Category: Recipes

6-Spice Moroccan Stew

This stew is really chock full of flavor. All the warm earthy spices complement the naturally sweet vegetables for a satisfying meal, when served over couscous. If you wish, you can add beef or chicken as well. The stew freezes very well so I like to freeze single-serving containers that I can eat for lunch. I just cook up some fresh couscous, which takes no time at all.

6-Spice Morrocan Stew

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp coriander
1 32oz. container vegetable stock
bottom half of butternut squash (I reserve the top for butternut squash fries), diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
4 small carrots, diced
1 small sweet potato, diced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 lg handful golden raisins
1 1/2 tsp salt
slivered almonds, toasted, for garnish
Couscous, prepared according to package directions

How to:

Saute garlic until fragrant but not brown. Add diced onion, saute for 3 minutes. Add turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, chilli and coriander. saute for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add stock, vegetables, salt, chic peas and raisins. Cook on high heat until it comes to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Ladle stew on top of couscous and top with slivered almonds.

NOTE: If desired, add stew beef or chicken with the vegetables and cook for an additional 30 minutes (or longer for the meat).

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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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Meat Lasagna

Growing up, we weren’t big dairy eaters. I think it had a lot to do with the milk allergies around the house. There was the occasional pizza, and the once-in-a-blue-moon fettucine alfredo. But on Shavuous, my mother went all out. She made the most delicious cheese blintzes, eggplant rollintini and her famous mouthwatering lasagna. We couldn’t get enough of it. The situation seems to be repeating itself in my house, having a daughter who is severely allergic to milk. We too have the occasional pizza, macaroni and cheese and cheese latkes. We reserve the other delicacies for that once-a-year milchig binge. But no-one can make lasagna like Ma’s, so I haven’t even tried. We always make sure we are free for her milchig meal so we can savor her delicious recipe!

Why am I rambling on about Ma’s milchig lasagna in a meat lasagna post? Well, since we absolutely LOVE the dairy recipe, I basically adapted it into a meat one that we can eat all year round! Of course nothing will ever replace the original, but this version is really delicious, and worth the effort (you’ll need a lot of pots to make it!) My kids just gobble it up, without even noticing the spinach!

Meat Lasagna

1 pkg lasagna noodles
2 lb. ground beef
1 medium spanish onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red pepper, finely diced
1/2 yellow pepper, finely diced
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
20oz. frozen chopped spinach
3 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 12 oz. cans tomato paste
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Method:

Boil water for lasagna noodles. Add salt and a little oil to keep them from sticking. Cook no longer than al dente.

In a separate pot: saute onions and garlic, add peppers when onions are translucent.

In another pot, brown the meat, breaking it up as you go. Drain, return to pot and add sauteed onions and peppers.

In the microwave or pot, defrost the spinach (or take it out early and thaw in a strainer). Squeeze well to remove water.

Mix the tomato sauce, paste, sugar, salt, oregano, basil and pepper. Stir, over low heat, to smooth out and incorporate the tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings, if needed. Add spinach and simmer for 5 minutes.

Assemble the lasagna:

Start with a layer of noodles in a greased 9×13 pan, add the meat mixture and then tomato sauce mixture. Repeat. Top the last layer of noodles with the tomato sauce mixture.

Bake, covered, at 350 until the flavors have blended and the lasagna is piping hot (about 30-40 minutes).

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BBQ Pulled Chicken Sammies


I am sure that I speak collectively (at least for the ashkenazic population) when I say that I cannot look at another potato for a long time! Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore spuds, and all their different methods of preparation…mashed, baked, fried, sliced, diced and boiled. I’ll eat a potato any way, shy of raw. But me and Mr. Potato need a break. I’ve got to show some attention to my long lost friend Mr. Bread :) We’ve been estranged for some time now and I’ve definitely missed its crunchy and chewy qualities. What better way to get reacquainted with bread then in this delicious, and easy pulled chicken sandwich! In my post for pulled beef sandwiches, I mentioned how much I loved pulled-anything. Throw it on some bread and it’s absolute perfection!

Now that I’ve covered both pulled beef and pulled chicken sandwiches, besides for the other white meat that kosher people (like myself) don’t eat, what other type of pulled sandwiches can you come up with?

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

1 pkg boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2-1 jar bbq sauce (I like the Bone Suckin’ Sauce brand)
crusty rolls
avocado, sliced
tomatoes, sliced
sauteed onions, optional
coleslaw, optional

Method:

Put chicken in a pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from pot and cool (discard water). Using two forks, pull the chicken apart. Return to pot and add bbq sauce (start off with about 1/2 of the jar, add more if necessary). Serve warm on crusty rolls topped with avocado, tomato, sauteed onions and/or coleslaw.

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Roasted Beet & Orange Salad

This salad is delicious and refreshing, and a nice change from the typical shredded beets or vinaigrette made on Pesach. It is usually made using mixed greens (bitter ones work best) but if you don’t use them on Pesach, it can be made without as well.

Beets have a delicious robust flavor when roasted. Many people boil their beets in water, but that releases the flavor into the water. When you roast the beets, the flavor just intensifies (this is true for boiling vs roasting all vegetables).

For a nice presentation, you can use both red and golden beets (just roast and cut them separately because the red ones will bleed), and serve them sliced on a bed of greens. Top it off with regular and/or blood oranges.

Roasted Beet & Orange Salad

3 medium beets
3 medium oranges segmented (do this over a bowl to catch the juices, which you can add to the dressing)
1/2 cup thinly slice red onion
bitter greens such as arugula, mesclun or radicchio
3 tbsp walnut oil
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar, if you use during pesach)
pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
pepper, to taste (if you use during pesach)

How to:

Wash beets well and dry. Wrap in foil. Roast at 400 degrees for 1-2 hours (depending on the size of the beets, check with a fork, if they are soft enough for you to pierce easily, they are done).  Leave the beets to cool. When they are done cooling, the peel can be easily removed using your hands. They just slide off. If you’d like, you can use a paring knife. I like to do this with gloves over an aluminum pan, because it can be quite messy (and your hands will definitely turn purple if you don’t)! Slice beets. Segment oranges. Arrange on top of mixed greens, or alone. Garnish with red onion and drizzle over with dressing.

Alternatively, you can shred roasted beets in the food processor, or by hand, using a grater. Dress with oil, lemon juice and salt.

Another popular beet dish uses potatoes, carrots and beets, all cooked and cubed. Mix with oil, lemon juice, sugar and salt and some thinly sliced red onion.

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