Category: Brunch

Poke Bowls

Move over sushi salad, poke bowls are in the house! The Hawaiian raw fish dish has become a popular food trend and poke’ bars are popping over all over the place! I recently had a delicious make-your-own-bowl at Bravo Kosher Pizza in New York City and I’ve been wanting to recreate it ever since.

There’s nothing not to love about this light, fresh, quick and easy bowl of goodness, unless of course you don’t like raw fish! In that case, go ahead and use some mock crab (kani), or add some flaked cooked salmon. The possibilities are endless, so make it your own.

Poke Bowls

1/2 cup short grain brown rice, cooked according to package directions
1/2 lb sushi grade tuna or salmon (or a mix), diced
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
squirt of sriracha
1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1/4 cup edamame, thawed
1 radish, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 scallion, chopped
spicy mayonnaise, for serving
sweet sauce or teriyaki sauce, for serving

Method:

In a small bowl, combine the fish, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha and sesame seeds. Divide the sushi rice between two bowls. Top with marinated fish, avocado, edamame, radish, cucumber, jalapeno, and scallions. Garnish with spicy mayo and sweet sauce, to taste.

VARIATION: You may also use quinoa, sushi rice, or go grain-free. Feel free to add any toppings of your choice.

Related Recipes:

sushi burrito
sushi salad
tuna sashimi with herbed crema
kani salad

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Marzipan Biscotti


I don’t know what took me so long to blog about my love of Molly Yeh’s cookbook, Molly on the Range. Well, actually I do. It’s been a crazy hectic year since baby #5 was born and I’ve been trying to keep my head above water and maintain my sanity while I manage food (blogging) and family. It’s been months since I fangirled Molly at her book release party and I’ve read her book cover to cover and tried quite a number of her cookbook recipes since!
**GIVEAWAY DETAILS BELOW**

Molly’s blog, mynameisyeh, has been a huge inspiration to me as a blogger. First off, her beautiful photography always pushed me to take my own photography to the next level, and the way that she elevates Middle Eastern food is everything to me. We share a love of tahini and marzipan and I secretly dream about the day that I will open a bread and breakfast on my own little farm in Upstate New York (I may have even called a couple of places that had a for sale sign up this summer!).

Every time I think about the urge to redesign my blog (“because that’s what bloggers do”), I’m reminded that Molly became one of the most popular bloggers on the web without ever redesigning hers. You don’t need a fancy lifestyle blog with a gazillion sections to be successful. You just need delicious food, beautiful photography, and a really awesome personality (which is why I actually READ Molly’s entire cookbook cover to cover, instead of just looking at the pictures like I normally do).

I love how Molly on the Range is part autobiography, part cookbook. It’s an awesome and hysterical journey of a true foodie finding love in both the kitchen and her personal life. In true Molly style, she sent out review copies along with her own sprinkle mix, adorable tatoos and a handwritten note. And she put some of that panache in the book too – with a coloring page, shnitzel costume instructions and fun illustrations throughout the book.

The recipes range from Midwestern favorites like hot dishes to popular Middle Eastern foods like bourekas, hummus and malabi. Molly shares recipes from both her Asian and Jewish heritage, including matzo brei, latkes and fusion dishes like shnitzel bao buns and scallion pancake challah. Of course I’ve marked all the Israeli dishes in the book, especially the tahini and marzipan ones, including this delicious biscotti/mandel bread.

The idea of folding in chunks of store bought marzipan is a brilliant one, and not the least bit overwhelming. The almond flavor is surprisingly subtle, and when I served these up for my daughters birthday recently, everyone loved them, marzipan lovers and haters alike.

Speaking of my daughter’s birthday, I attempted my very first marzipan covered cake for her cake smash recently and it was a huge success! I’ve been drooling over Molly’s marzipan coated cakes for the longest time and I was so excited to work with it.  I can’t wait to share the results in an upcoming post.

I’m also super excited to be giving away a copy of Molly on the Range to one lucky reader! To enter to win the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment below letting me know which BIB recipe you’ve been enjoying this summer.
2. For an extra entry, tag a friend on the giveaway post on Facebook or Instagram.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents (for international entries, prize can only be shipped in the U.S.). Winner will be chosen at random at 10:00 AM EST on Sunday, August 13th, 2017.

Marzipan Biscotti
reprinted with permission from Molly on the Range

7 to 8 ounces marzipan or almond paste
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
3¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup flavorless oil
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract, optional—I didn’t have any
½ cup cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips, optional, see notes above
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Sprinkles or pearl sugar, for sprinkling

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Cut the marzipan into ½-inch pieces and toss with the powdered sugar. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil until combined. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, and then whisk in the vanilla and almond extract, if using. Use a wooden spoon to gradually mix in the flour mixture, marzipan, and cacao nibs or chocolate chips. (This dough can be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and place on the lined baking sheet. Mold the dough into two 14 x 3-inch rectangles about 3 inches apart. Sprinkle the tops with a few pinches of sea salt and pearl sugar or sprinkles.
Bake until the centers are set and the bottoms are lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 250ºF. Let the mandel bread cool slightly and then use a sharp serrated knife to cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Turn the slices on their sides and bake for 20 more minutes, or until desired crispness. Let cool slightly and enjoy with coffee, hot chocolate, or tea.

Other Marzipan Recipes:

marzipan date truffles
marzipan apple crisp
3-layer rainbow cookie cake
date and almond hamantaschen

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Kosher Shrimp & Grits

Before you go ahead and close your browser, no you did not make your way onto a treif blog, everything on here is still kosher! I can’t get over how real those shrimp look, can you?

So to be honest, I’m not really one for kosherizing treif dishes. Like I don’t do cheeseburgers with fake cheese or buttermilk fried chicken with soy milk. It’s just not my thing. But when I saw a package of grits at Shoprite last week, I just had to buy it. I’m a big fan of farina (the wheat version of grits, which are made from corn) and I love all things corn, so I was intrigued. I also mistakenly bought a package of mock shrimp instead of mock crab (we are obsessed with this kani salad in this house) so that’s how this kosher version of shrimp and grits came to be.

Now shrimp and grits is real Southern comfort food, and definitely more of a winter dish than a summer one – so I incorporated some fresh corn and a basil pistou to cut through the heaviness and lighten things up. A squeeze of lime in the creamy cheddar grits also goes a long way.

So, for an anti-tofu, real-food person, I have to be honest and say that the shrimp tasted amazing, but was definitely on the rubbery side. When I made this in my Instagram story, many readers suggested butterflying the shrimp by cutting it in half lengthwise, so I’ve made that suggestion below. But honestly, when I make this again, I’m just going to use kani (mock crab) since we are huge fans of that in this house (and ironically one of my readers messaged me that her dad, who is not religious, ate kani at her house and said it tasted just like shrimp!).

I’m stoked that I managed to plate this up all pretty for a blog post for you guys, its been great having a break, but I’ve missed posting!

 

Kosher Shrimp & Grits

Mock Shrimp:
1 1/2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic
10.5oz. pkg surimi shrimp, cut in half lengthwise
1 tsp old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
kosher salt, to taste

Heat the butter over medium heat and add the garlic. Saute until fragrant. Add the shrimp and spices and saute until coated and heated through.

VARIATION: You may use kani (mock crab) or firm white fish, such as cod or halibut instead of the shrimp. For cod, dice into chunks and saute until cooked through.

Corn:
1 tbsp butter
Corn from 3 cobs
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter over medium heat and add the corn. Saute until tender and season with salt and pepper.

Basil Pistou:
1 bunch basil
1/3 c olive oil
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper, to taste

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

Grits:
1 c quick 5 minute grits
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c half and half or heavy cream
Juice of half lime

Prepare the grits last, right before serving. Bring the stock up to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and and slowly stir in the grits. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream, cheddar and lime juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

To assemble the shrimp and grits, divide the grits between 6 bowls and top with fresh corn, basil pistou and shrimp. Serve immediately.

Other Fish Dishes:

kani salad
spicy tuna melt twice baked potatoes
tuna pasta salad
fish tacos

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Tahini Frappuccino

Living in New York, I feel like we spend all winter counting down the weeks till summer. The bone-chilling days seem to stretch on way past their intended season, and by the time the spring comes, we’re ready to rid our closets of all those layers. Except when spring comes, it’s not quite warm enough to do that. So we spend the season wearing our summer clothes, shivering in the chilly mornings, and then again in the almost-winter-again evenings. By the time summer comes, we’re so happy to let the hot sun warm our bones – for a day. Or two. And then we’re kvetching again, wishing winter would come cool us off!

OK maybe it’s not all New Yorkers, but it’s definitely ME. I cannot tolerate the heat. This week of 90+ degrees has been torture for me – I thought I’d melt onto the sidewalk! My only reprieve from the torturous weather is a giant cup of iced coffee. Iced coffee literally saves my sanity all summer long and it’s not even about the caffeine – I only drink decaf!

My biggest obstacle in my iced coffee making is the sweetener (and the fact that I suck at making coffee, but that’s another story!). I obviously don’t want to sweeten it with real sugar, ‘cuz calories :) And I don’t like using Splenda, because, chemicals. I’m not a fan of the natural stuff like Stevia, and I recently gave Monk fruit sugar a try, but also, gross. So what’s left?

When I did my Whole30 a while back (actually it was three rounds so make that Whole90), I used to sweeten my coffee with a single medjool date. I’d add coffee ice cubes, so they wouldn’t water my coffee down, and creamy full fat coconut milk because the cleanse is dairy-free (otherwise I’m all for half and half!). It was some of the best coffee I’ve ever had and it was Paleo approved.

My date-sweetened coffee got me thinking of how I could turn my favorite summer drink into a healthy frappuccino and of course I went in the tahini direction. I love using tahini in sweet applications – with the addition of silan, cinnamon and vanilla, it tastes like halva without all the added sugar. The result is a smooth and creamy coffee shake that’s refreshing and oh. so. delicious. Perfect for every season – but especially summer.

Stay cool out there!

Tahini Frappuccino

2 heaping tsp coffee
1/2 c half and half
2 tbsp tahini
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla
Pinch of sea salt
3 plump medjool dates, pitted
1-2 cups ice
Toppings: silan, whipped cream, halva, cinnamon

Method:

Dissolve the coffee in 1/2 cup of hot water and place in a blender with half and half, tahini, cinnamon, vanilla, sea salt and dates. Blend until smooth. Add ice and blend until crushed. Drizzle silan on the inside of a glass and pour the shake into it. Top with whipped cream, halva and cinnamon.

Related Recipes:

tahini date smoothie
banana date milk & honey smoothie

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Lasagna Roll-Up Blintzes

I don’t know about you, but the only thing that keeps me from making blintzes on Shavuot is the crepe-making. The rest of the process is fairly easy, and I don’t even mind the light frying. But those crepes, man they are hard to nail down.

My mom so hates the crepe-making process that she’s been ordering her crepes ready-made from a caterer for years. Instead, she puts her attention on delicious homemade fillings – creamy potato with deeply caramelized onions and sweet cheese with an apricot sauce for dipping. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!


I’m all for finding the easier way around dishes and this lasagna roll-up blintz hack is no exception! I love me some savory lasagna roll-ups, filled with spinach-flecked creamy ricotta and oozing with cheesy mozzarella, so why not go sweet, amIright? Dredging the sweet-filled pasta sheets in Corn Flake crumbs and frying them really takes it over the top, and I’m one happy crepe-free Momma.

What I really love about these decadent Shavuot treats is that they truly resemble blintzes, and if you want to stay away from the fryer, just go ahead and serve them up without the breading. You can add some chopped nuts for texture, and of course the requisite sour cream and strawberry sauce. Cuz blintzes without sour cream are a sad, sad thing.

Those of you that have been following my diet journey over on Instagram know that I’ve been staying away from delicious carby treats like these for the past couple of weeks, so I had to send them straight out of the house as soon as I was done making them. I don’t have the willpower to say no to a piping hot plate of sweet, crunchy, cheesy pasta rolls, do you? If your answer is yes, please tell me your secret ‘cuz I’m gonna need it come the cheesecake holiday.

We’re pretty low key when it comes to dairy in my house – I only serve it once a week, and it’s usually pizza, mac ‘n cheese or baked ziti. But Shavuot? Shavuot is the time for cheesy French onion soup, 4-cheese lasagna, a cheese board of your dreams, and of course plenty of cheesecake and blintzes. And lets not forget the dairy ice cream either. G-d help me survive this decadent holiday!

I’m thinking I’ll have to have some healthy options at the table too. Like these cheesy stuffed mini peppers, this three-cheese rollatini rose pie, the most amazing kid-friendly broccoli poppers, plus these cutesy roasted eggplant parmesan starters.

Now if we’re talking the decadent part of the meal, obv we have these insane roll-ups, which will be an amazing side to my caramelized peach and gouda quesadillas and 3-cheese broccoli pull-apart buns for the kids.  I’m thinking goat cheese ice cream for dessert, and definitely my Torah cannoli, ‘cuz that’s what the holiday is all about – stuffing our face with cheese and the giving of the Torah.

I’m pretty stoked to be hosting my mom for the first time this year – she’s usually the one who hosts, so I better get my menu planned. Stay tuned, I’ll share it with you soon. In the meantime, have a look at the Index for some inspiration!

Lets get rollin’!

Lasagna Roll-Up Blintzes

1 package lasagna noodles
16oz. ricotta cheese
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
pinch of salt
3 eggs
3 tbsp heavy cream or whole milk
3 cup Corn Flake crumbs
canola oil, for frying
powder sugar, for dusting

Method:

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain and spread the noodles on a light greased surface. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and salt.

Spread a heaping spoonful of the cheese mixture over each lasagna noodle and roll the noodles up. Place seam side down on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.

In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs and heavy cream. In a second shallow bowl, add the Corn Flake crumbs and season with a pinch of salt.

Remove the roll-ups from the freezer and dip each roll in eggs and then cornflake crumbs, shaking off the excess each time. Work with a few at a time so that the rolls don’t start to defrost and lose their shape. Return the rolls to the freezer until you are ready to fry.

Heat a few inches of oil in a skillet and fry the rollups, turning so that all the sides are browned. Drain on paper towels.

Dust the rolls generously with powdered sugar and serve with strawberry sauce.

VARIATIONS:

– If you desire a smooth cheese filling, blend the cheese mixture in a food processor or blender (you may not need all the lasagna noodles as the volume of the cheese will decrease).
– Use equal parts graham cracker crumbs and Corn Flake crumbs for a sweeter breading.
– Serve with your favorite warmed jam or pie filling.

Strawberry Sauce

16oz frozen strawberries
2 tbsp sugar, or, to taste
1 tsp lemon juice

Add the ingredients to a small saucepan and cook until the strawberries are soft. Mash the berries with a fork to break them up and cook over low heat until thickened. If desired, blend with an immersion blender or serve chunky. Adjust sweetness according to your taste and the sweetness of the fruit.

Related Recipes:

spinach lasagna roll-ups
how to build a crepe bar
parmesan lasagna chips with pizza hummus
quick and easy lasagna

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