Category: Diet

Grilled Chicken Fattoush with Za’atar Ranch

Reunited (with my camera) and it feels SO good! I haven’t picked up my equipment to photograph food since I shot my cookbook months ago and I thought I might be a little rusty but by George I think I’ve still got it!

Shooting food today reminded me just how much I love what I do and I’ve missed it! Recipe development, food photography and food styling give me SO much joy, and I am legit the luckiest girl in the world to get to do it for a living. As a food blogger, it’s easy to get caught up in the world of social media – keeping up with the ever changing algorithms, apps and platforms – you almost forget why you got into it in the first place and coming back after a long break is just so good for the blogger soul.

It’s funny because when my book went to print in March, I took a sigh of relief that my schedule would finally ease up and I’d be able to take a breather, but the exact opposite happened. I had a book launch to plan, interviews, book signings and demos that followed in quick succession. It’s all been a roller coaster ride and I’ve been wanting so badly to come up for some air – until I finally did this week, and you know what I realized? I don’t even know how to relax. So I went back to what I know and that’s food. And my camera. And even though you could look at it as work – it was exactly what I needed. I had no deadline. It wasn’t for a book, or a magazine, or even the blog. It was for me.

The food: cuz lets face it, it’s always about the food! Lemon Sumac Grilled Pargiot to be precise. I’m a total pargiot convert. I can’t go back to dry grilled chicken breasts, they’re just so, blah! But pargiot? – so. darn. tasty. And they never dry out! This lemon sumac version is so light and fresh for summer, with a hint of sweetness from the silan. The perfect marriage.

The chicken is a great topping for the summery fattoush – a fresh salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and fried bread (in this case pita chips). I paired it with a lip-smacking za’atar ranch because that’s just how I roll. This is your new summer salad, and you can thank me later.

Grilled Chicken Fattoush

1 head romaine lettuce, sliced
1 Persian cucumber, sliced
4 radishes, sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
lemon sumac grilled pargiot (recipe follows), sliced
pita chips

Za’atar Ranch Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (loosely packed)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp za’atar
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Prepare the za’atar ranch: add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth.

Spread the lettuce out on a platter. Top with cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, grilled chicken and pita chips. Mix with dressing before serving.

Lemon Sumac Grilled Pargiot

4 pargiot (skinless dark meat chicken cutlets)
2 tbsp grapeseed or canola oil
1 tbsp silan
1 tsp sumac
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat grill to high. In a bowl, combine the chicken with remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Grill for 5-8 minutes per side.

Related Recipes:

farro grain bowl
grilled chicken shawarma salad
grilled marinated chicken

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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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Zucchini Basil Soup


I’ve dreamt about this day for a very very long time. In just a few short months, I’m officially going to add cookbook author to my resume! I can’t believe this is really happening, somebody pinch me! The truth is, this news isn’t exactly new. It’s been almost a year in the planning. But I’m finally able to spill the beans and share it with you all! My cookbook is being published by Artscroll Publications and is set for release in May 2018. It’s going to KNOCK YOUR FREAKIN SOCKS OFF!

It’s no surprise that I’m avid cookbook collector, and something I see a lot in kosher cookbooks is the same traditional recipes made over and over again, with slight tweaks and changes. I can’t give away my cookbook theme quite yet, but let me just say, there’s going to be something for everyone. The cookbook will have fresh, new recipes that you haven’t seen before, and there’s going to be a mix of healthy recipes, indulgent recipes, everyday recipes, holiday recipes, quick and easy recipes, and slightly more gourmet recipes. The book will have some of your favorite recipes from the blog (about 20%), but mostly brand new recipes that you’ve never seen before (80%!). I’ve been testing and retesting recipes for months, and as I near the end of the testing stage, I’m going to move on to recipe writing and photography. I’m both nervous and excited for this huge undertaking, but mostly I’m anxious to share it all with you!

I’m going to do my best to keep things exciting here on the BIB blog, but if I don’t post as much as usual, just know that it’ll all be worth it in the end. I’ll keep you posted with more details as they become available!


Zucchini Basil Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 large zucchini, roughly chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
salt & pepper, to taste
handful of fresh basil
fresh basil or arugula, pine nuts and sundried tomatoes, for garnish

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, saute until translucent. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the zucchini, stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the zucchini is tender. Add the basil and puree with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. You can adjust the consistency by adding water, if needed. Serve and garnish with greens, pine nuts and sundried tomatoes.

Related Recipes:

spinach white bean minestrone with zoodles
roasted tomato soup
roasted butternut squash soup

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Asian Lettuce Wraps

Summer has officially begun! Last week, we made the 3  hour trek to the Catskills in Upstate New York where we spend our summer. I’m more of a city gal myself, but the city heat is unbearable, so I welcome the cool mountain air, rolling hills, grass and trees (something we majorly lack in Brooklyn)! The ten weeks we spend here fill my kids with vitality like a tank fills with gas. The long summer days spent carefree in the the outdoors are life’s best medicine, and I’m so thankful I get to give it to them.

As for me, some of my best memories are the ones I spent in the bungalow colony as a child. I love waking up to the smell of the mountains, and when I sit outside sipping my coffee and listening to the birds sing their song, it’s like pure heaven. But I can do without the endless laundry (they change like four times a day!), constant meals (all the swimming and biking makes them ravenous), and not seeing my husband the whole week (someone’s got to pay for all the food and laundry detergent we go through lol!).

I’m not really sure how much I’ll be able to keep up my blogging from here. I didn’t bring any props with me and I’m keeping things simple in the kitchen. But I did bring my camera and I loved the challenge of putting together a summer recipe without all of my fancy ingredients and food styling stuff. It’s also a learning experience working with different natural light, so I was happy to prepare these simple summer wraps and blog about them. Otherwise, I’ll be keeping things light around here, and probably blogging a lot less than usual. But I hope you’ll all be taking a break too!

Wishing you a light, healthy and refreshing summer!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

2 lbs dark meat turkey
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp grapeseed oil (or other neutral flavored oil)
2 tbsp soy sauce.
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp sriracha plus more for garnish
kosher salt, to taste
Boston lettuce
optional toppings: carrot sticks, radish, scallions

Method:

Heat the sesame and grapeseed oil in a skillet and add the ginger and garlic. Saute until fragrant but not browned. Add the ground turkey and season with salt. Cook over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks, until the turkey is crumbled and no longer pink. Add the soy sauce, lime juice and sriracha and stir to incorporate.

Divide the turkey among lettuce cups and top with carrot sticks, sliced radish and scallions. Finish with sriracha.

NOTE: to make these Paleo/Whole30, use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and substitute hot sauce for the sriracha.

If desired, you may pickle the carrots and/or radishes as follows:

OPTIONAL PICKLES
julienned carrots, sliced radishes, sliced cucumbers
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 veggies and set aside to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.


Related Recipes:

quinoa pad thai
curried chicken lettuce wraps

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Portobello Tuna Melts


Bedtime. Every mom knows hows loaded that word can be. Especially when I’ve got five kids under ten to tuck in at night. Why won’t kids just go to bed? Aren’t they tired?

It was 10:00 last night and the house was quiet. I sat on the couch and took a deep breath. Finally, some peace. I could put my feet up and relax. So I did what any mommy blogger would do…I went live on Instagram. 2 minutes in, and only 30 minutes after finally falling asleep, my baby wakes up. Because I’m a mom. And that’s just how life works. So I struggle though this “show” of sorts, taking 1 minute commercial breaks to calm my kid and get her latched without showing 6000 people more than they came for. That’s mommy blogger life right there.

Did I mention my husband was away since Friday and I’ve been holding down the fort through the longest Shabbos on planet earth all on my own? Yes. Life with kids and a CEO husband is hard. So when said husband encouraged me to go on a health and wellness retreat last week, I frantically packed my bags before he could change his mind and ran out the door (OK that’s not true, I argued with him about the what, when, where for each kid and the logistics of leaving a 9 month old who’s nursing around the clock and a 9 year old who’s out of school for weeks because her teachers are on a strike that seems like it will never end. And then I sorted and arranged three days worth of clothes for each kid, prepared a menu for the week, filled the house with all the essentials, restocked prescriptions for everyone who needed and bought enough bottles and pacifiers and sippy cups to last us for months. Then I broke down and cried about leaving my kids. And then I picked myself up and walked out the door).

I went live last night to discuss this wellness retreat because I got so many messages while I was away asking me about it. But Instagram Live is just that – live – and there is so much going on, so many comments and questions happening while my baby is kvetching and I just don’t know if I got the whole picture across. So I decided to write about it. That’s the good thing about having a blog.

The health and wellness retreat was put together by Beth Warren, a local Brooklyn nutritionist and author of “Living a Real Life with Real Food” with a focus on eating healthy, exercise and practicing self-care. Just what I needed. There were about 15 of us in total and we carpooled to our destination in Lenox, MA, also known as The Berkshires. We arrived at Brook Farm Inn, a Victorian home in a historic town with lush trees and quaint shops. We carried our luggage to our rooms (no elevator in this vintage Inn!) and gathered for lunch of a make-your-own-salad bar. Then we went off for a tour of Ventfort Hall – a historic mansion that was built by Sarah Morgan, daughter of J.P. Morgan, the famous banker. Next up was a circuit training workout at Lenox Fit, a snack of crudites with homemade hummus, and finally, a much-needed 15-minute massage back at the inn. Still in our exercise gear, we stretched and centered ourselves with a yoga class and then showered for dinner in pajamas (my fave!). Dinner was a light and healthy baked salmon with black rice, green beans and vegetable soup. We finished off the day with a talk on self-care and a quick demo on stuffed dates for an after-dinner snack. Lights out!

The next day, we woke up early, donned our exercise gear and headed to Kripalu, a yoga school and center for health, just a few minutes away from the Inn. The place was huge, with 4 floors and lush grounds in a beautiful mountain setting. Kripalu is a serious yoga retreat with ongoing classes, hiking trails, a spa and more. With our daily passes, we were free to explore the programs of our choice (I chose a deep-tissue massage ‘cuz G-d knows I’m no yogi!) and then meet up mid-day for lunch and a hike. Salads of black bean burgers were prepped for us , so we lunched on the patio with breathtaking views and then geared up for a hike around the property. After we headed back, we had a bit more time at Kripalu, but I went to explore Tanglewood, a popular Berkshires attraction, with some of the ladies. Tanglewood is a summer hot-spot with music festivals and shopping, so we walked around the mostly-empty town, exploring some of the fun shops around. After making a few purchases (we’re ladies after all!), we headed back to the Inn for a post-hike yoga class and dinner of chicken breast, roasted vegetables and sweet potato fries. Beth gave us an inspiring nutrition talk during dinner and we finished off the long day with a healthy baking class and an essential oil workshop. Lights out!

Wednesday morning we wrapped up with another yoga class and a breakfast parfait bar filled with oatmeal, chia seed pudding, yogurt, fruit and toppings. We packed up some leftovers for lunch and we were off. Two jam-packed days behind us, and lots of fuel to get back to the daily grind of mommyhood.

I, for one, needed that fuel. I spent the early morning hours whispering into the phone as my son back home was having an asthma attack. I was helpless and worried and felt so. far. away. I had my mom go to the house to take care of the kids while my husband rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. It was every mother’s worst nightmare, being away during such an emergency, but my husband reassured me over and over that everything was ok, and skyped me from the hospital so I could see for myself. My three-year-old spent the next two days in the pediatric ICU and I was so thankful that I had taken that break so I could be there for him, my family, and myself, fully and healthy.

Going away was hard (I had to pump every four hours on the road!) but it’s something I didn’t even know I needed. Taking a break from the daily grind allows you to regroup, center yourself and feed your soul. It reminded me that being a mom doesn’t just mean taking care of others, it means taking care of myself – and that neglecting that need doesn’t make me a martyr, it makes me resentful and unhappy. I needed that wake-up call because every day is a nonstop marathon of giving and feeding and caring for others and it’s hard. G-d is it hard. And every night as I go to bed, I pray that tomorrow will be easier – but it’s not. Because being a mom is a full time job that will never end. Going away inspired me to learn to take time for myself – to nourish my body with healthy food and exercise and nourish my soul with a good book and a relaxing massage. I’m making an effort to do something for me, and it’s ok.

The retreat really gave me the kickstart I needed to start eating healthy again. It’s been a while. I’ve put on a whopping 20 lbs. since I had my baby, 9 months ago (I always put on weight when I nurse!) and it’s finally time to lose it the healthy way – with diet and exercise. I whipped up these delicious low-carb portobello tuna melts last week, and I’m super excited to share the recipe with you! Eating healthy doesn’t have to be about deprivation, especially when you get creative and think outside the box.

This one is for all the Mom’s out there. I salute you.

Portobello Tuna Melts

4 portobello mushroom caps
2 tbsp olive oil
2 6oz. cans tuna, packed in water, drained
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp pickle relish
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tomato, sliced
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
2 slices Natural & Kosher chipotle meunster cheese

Method:

Gently clean the mushrooms with a dry paper towel and remove the stem and gills (the black stuff on the underside of the mushroom) by scraping with a spoon. Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the tuna, mayonnaise, pickle relish, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Turn the mushrooms upside down and pat dry. Fill the mushroom caps with the tuna mixture and top with a slice of tomato and onion. Place the cheese on top and return the oven to bake until the cheese is melted, 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.

VARIATION: to serve as an appetizer, use baby bella mushrooms instead.


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

Related Recipes:

spicy tuna melt twice baked potatoes
baked portobello shakshuka
portobello pizza

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