken, shredded beef, meatballs, smoked turkey, tofu
3. include grains: pasta (orzo, couscous, ramen), farro, barley, quinoa, rice
2. include vegetables: endless options!

If you’re feeling  like you need a little somethin somethin on the side, make a salad or serve with fresh baguettes or pita for dipping!

Hoping this hearty soup keeps you warm all winter long!

Lemony Orzo Soup with Meatballs

For the meatballs:

1.25 lbs. ground chicken
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients besides for the oil. Mix and form into mini meatballs. Heat a dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil and and brown the meatballs. Remove from the pot as you prepare them and set aside.

For the soup:

1 medium onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
1 large zucchini, diced small
8 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
Juice of 2 lemons
salt and pepper, to taste
1 c orzo
2 handfuls of spinach

Method:

Add the onion and garlic to the same pot that you browned the meatballs in (add additional olive oil, if necessary). Saute until translucent. Add the carrots, celery and zucchini and continue to saute until softened.  Add the stock, bay leaves and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.Add the meatballs and orzo and cook until the orzo is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the spinach leaves and serve.

Other hearty winter soups:

crockpot mushroom barley stoup
spinach matzo ball minestrone soup
smoky split pea soup with thyme dumplings
cream of chicken soup in bread bowls

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Bourbon Peach Meatballs

Is it just me or is time just getting away from us this year? Everything seems to be moving so fast – the somber days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are already behind us, and it’s party time!

Succos is one of my favorite holidays. I love the smell of autumn in the air, the sound of ruffling leaves as we sit outside to eat and the cool breeze that blows through our little hut as we gather to celebrate. What I don’t love, is the exorbitant amount of food that seems neverending as we roll from one meal to the next for eight days straight! No matter how much one loves cooking, we all get sick of prepping, and even eating, that much!

So…. here are some tips to help us all manage and get through the cookfest:

1. This seems pretty obvious but DON’T. COOK. SO. MUCH.! Let go of the stereotypical meal of fish with dips and salads + meat and/or chicken with several sides + dessert. Instead, lighten things up with a composed meal that consists of a small plated appetizer – fish, if you’re traditional, or something vegan, if you’re not. Then move onto the main course – a large salad, festive roast or chicken with one starchy side, one vegetable and something kid friendly. For dessert – spruce up some Duncan Hines brownies with some tahini, oreos, frozen cookie dough or whatever you wish and serve with ice cream.
2. Plan themed menus! This keeps things exciting instead of boring and repetitive. I love to do a Mexican, Israeli, or Asian meal over Succos. Check out this post for some ideas!
3. Reinvent leftovers! Instead of throwing out that leftover chicken soup, why not make chicken pot pie? Or repurpose your leftover roast into a Shepherd’s pie. If you think outside the box and try to repurpose your leftovers, you can make a whole new meal without having to cook much at all.
4. Cook once, use twice! When prepping for the first days of the Chag, prepare a double portion of things like pulled beef, grilled chicken or hummus and use them a bunch of different ways.


Here are some suggestions:

Pulled beef: scroll to the bottom of this post for my super easy pulled beef recipe. It freezes great so make a double portion and freeze for later – pull and freeze in the sauce.
Serving suggestions: pulled beef sliders, nachos, tacos, bourekas, Shepherd’s pie, serve over hummus or mashed potatoes.

Grilled chicken: prepare a large portion and wrap smaller portions and freeze.
Serving suggestions: chicken salad, chicken wraps, fried rice, lo mein, ramen bowls, summer rolls, eggrolls.
Recipes:
grilled chicken wedge salad with carrot ginger dressing
grilled chicken fattoush with za’atar ranch
grilled chicken salad with jalapeno honey mustard
grilled chicken shawarma salad
sheet pan chicken fajitas 5 ways
farro grain bowl
sesame linguini with grilled chicken
Asian chicken salad
curried chicken lettuce wraps

Hummus: make a large portion of hummus and repurpose with different toppings.
Serving suggestions: hummus bassar (you can also use baharat, taco seasoning, shawarma spice…), humshuka – hummus with shakshuka on top, hummus with shawarma chicken, hummus with falafel, hummus with chickpeas, hummus with beets, hummus with roasted eggplant and pomegranate seeds, hummus with olives…

Grains or Pasta: make a large batch of pasta or grains of choice like quinoa.
Serving suggestions: pasta salad, pasta bolognese, lo mein, baked ziti or quinoa salad, quinoa patties, quinoa chili, quinoa stuffing.


I hope these ideas helped you manage the cooking frenzy ahead! Wishing you a Chag Sameach!

Bourbon Peach Meatballs

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced small
15oz honey hickory BBQ sauce
12 oz. peach jam
1/2 c bourbon
1/2 c water
2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
2/3 c bread crumbs
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onion. Saute until translucent. Add the BBQ sauce, peach jam, bourbon and water and bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the meatballs: Mix ground beef with eggs, bread crumbs, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Form the mixture into small balls and drop into the simmering sauce. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.

Serve on it’s own as an appetizer or over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes as a main.

NOTE: If you can’t find peach jam, use apricot instead.

Related Recipes:

bourbon apricot BBQ chicken
drunken hasselback salami
bourbon honey cake balls
turkey meatballs with red wine cranberry marinara
2 ingredient lazy meatballs

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Grilled Chicken Wedge Salad
with Carrot Ginger Dressing

Grilled chicken salad is my dish of choice for summer. There always seems to be some leftover chicken in the fridge and I love the challenge of coming up with new ways to eat it – depending on what I have on hand. I typically go with Middle Eastern-inspired recipes when I use pargiot, or dark meat cutlets, and I go Asian or Indian with chicken breasts.

The iceberg salad with carrot ginger dressing is my favorite starter at Asian restaurants – it’s just so light and fresh and really the perfect way to start a meal of heavy Chinese food. I’m always picking out the big chunks of iceberg that are wedged into each other, so I decided to make a salad that is all about the wedge!

Traditional wedge salad is smothered in bacon and blue cheese dressing – and aside from the fact that it’s not kosher, I’m not even tempted, because, well….blue cheese. I prefer not to eat food that tastes like stinky socks, you know? But this right here? This is I can get behind. With creamy avocado, peppery radishes and crisp cucumber, you don’t even miss croutons and the dish will leave you feeling light and refreshed – just how I love my summer salads.

Grilled Chicken Wedge Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into wedges
1 cucumber, spiralized (or thinly sliced)
1 avocado, peeled into ribbons (or cut into chunks)
2 pieces grilled chicken, diced
3 radishes, thinly sliced
carrot ginger dressing (recipe follows)

Method:

Arrange all the ingredients on a platter and drizzle with dressing, to taste.

VARIATION: for a vegan salad, grill tofu using the same method as the chicken.


Carrot Ginger Dressing

1/4 c light olive oil
2 tbsp white miso paste (may substitute with tahini paste)
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp honey
1” piece ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sriracha
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

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

Related Recipes:

Asian lettuce wraps
grilled chicken fattoush with za’atar ranch
grilled chicken salad with jalapeno honey mustard dressing
grilled chicken shawarma salad

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Kalbi Korean BBQ Ribs

Before we get started on this summer-must-have recipe, I have a small favor to ask of y’all! Saveur is hosting their yearly blog awards and it would mean so much to me if you would nominate me for “best food culture blog“. It’s super easy to do and takes less than 2 minutes – you can nominate busyinbrooklyn as many times as you’d like until tomorrow evening. Thank you so much for your continued love and support!

I don’t grill – meat – enough. Maybe it’s because my husband is vegetarian. Or because kosher cuts are so darn expensive, and my kids don’t really care either way. I’m the only one who’s really going to appreciate it, so I can’t justify the splurge that often. Of course burgers, hot dogs, pargiot and veggies make a regular appearance on the grill, but steak – not so much.

I’m far from a vegetarian but I’m also not that enthusiastic about animal protein. It feels so heavy and hard to digest, so we’re down to having it just once a week (OK twice if you count those days when I just want to crash and feed my kids hot dogs – the no nitrate, reduced fat, better for you version because even though I’m tired, I’m not about to feed my kids complete and total junk!). Don’t tell my husband but I have to admit that I feel better when I don’t eat that much meat, but it’s summer, and the grill is calling for some sizzling steak!

I used to get this dish at Sushi Mestuyan in Queens – a kosher Japanese steak house that was, when it first opened, a pretty good restaurant. It was around for years, opened up a few other branches, and gradually declined into obscurity. I don’t think it’s around anymore, but I dream about their Metsuyan Kalbi, because it had the most tender pieces of grilled meat in a rich Korean BBQ sauce that I can practically still taste. They served it in a cast iron skillet with a side of coconut rice and it was enough to make a vegetarian want to splurge. I forgot about that dish until I made these ribs, and the sweet and spicy umami-rich marinade just brought me back to their dining room with the giant fish tank along the wall. When food can transport you like that – you know you’ve got yourself a winning recipe! Also when your anti-animal-protein husband breaks his diet for a piece (or two, or three) you can bet you’ve nailed it.

What makes the marinade truly shine is my (not so new) favorite kosher ingredient – gochujang! Tzipporah Rothkopf, a Korean convert to Judaism decided to bring some of her native condiments to the kosher market and I thank G-d every day that she decided to become Jewish! Her kosher-certified brand, KOKO Kosher Korean features authentic Korean condiments like gochujang (fermented red chili paste), gochugaru (chili powder),  kimchi (fermented cabbage), doenjang (fermented soybean paste aka miso), and ganjang (fermented soy sauce). What makes these products so unique is that the fermentation process deepens the flavors, creating umami-rich savory notes that are so complex and delicious. I can’t get enough of her gochujang – it’s sticky, sweet, salty and spicy all at once – I can eat it with a spoon!

Kalbi Korean BBQ Ribs

2 lbs Korean ribs aka Miami ribs
3 cloves garlic, minced
1” knob ginger, grated
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 c brown sugar
1/3 c fresh squeezed orange juice
Juice of 1 lime
Zest of 1/2 lime
1 heaping tbsp gochujang
scallions and sesame seeds, optional, for garnish

Method:

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients besides for the ribs. Place the ribs in a Ziploc bag and add the marinade. Marinate for a few hours, or overnight. Remove from the marinade and grill for 3-5 minutes per side.

Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds, if desired.

NOTE: Miami ribs, also known as Korean short ribs or Kalbi are thin strips of steak that are cut from the flanken ribs. The thin slices make it ideal for grilling.

VARIATION: I use this kosher gochujang, but if you cannot get it, you can use sriracha (to taste) instead.

Related Recipes:

Asian grilled marinated chicken
mongolian beef
grilled radicchio with black sesame dressing

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