Category: Lunch

Fish Tacos with Savory Plantain Tortillas

Last year was my first time venturing into the world of plantains. It’s definitely a lesser known fruit, so I’m here to tell you more about it!

Plantains are a tropical fruit, and are best known for their use in tostones – a twice fried chip. You’ll find them on the menu in many Latin restaurants, like 26 Sushi & Tapas, in Miami, Florida. I love them topped with ceviche and avocado!

A plantain looks like a banana, but it’s slightly larger with angular sides. It’s taste and texture are determined by it’s stage of ripeness – firm and starchy when it’s green, and softer and sweeter when it’s yellow to black. Plantains cannot be eaten raw, but they make great (baked or fried!) chips when firm, delicious mash when ripe and great egg-free tortillas at any stage. Plantains are a resistant starch, which means that they pass through the digestive system sort of like soluble fiber and don’t spike blood sugar, making them popular among Paleo enthusiasts.

My interest in plantain tortillas was purely a Passover thing, since most kosher for Passover crepes are made using potato starch and eggs. I’m not a big fan of potato starch, and since my son is allergic to eggs, I was looking for an egg-free alternative.

I created two versions of the tortilla – a savory one, made with avocado oil, lime juice and a bit of chili powder, and a sweet one, made with coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla (recipe coming tomorrow!). Plantains don’t have much flavor on their own, so adding these ingredients was essential. I was pleasantly surprised that the tortillas were soft and pliable and really make a great substitute for Passover crepes and wraps. It’s great to have a recipe that doesn’t call for potato starch and eggs for a change, am I right?!

Now for the fillings! I’m a big fan of fish tacos so I definitely went that route with coconut crusted fish fillets which you can bake or fry (if you’re not a fan of coconut, I would recommend frying). Mango salsa is the perfect accompaniment to this tropical dish and curried mayo, one of my favorite condiments, rounds it out. This makes a great lunch or light dinner after all the heavy meat and potato dishes that we’re used to!

Looking for other potato alternatives for Pesach? Check out this article that I put together for OU kosher. It’s got lots of amazing recipes, suggestions and ideas for replacing the spud. You can thank me later!

Fish Tacos with Savory Plantain Tortillas

Savory Plantain Tortillas

2 green plantains, peeled and cut into chunks (about 10oz.)
1/3 cup avocado oil (any lightly flavored oil may be substituted)
1/3 cup water
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Place the plantains, oil, water, lime juice, salt, chili powder and garlic powder in a food processor or blender and puree until it forms a smooth batter. If the batter is very thick, add a bit more water. Spread 1/4 cup of batter at a time on a parchment-lined baking sheet and smooth with a spoon into a round tortilla shape (you should be able to fit 3 on a sheet). Continue with remaining batter on additional baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until soft and pliable. Makes about 5 tortillas.

NOTE: tortillas are best when used fresh but they can be refrigerated and rewarmed in a microwave or oven until soft and pliable.

Coconut Crusted Fish

2 white fish fillets, cut in half
¼ cup coconut flour (may use almond flour or potato starch)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
½ tsp curry powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ginger powder
salt and pepper, to taste
coconut oil

In a bowl, combine the coconut flakes with curry powder, garlic powder, ginger, salt and pepper. In separate bowls, season the egg and coconut flour with salt and pepper. Dip the fish in coconut flour and shake off the excess. Dip in egg and shake off excess. Finish by  dipping in coconut flakes, pressing down so they adhere to the fish. Fry fish in coconut oil or place on a greased baking dish, spray with oil spray and bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a work.

Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1/2 red pepper, diced small
1/2 jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, finely diced
1/4 small red onion, finely diced
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tbsp light olive oil
1 tbsp honey
kosher salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.

Curried Mayo

1/4 cup mayo
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp curry powder
kosher salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk until creamy.


Related Recipes:

plantain nachos
fish tacos with broccoli slaw
tropical guacamole
nutella crepes with sweet plantain tortillas

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Charoset London Broil

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I recently spent a couple of days in Miami. Aside from my (almost) daily breakfast at Zak the Baker, I made sure to head to Sarah’s Tent, a kosher grocery in Aventura. Sarah’s Tent is a well stocked market with a great deli, but that’s not what I went for. I went for the Israeli imports, specifically, kosher Lotus Biscoff spread, also known as speculoos or cookie butter.

If you fly Delta, you may notice that they give out individually wrapped biscuit cookies made by Lotus, but sadly, I always pass on them and go for the kosher pretzels. El Al, however, offers up the Israeli-manufactured version of the biscuit, which is, in fact, kosher. I went through my kosher speculoos phase a little while back when my local kosher supermarket carried the biscuits (which I turned into these buns, these pancakes and this party mix), but I’ve since moved on to the spread – which is the most decadent cookie butter of your dreams – and is pretty hard to get your hands on with a kosher certification. I once made my husband travel all around Jerusalem to bring me home a prized jar, and I savored that butter like no ones business, one spoon at a time!

BUT – back to the recipe at hand. As I was strolling through the aisles of Sarah’s Tent, I noticed a jar of Israeli-made charoset and I was intrigued. As an Ashkenazi, I had never tasted the “real” stuff, made with dates, apples, walnuts and wine. I brought home a jar and sadly, I was quite disappointed with the flavor. It was sitting in my fridge last week as I rummaged through, looking for ingredients to make my london broil – and then it hit me. Why not marinate my meat in it, with some red wine, and make a Charoset london broil. Alas, the beef came out of the oven smelling divine, but I did not like the flavor. Putting a condiment that I did not like on it’s own on beef, only made the beef taste like the jarred stuff – and well, it was just off. But the idea was a strike of genius! I had posted a photo of the meat on Instagram (if you don’t follow my Friday food fests, you must!), and requests for the recipe started pouring in! So, I decided to come up with a homemade variation on the Charoset London Broil idea, and the results couldn’t have been better!

The meat marinates in a mixture of traditional charoset ingredients of red wine, walnut oil (in place of walnuts), silan or date honey (in place of dates), some grated apple and a pinch of cinnamon. After I cook up the meat perfectly medium-rare, the marinade gets cooked up thickened and tastes just like – you guessed it – charoset! This delicious Passover dish is a must, whether your Sephardic or Ashkenazi (like me!). Give it a try!

Charoset London Broil

1 1/2-2 lb. london broil, shoulder blade cut (see note)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup walnut oil
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp silan (date honey), divided
1 apple, grated (I used Granny Smith)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

In a ziploc bag, combine the wine, oil, 1/4 cup silan, grated apple, cinnamon and black pepper. Add the london broil and marinate for 3-6 hours. Remove from the marinade (try to get off as much of the grated apple as possible) and reserve.

Season the london broil with salt and pepper on both sides and broil on high for 8 minutes on the first side and 5 minutes on the second side (for medium rare). Rest for 10 minutes and slice thinly against the grain.

Pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan, add a tbsp of silan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until thickened.

NOTE: London Broil is not an actual cut a beef, but rather a cooking method. The method is to marinate the beef and grill or broil over high heat. Since london broil can be cut from different parts of the animal, I prefer the butcher cut, which is cut from the shoulder blade. If you use a different cut, cooking results may vary.

VARIATION: For a smoother charoset sauce, puree the sauce until smooth (after cooking).

SUBSTITUTIONS: If you can’t find silan, you may use honey instead. You may also use grapeseed oil (or any lightly flavored oil) instead of walnut oil.

Related Recipes:

“everything” london broil with red wine reduction
French roast with dried fruit
Kosher meat guide: cuts and cooking methods

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Spinach Pappardelle with Feta
& a Fried Poached Egg

I’m pretty proud of myself. You see, usually when I make lists, it’s just to get stuff off my head and onto a piece of paper. But every since I made my 2016 Foodie Resolution List, I’ve actually been making my through it!

Case in point: fried poached eggs. Well lookie here! Amazingly crisp and perfectly runny eggs dripping their way down some silky pappardelle pasta with bright green spinach. Perfection on a plate.

I’ve also mastered soft pretzels, fresh pita, caramel and I’ve got kataifi waiting in my freezer. That’s almost 5 out of a 9 and it’s only February! This is going to be one productive year in the BIB kitchen. Are you excited?

Now a foodie confession. It’s hard to admit but I was never one for feta cheese. Just something about the texture was off to me, so Greek salad was never on the menu.

But then Natural & Kosher cheese sent me their new brined feta and lo and behold, I loved the stuff! I also realized that if you grate it, the texture is so light and appealing, and when you add it to hot pasta, it’s salty goodness melts into the sauce. So there! I kinda like feta now!

It’s hard not like to cheese when it’s coated in egg yolk, crispy breadcrumbs and delicious sauteed spinach. This recipe really brings together all of my favorite things. Papardelle pasta being one of them.

I’m really not one for heavy pasta dishes like spaghetti bolognese or even baked ziti. Give me some linguini with olive oil and a poached egg and I’m set. With pasta being so heavy, it really keeps things light, instead of the thick tomato sauces that are commonly used. And can you imagine this with zoodles? OMG delish. I’m definitely going to give it a try.

Speaking of zoodles, my dieting hasn’t been going too well these days. I think it’s the winter blues. With all the freezing weather and snow, I’ve been craving comfort food. Like pasta. And carbs. Lots and lots of carbs.

The funny thing is I met someone in the store yesterday who looked at me with her mouth hanging open, saying I had lost so much weight. I wondered when was the last time she saw me because I’ve more or less been the same weight for a while now (which is very far from skinny). I guess it was the awesome coat I was wearing, that always seems to make me look skinnier than I am. Don’t you just love those wardrobe pieces? I took the compliment happily and then went on to the bakery aisle where I snatched up a crusty baguette. Oh carbs how I love thee.

But now, NOW that I sorta like feta, I’ve got to order me some Greek salad. Summer is just a couple of months away. And no matter how skinny said coat makes me look, it’s going to be making it’s way the back of my closet come June. I think it’s time to chuck the pappardelle and bring out my spiralizer.

But wait, first Purim. Some hamantaschen. And then. OK??

Spinach Pappardelle with Feta & Fried Poached Egg

8 oz. pappardelle pasta (or pasta of your choice)
5 oz. bag baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup reserved pasta water
1 pkg Natural & Kosher feta cheese in brine, grated
4 poached eggs (how to poach eggs)
1/3 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
canola oil, for frying

Method:

Add pasta and a pinch of salt to boiling water and cook for 8 minutes, or until al dente, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. While the pasta is cooking, saute the garlic in oil until fragrant and add spinach. Saute until wilted and season with salt and pepper. Add the hot pasta to the pan and mix into the spinach, adding small amounts of pasta water until the pasta is loose and creamy (you won’t need all the water). Add grated feta and continue to cook until melted into the sauce (if desired) or serve as-is.

For the fried poached eggs, poach the eggs and immediately place in a bowl with ice water to stop cooking. Drain on paper towels. Arrange a breading station with bowls of flour, egg and breadcrumbs (you may season each with salt and pepper, if desired). Carefully dredge the poached egg in flour, then egg, and then panko, shaking off excess from each. Heat canola oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the egg until golden brown on both sides. Serve immediately, with freshly ground pepper over the top.

VARIATION: for a spicy kick, drizzle some sriracha over the top.

LIGHTED IT UP: Use zoodles instead of pappardelle for a low-carb alternative.

Serves 4.


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

Related Recipes:

spinach rotini pasta
pasta-free spinach manicotti
spaghetti squash with sauteed spinach and mushrooms
roasted eggplant parmesan with feta
summer tomato feta salad

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Pepper Crusted Tuna with Pineapple Guacamole & Herbed Crema

I used to hate raw fish. It make me all squeamish. Raw meat too. I mean why would you want to eat raw food, possibly swimming with parasites, if you could eat it cooked, am I right? I was fine with a runny egg or two. Or three. But not the real proteins. Put a fancy plate of beef tartare with a raw egg in the center in front of me and I was out the door.

But then sometime about a year or two ago, I decided I was done being afraid of food and I wanted to try everything. I’m still not a fan of beef tartare but I’ve come to love raw sushi. It’s so much fun to be able to order off the entire sushi menu now, and not just the cooked rolls! You’ll be surprised just how easy it is to prepare pepper-crusted tuna sashimi at home. Just make sure you get the freshest, best quality tuna out there for this dish.

Pepper Crusted Tuna 

2 sushi-grade fresh tuna steaks
coarsely ground black pepper
kosher salt
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Coat the tuna steaks evenly on all sides with a generous amount of freshly-ground black pepper and a pinch of kosher salt. In a frying pan, heat the olive and sesame oil over high heat. Sear the tuna steak for a few seconds on each side, just enough to form a crust, but not to cook the fish through.

For a medium-rare steak, cook for 1 minute per side.

NOTE: to make even rectangular or square slices, first cut your tuna steak into strips and sear each one individually. Slice thinly against the grain.

Pineapple Guacamole

2 avocados
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small or ½ large jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, minced
½ small red onion, diced small
⅓ cup finely diced fresh pineapple
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
cilantro, optional

Peel and dice 1 avocado. Add to a bowl and mash. Peel and dice the second avocado and add it to the bowl without mashing. Add remaining ingredients and gently mix to combine. Adjust seasoning, as necessary.

Herbed Crema

1 cup sour cream
handful of fresh parsley or cilantro, or a mix
1 clove garlic
1 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
kosher salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Related Recipes:

pan seared tuna steak
persimmon guacamole
jalapeno crema

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Artisan Toast, 6 Ways

Making my own sourdough bread has been on my wish list for years. I love the dark, crunchy crust on the outside and the chewy, tender crumb on the inside. Give me some sourdough bread and I’m a happy gal.

I’ve even turned my husband into a sourdough snob and now that the Artisan Bakeshop has opened in my neighborhood, we splurge on their bread every week for Shabbat. We can’t go back to regular Challah even if we wanted to. We are sourdough snobs, period.

Well, somehow, G-d was listening to my inner sourdough goddess when I ended up sitting right next to the Queen Of Sourdough at the recent Kosher Food Blogger Conference. Chaya Suri (also known as Spice & Zest) is a talented home cook who doesn’t shy away from a challenge. She taught herself the ins & outs of sourdough when she began her starter three years ago, and she’s never turned back! She makes sourdough everything – crackers, pizza, pretzel buns, pita, challah, even sweets like babka and donuts! I invited her over for a hands-on sourdough class-turned-artisan toast party and Oh. Em. Gee. you guys. Her bread is insane. And now, now I have my own starter blooming in the fridge, and my own batch of sourdough bread ready to be baked! I’ve hopped on the sourdough train and I’m never turning back!

The best part of cooking together with another foodie is that we speak the same language. Chaya Suri loves using herbs and spices in her cooking (hence the name Spice & Zest, soon to be a food blog!) and her creations are healthy, creative and full of flavor. I drool over her Instagram posts and I can’t wait to cook with her again! Of course I picked her brain about some of her favorite cookbooks, kitchen tools and spices, and lets just say my Amazon shopping cart is loaded to capacity.

So first things first, Chaya Suri came with her cast iron pan, a batch of ready made dough and sourdough starter. We baked up her bread and a quick batch of her amazing (and easier than ever) sourdough crackers and then started on a new batch of sourdough bread from scratch. To say I was a little overwhelmed by the whole you-need-to-take-care-of-your-starter-like-another-child thing is an understatement. I’ve been known to kill every plant I ever had. But I’m going to try. And if my starter “chokes”, I’m just going to have to bother the Queen of Sourdough for a fresh batch! ;)

After we put together our 85% hydrated dough, we set it aside for the autolyse stage (don’t ask me what that is, just hire Chaya Suri for your own class!) and got started on our toasts. Artisan toasts are all the rage right now, and being a huge fan of Zak The Baker, I couldn’t wait to put together my own Artisan bites.

In true Zak the Baker style, I even made a custom chalkboard for the occasion!

We made some fun combos including avocado toast with persimmon and pomegranate (with pomegranate molasses and sriracha salt!), Gingerbread toast with my own homemade gingerbread pecan butter (it’s as good as it sounds!), camembert toast with port cranberry jam, berry toasts with creme fraiche, honey & lime, feta toast with tomatoes, olives and za’atar (because I always HAVE to have za’atar on the table) and finally, a spicy cheese toast with preserved lemon and harissa (because you know I’m obsessed with the stuff).

My favorite, hands down, was the avocado persimmon toast, followed closely by the gingerbread and the feta with za’atar. The others came close behind because they were all winners!

What are your favorite artisan toast combinations? Share them with me in the comments below!

Avocado Toast with Persimmon & Pomegranate

artisan bread
mashed avocado, lightly seasoned with lemon and salt
persimmon
pomegranate seeds
pomegranate molasses
sriracha salt

Spread the avocado over the toast and top with persimmon and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle with pomegranate molasses and sprinkle with sriracha salt.

VARIATION: Use thinly sliced jalapeno instead of sriracha salt.

Feta Toast with Za’atar

artisan bread
feta cheese
tomatoes
black olives
za’atar
chives
lemon olive oil (available at Trader Joes)

Crumble the feta over the toast and top with tomatoes and olives. Garnish with chives and sprinkle with za’atar. Finish with a drizzle of lemon oil.

Gingerbread Toast with Pecan Butter

artisan bread
gingerbread pecan butter (recipe follows)
molasses
chopped pecans
freshly grated nutmeg

Spread the pecan butter on the toast and drizzle with molasses. Top with chopped pecan and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Gingerbread Pecan Butter

7 oz. pecans, approximately 2 cups
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp sea salt, or, to taste
2 tbsp molasses or silan
2 tbsp brown sugar

Toast the pecans at 400 degrees until fragrant, about 5 minutes and set aside to cool. Place in a food processor and blend until the pecans turn into butter, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go (it may take longer, depending on the strength of your food processor). Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Camembert Toast with Cranberry Port Jam

artisan bread
camembert or brie
spiced port cranberry jam (recipe follows)
chopped pistachos or walnuts

Spread the cheese over the toast and top with jam and chopped nuts.

Spiced Cranberry Port Jam
1 12oz. bag fresh cranberries, rinsed
3 cinnamon sticks
3 strips lemon zest
4 peppercorns
3 cloves
1 cup Port
1/2 cup brown sugar

Add cinnamon sticks, lemon zest, peppercorns and cloves to a spice bag, or create your own using a piece of cheesecloth (just tie the corners together).

Place spice bag, wine and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until cranberries burst and the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and rest until completely cooled. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Spicy Toast with Preserved Lemon & Harissa

artisan bread
St. Pauline or Edam cheese
preserved lemons
harissa

Place the cheese on the toast and top with preserved lemon and harissa.

VARIATION: Use labneh or soft Israeli cream cheese. Garnish with parsley.

Berry Toast with Honey, Lime & Creme Fraiche

artisan bread
creme fraiche
fresh berries
good quality honey
lime zest
lime juice
demerara sugar

Spread the creme fraiche on the toast and top with berries, lime zest and a drizzle of honey. Squeeze a little lime over the top and sprinkle with demerara sugar.

VARIATION: add fresh mint, or, mix vanilla bean into the creme fraiche.

Chaya Suri’s Sourdough Crackers

1 cup spelt flour
1 cup starter (does not have to be hydrated)
1/4 cup oil

Mix the ingredients with a spoon until combined into a dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 6-12 hours. Roll the dough out between 2 layers of parchment paper until thin and cut into squares. Top with fine sea salt, or use fresh thyme, garlic powder and black salt (as pictured). Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until browned and crispy.


If you want to get started on making your own sourdough, here are some of Chaya Suri’s book/tool recommendations. To attend one of her sourdough workshops, email her at cookwithspiceandzest@gmail.com.

Tartine Bread
Tartine Book No. 3
Sourdough
Lodge cast iron pan
Proofing Basket
Bread Making Container (stainless steel is not recommended)
Bread Lame
Flour Sack Towels
Bench Scraper

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