Brunch – Page 8 – Busy in Brooklyn

Why is it that so many people have leftover cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving. I LOVE cranberry sauce. I can eat it by the spoonful. Is it just me?

Not really a fan of the traditional cranberry sauce recipes with a cup of sugar though. They’re too sweet for my taste, and I don’t want to mask the amazing tartness of the cranberries!

So I cook my cranberry sauce down in red wine, or pomegranate juice, or even apple cider, and I sweeten it with maple syrup or honey, to taste, and THAT, my friends, is how you make cranberry sauce that doesn’t get relegated to the back of the fridge with the tzimmes. IfyouknowwhatImean!

But IF, if you make bomb cranberry sauce and you still have some leftover – well then cranberry oat bars it is. And the pecans add just the perfect amount of buttery nuttiness to top it off for the perfect post-Thanksgiving breakfast.

I mean, how. GOOD. does. that. look?
You know you want it.

Happy Thanksgiving y’all!!

Cranberry Oat Bars

2 c all purpose flour
1 c almond flour (see note)
1 ½ c quick oats
1 c granulated sugar
1/4 c dark brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1 egg
1 cup flavorless oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 c chopped pecans
1 recipe maple cider cranberry sauce or mulled wine cranberry sauce

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, oats, sugars, baking powder and salt; whisk to incorporate. In a small bowl, combine egg, oil, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry
ingredients, mixing until a dough forms.
3. Remove half of the mixture into a bowl and add the pecans. Reserve for topping. a
4. Press the remaining batter into a parchment lined quarter baking sheet or a 9×13 pan.
5. Spread cranberry sauce over the bars (if the sauce is watery, cook in a pot until thickened); top with pecan crumble.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned. Cool completely; cut into squares.

VARIATION: use canned jellied cranberry sauce in place of homemade, or any jam of your choice.

NOTE: if you don’t have almond flour, you may use an additional cup of all purpose flour.

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Smoothies Two Ways!

On July 28, 2020August 28, 2020

by chanie

in Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Diet, Drinks, Recipes

5 Comments

I’ve never been a big smoothie drinker, and mostly because I just find it a hassle to have to blend everything up. You have to shlep out the blender, clean it after, and all for a drink? It doesn’t seem worth it.

But a new product on the market has totally revolutionized the smoothie industry – Swirbie! The fruit comes in nifty pods that all but dissolve in your drink, no blender required. I am hooked!

My kids have been drinking smoothies all summer, no blender necessary, and we even get to prepare smoothies on Shabbos. I love to add the pods to coconut water, seltzer or different varieties of milk for a truly refreshing drink.

One of the best parts about the pods is that since they’re frozen, you don’t need to add ice, so there’s no watering down your drink. I call that a win-win!

This chili lime smoothie was inspired by Trader Joes viral chili lime seasoning, and I’ve been drinking it on repeat, it’s that good!

Chili Lime Mango Smoothie

2 Swirbie mango pods
1 cup coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp honey, or, to taste
pinch of cayenne pepper
tajin spice or Trader Joes chili lime seasoning, for the rim, optional

Method:

Add mango pods, coconut milk, lime juice, honey and cayenne to a mason jar and shake until the mango dissolves. Rub the lime around the rim of your serving glass and dip in tajin spice. Pour the mango smoothie into the glass and serve immediately.

One of my favorite smoothie blends that I picked up from living in Israel is banana + date + tahini + milk. The flavors pair really well and it makes for a filling breakfast on the go.

And for a truly decadent treat, top off your smoothie with some shredded halva (or halva floss, as I like to call it!), it really takes it over the top.

Swirbie pods are available in strawberry, mango, peach, blueberry, banana and spinach flavors. You can use them on their own or blend two flavors together for an equally delicious drink!

You can find Swirbie pods in the freezer section of your local kosher supermarket.

Banana Tahini Smoothie

3 Swirbie banana pods
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp raw tahini
1 tbsp silan (date honey)
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
sesame seeds and halva, for serving, optional

Method:

Add banana pods, almond milk, tahini, silan, cinnamon and salt to a mason jar and shake until the banana dissolves. Dip the rim of your serving glass in tahini and dip in sesame seeds. Pour the banana smoothie into the glass, top with shredded halva and serve immediately.

This post is sponsored by Swirbie.

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Sweet Chili Cauliflower Poppers

On December 23, 2019December 23, 2019

by chanie

in Appetizer, Brunch, Chanukah, Recipes, Side Dish

2 Comments

Happy Chanukah everyone!! You gotta love this holiday of parties, fried foods and presents, it really is my favorite! Partly so because I like to do without the pressure. Quick and easy recipes, throw together a cheese board and buy some donuts and we’re good to go!

There’s also 8 days to spread out the homemade stuff – so I tackle one thing at a time – classic latkes one night, a mashup on another. Some funnel cakes and deep fried oreos if we’re having a party and these SUPER EASY cauliflower poppers for the prettiest and simplest appetizer!

Sure in general I’m all for the homemade from-scratch stuff, but we all need an easy recipe in our back pocket that’s semi-homemade, and breaded cauliflower florets are a gift to foodie kind!

I first tasted a variation on this recipe at an Israeli-style cafe in Florida, they’re all over the sweet chili sauce! It came out still steaming and crispy from the fryer with a mayo dip on the side and something about it was just addictive and delicious! I realized that it was really easy to replicate at home, so I’ve been making it ever since and they are always a crowd pleaser!

I went a little Asian with the toppings and dip but you can go Middle Eastern with some parsley over the top and some za’atar ranch on the side, or maybe Mexican with some taco seasoning and cilantro with some salsa for dippings.

Get dippin’!

Sweet Chili Cauliflower Poppers

24oz. package breaded cauliflower florets
20oz. jar sweet chili sauce
1 scallion, chopped
1 tsp toasted black and white sesame seeds
canola oil, or cooking oil spray
spicy mayo, for dipping

Method:

To fry: heat oil in a deep fryer and fry the florets until crispy. Alternatively, heat oven to 425 degrees, spray the poppers with oil and bake until crispy.

While the poppers are hot, toss with sweet chili sauce, top with scallions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

VARIATION: try this recipe with breaded broccoli poppers or chicken nuggets!

sweet-chili-cauliflower-poppers

Dips & Spreads

On August 20, 2019October 10, 2019

by chanie

in Appetizer, Brunch, Dips, Recipes, Shabbos, Shavuous, Snacks

7 Comments

Walk into any kosher supermarket and you’re likely to find a display case of wall to wall dips. What is it about Jews and dips and when did this cultural shift happen?

In Sephardic culture, SALATIM have adorned their Shabbos tables for generations. Unlike most mayo-based dips that you find in Ashkenazi cuisine, salatim are usually cooked down for hours (think matbucha!) and are exclusively savory.

Growing up in an Ashkenazi home, dips were not really a THING. And come to think of it, neither was a smorgasbord of salads. Life was a lot simpler back then, and if we had some pickled cucumber salad, chrein (horseradish with beets) and tahini (my dad is Israeli after all) we were happy campers. Perhaps it’s our foodie culture or this generation’s need for abundance that has our Shabbos feasts outdoing the most lavish Thanksgiving spreads. Luckily, I like to play around in the kitchen, so spending my Fridays whipping up multiple dishes isn’t the worst thing. But for those who find cooking overwhelming, Shabbos prep can be a chore, and believe me I get it. That’s where store-bought dips come in handy, and the good news is, you don’t really have to buy them.

I’ve never been that big on prepping dips, probably because they are just a vehicle for eating more challah. We always have hummus and tahini around, and I’ll make (or buy!) olive dip on occasion, but dips for me are an “extra”, a cherry on the top if I’m feeling extra fancy or I want to go all out for special guests.

If I have tomatoes on hand that are too soft for salad, I’ll usually cook down my tomato jalepeno dip (recipe in my book) and we absolutely love garlic confit smeared over challah (recipe also in my book), but in general, I prefer NO-COOK dips that I can just throw into the food processor and be done with it! One of my favorite kitchen hacks for making dips it to cover the bowl of my food processor with plastic wrap before putting the cover on, so the oil or mayo doesn’t splatter all over the top of the machine when I blend, and I can make one dip after another with minimal clean up.

The best part about making homemade dips in the food processor is that amounts don’t really matter. You can throw most things from a jar into your machine with a big dollop of mayo (lemon juice keeps it tasting fresh, and salt is always a given) and you’re good to go. Here are some good combos!

No-Cook Dips & Spreads

Mayo-based:
pimento stuffed olives + mayo + lemon juice + salt
pickled hot peppers (stems and seeds removed) + mayo + lemon juice + salt
chipotle chili in adobo + garlic + mayo + lime juice + salt (pictured)
fresh dill + garlic + lemon zest + lemon juice + mayo + salt
salsa + mayo
chimichurri + mayo
jalapeno honey mustard
za’atar ranch (pictured)
green goddess
spicy mayo
sundried tomato aioli
balsamic aioli

Tapenades:
sundried tomato + marinated artichokes + fresh basil + lemon zest + olive oil + salt (pictured)
sundried tomato + black olives + capers + garlic + parsley + olive oil + lemon juice + salt
assorted mix olives + olive oil + lemon juice

Other:
pesto
hummus
harissa tahini
halva dip
guacamole
harissa whipped feta
herbed crema
pico de gallo