Category: Dinner

Crockpot Mushroom Barley Stoup

It was Rachel Ray who first coined the phrase stoup, and this is a perfect example of what it is: thicker than a soup but thinner than a stew. It’s surprising that I’m posting a hearty dish like this when the weather is finally starting to warm up, but when I made this on a cold and chilly day earlier in the week, my Facepage page went gaga over it. I don’t know if it’s the whole slow cooker thing, but I definitely wasn’t expecting this soup to go viral. Not that it’s not delicious. Because, my, is it ever. With fall-off-the-bone flanken, two types of mushrooms and hearty root vegetables simmered in a thyme-scented chicken broth, this is good enough to make purely for the smell that will waft through your house for hours.

Serve with crusty bread for a whole meal in one bowl!


Crockpot Mushroom Barley Stoup

2 pieces flanken (short ribs)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 parsnips, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 container button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 container baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
5 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp soy sauce
10 cups beef or chicken broth
3/4 cup barley
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

In a hot pan, sear the flanken, browning it on all sides. Add it to the crockpot. To the same pan, add oil and saute the onion, garlic, celery, parsnip and carrots, scraping up the bits of the flanken as you go. Add to the crock pot. Saute the mushrooms (add more oil, if needed) and add to the crockpot. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

VARIATION: To make this soup pareve, omit the flanken and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

SUBSTITUTIONS:  If you don’t like thyme, you may use 2 bay leaves instead.

SHABBAT OPTION: to make this for Shabbat lunch, just add 2 cups of water or stock and cook on low overnight.

Note: If you don’t have a slow cooker, you may cook the soup in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and  simmer for approximately 2 hours, until barley and flanken are tender.

Related Recipes:
fire roasted tomato rice stoup
wild mushroom barley soup

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Quesadillas Five Ways

With Cinco de Mayo coming up, I thought it would be fun to celebrate with 5 different quesadilla recipes. I started making quesadilla’s for dinner whenever my kids are being fussy about the food I’ve made. I always keep a package of mini wraps or tortillas in the freezer, so I have a quick and easy dinner to fall back on, just in case. Once in a while, I’ll make myself one for lunch or a light dinner, adding things like pineapple & jalepeno or broccoli and cheddar. Adding fun and flavorful ingredients to a wrap can help turn a plain tortilla into a quick and easy meal that’s not just for kids!

There are 2 basic ways to prepare a quesadilla. You can either fill half the quesadilla and fold the tortilla over, or place the fillings over the whole tortilla and top it with a second one. I prefer to go the half-way route, and make a few flavors instead of one.

What are some of your favorite quesadilla flavors? Share them in the comments below!

All quesadillas are traditionally served with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. 

Broccoli-Cheddar Quesadillas

tortillas or wraps
1 package frozen brocolli stalks, blanched and drained well
1 package shredded cheddar cheese

Method:

Heat up a skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Place tortilla in the pan and sprinkle with cheese. Top half of the tortilla with broccoli stalks. Once the bottom of the tortilla has browned and the cheese has melted, fold the tortilla over and press down with a spatula. Cut into wedges and serve.

Pineapple-Jalapeno Quesadillas

tortillas or wraps
1/4 fresh pineapple, thinly sliced
2 jalapenos, thinly sliced (seeds removed, if desired)
shredded muenster cheese

Method:

Heat up a skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Place tortilla in the pan and sprinkle with cheese. Top half of the tortilla with pineapple and jalapeno slices. Once the bottom of the tortilla has browned and the cheese has melted, fold the tortilla over and press down with a spatula. Cut into wedges and serve.

Taco Quesadillas

tortillas or wraps
1 avocado, mashed and seasoned with lemon juice and salt
oven smoked mozzarella cheese
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 tomato, diced
1 small red onion, diced

Method:

Heat up a skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Place tortilla in the pan and spread a layer of avocado on it. Top with smoked mozzarella cheese. Add black beans, corn, diced tomatoes and red onion to half of the tortilla. Once the bottom of the tortilla has browned and the cheese has melted, fold the tortilla over and press down with a spatula. Cut into wedges and serve.

Mediterranean Quesadillas

tortillas or wraps
prepared pesto
black olives
roasted red peppers
feta cheese crumbles

Method:

Heat up a skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Place tortilla in the pan and spread a layer of pesto on it. Top with feta cheese. Fill half of the tortilla with olives and roasted peppers. Once the bottom of the tortilla has browned and the cheese has started melting, fold the tortilla over and press down with a spatula. Cut into wedges and serve.

Eggplant Parmesan Quesadillas

tortillas or wraps
marinara sauce
shredded mozzarella cheese
fresh basil leaves
breaded fried eggplant slices
grated parmesan

Method:

Heat up a skillet and spray with nonstick spray. Place tortilla in the pan and spread a thin layer of marinara sauce over it. Top with shredded mozzarella. Spread fresh basil leaves, eggplant slices and grated parmesan over half of the tortilla. Once the bottom of the tortilla has browned and the cheese has melted, fold the tortilla over and press down with a spatula. Cut into wedges and serve.

1 year ago: pineapple chicken & BBQ jalapeno pizza
2 years ago: BBQ pulled chicken sammies

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Braised Collard Greens Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

When I used to think of greens, I would imagine spinach, kale, and maybe some swiss chard, but collard greens were never really on my radar. I had never cooked with them, and all I knew about the large leafy vegetable was that Southern cooks like Paula Deen and The Neely’s like to eat them.

After recently graduating from the professional culinary training program at the CKCA, I made a promise to myself to be more open and willing to try new things and cook with ingredients I’ve never used before. So when I saw some bright green bunches of fresh collard greens at ShopRite the other week, I couldn’t help but take up the challenge.

I had absolutely nothing in mind – all I knew was this: Southern cooks like to stew the greens with smoky ham hocks or bacon. I wanted to keep the dish light, healthy and vegan, so I decided to do a play on the smoky factor and add some cumin and smoked paprika. Chickpeas and diced tomatoes help round out the dish, and stuffing it into roasted sweet potatoes just takes it over the top!

Since collard greens are a sturdy, tougher leaf, they benefit from cooking for long periods of time. You can prepare this dish in your crockpot for a set-it-and-forget-it weeknight meal, or serve it up as hamin, instead of a heavy cholent, on Shabbat.

I’m really proud of my first attempt at cooking with collard greens. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

Side note: I apologize for the lack of step-by-step photos. This recipe just sort of happened as I went along and I wasn’t planning on blogging about it. It was just so good that I knew I had to share!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Braised Collard Greens

1 bunch collard greens, washed well to remove dirt
1 onion, thinly sliced in half rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 28 0z. can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1-2 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste
8 organic sweet potatoes

Method:

Remove the stems from the collard greens and roughly chop. Set aside. Heat oil in a skillet and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and continue to saute until fragrant. Add cumin and paprika and saute until onions are well-coated and fragrant. Add collard greens and stir to incorporate with the onions. Add tomatoes, chickpeas and 1 cup vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 hours, adding additional stock, if needed.

For the sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Place on a baking sheet and roast until soft and syrupy, about 1 hour.

Cut a slit through the center of the sweet potatoes and stuff with braised collard greens. Serve hot.


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Sweet Hawaiian Chicken

Sometimes I’m so busy dreaming up new dishes to wow you all, that I forget about the oldie but goody recipes like this one. This sweet and delicious chicken is a recipe I grew up eating. My mother has been making it for years, and it’s just one of those dishes that’s a keeper. The pineapple and maraschino topping provide a lovely garnish, making this the perfect chicken dish to serve over the holidays or at your next party.

If you’ve got leftover pineapple, try this delicious tropical smoothie for dessert!

Sweet Hawaiian Chicken

8 chicken quarters, skin on
1 can pineapple rings
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
Maraschino cherries

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain the juice from the can of pineapple rings into a bowl. Whisk in the ketchup and brown sugar. Place the chicken skin-side up in a baking dish and top  with a slice of pineapple and a maraschino cherry. Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover, baste with the sauce, and bake for an additional 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes.

1 year ago: rice pilaf
2 years ago: pretty perfection, headbands in a pinch!

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Chicken Pot Pie Passover Croquettes


Growing up, my mom would often prepare chremslach on Passover whenever there were leftover mashed potatoes. Some people refer to chremslach as matza fritters, but in our house, mashed potatoes were the ingredient of choice. They were held together with some egg, dipped in potato starch and fried. Nothing fancy, just another use for potatoes and a simple side for yet another meal.

I decided to spruce up my mom’s basic recipe with some leftover chicken, carrots and onions, for a take on chicken pot pie. If you eat kitniyot, peas would be the perfect addition! The patties are dredged in ground nuts for a crunchy Passover coating. Serve with a side of homemade ketchup, marinara or garlic aioli.

Chicken Pot Pie Passover Croquettes

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 cup shredded leftover chicken
1/2 cup onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1/2 cup carrots, diced and blanched
1 tbsp oil
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste

For coating:

1/4 cup potato starch
1 egg
1/2 cup ground nuts, such as almonds
salt and pepper, to taste
oil or shmaltz, for frying

Method:

In a pan, saute the onion in oil until translucent. Add carrots and garlic (optional) and continue to saute until golden. In a bowl, combine the potatoes, chicken, sauteed veggies, and egg. Season with salt and pepper (see note for additional seasoning).

Set up a dredging station with separate containers for potato starch, egg and ground nuts. Season with a little salt and pepper. Shape croquettes and dredge into potato starch, then egg, and finish with ground nuts. Fry the croquettes in shmaltz or oil until golden brown on both sides.

Yields: approximately 14 croquettes.

NOTE: You may add additional herbs and/or spices according to your Passover customs, such as chopped thyme, rosemary or parsley.

KITNIYOT OPTION: Add peas or corn. Dredge in matza meal instead of ground nuts.

VARIATION: Prepare patties (as pictured below) by lightly dredging in potato starch and frying.

1 year ago: homemade raspberry sorbet
2 years ago: roasted beet & orange salad

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