Category: Brunch

Parmesan Lasagna Chips with Pizza Hummus

I can’t believe I’m about to say this but I’m gonna say it. I CAN’T LOOK AT ANOTHER DONUT.

Everywhere I turn there seems to be another donut flavor, each outdoing the next, and while they all look appealing, they all start to taste the same at some point.

It’s only Light #3 but I’m D.O.N.E. I’ve tasted crazy flavors like creme brulee, pistacho, banana nut, Irish cream and Oreo, thanks to my local coffee shop, Chocolatte. Then, my foodie buddy Sarah Chana sent me her homemade cronuts in flavors like lemon curd, cheesecake & fig, dulce de leche and chocolate bourbon. Of course there were the classic jelly and custard donuts from my local supermarket, and who can forget my JELLY RING donuts, which I tested in three batches! Are you getting my DONUT HANGOVER NOW?!

Ok, to be honest, I did not exactly EAT all of those donuts, but I definitely tasted each and every flavor and that itself is enough to make the scale point it’s finger at me in rebuke. Has your scale ever pointed it’s finger at you? I’m hallucinating from all the donuts!

Now while I may be over the donut trend, we’ve still got plenty days left to Chanukah, and I’ve got to get frying! Savory is the only way to go from here, so I came up with a fun and exciting pizza-inspired dish that’s the perfect appetizer for your Chanukah party!

Now I know the thought of frying pasta in oil with parmesan cheese has my scale freaking out, but it’s my birthday, and calories don’t count on my birthday, right? RIGHT?


I mean, common, we’ve got only a few days left to the holidays, and we can diet after that. Purim is not for a few months, so I’ll be hopping on the Paleo train as soon as I finish this batch of chips *GULP*

If you’re feeling the donut overload too, I’ve got plenty of savory fried goodness on the blog for your to enjoy! Parmesan zucchini chips are a must-have, and the zucchini help deguiltify the whole breaded and fried thing. If you want to go full-on Israeli, try my baked eggplant chips with harissa whipped feta. And if you really want to go healthy, my cauliflower chip nachos with harissa cheddar sauce are to die for! Told you I got you covered.

Speaking of healthy, lets talk about this pizza hummus for a sec, k? You can’t have drool worthy lasagna chips without having something to dip it into, can you? I decided to put a pizza spin on classic hummus, by adding some tomato paste, herbs, garlic and of course, parmesan. The fusion is simply delicious – creamy garbanzo beans that are reminiscent of classic hummus, with the flavor of pizza. Win win.

So get your frying pans ready and whip up a batch of this deliciousness. You can thank me later. And hate me next week. Just don’t tell your scale that I put you up to it!

Parmesan Lasagna Chips

5 sheets lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Natural & Kosher Cheese grated parmesan
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Method:

Slice the lasagna noodles into strips. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan, oregano and garlic powder. Prepare a dredging station with the flour, eggs and flavored breadcrumbs each in a separate bowl. Dredge the lasagna strips in flour and shake off to remove excess. Repeat with egg and then breadcrumbs. Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a saucepan to 350 degrees*. Place a few lasagna strips into the hot oil. When the lasagna begins to brown on one side, flip it over to brown the other side. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and drain on paper towels.

Serve with marinara or pizza hummus.

*If you don’t have a deep fry thermometer, you can test the temperature by adding a pinch of flour to the oil. If it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready.

VARIATION: for a lighter chip, fry the lasagna without breading and sprinkle with parmesan and spices as soon as it comes out of the oil.

NOTE: If you prefer to bake these, place the breaded lasagna on a greased cookie sheet, spray with cooking spray and bake at 450 degrees, flipping over once, until browned and crisped.


Pizza Hummus

1 15oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup tahini paste
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp dried basil
kosher salt, to taste
2 tbsp Natural & Kosher grated parmesan

Method:

Add all the ingredients, besides for the cheese, to a blender and puree until smooth. If the hummus is thick, add a bit of water at a time until smooth and creamy. Add the cheese and pulse until incorporated.

To serve, place the hummus into a bowl, sprinkle with parmesan and drizzle with olive oil.


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

Related Recipes:

parmesan zucchini chips
harissa whipped feta with zaatar eggplant chips
chestnut hummus with Thanksgiving pita chips
roasted garlic hummus with everything pita chips
cauliflower nachos with harissa cheddar sauce

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Sabich Latkes

As a food blogger, one of the questions I often get asked is what my favorite dish is. If they want to know my most popular dish, that ones easy. But my favorite? It’s like asking me who my favorite child is. Can a mom really have a favorite child?! But now, NOW I can answer that question. Sabich latkes, hands down, is my favorite dish of all time. Does that tell you something?

Sabich is a classic Israeli sandwich consisting of pita stuffed with fried eggplant, hardboiled egg, Israeli salad, tahini and amba (a pickled mango condiment). Since amba is not readily available to everyone, I decided to pickle some onions instead, and I added my new favorite Mina harissa for some spice. The combo is so ridiculously incredible that you’re going to want to eat the leftovers for breakfast, and then lunch, and maybe dinner too.

The best part of sabich, is that you can switch things up if you wish – add some hummus, Israeli pickles, schug, or go gourmand with a poached egg for a truly sophisticated bite.

Sabich Latkes

classic latkes or falafel latkes
roasted eggplant (recipe follows)
sliced tomatoes
sliced hardboiled eggs (how to)
pickled onions (recipe follows)
harissa tahini
additional harissa or amba
fresh parsley, for garnish

Method:

To assemble the latkes, top a classic or falafel latke with roasted eggplant slices, tomatoes, eggs, pickled onions, tahini, and garnish with additional harissa or amba and fresh parsley.

Roasted Eggplant

1 eggplant, sliced into 1/3″ rounds
olive oil
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the eggplant on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and roast until tender and starting to brown, about 30 minutes.

Quick Pickled Onions

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.

Related Recipes:

falafel latkes with harissa tahini
roasted eggplant with Israeli salad
sous vide stuffed eggplant with pistachio dukkah and tamarind tahini

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{Falatkes} Falafel Latkes with Harissa Tahini

There really is no outdoing my poutine latkes from last year. The latkes went so viral, that I cooked them up for the Wall Street Journal and did a latke segment for The Meredith Vieira Show. HuffPost Canada went gaga over them and the rest is history.

I’m not one to rest on my laurels so I had to really blow it out of the water this year. It’s a good thing I had an entire year to think about it! I knew I wanted to go in the Israeli direction, because my food has been really influenced by the amazing flavors and spices of Israeli culture and cuisine. And what’s more quintessentially Israeli than falafel?

When falafel latkes, or as I coined them, FALATKES, came to me, I was beyond excited at the prospect of creating a beanless falafel dish! I prepared my batter, scooped it in the sizzling oil and my brain went crazy. Was I smelling latkes or was I smelling falafel?! I was smelling both!!

And then I took a bite of their crispy goodness and Oh. Em. Gee. I was eating potato latkes. And I was eating falafel. {MINDBLOWN} Poutine latkes – outdone.

If Chanukah wasn’t my favorite holiday before, it is now! Not only was I born on the fifth night, but I got married on my birthday and as I celebrate my 35th birthday, along with my 13th wedding Anniversary, I will be munching on this deeelicious fried goodness. It’s going to be a very happy birthday indeed!

Now, when you create the ultimate Chanukah latke, you have to top it with the ultimate sauce. Tahini is my jam so I made it my favorite way – with delicious spicy harissa mixed in for a deep, rich and spicy flavor. I am legit obsessed with Mina harissa that I tasted at Kosherfest just a couple of weeks ago. It’s spicy, but it’s also kind of sweet, which is never something I expected to find in a harissa. It’s got such a homey small-batch flavor, I just want to slather it on everything! And don’t even get me started on their shakshuka sauce. I can’t wait to create some amazing recipes with it!

If you’re a fan of harissa, don’t forget to try my harissa whipped feta with za’atar eggplant chips. They’re perfect for Chanukah, when it’s traditional to eat dairy foods. You can even fry up the za’atar chips to really get into the Chanukah mood. My confetti latkes with harissa sour cream are another favorite and if you want to go healthy, definitely go for my cauliflower nachos with harissa cheddar sauce. Told you I love harissa. Of course, if you’re looking for other fun Chanukah recipes, don’t forget to check out my Chanukah category, as well as the Chanukah section in my new RECIPE INDEX!  You’ll find amazing appetizers and desserts that are perfect for you Chanukah party.

In the meantime, here are some great tips for making the ultimate crispy latkes!

1- Make sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible out of your potatoes and onions using a cheesecloth or kitchen towel.
2- Use little-to-no flour to bind the mixture. The potatoes natural starch is usually enough to keep it together.
2- When the batter sits, it tends to get liquidy, so make sure to squeeze out as much moisture as possible before frying.
3- Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop out your batter. Pack the batter into the cup and place in the hot oil. Use the bottom of the cup to press down on the latkes, creating crisy, lacy edges.
4- Remove your latkes from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain, but immediately remove to a rack so the latkes stay nice and crisp.

Happy Frying!

Falafel Latkes

2-3 lb russet potatoes
1 medium white onion, quartered
2 eggs
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons garbanzo bean flour
canola oil, for frying

Method:

Peel potatoes and immediately place in a bowl of water to prevent browning. In a large bowl, combine eggs, spices, herbs, flour or matza meal and salt and pepper; stir to combine. Drain the potatoes and grate it, alternating between the potatoes and onion, either by hand or with a shredding disc in your food processor. Place the grated potato and onion mixture into a large piece of cheesecloth or a kitchen towel. Wrap it tightly and squeeze out as much juice as possible into a bowl. Let the juice sit for a bit so the potato starch settles to the bottom. Slowly pour the liquid out of the bowl (into the sink), leaving the potato starch in the bowl. Add the starch, grated potatoes and onions to the herb mixture and stir to incorporate. Heat oil in a skillet and fry 1/4 cup of batter at a time until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

NOTE: If you don’t have garbanzo flour, you can use matza meal or regular flour. If you don’t like cilantro, you can just double up on the parsley.

Harissa Tahini

1/2 cup tahini paste (stir thoroughly before using, as oil and solids tend to separate)
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp cumin
kosher salt, to taste
2 tsp Mina spicy harissa, or to taste

Method:

In a bowl, mix the tahini, water, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, salt and harissa. Whisk until emulsified.


This post was sponsored by Mina. All opinions are my own. View Mina’s amazing assortment of harissa and shakshuka sauce here or follow on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. 

Related Recipes:

confetti latkes with harissa sour cream
harissa whipped feta with za’atar eggplant chips
cauliflower nachos with harissa cheddar sauce
falafel burgers

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Zoodle Shakshuka

If a food could be my bestie, it would be shakshuka. I can’t get enough of the stuff. Why do I love it so much? Lets count the ways…

    1. it’s sweet.
    2. it’s spicy.
    3. it’s saucy.
    4. it’s got runny eggs.
    5. it’s got runny eggs. (I love runny eggs OKKKK?)
    6. it’s easy to make.
    7. you can dip fresh pita in it.
    8. you can make so many varieties.
    9. you can eat it for breakfast, brunch (my favorite), lunch or dinner.
    10. it’s Israeli and Israel is my <3

Speaking of #10, I’m sharing this recipe with you all in honor of the #LOVEISRAELFOOD which is the brainchild of my fellow Brooklyn foodie and Instagrammer Aliza Salem (follower her @theghettogourmet!). Aliza put together a fun foodie campaign in support of Israel, where we all share our favorite Israeli dishes on Instagram! Go out and buy some Israeli products and post a photo of your dish with some of these hashtags:
#buyisraelicookisraelibakeisraeli, #loveisraelfood, #changeforisrael and #onenationoneheart! I can’t wait to break the internet with all our droolworthy dishes!

I’m getting in the spirit of things with this zoodle shakshuka, because I had to bring together two of my favorite things: zoodles and shakshuka! I spiralized both zucchini and yellow squash, to give this a 2-tone effect, and it came together in no time. Who doesn’t love that!

Zoodles are all the rage these days, so if you haven’t hopped on the zucchini noodle train, it’s time. I wrote all about the different tools that you can use to prepare zoodles a little while ago, so give it a read!

If you’re not much of a reader, I’ll sum it up for you in one sentence. For quick and easy zoodles, use this and for a fun tool that you can use with lots of different produce, use this. It’s that easy my zoodle novice friends.

And if you’re looking for some inspiration for the #loveisraelfood campaign, you know you’ve come to the right place. You can try stuffing some roasted eggplant like this, or grilling up some halloumi like this. You can go a little crazy with halva flavors like this and this or work in some za’atar like this and this. Of course you can go more classic like falafel and shawarma or go a little crazy with rosewater or harissa. Whatever you do, it’s sure to be delicious. B’taavon!

For the zoodle shakshuka recipe, head on over to the Arutz Sheva blog!

Other Shakshuka Recipes:

baked portobello shakshuka
garbanzo bean shakshuka
spaghetti squash shakshuka 

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Honey Hasselback Baked Apples
with Brie & Pecan Streusel


I heart brie. I never thought I could be a semi-moldy-cheese kinda girl but here. I. am.


When Natural & Kosher Cheese asked me to go all Rosh-Hashanah-out on their brie, I was only too happy to oblige. I knew I had to do something with apple & honey, because besides being the symbol for a Sweet New Year, fruit and honey just go so well with brie! Case in point: these dried fruit brie bites. Mmm mmm good.

If moldy cheese and fruit sound gross to you, let me tell you this: I did a cheese demo a few months back, and I had a room full of people who thought the same. Many of them had never tried brie before, and they had no plans to. But after watching me make my brie en croute with homemade fig jam, they warmed up to the idea of melted gooey cheese smothered in sweet fruit. A few bites later they were all over it, stinky cheese and all!


If you’re still on the fence, let me assure you that when I say stinky cheese, I don’t mean bleu-cheese-style. I would NEVER go near that stuff! Brie has an edible white rind that, yes, does have mold in it, but it is oh so mild. You can always cut it off if you want to get to the gooey interior of the cheese minus the (slight) funk.

Now that we’ve (hopefully) got you passed the brie, can we please discuss the hasselbacking? Y’all know I’m kinda obsessed with hasselback anything. And after this hasselback salami, now you all are too! I promised myself I’d be hasselbacking lots of other foods, and after seeing this video on cookinglight, I was all over hasselbacking my apples! How gorgeous are they? Gosh, I have so many hasselback ideas up my chef sleeve, I can’t wait to share them with you!


Now if you want to skip the brie on these and just go pareve for a fantastic dessert, feel free to leave out the cheese and use margarine or coconut oil in place of the butter. Top it off with some ice cream and you’ve got yourself a golden dessert for your holiday meal! (Or, do yourself a favor and stick to the cheese, and serve this up for a special Rosh Hashanah breakfast!).

Honey Hasselback Baked Apples with Brie

2 apples
1/2 wheel of Natural & Kosher Cheese brie
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp honey

Pecan Streusel

2 tbsp chopped pecans
2 tbsp oats
1 tbsp flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp butter, softened

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Core the apples using an apple corer and cut the apples into 4 equal wedges. Cut slits in the apple wedges, taking care not to cut all the way through.

In a small bowl, mix the honey and melted butter. Stuff thin slices of brie in between the apple slices and brush with honey butter. Bake, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until apples have softened.

In a bowl, combine the streusel ingredients. Spread the pecan streusel over the apples, stuffing it in between the slices. Return the apples to the oven (uncovered) and bake until the streusel is browned and crispy, 5-10 minutes.

Serve warm, with a drizzle of honey.

PAREVE OPTION: To make these pareve, leave out the brie and use margarine or coconut oil instead of the butter.


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

Related Recipes:

apple and honey tart
hasselback sweet potatoes with apples
dried fruit brie bites

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