Category: Recipes

Sesame Linguini with Marinated Chicken Breast

After having a baby recently, I was lucky enough to have some friends and family send me over dinner for the first two weeks. Needless to say, I felt really pampered to have hot and delicious food delivered to my door each day! Making dinner for a kimpeturin is such a wonderful mitzvah, one which I enjoy doing myself, and I encourage others to do as well. My friend Dina sent over a variation of this dish and it was a huge hit. Here is my adaptation:

Sesame Linguini with Marinated Chicken Breast:

For the pasta:

1 box linguini
1 onion, cut into half circles
1 zucchini, cut into half circles
1 container mushrooms, sliced
1 head baby bok choy
1/2 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 cup toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup sugar
3 scallions, for garnish
sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish

Method:

Prepare linguini according to package directions. Saute onion until translucent and add zucchini, bok choy, and mushrooms. Continue to saute until zucchini is tender-crisp. Add vegetables to pasta. Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar and pour over pasta.

For the chicken:

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
4-5 boneless chicken breast

Method:

Mix soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and sugar. Pour into a ziploc bag to which chicken has been added. Marinate for 2-3 hours (or minimum 1 hour). Remove from marinade (you can discard it) and pan-fry the chicken over medium heat, using sesame oil to coat the pan. Cool and slice over pasta.

Note: Feel free to grill the chicken breasts. I, of course, was too lazy to shlep down my George Foreman, but if you have yours handy, I would recommend grilling over pan-frying (for health and taste!)

Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.

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Quick & Easy Shakshuka

I absolutely love shakshuka! I couldn’t think of a better breakfast on a Sunday morning, or any morning for that matter. The rich and spicy tomato sauce paired with a runny egg and some fresh hot bread or pita – could it get any better? Now Shakshuka can be a patchke to make, what with the chopping, sauteeing, and fresh tomatoes…I don’t know about you but after a long Shabbos, and an even longer Motzei Shabbos, the last thing I want to do is start cooking, AGAIN (hence the Sunday night meal of leftovers!). But I have simplified this recipe to the easiest 2-ingredient fix (for the most basic) you could think of! Even the tired and weary can whip up a plate of these in no time!

Note: If you are watching your carbs, this is actually a great recipe because it is a whole meal-in-one and it’s very filling! Skip the bread, of course!


Quick & Easy Shakshuka

1/2-1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
eggs, amount of your choice

optional additions:
chopped vegetables
chillies
salt
freshly ground pepper
red pepper flakes
zaatar spice
cumin
turmeric
feta or other cheese
fresh parsley, for garnish
warm pita or crusty rolls, for serving

How to:

Prepare your marinara sauce (or you can even use salsa!). You can use one that already has chunky vegetables, as I did, otherwise, you can add some chopped vegetables to it. Taste the marinara sauce and add spices, as needed. If you’d like it spicy, add chillies and/or red pepper flakes and other spices of choice. Simmer sauce until it begins to bubble. Check eggs in a cup, taking care not to break the yolk. Gently slide into sauce and simmer until the yolks have set (if you cover the pot, this will take about 5 minutes). Sprinkle eggs with some freshly cracked pepper, and garnish with parsley, if you’d like. Serve with pita or crusty rolls.

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Breaded Gefilte Fish Patties

I think I have tried every possible cooking method for gefilte fish (many ideas to come in the future!)…boiled gefilte, baked gefilte, fish latkes, fish balls, gefilte loaf…Why? well for one, I like to change up the menu. I never make the same things for Shabbos, I’m always coming up with something different to try. Additionally, I love to entertain, and if you’re having a lot of guests, fish can be quite pricey. Eight pieces of salmon can run you upwards of $30. Gefilte fish, even if you are making two packages, will run you about $5-$6 each.

My kids absolutely adore fish latkes. I even make it for supper on occasion. It’s something about finger food, where they can just hold it in a napkin and bite into it, that makes them love it so much. I like to convince myself that it’s packed with protein, but really, I do wonder, how much fish is there really in gefilte fish!

Breaded Gefilte Fish Patties

1 loaf gefilte fish
flavored bread crumbs
oil for frying

How to:

Leave the gefilte fish out to thaw slightly, just enough so that you can cut through it with a knife (but not too much otherwise it will not maintain it’s shape and will turn to mush). Slice the loaf into 1/2″ pieces. Press pieces into flavored bread crumbs, coating all around. Heat oil in a skillet. Add fish to hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove to paper towels to absorb excess oil.

For a healthier version, bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 for 1 hour.

Variation: my friend, Rochel Leah, an avid follower of my blog (thanks Slaichy!), just called to tell me a little twist on this recipe. She lightly fries the patties, puts them in a dish, covers them with marinara sauce and bakes at 350.

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Perfect Pareve French Toast

If you oftentimes have leftover challah, as I do, I’m sure you couldn’t think of a better way to use it then for delicious french toast smothered in maple syrup (ok, maybe for some bread pudding with some raisins and rum!). Now since I’ve got a child who’s severely allergic to dairy, I have to come up with ways to substitute for the real thing. In this recipe, almond milk does a great job. It’s rich, sweet, and flavorful. And between the eggs and the almonds, it helps add some protein to what feels like a loaded carbohydrate meal (talk about deguiltifying comfort food!). So go ahead, whip up a batch for breakfast, brunch, or even dinner (as I did!)

Of course, if you’re able, go all out and use the real thing with whole milk and fry in good old butter!

Perfect Pareve French Toast

4 eggs
1 cup vanilla almond milk (or 1 cup almond milk + 1/4 tsp vanilla)
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg challa
canola oil, for frying
maple syrup or sugar, for serving
assorted berries, for serving

Method:

Slice your challah into 1/2 – 1 inch pieces (depending on how you like it). Whisk together eggs, milk, sugar and salt. Dip challah into egg mixture on both sides, making sure to fully saturate the challah (you can soak it in the mixture for a minute or so). Cook the challah in an oiled skillet on medium heat until golden on both sides (about 2 minutes per side). Serve with syrup or sugar and berries or fruit of your choice.

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Purim Ice Cream Clowns!

In the spirit of Purim, I decided to make some ice cream clowns with my daughter’s class. This project was easy (no prep required!) and so much fun for the kids! Give a kid an ice cream cone, and tell them to decorate it with candy – does it get any getter than that? They were in ice cream heaven!

What you’ll need:

Ice cream cones
Vanilla ice cream
Cookies or pineapple rings (I used the white/dark chocolate sprinkle kind because it has a scalloped edge, like a clowns collar)
Marshmallows
Marshmallow fluff
Liebers chocolate candy chips (mini colorful chocolate chips)
Colorful sprinkles
Jelly beans
Other decorating candies/confections

How to:

Set the cookie down on a plate. Top with a scoop of ice cream. Set the ice cream cone on a slant on top of the scoop. Using the mini chocolate chips, make eyes, nose and mouth. Squeeze the tip of the ice cream cone through the marshmallow. Using marshmallow fluff as glue, decorate the cone. Turn over and enjoy every bite!

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