Category: Recipes

Carrot Muffins

You all know that I’m not that much of a baker, so if I decided to make carrot muffins, there must have been a reason for it. Well, here it goes…

Sometimes things just don’t go as planned. Take this past Shabbos, for example. I had a full house for the weekend, and my menu was planned down to the tee. I usually leave the salad prep to right before the meal, preparing only what needs to be checked or processed in the blender beforehand. I had planned on making a slaw, so I shredded my carrots in my food processor and put it aside in a ziploc. Fastforward a couple of hours and I’m about to prepare the salad. I grab a jar of mayo from my pantry and open it up to find that someone has taken out a spoonful and returned it to the pantry instead of the fridge. I’m afraid to admit that that someone was probably me getting a headstart on my cooking at 12 PM the previous night! So now that there was no mayo, there was no slaw (or caeser salad…or deviled eggs…). Then I realized that we were also out of horseradish for the gefilte fish. While I would normally whip up a russian style dressing, that was not in the cards either. So I served the gefilte fish with wasabi sauce, stashed the shredded carrots back into the fridge, and redid my menu just as my guests were walking through the door.

My mayo-less meal turned out just fine, and that lonely bag of carrots had a calling after all – moist and delicious carrot muffins. You can also bake this into a cake and top with some cream cheese frosting (which I would have done, had I not shredded my carrots in my fleishig food processor). Either way you choose to serve it, you’ll find this recipe delicious. My kids were so excited to come home to freshly baked muffins. I think I have to start doing this baking thing more often!

 

Carrot Muffins

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup oil
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrots (about 3 carrots)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Method:

Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar to a bowl and mix to combine. Add oil, eggs and vanilla and mix with a hand blender until smooth. Stir in carrots, walnuts, raisins and/or chocolate chips and mix to incorporate. Scoop batter into baking cups and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

NOTE: Feel free to adjust the add-ins to your desired taste. You can choose to leave out the walnuts, raisins or chocolate chips, or adjust amount as desired.

1 year ago: sundried tomato olive tapenade

 

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BBQ Chicken & Pineapple Jalapeno Pizza

I’m not usually one for making yeast doughs. I mean, it’s not like I can’t do it, it’s just that I can’t be bothered. With all of the flour mess and sticky dough, I usually just leave it to the companies who prepare the frozen variety. This week, however, the rainy weather was a good excuse to play around in the kitchen. And my leftover hickory BBQ chicken was the perfect inspiration for this dish.

I have to tell you that with Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast, making the dough was super easy. There was no rising time. Simply mix, knead, top and bake. I don’t think I can go back to freezer pizza dough again!

Obviously, cheese on this pizza would probably be delicious but because I’m kosher, I have to leave it out. If you’re brave, you can try using soy cheese but personally that stuff freaks me out!

BBQ Chicken & Pineapple Pizza

2 cups flour (I used spelt)
1 envelope Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup very warm tap water
3 tbsp olive oil
BBQ sauce (I used Hunts hickory & brown sugar flavor)
leftover chicken, shredded
1/4 fresh pineapple, sliced into small pieces
1 red pepper, chopped
1 red onion, sliced thinly into half circles
1 jalapeno, deseeded, deveined and sliced into thin strips
soy cheese, optional

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, combine 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add water and oil and mix to incorporate. Gradually, add another cup of flour until a ball of dough is formed. Knead the dough on a floured surface, adding additional flour, if needed. Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil and using your hands (flour them, if necessary), press dough out to fill pan. Brush the dough with BBQ sauce.

If you have leftover pan-drippings from your chicken, mix it in to the shredded chicken to moisten it. If you don’t, mix in some diluted BBQ sauce (just add a bit of water to dilute) so that the chicken doesn’t dry out during baking.

Top the pizza with shredded chicken, pineapple, red onion, red pepper and jalapeno (for more heat, don’t remove the vein and seeds). Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp.

NOTE: When prepared on a cookie sheet, the amount of pizza dough in this recipe yields a thin crust pizza. If you like a thicker dough, double the recipe.

1 year ago: BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches

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Pepper Steak with Plum Sauce

As the song goes, it’s “back to life, back to reality.” While Pesach was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family and friends, there’s something nice about getting back into a routine. Not to mention, being able to eat chometz again!

One of my most favorite chometzdik dinners is a dish my mom makes with pepper steak and plum jelly. She found the gourmet jam in Australia, and every time she visits, she brings home a jar. I decided to try and recreate her recipe without the jam, and I think I came pretty close!

It took me a while to learn how to make pepper steak that didn’t taste like I was chewing rubber. I learned, first and foremost, that good pepper steak has to be quality pepper steak. The better the quality of the meat, the softer it will turn out in the end. The second thing I learned about cooking pepper steak is to cook it low and slow. The longer the steak simmers, the longer the meat will tenderize. Lastly, I learned to add the sauce at the end, so that the sugar in it does not burn and harden the meat.

Have you got any tips for making your pepper steak soft? I’d love to hear them!

 

Pepper Steak with Plum Sauce

1 pkg pepper steak
1 onion, sliced into half rings
5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 30 oz can whole purple plums in heavy syrup
1/4 cup hoison sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
oil, for sauteing

Method:

Saute pepper steak in a bit of oil until browned. Remove from pan. Add onions and garlic and saute until golden. Return meat to pan, remove pits from plums and add them, with their syrup, to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1-2 hours. Uncover the pot, add hoison sauce and cook on high heat until reduced by half, about 20-30 minutes.

1 year ago: 1-2-3 decadent molten chocolate chip cakes

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20 Non-Gebroks Things to do with Potatoes & Eggs

It’s Chol Hamoed and we’re all scrambling (pun intended!) for things to make for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don’t know about you but I can’t look at another plate of chicken and mashed potatoes. Here are some ideas for inspiration!

20 THINGS TO MAKE WITH POTATOES

1. mashed potatoes
2. shepherds pie
3. fries
4. potato kugel
5. potato au gratin
6. hassleback potatoes
7. potato latkes
8. potato salad
9. potato soup
10. scalloped potatoes
11. tater tots
12. chremslach (mashed potato patties)
13. hash browns
14. potato chips
15. breakfast potatoes
16. stuffed baked potatoes (if you eat peels)
17. roasted potato wedges (if you eat peels)
18. crispy potato skins (if you eat peels)
19. smashed potatoes (if you eat peels)
20. potato blintzes (using egg crepes)

20 THINGS TO MAKE WITH EGGS

1. scrambled eggs
2. poached eggs
3. omelette’s
4. frittata
5. eggs en cocotte (baked eggs)
6. egg pizza
7. shakshuka
8. crepes
9. nut pancakes (eggs with ground nuts and sugar)
10. egg salad (how to make perfect hard boiled eggs)
11. chef salad or salad nicoise
12. deviled eggs
13. souffle
14. crustless quiche
15. egg drop soup
16. mayo/hollandaise sauce
17. creme brulee
18. sabayon
19. meringues
20. mousse

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Homemade Raspberry Sorbet


Making home-made sorbet is easier than you think. You don’t even need an ice cream machine! It’s basically just frozen fruit puree sweetened with sugar and water. You can also add herbs, chocolate or wines and liqueurs to flavor the sorbet.

To make a fruit sorbet, you’ll need:

1. Fruit (fresh or frozen)
-Soft fruit (mango, berries, peaches, melons, pineapple, bananas, grapes)
-Hard Fruit (apples, pears, rhubarb)
-Fruit Juice (lemon, grapefruit, orange, lime)
2. Sweetener (simple syrup, honey, agave , fruit juice or sweet wine)
3. Acidity (lemon, lime, orange, balsamic vinegar)
4. Alcohol (vodka or liquers), optional

Sweeteners should be added to taste. Depending on how ripe, sweet or tart the fruit is, you’ll need to add more or less. You will always need to add simple syrup to start for the right consistency. Wine, fruit juice or honey can also be added for additional sweetness and flavor.

Alcohol does not freeze so it helps keeps the sorbet smooth and gives it a less grainy texture. You can use liqeurs that complement the taste of your fruit or vodka, which has no flavor.

For soft fruit: add fruit, sweetener, acid and alcohol (if using) to a blender or food processor and puree (pour through a fine mesh sieve if it has any pits).

For hard fruit: add fruit, sweetener, and acid to a pot and cook until tender. Cool and add to a food processor or blender. Add alcohol (if using).

For fruit juice: add juice, sweetener (you can boil it up with some of the rind for a more intense flavor), and acid to a bowl and mix.

If you have an ice cream machine, good for you! Just pour the mixture into it and let the machine do all the work. If you don’t, pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet and freeze until set. Break it up and blend in the food processor until smooth. Freeze and blend again for an ultra smooth consistency.

Here are some gourmet sorbet combinations and ideas for inspiration:

watermelon
pear+moscato
blood orange
lemon+mint
blackberry+red wine
rhubarb
blueberry+pomegranate
strawberry+basil
figs+balsamic

Personally, I love plain old raspberry sorbet! The beautiful crimson color, coupled with some fresh blueberries, is the perfect way to end any meal.

Whats your favorite sorbet recipe? Share it with us in the comments below!

 

Homemade Raspberry Sorbet

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
24 oz. fresh or frozen raspberries (thaw if frozen)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp vodka, optional

Method:

Create a simple syrup by bringing the sugar and water up to a boil until the sugar dissolves. Cool. Put the raspberries, syrup and lemon in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove the pits. Pour the raspberry puree onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and freeze until set. Break the frozen puree into pieces and blend again in the food processor (separate into batches, if needed). If possible, freeze on the cookie sheet once more and blend again. Serve immediately or freeze. If frozen, remove from the freezer and let it soften for a few minutes before serving.


1 year ago: fruity sorbet dessert

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