Category: Dairy

Banana Dates Milk & Honey Smoothie


For all those Brooklynites out there, you may remember a certain little establishment on the corner of Coney Island and Avenue P called Bissale. It used to be opened till the wee hours of the morning (I’m not sure if it ever really closed) and hailed its own psychic, who’s only charge was to pay for her meal! The place had the absolute best Israeli food, but there was some shady business going on there (not to mention it was far from clean, but we turned a blind eye). At one point they opened up a secret hooka bar in the back (there might have been more than just hooka going on there!). Anyway, my friend Dina and I used to frequent the place and we always ordered up the same thing: ftut, french fries, and a banana, date, milk and honey smoothie. The ftut was basically some chopped malawach dough, mixed up with cheese and mushrooms, with a tomato dipping sauce. The french fries were incredible. But the prize, for me, was the smoothie. It was creamy and sweet, full of delicious flavor! Bissale closed its doors a few years ago, and while I miss the great food, and even better memories (not including the calories!), I’m happy to savor my favorite shake in my favorite place, home sweet home.

The original recipe uses whole milk, but I use almond milk to pack a protein punch and nutty flavor. Also, to eliminate the need for ice cubes (which will just water it down), I freeze the banana and dates a few hours in advance.

Banana Dates Milk & Honey Smoothie

1 cup almond milk
1 banana
3 dates
1 tbsp honey

Method:

Add ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.

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Strawberry Banana Yogurt Parfait with Homemade Granola


With Shabbos out on the early side these days, I’m always looking for ideas of something light (and milchigs!) to eat. I decided to go with a yogurt parfait tonight, with some homemade granola. This recipe is absolutely delicious and healthy! It’s slightly sweet, with just a bit of saltiness and oh so crunchy! A couple of years ago, I was in the supermarket looking for a good granola to buy. They seemed to be carrying a new Israeli variety, but I didn’t understand all of the ingredients. My (then) boss’s sister, who speaks fluent hebrew, was there, so I asked her to translate. Instead, she told me she had the perfect granola recipe, and emailed it to me later that day. It’s been my go-to recipe ever since! (Thanks Rikal!)

Homemade Granola

2 c old fashioned oats
1/2 c sliced or slivered almonds
1/4 c light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2-3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c raisins (optional)

Set your oven to 350F. Mix everything besides for the almonds and raisins together. Mix thoroughly, breaking up the brown sugar as you go. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spread the mix on the cookie sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes until just past golden brown, stirring every 5 or 10 minutes to prevent burning. Toast the almonds separately and let them cool down. Mix the almonds, raisins, and granola together. Cool the granola in dry open air on the same cookie sheet to crisp up. Store in an airtight container.

Serve with yogurt and fruit (vanilla or flavored with strawberries, blueberries, pomegranates…anything goes!)

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