Category: Passover

Mock Chopped Liver

Dont forget to like our facebook page to be entered to win a subscription to Bitayavon Magazine! For details, click here. Giveaway ends Sunday!

With only one week to go until Pesach, it’s about that time to stop pushing off the inevitable…cooking (or at least planning the menu)! Thankfully, I have not yet made Pesach, and I don’t plan on it, as long as my mother, or in-laws will have me! A lot of people I talk to seem to feel the same, but there are definitely those who are of the opinion that Pesach food is delicious and exciting. Pesach is a yom tov that is so grounded in tradition. The whole idea of the hagaddah is “Vehegadita LeVincha,” passing on the torch to our children. To me, food is so much a part of that. Think about your childhood and so many of your memories will revolve around the smells and tastes of your mothers cooking. If you think back to a certain chag, it’s the traditional family recipes that transport you back to that special time. So for me, Pesach food isn’t about how gourmet it is, or looking for that new recipe. It’s simply about making the foods that my mother made, and those that my children, after me, will continue to make. And for generations, those same delicious smells will continue to waft through our homes, carrying on our traditions for eternity.

One of the recipes that my mother has always made is vegetarian chopped liver. To me, it’s like Pesach on a spoon! Eating it just transports me. She would whip up a few containers on erev yom tov, and we’d eat it alongside the fish at each meal. We could never shmear it on the matza, so we’d eat a spoonful of the liver and promptly follow it with a bite of matza.

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Bitayavon Magazine Review + Sample Recipe + Subscription Giveaway!

Busy in Brooklyn is giving away a ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to Bitayavon Magazine. For a chance to win, “like” our facebook fan page (click the “become a fan” button on the side of the blog or go to www.facebook.com/busyinbrooklyn to get to our fan page). A winner will be chosen on Sunday, April 17th.

If you love cookbooks as much as I do, you probably love cooking magazines too. Cooking magazines, to me, are like mini cookbooks, with a lot more advice and interesting food-for-thought (pun intended!). And so back in the day, when eBay used to offer magazine subscriptions for next to nothing, I subscribed to a LOT of them. Here’s the problem (besides for the fact that I had piles and piles of cooking magazines) – every page you turn to has another mouth-watering photo that you just have to make. Then you look at the recipe and either it has meat seared in butter, or it’s loaded with nonkosher unmentionables. And so, after admiring the food photography of loads of magazines, I let the subscriptions run their course and I didn’t renew a single one.

Imagine my excitement when I heard about the new kosher magazine, Bitayavon. I was first in line for their premiere issue back in February, and I couldn’t wait for their spring edition. The premiere issue was full of exciting recipes, articles and tips. The spring issue shines even more, with brighter pictures and even better recipes (yes, even, and especially, the Pesach ones). You’ll find a nice mix of simple fare for the on-the-go cook, and more advanced recipes for the gourmand.

The Pesach issue boasts over 70 recipes and tips. It starts off with protein-packed family dinners like Quinoa israeli salad and Bran Flake crusted turkey breasts. The “Going Gourmet” section is chock-full of original gourmet sandwich ideas such as Banh Mi, a Vietnamese recipe that uses leftover roast chicken as well as a Tiramisu sandwich using store-bought sponge cake. The recipes are paired with mouth-watering photos as well as additional winning recipes from the sandwich contest that was introduced in the previous issue.

The magazine continues with a twist on traditional recipes such as “gefilte fish crab cakes” and an “eggplant deli roll”. These deconstructed recipes are creative and simple enough for the novice cook. It’s Pesach section runs the gamut of fish, salads, meat/poultry, sides and desserts. Each recipe is clear with numbered instructions. You will find original preparations such as salt encrusted sea bass, as well as chicken noodles, all paired with an apropo wine.

Rounding out the issue are articles on kashrus, the kosher challenge abroad, seasonal recipes, an interview with a chef and a look at a cookbook, among others. The magazine is well thought out, with interesting topics and an all-encompassing menu (both in the articles and recipes) for the kosher consumer.

I guess I will be subscribing to a food magazine after all. This time, only one.

Bitayavon!

Thanks to Bitayavon Magazine for sponsoring the subscription.
Photos & Recipe courtesy of Bitayavon magazine.

{UPDATE added April 17th, 2011: Mashi Laufer of Brooklyn, NY has won the Busy in Brooklyn subscription giveaway! Congratulations Mashi and Chag Kasher Vesameach!}

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Quick & Easy Shakshuka

I absolutely love shakshuka! I couldn’t think of a better breakfast on a Sunday morning, or any morning for that matter. The rich and spicy tomato sauce paired with a runny egg and some fresh hot bread or pita – could it get any better? Now Shakshuka can be a patchke to make, what with the chopping, sauteeing, and fresh tomatoes…I don’t know about you but after a long Shabbos, and an even longer Motzei Shabbos, the last thing I want to do is start cooking, AGAIN (hence the Sunday night meal of leftovers!). But I have simplified this recipe to the easiest 2-ingredient fix (for the most basic) you could think of! Even the tired and weary can whip up a plate of these in no time!

Note: If you are watching your carbs, this is actually a great recipe because it is a whole meal-in-one and it’s very filling! Skip the bread, of course!


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Lemon & Garlic Whole Roasted Chickens

I like chicken. Chicken is ok. Me, and chicken, are good. Am I head over heels for chicken? not really. In fact, whenever I am pregnant, I have an aversion to it and cannot eat it. But I make it all the time because it’s a good source of protein, and my husband and kids enjoy it. This roasted chicken recipe took my taste for chicken to a whole ‘nother level. Roasting the chicken whole, stuffed with lemons, garlic and thyme, gives the chicken an incredible flavor that is not too overpowering, it’s just right. The chicken comes out so incredibly moist, you will want to eat the whole thing in one sitting!

The recipe calls for 1 5-6 lb. bird, but since my butcher only had 3-3.5 pounders, I made 2, and filled each with half a lemon and half a head of garlic. If you can get a 6 lb. chicken, go ahead and fill each cavity with a whole head of garlic (cut in half), and one whole lemon (cut in half) and of course, a bunch of thyme.

This chicken is beautiful served at the Friday night meal, with some rice and veggies on the side.

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Low Carb Portobello Pizza

Every once in a while, I like to take a break from eating too much carbs. They just make me so tired and lethargic. Stopping to eat them also makes me tired and lethargic. But after I get over those first few days of transitioning, I am high-energy and light on my feet.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been battling my weight. You name the diet and I’ve probably tried it. Weight watchers (meetings and all), check. Suzanne Somers, check. Atkins, check. South Beach, triple check. The Low GI Diet, check. My Own Version of a Diet, quadruple check. The Seafood ie SEE FOOD Diet, yeah!! lol. Through all my dieting, I have definitely learned about my body, and I found that the diets that work best for me are the low (but not NO) carb diets. “No” carb diets definitely take off the pounds, but the second you go off of it, you gain everything back. “Low” carb diets, on the other hand, help you regulate your blood sugar so that you don’t have cravings and you stay full for longer. You don’t feel deprived since you can incorporate some healthy carbs.

I learned to swap certain foods for their healthier counterparts, as opposed to eliminating them altogether and feeling deprived (which only leads to cravings and cheating). For instance, I’ll have a small baked sweet potato, instead of  mashed potatoes. Or if I really want to be good, mashed cauliflower. Since I absolutely LOVE pizza (who doesn’t), I sometimes substitute Tumaro’s Gourmet LOW CARB Tortilla’s for the crust (or you can use 1/2 of a whole wheat pita) or, my all time favorite recipe – portobello mushroom pizza.

Portobello mushrooms are so meaty and hearty. They work great in this recipe because they really fill you up, without filling you out! You can get creative with toppings, using onions, peppers, or whatever you would put on traditional pizza. I love the taste of the spinach because I almost feel like I’m eating lasagna.

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