Category: Lunch

Kale Crunch Salad

All I can say is even though I had a boatload of this salad on Shabbos, and then again yesterday when I photographed it, I need it again like NOW, and that, my friends, is a sign of a delicious salad – one you want to eat over and over and over again!

Yes, the flavor combo is bomb but what really makes this salad extra special is all the crunchy elements and it’s like a party in your mouth. A party!!!

I debated calling this the Cruciferous Crunch Salad but then I tried to say cruciferous on my Instagram and I ended up saying cruciferouSH, so I nixed it lol! Kale Crunch Salad has still got that alliteration ring to it that I love, so we’re going with that!

What is really great about this salad is that it’s really adaptable – sub in your favorite candied nuts, seeds and croutons,  the important thing is you want things with lots of different textures in every bite.

And with Rosh Hashanah just a few short weeks away, we’re hoping on the pomegranate train and I couldn’t be more excited!

Kale Crunch Salad
YIELD: 6 servings

4 cups kale
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup roasted & salted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup candied slivered almonds
1/3 cup crunchy rice noodles, such as La Choy brand

Dressing:

1/3 cup grapeseed or light olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Spread the kale out on a platter or bowl. Mix the cabbage into the kale. Top with pomegranate seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds and rice noodles.

In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients and whisk until thickened.

When ready to serve, toss the salad with the dressing.

VARIATION: use pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds and any type of candied nut instead of the almonds or croutons or chow mein noodles instead of rice noodles.

Related Recipes:

smoky kale and farro salad with balsamic fig dressing
wilted kale and kabocha squash salad
fall farmer’s market salad
kale persimmon salad

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Sweet Chili Broccoli Salmon

I have a confession to make: I can’t spell brocolli. I mean broccolli. No broccoli! Thank G-d for auto-correct because I just can’t get it right.

I’ve always been a good speller but I’ve got a few mindblocks:
broccoli
nauseous
exercise

It’s a good think I don’t get nauseous from eating broccoli after I exercise otherwise I’d have 3 typos in the same sentence, ha!


Actually speaking of broccoli, it’s one of my favorite veggies, and I can legit eat an entire tray in one sitting! I love it raw, I love it steamed, roasted and stir fried. I’m not even partial to fresh broccoli, the frozen stuff is just fine for my standards, so long as it’s thawed properly and not mushy. Mushy brocolli is gross, Mushy brocolli doesn’t deserve to be spelled correctly.

So for all you broccoli lovers out there – thaw your frozen broccoli, never boil it! I like to run the frozen broccoli under cold water just to lightly thaw and then stir fry over high heat. That’s it. Perfectly tender broccoli every time.

Sweet Chili Broccoli Salmon

olive oil cooking spray
2 lbs. skinless fillet of salmon, cut into cubes
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup flavored breadcrumbs
3 tbsp sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
24oz. frozen broccoli florets
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
13oz. bottle sweet chili sauce
1 scallion, thinly sliced
prepared rice, for serving

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with olive oil cooking spray. Set side.

Place eggs into a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place breadcrumbs in a second bowl and mix with sesame seeds.

Dip the salmon cubes in eggs and breadcrumbs and place on baking sheet. Spray generously with olive oil cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes.

While the salmon is cooking, place the broccoli florets in a strainer in the sink and run water over it until mostly thawed. Pat dry.

Heat oil in a skillet and stir fry the broccoli over high heat until tender. Add the sweet chili sauce to coat.

When ready to serve, add the salmon to the broccoli and coat completely with the sauce. Garnish with scallions and serve with rice.

Related Recipes:

sweet chili salmon with wasabi crust
broccoli parmesan poppers 
fish tacos with broccoli slaw

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Sabich Burgers with Peach Amba

On my recent trip to Israel, a humble pita sandwich filled with unlikely ingredients stole the show: The Sabich. A combination of fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, hummus and Israeli salad  is stuffed into a pita and drizzled with tahini and amba, a pickled mango sauce similar to Indian chutney.

The origins of sabich go back to Iraq, where the sandwiches were traditionally eaten on Shabbat mornings. The Iraqi’s brought it with them when they immigrated to Israel in the early days of the state, and it’s named is said to be an acronym for main sandwich components:  salat, beitzah, hazilim (salad, egg, eggplant).

What makes sabich so good? it’s the mishmash of textures and flavors which seem to work so well together — crunchy, creamy, tangy and spicy in every bite!

But above all, it’s the amba that really makes the sandwich and everything else it comes in contact with! I first tried traditional jarred amba a few months ago and let me just say, it was NOT love at first bite. Unripe mango was cut into sticks and pickled in a spicy brine which did not please my palette in the least. But then, I tried the amba at Goldie Falafel in Philly and I was like WHAT. IS. THIS. SORCERY. So, I went to the source of all things Israeli Cuisine, Mike Solomonov’s cookbooks and I was on my way to the most amazing chutney I’d ever had.

So the best amba, I learned, is not, in fact, pickled. It’s cooked down into savory sauce that makes everything better! You can even blend it up into a smooth dip and use it to marinate meat or poultry – all of which I have tried with much success!

This summer, I decided to swap out mango for peaches, for a more seasonal sauce and it just blew it out of the park! Solomonov has done it with apples for topping latkes, and strawberries in the summer, which I’d love to try sometime too. Feel free to switch up your fruit to make it your own – just do it, you won’t regret it!

Sabich Burger
YIELD: 8 burgers

1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2″ thick slices
1 1/2 cups plain panko breadcrumbs
3 tbsp za’atar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper, to taste
canola oil, for frying
8 burger buns
8 eggs, prepared sunny-side-up
1/2 cup prepared hummus
1/2 cup prepared tahini
sliced tomato
cucumber ribbons

Method:

Set up a dredging station:

In one bowl, stir the panko crumbs with the za’atar and salt, to taste. In a second bowl, add the eggs with salt and pepper. And in a third bowl, add the flour with salt and pepper.

Heat some canola oil in a frying pan. Using one hand for wet ingredients and another for dry ingredients, dip the eggplant in flour, eggs and panko, shaking off the excess in between. Fry the eggplant until golden on both sides and drain on paper towels. Remove to a baking rack so the eggplant stays crispy.

When ready to serve, place some hummus on the bottom half of your bun, top with sliced tomato, cucumber ribbons, 1-2 slices of fried eggplant, sunny side up egg, amba and tahini. Serve immediately.

Peach Amba
adapted from Israeli Soul by Mike Solomonov

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp hilba (ground fenugreek)
1 tsp smoked paprika
4 medium ripe peaches, peeled and diced
1 tsp kosher salt
juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onion, saute until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the mustard, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, hilba and smoked paprika and saute until fragrant. Add the peaches and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the peaches break down and soften, about 15-20 minutes. If the mixture starts to stick to the pan, add a bit of water. Stir in lemon juice, cool and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

NOTE: if the amba is too tangy for your taste, add a squeeze of honey or maple syrup.

 

Related Recipes:

sabich latkes
amba bloody harry 
roasted eggplant shakshuka
harissa whipped feta with za’atar eggplant “chips”

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Shaktuna (Tunisian Tuna Shakshuka)

Having recently traveled to Paris, I have a newfound love of tuna – and not the type we mix with mayo and stuff in a bagel. But the kind that’s canned in good quality olive oil and served with sesame bread. Or the kind that’s stuffed into a teeny tiny sandwich with potatoes, eggs, capers and olives: the Tunisian tuna sandwich known as Fricassé.

I made my way to Charles Traiteur, the popular kosher catering/take-out to taste their renowned Tunisian Tuna Sandwich, a soft sesame baguette stuffed with tuna, eggs, harissa, olives and a hint of mustard. It was good, but it didn’t quite live up to the hype, maybe because the bread was soggy.

But then I went back before Shabbos and got their Tunisian Fricaseé sandwich – mini bites of heaven with the same ingredients of the tuna sandwich, only on delicious fried bread and I haven’t stopped dreaming about it since!

Now lets go back a couple of months, when I was introduced to Finer Fin tuna, aptly named because that tuna is FINE!!! I have been hooked on their amazing flavors, including Mexicana, 3-Bean, Zesty Lemon and Spicy Chili. Each filet is hand-sliced and packed in extra virgin olive oil. The tuna is wild caught, a great source of Omega 3, Non-GMO, low in mercury and sustainable caught. It basically sells itself!

So, back to Paris, I came home re-inspired on the tuna front and decided to do a riff on shakshuka and the classic Tunisian Tuna sandwich and let me just say…WOW. Like seriously this makes the perfect breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner. It was just THAT good.

Because Finer Fin’s tuna is already packed with flavor, it needed only a small can of tomato sauce to create a base for shakshuka. I added the other classic elements of olives and capers, but you can easily leave those out if you’re not a fan of briny flavors.

You can also throw in some spinach or kale into the mix if you’d like, which is really what I love about shakshuka – it’s just so versatile! (see the gazillion different combos I linked to below, I can’t get enough!).

So if you’re looking for a taste of Paris, or you just want a quick and easy dinner to get on the table, look no further than SHAKTUNA!

Shaktuna (Tunisian Tuna Shakshuka)

2 pkg Finer Fin spicy chili tuna
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 tbsp capers
3 tbsp sliced black olives
juice of 1/2 lemon
kosher salt, to taste
5 eggs
handful of fresh parsley
baguette or pita, for serving

Method:

Add the Finer Fin spicy chili tuna to a large skillet and stir in the tomato sauce. Add capers, olives, lemon and salt, to taste. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Using a spoon, make 5 wells for the eggs and slide them in carefully. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat until the whites have set but the yolks are still runny, about 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley.

This post has been sponsored by Finer Fin. All opinions are my own.

Related Recipes:

roasted eggplant shakshuka
Mexican quinoa shakshuka
beet, kale and goat cheese shakshuka
zoodle shakshuka,
garbanzo bean shakshuka with labneh
spaghetti squash shakshuka
stuffed portobello shakshuka

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Everything Bagel Keto Crackers

I’ve been dieting ever since I can remember, and if you’ve been with BIB since the early days, you probably remember when I posted about the South Beach Diet which I went on religiously after every baby. But then I started a career in food and diets that eliminated entire food groups became difficult to stick to. I also had a 90 day stint with Whole30, which I still firmly believe in as a nutritional reset, but not really as a way of life. It’s far too restrictive and there was so much prep involved which became near impossible with my busy lifestyle.

So, when I finally decided I was done with my yo-yo habits recently, I wanted to commit to a plan, if only for a few months – but a strict regimen that would help me lose the cookbook + baby + stress weight of the past few years – and with lots of people I know losing weight on keto, I decided to jump in blindly.

I thought keto would be easier to manage – that is, no major food planning – and I have to admit that that part is totally manageable. Since I cook pretty healthy for the most part, I find that adapting my regular dinners is pretty easy. I have no problem with grabbing a quick lunch, and I mostly skip breakfast, which isn’t a bad thing on keto since 16 hours of intermittent fasting is encouraged. The problem then, is the counting.


I legit hate diets where I have to weigh my food or count my calories. Maybe it’s the flashbacks of being on Weight Watchers in high school, when my scale became my best friend, but it’s legit the worst part about this diet. In this case, you’re not quite counting calories or weighing your food – you’re counting MACROS = grams of protein, carbs and fat throughout the day.


For optimum results on keto, it’s important to stay within your macros if you want to stay in ketosis. Keeping carbs under roughly 20 grams is HARD because every. single. thing. has carbs. And I’m not talking about pizza or pastries here. I’m talking about not overdoing the veggies. I’m also finding it hard to reach my fat macros, and for the first few weeks, I religiously entered my entire food diary into the Carb Manager app to keep track- and I saw a big difference. The weight came off easily. But now as I’ve settled into the diet, I’m getting sick of counting and while I haven’t gained any weight, the scale (and my inches) are extremely slow moving.

I’m still not ready to quit though, I just want to find the right balance for myself because I know this plan can really work if you do it right. In the meantime, these super easy keto crackers (which I adapted from this Pesach recipe by the genius challah/babka queen @naomi_tgis, Naomi Elberg), have been getting me through Shabbos meals because we all need some crunch to eat with our salads/dips when everyone else is eating fluffy Challah.

I’ve been trying them all different ways, and the everything bagel version wins hands down, but give the variations a try as well when you get bored of them!

Everything But the Bagel Keto Crackers
recipe adapted from Naomi Elberg

1 1/2 cups packed super-fine almond flour (167 grams) (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
1/3 cup everything bagel spice
1/4 tsp salt (see note)
1 extra large egg

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the almond flour, everything bagel spice and salt and stir to incorporate. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add the egg to the flour and mix until a dough forms.

Place the dough in between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out until very thin. Remove the top layer of parchment paper and cut the dough into squares using a pizza wheel. Transfer to a baking sheet (if it doesn’t fit, remove scraps from around the edges and roll them out again, placing them on a second baking sheet). Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on thickness), until lightly browned and crisp.

Cool completely and break apart. Store in an airtight container.

VARIATIONS:

For seeded crackers, add 1/3 cup mixed seeds (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, flax) instead of the everything bagel spice.
For za’atar crackers, add 2 tbsp za’atar and 3 tbsp sesame seeds instead of the everything bagel spice.

NOTE: Depending on the saltiness of the everything bagel seasoning you use, you may/may not need to add salt.

Related Recipes:

how to build a fish board
artisan toast, 6 ways
tuna with anchovy panko crumbs

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