Category: Dinner

Old Bay Fish Tacos

Yom Kippur is thankfully behind us, and Thank God I survived the most brutal of all fasts, fasting while nursing. Just barely. But I’m here and I’m thinking about food. Again. We’ve got an 8-day holiday ahead, and I love the idea of serving up different cuisines throughout the Chag to break up the monotony of it all, and to give us something to look forward to! I served up these amazing fish tacos for my Mexican Fiesta meal last year and I’m happy to share the recipe with you, plus 8 International menus for the 8 days of the Chag, including kid food! Enjoy and Chag Sameach!

MEXICAN
appetizer: fish tacos, tropical guacamole with plantain chips
entree: chorizo chocolate chili with pareve cornbread
for the kids: tortilla crusted chicken fingers with creamy salsa dipping sauce
dessert: mexican hot chocolate brownies

ISRAELI
appetizer: hummus with pita chips, stuffed eggplant, falafel cauliflower poppers
entree: pomegranate roast or za’atar chicken with dried fruit with rice vermicelli
for the kids: shnitzel and potato bourekas (fill with mashed potatoes)
dessert: halva krembos

ITALIAN
Dairy:
appetizer: salmon cakes with lemon caper yogurt, panzanella salad
entree: spinach pappardelle with feta or linguini lasagna and zucchini parmesan chips
for the kids: roasted tomato soup with muenster breadsticks (or grilled cheese)
dessert: torah cannoli

Meat:
appetizer: pesto salmon or corn beef arancini, spinach matzo ball minestrone soup
entree: chicken cacciatore or veal marsala bolognese or short rib ravioli
for the kids: lazy meatballs
dessert: tartufo (any colors work!)

ASIAN
appetizer: sushi salad or sushi burritos or sweet chili salmon, asian big bowl soup
entree: pepper steak with plum sauce, fried rice, teriyaki portobello mushrooms
for the kids: sweet and sour pineapple chicken
dessert: nutella banana wontons

AMERICAN
appetizer: gefilte crab cakes and BBQ potato salad
entree: burger bar or beer braised brisket with mashed potatoes and green beans or brussel sprouts
for the kids: hot dog eggrolls or corndog hamantaschen
dessert: oreo cheesecake

INDIAN
appetizer: tandoori fish, mulligatawny soup with naan
entree: peanut chicken curry with coconut rice
for the kids: potato pea samosas
dessert: chai chocolate pots de creme

FRENCH
appetizer: salad nicoise, french onion soup
entree: boeuf Bourguignon or coq au vin, herb-roasted potatoes
for the kids: salami quiche
dessert: fig tarte tatin or apple tart

MOROCCAN
appetizer: Morrocan gefilte fish, carrot salad, matbucha, marinated olives, charmoula eggplant
entree: harrisa chicken or lamb chops and 6 spice morrocan stew with couscous
for the kids: lamb kebobs
dessert: apricot baklava or makroud

I’m not native to all these countries so feel free to share some of your favorites in the comments below!

Shout out to some of my family favorite Sukkot recipes not included above:

Bubby’s cabbage soup with flanken
mushroom barley stoup
cream of chicken soup in bread bowls
smoky split pea soup with thyme dumplings
pumpkin pot pie
meat and rice stuffed vegetables 
zucchini mechshie with tamarind and prunes
meat and rice stuffed baby eggplants
Levana’s chocolate espresso mousse (freezes great!)

Beer Battered Fish (fried)
2 fillets firm white fish such as cod, nile perch, mahi mahi or halibut, cut into chunks
1 cup flour
1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup beer
peanut or canola oil, for frying

In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients until the spices are incorporated. Slowly pour in the beer, whisking as you go until a lump-free batter forms. Heat a few inches of oil in a skillet. Dip the fish chunks into the batter and fry in hot oil until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels and place on a rack until ready to serve.

Blackened Fish (baked), as pictured
2 fillets flounder or tilapia
1-2 tbsp blackened seasoning (I like Chef Paul Prudhomme’s or Old Bay blackened seasoning)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the fish and pat dry. Rub the blackened seasoning over the fish until well coated and place in a greased baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and bake for approximately 15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

NOTE: If you don’t like it spicy, just use Chef Paul Prudhomme’s seafish magic or traditional Old Bay seasoning.

Cabbage Slaw
red cabbage, shredded
light olive oil
fresh squeezed lemon juice
kosher salt, to taste

Drizzle the cabbage with olive oil and season, to taste, with lemon and salt.

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

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

Quick Pickled Onions (optional)
1 small red onion, sliced into thin half rings
1 cup rice vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt

Bring the vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add onions and set aside to cool.

To assemble fish tacos, warm soft corn tortillas in a dry skillet. Fill with the fish of your choice and top with cabbage slaw, avocado, pickled onions and crema. Serve with lime wedges.

Related Recipes:

red snapper fish tacos with broccoli slaw
coconut crusted fish tacos with savory plantain tortillas

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Roasted Smashed Potatoes with Leeks

Food blogging has taken me to some truly amazing places (front cover of The Wall Street journal, anyone?), but none as priceless as some of the friendships I’ve made through the process. Melinda of Kitchen-Tested has become my “lets-pig-out-at-this-restaurant” buddy, my recipe idea sounding board, my support coach (“You can do this Chanie!”) but most of all, my friend (awwwww….can I grab you a tissue Mel?). So, aside from being an amazing chef (her desserts are so impressive, she should open a bakery), Melinda is totally fearless in the kitchen. She comes up with the craziest stuff you’ve ever seen [like bagel, lox and cream cheese hamantaschen! pecan pie bacon (kosher bacon) and falafel mozzarella sticks!] but she also knows how to keep it simple with down-home-delicious-recipes [like puff pastry potato roses, classic red velvet cake and Texas-style dry rub brisket). I’m honored to have Melinda guest post for me today, and I hope you enjoy her Rosh-Hashanah inspired recipe! Welcome Mel!

Today is a great day because I get to write a recipe for Busy in Brooklyn! Hi, I’m Melinda Strauss and my blog is Kitchen-Tested.com. Ever heard of me??? Basically, you all want to be me today! Chanie is one of the coolest people I know and her masterful recipes blow me away EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Chanie loves tahini, cookie butter, marzipan and long walks on the beach. But really, Chanie loves her family and that’s why I’m here on her blog. She recently gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl and all I can say is “Mazal Tov…now move to Long Island!!!” Oh, did I say that out loud? Seriously, my dream is for Chanie to become Busy in The Five Towns so she can live closer to me and I can babysit while she takes naps and maybe goes out for those long walks on the beach.

So about this recipe…sure, you can eat mashed potatoes or you can eat roasted potatoes but why not get a bit of both in every bite? I love this recipe because it’s a one-pan-wonder packed with crazy amounts of flavor. The potatoes are steamed in the oven then smashed, drizzled with tons of olive oil and garlic and roasted with leeks. I love how the leeks get super crunchy in the oven and act as added texture for the potatoes, which are soft in the center and crispy around the edges. The fun thing about this recipe is that you can add any of your favorite spices to the potatoes and you can even throw some fresh whole garlic in the pan. Go nuts and make these roasted smashed potatoes your own!

Roasted Smashed Potatoes with Leeks

1 pound baby red potatoes
1 cup water
1 large leek, only white part sliced thinly (green tops discarded)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place potatoes on a sheet pan, pour water in pan and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain any remaining water from the pan and set the potatoes aside for 10 minutes.
Stir together the olive oil and minced garlic. Add the leeks to the pan then drizzle the potatoes and leeks with 3 tablespoons of the garlic oil to coat all sides.
Space the potatoes out evenly in the pan and smash each one down with a potato smasher, the back of a heavy cup or the palm of your hand. Flatten the potatoes to around 1/2 inch thick. Don’t worry if some break apart. Each potato will smash in a unique way.
Drizzle the potatoes with the remaining oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the potatoes and leeks for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and crispy around the edges. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.

Related Recipes:

honey mustard roasted potatoes
cream of leek soup with crispy leeks

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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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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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Caramelized Peach & Gouda Quesadillas

When I told you guys that I hate cooking in the summer, I meant it. I don’t know if it’s the heat or the long days, but I just can’t stand to be in the kitchen. Or, at the very least, turn on the oven.

Case in point: this was our menu this week:

Sunday: 4th of July BBQ at friends
Monday: pulled chicken sammies with leftover chicken
Tuesday: burgers and grilled veggies on the BBQ
Wednesday: grilled cheese sandwiches
Thursday (tonight):  I’m thinkin’ pesto zoodles with tomato feta salad

So – quick and easy stove-top dinners or no-mess outdoor grilling is where it’s at. And the oven? I’ll save that for holiday cooking in a couple of months!

Stove-top cooking can get repetitive. I mean I love grilled cheese and all, but how much of it can I eat? (I plead the fifth)! I definitely try to think outside the box for some satisfying seasonal dishes that make the most of summer bounty. There’s only one thing better than juicy summer peaches and that’s caramelizing them in butter and brown sugar. And when you add the spicy, crunchy jalapenos + the bitter arugula and cheesy gouda, it’s like a quesadilla made in heaven!

Gouda is actually one of my favorite cheeses. It’s so gooey (is that why they call it goo-da? ;) jk!) with great meltability (yeah, that’s now a word). I love it with fruit so it works wonders in this cheesy quesadilla.

Gouda is also great cut into chunks so if you’re going for no-carb meals this summer, try my salad variation! And if carbs are your thing year-round (why you looking at me?!), try this as a pizza, flatbread or grilled cheese with artisan bread!

OK this post has me seriously craving this combo, so I’m off to the store to pick up some more peaches and gouda! Have a “goud” day!!

Caramelized Peach & Gouda Quesadillas

2 flour tortillas
1 cup grated Natural & Kosher cheese gouda
1 large peach, sliced
1 tbsp butter + more for greasing the pan
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 jalapeno
handful of arugula

Method:

In a skillet, melt the butter and add peach slices. Sprinkle with brown sugar and saute until the peaches are soft and caramelized. Remove the peaches from the pan and wipe clean.

Add a bit more butter to the pan and place the tortilla in it. Sprinkle with gouda. When the cheese begins to melt, add the peach slices, jalapeno and arugula to half of the quesadilla and fold closed. Cut the quesadilla into quarters and serve immediately.

NO-CARB VARIATION: Make a salad with arugula, sliced peaches (caramelizing optional), chunks of gouda and thinly sliced jalapeno. Make a dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper and drizzle over the salad.

YIELD: 2 quesadillas



This post was sponsored by Natural & Kosher Cheese. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, or via their Blog

Related Recipes:

quesadillas 5 ways
spinach peach salad

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