Category: Shabbos

Asian {Bigger} Bowl Soup


When it comes to food, we’re texture-people in my house. I’ve got no use for a hand blender ‘cuz my husband and kids will not touch those creamy-as-baby-food soups. I’m good with any soup, but if it’s a family affair, I have to scoop out half of the vegetables before I puree, and add them back to the pot. There has got to be a “bite” in there, otherwise it just doesn’t fly. Asian big bowl soup has become a family favorite. I like to call it “Bigger” bowl because I load the soup up on tons of extras for some serious crunch and flavor. We especially love the addition of water chestnuts and bamboo shoots strips. They stay amazingly crunchy, even after sitting or rewarming!

I love making this soup for Shabbos on these late Friday nights. We don’t end up making kiddush until sometime after nine (more like closer to ten), and my husband and I are half-asleep at the table. The soup covers both the 2nd and 3rd course, being chock full of chicken, pasta and vegetables in a yummy broth. I have one big bowl of the stuff and I am ready for bed!

I found the original recipe in Susie Fishbeins’s Kosher by Design Short on Time cookbook (the only one I really use from her collection). I’ve adapted it to include lots of different veggies. Usually, I just go through my vegetable bin to check what’s on its way out. Since the veggies are going into a soup anyway, it doesn’t really matter if they aren’t fresh. Go ahead and use whatever suits your taste. You can also experiment with pasta in this dish. I’ve used linguini, udon noodles, even rice! It’s a “big bowl soup” after all, so go ahead and fill it up!

NOTE: Since we are lightening up this week, I have to mention that you can definitely leave out the ramen noodles. They are fun, and my kids love them, but for DH and I, we skip the extra calories.

Asian Bigger Bowl
adapted from Kosher by Design, Short on Time

10 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp mirin rice cooking wine
1 pkg chicken breast (about 4 pieces) cut into thin strips
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 can sliced bamboo shoots
1 can bean sprouts
1/2 head green cabbage, sliced
1/2 bag shredded carrots
1 package mushrooms, cut into thick slices
1 handful snow peas, ends trimmed
3 scallions, cut into 3″ pieces
ramen noodles, or pasta/grain of choice

NOTE: alternatively, you may use one can of mixed chinese vegetables (usually includes chestnuts, bamboo shoots, sprouts and baby corn) if you find that 3 cans is too much.

Method:

Pour chicken stock into a pot. Add soy sauce and mirin and bring to a boil. Add chicken, chestnuts, shoots and sprouts. Simmer for 5 minutes, mixing the chicken so that the pieces don’t stick together. Add the cabbage and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and add carrots, mushrooms, snow peas, and scallions. Leave the pot uncovered for a few minutes while the vegetables become crisp-tender. Serve immediately, or leave pot uncovered until it cool so that the vegetables remain tender.

I like to cook up the ramen noodles separately, so that they are not left as mush inside the pot (if they sit too long, they get kind of gross). To do this, boil the water and add noodles, discarding the flavoring packet. As soon as the noodles begin to soften and break apart (about 1.5 minutes), remove them from the water and reserve in a plastic container. They will finish cooking when you add them to the hot bowl of soup.

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Spice-Crusted Chicken

There is no one on this earth that cannot make this recipe. It’s that easy. Well maybe not no one – you’ve got to have an oven, chicken, and a few basic spices. If you’ve got that, and you’ve never cooked anything other than eggs in your life, you can do this.

This has to be my #1 go-to recipe for a quick weekday dinner. It’s got tons of flavor with minimal effort, and it pleases even the most discriminating palette. I like to make this recipe when I’m cooking dinner for our local Bikur Cholim because I’m pretty sure anyone who will eat chicken will eat it.

What makes this chicken so good? Well for one, it’s baked in it’s skin, keeping the chicken nice and moist. Baking it on a high temperature (400 degrees), with the help of some olive oil, makes the skin super crispy, and all those spices get toasted to perfection.

Here’s the best part. If you’re on one of those low-carb or no-sugar diets like atkins or south beach, you can make yourself a super flavorful dinner without store-bought BBQ sauce that is so full of carbs. If you are watching your fat intake as well, don’t eat the skin, but feel free to scrape off the yummy spices and spread it on your chicken. If dieting is not on your agenda, go ahead and sop up all the drippings from the bottom of the pan, they are seriously delicious!

Quick & Easy Chicken

1 package chicken, quartered
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika
salt
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean chickens (do not remove the skin) and pat dry. Sprinkle generously with spices (but go light on the pepper). Drizzle with olive oil. Bake, uncovered, for one hour.

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Spinach Strawberry Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

In keeping with last weeks theme of cooking in season, strawberries are an all time favorite in the spring. They are packed with vitamins, fiber, and high levels of antioxidants and are low in calories, as well as low GI, with a value of 40 on the glycemic index. Strawberries are also a good source of manganese and potassium. Just one serving (about 8 strawberries) provides more vitamin C than an orange!

Regardless of their nutritional value, we love strawberries simply because they are fresh, light, sweet and delicious. Pair them with your breakfast cereal or yogurt, dip them in chocolate for dessert, or throw them into a salad. They compliment dishes in every course with a versatility all their own.

I came up with this salad to please everyone at the Shabbos table. I love spinach. My husband loves hearts of palm, and my daughter loves strawberries. I threw in some avocado for good measure, and some candied walnuts for crunch. The dressing complements the salad perfectly, with a fresh, light taste that is mildy sweet.

This salad will round off your dairy Shavuous meal perfectly!

Spinach Stawberry Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

1 bag baby spinach
1 container strawberries, leaves trimmed, cleaned and diced into circles
1 can hearts of palm, cut into circles
1 avocado, cubed
candied walnuts or honey roasted pecans

Dressing:

1/2 c light olive or grapeseed oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp strawberry jam
1 tbsp honey
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Method:

Prepare salad ingredients. Start with spinach, top with strawberries, hearts of palm, avocado and finish with nuts. Prepare dressing in a blender, or whisk well to incorporate (I like to use a blender to smooth out the lumps of jelly. If you don’t have one, you can heat up the jelly in the microwave, it is easier to mix in once it is melted). Pour dressing over salad and serve immediately.

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Turkey & Pastrami Wrapped Asparagus

I love the spring. It’s not only because of the beautiful weather and the blossoming trees. I also love the seasonal fruits and vegetables of spring including asparagus, spinach, rhubarb and strawberries, among others. Eating fruits and vegetables that are in season allows you to get the most nutritional value, flavor and freshness out of them at the most affordable price. With Shavuous just around the corner, I like to plan my menu around the freshest produce available on the market. These wrapped asparagus make the perfect appetizer or side dish at your fleishig meal.

Wrapped asparagus is a traditional antipasto which commonly uses non-kosher ingredients. I decided to try wrapping them with turkey and pastrami instead, and the results were pretty and delicious. In searching for ideas, I came across these lovely chive-tied ones, and they turned out to be the perfect finishing touch. The chives not only up-the-ante on the dish, they also help to keep the cold cuts tightly wrapped around the asparagus.

Although the turkey and pastrami add flavor to the asparagus, they are very simply seasoned. To add more flavor, drizzle with some classic aioli, or use my honey mustard dressing below.

Look out for more seasonal recipes to serve at your Yom Tov meal, coming next week!

Turkey & Pastrami Wrapped Asparagus
adapted from a recipe by Ellie Krieger

2 bunches of asparagus
1/4 lb. smoked turkey
1/4 lb. smoked pastrami
chives
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Break the woody end off each asparagus spear (if you hold one end of the asparagus in each hand and bend it, it will naturally break at the spot where it starts to become woody). Rinse the asparagus (if you’d like) and drain very well. Drizzle with olive oil, using a brush or your hands to coat well. Cut each piece of turkey and pastrami lengthwise into 3-4 strips. Wrap one strip of turkey or pastrami around each asparagus spear, below the tips. Gently tie a chive around the center of the cold cuts to hold them in place. Take care not to tear the chives, and make a knot (by tying twice) to ensure that they don’t open. Snip the ends of the chives with kitchen shears. Place on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Bake for 10-12 minutes (depending on thickness and how tender you like it), turning once.

To serve, plate asparagus alternating between the turkey and pastrami. Drizzle with dressing.

Honey Mustard Dressing

1/2 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup dijon mustard

Mix well to combine.

NOTE: It is best to use thicker asparagus for this recipe, as they hold the cold cuts better. Try to find ones that have an even shape so they cook evenly (not ones that get very thick at the bottom). To use thinner spears, just wrap 2-3 spears at a time with the cold cuts, instead of just one.

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Quick & Easy Individual Trifles


I love the look of trifles. All the neat layers and colors are a feast for the eyes. I’ve made salads, as well as desserts, in trifle bowls. The thing about it is, although it looks pretty, it’s just not that practical. When serving salads, it becomes impossible to mix, and all the vegetables start to fall over the sides. Desserts are simple enough to serve, but once you start spooning out portions, it looks less than appealing on the plate. My solution? Individual trifle bowls. I found them a few years ago at Crate and Barrel, but you can easily use margarita glasses, glass cups, or any see-through dish. You can even buy those plastic margarita glasses as an inexpensive substitute for the real thing.

There are no rules to making trifles. You can use your creativity to flavor the toppings and add exotic fruits. Brownies, chocolate cake and vanilla sponge cake are good starting points. Personally, I always fall back on the simple and classic sponge cake-vanilla pudding-whip cream-strawberry trifle.

The basic recipe for a trifle includes (in said order):

1. cake (sponge cake works well because it’s dry and can soak up the juices)
2. syrup or liquor (optional)
3. custard or pudding
4. fruit or pie filling
5. whip topping (you can flavor it with coffee, or chocolate if you’d like)
6. chopped candy bars, toasted coconut, chocolate shavings, etc. for garnish
(if you have room, repeat the layers)

A few weeks ago, I had an entire leftover French Coffee Sponge Cake (similar to a marble sponge cake but with coffee instead of chocolate) that wasn’t touched. Instead of throwing it away, I decided to whip up some mini trifles, along with a quiet game night, for just my husband and I. It took about two minutes to put together (I used ready-made pudding and the air-canister of whip topping) but it tasted like a decadent dessert.

Quick & Easy Individual Trifles

Store-bought sponge cake
Store-bought pudding
ready-made whip topping
chocolate liquor or syrup
chocolate shavings or chopped candy bar, for garnish

Method:

Cut the pound cake into small pieces. Fill the bottom of the trifle bowls with 1/3 cake. Drizzle with chocolate liquor or syrup. Top with 1/3 pudding. Finish with 1/3 whip topping. Garnish with chocolate shavings or a chopped candy bar (nutty chews and viennese crunch work well).

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