Category: Recipes

Oven Baked Organic Sweet Potatoes

Last year, we spent Purim in Asheville, North Carolina, by a friend of my husband. We drove about 12 hours to get there, the longest drive we have ever taken by car. It was actually not as bad as I thought it would be, but by the time we got there, I was definitely happy to be able to stretch and sleep! Lucky for us, our friends, the Rabbi and Rebbetzin of Asheville, had set up warm and comfortable accomodations. Purim in Asheville was a lot of fun. My kids enjoyed the Purim party, a magic show, and an adorable play put on by the Hebrew school kids. Even better was the delicious food that the Rebbetzin, Chana, prepared during our stay. One evening, she prepared oven baked organic sweet potatoes as a side dish. This was not new to me, as my mother always made them growing up. However, the organic part definitely was. I was never into the whole organic trend. It’s expensive, hard to find in my neighborhood, and since I turned out fine until now, I figured I’d take my chances. But Chana had recently given birth to twins, and she wanted to eat clean and healthy during her pregnancy, so she adopted a diet rich in organic fruits and vegetables. Being as I grew up eating oven baked sweet potatoes, I knew how they were supposed to taste. So when I put a spoonful of the organic stuff in my mouth, I immediately tasted the difference. It was so fresh tasting, full-bodied, and over-the-top sweet! It felt like eating a decadent dessert! Ever since then, whenever I plan on making oven baked sweet potatoes, I make it a point to buy organic ones. I really taste the difference!

I wouldn’t exactly call this a “recipe” because there is honestly nothing to it. I just find that sometimes we get so hung up on finding “recipes” for things that the star ingredient ends up getting lost. We’re busy taking delicious, wholesome, healthy sweet potatoes, adding butter, brown sugar, eggs and cream (amongst other things) to make sweet potato pie. What happened to baking a sweet potato just as it is? It is so sweet and delicious, it literally needs nothing! Don’t get me wrong, just a few days ago I took perfectly delicious baked salmon and mashed it up into salmon patties. I do it too. But I’m just saying, we definitely live in a “kugel” society and it’s nice to eat a vegetable purely for what it is every once in a while!

Oven Baked Organic Sweet Potatoes

Remove the stickers from the sweet potatoes, wash well (so you can eat the fiber-rich skin later) and dry. Put in a 9×13 pan. Place in a 400 degree oven. (I used to individually wrap the sweet potatoes in foil but I find that they come out a bit more watery that way). I can’t tell you exactly how long to bake them, since it depends on the size of your sweet potatoes. I go by the smell test. When the smell of sweet potatoes starts wafting through the house, I know they are almost ready. It should take about 1 1/2-2 hours to bake. Just give them the squeeze test with your hand, and when they are very soft, and you can see the delicious syrup has started dripping out of it, they are ready!

Since we weren’t home to give out shalach manos last year, I made Purim cards and sent them to family and friends, letting them know that we gave a donation in their honor in lieu of shalach manos.

Here is the card we sent out:


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Quick & Easy Chocolate Rugelach

My friend Dina and I have been friends since childhood. Growing up, we lived around the corner from each other, and after getting married and moving, we still do! We’re always swapping recipes and oohing and ahhing over the fabulous food we see on the food channel. Between the two of us, I am more of the cook and Dina is more of the baker. Whenever I see a great cake recipe, I send it her way, hoping that she’ll make it so that I can get a taste (she usually sends over a piece!). On a lucky day, she’ll invite me around the corner for a hot cinnamon bun and some coffee. One such day, Dina brought out these delicious rugelach. I thought they must be a patchke to make since they looked so good and tasted even better. But they are super easy and require only 3 ingredients! I have made them more than once when having company over at the last minute. They are totally floored when, without advanced notice, I manage to put out piping hot chococolatey flaky goodness!

Quick & Easy Chocolate Rugelach

Puff pastry squares
chocolate spread
Powdered sugar

Method:

Thaw puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight. It is easiest to work with when it’s chilled. With a knife, cut each square into 3 even strips. Smear with chocolate spread and roll up. Place on a cookie sheet seam side down and bake at 350 until browned, approximately 25 minutes. Let cool and dust with powdered sugar.

Note: you can brush with egg-wash if you’d like, however, since you are dusting them with powdered sugar, it is not neccesary.

VARIATION: You may also use nutella, jam, or any other filling of your choice.

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Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods


I figured since we just passed Purim Katan, and shalach manos giving is right around the corner, I should share some shalach manos ideas. Two years ago, I made these yummy chocolate dipped pretzel sticks. A week or two before Purim, I started shopping for the ingredients. It’s lucky I did that, because for some reason, every single store was out of pretzel rods. I must have gone to every kosher supermarket in all the five boroughs until I found them. I bought so many bags that we were eating pretzel rods (sans coating) for the next couple of months!

To create these crunchy confections, I would recommend that you prepare a large working surface. This is a messy job! Make stations for the different coatings and cut sheets of wax paper to lay the pretzels. Make sure not to touch them until the chocolate has fully set. When you are done, you can mix up all the broken pretzels pieces with the leftover chocolate, sprinkles, nuts and nonpareils. Spread on a sheet of wax paper for an instant pretzel bark. That was the best part!

Crunchy Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods

Pretzel rods
Semi sweet real chocolate chips
White chocolate chips
Colored Sprinkles
Chocolate Sprinkles
Chopped nuts
Nonpareils
Small glass vases or cups

Melt bowls of black and white chocolate (separately) in a double boiler, or in the microwave. Set up bowls of toppings. Dip half the pretzel rod in chocolate, and then in the topping. Lay on wax paper. Once the pretzels have fully set, fill each vase with 5 different pretzel rods. To set them in place, fill the vase with chocolate chips. Tie with cellophane and deliver in costume to your grateful recipients!

Pretzels Pairings:
White chocolate with black sprinkles
White chocolate with nuts
White chocolate with nonpareils
Dark chocolate with colored sprinkles
Dark chocolate with nuts

Other optional toppings:

Toasted coconut
Peanut/Pistachio/Hazelnut brittle from Bakers Choice
Chocolate lentils
Colored sugar
Crushed peppermint candy
Chopped Viennese crunch

Pretzels Pairings:
White chocolate with black sprinkles
White chocolate with nuts
White chocolate with nonpareils
Dark chocolate with colored sprinkles
Dark chocolate with nuts

Other optional toppings:

Toasted coconut
Peanut/Pistachio/Hazelnut brittle from Bakers Choice
Chocolate lentils
Colored sugar
Crushed peppermint candy
Chopped Viennese crunch

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Snacker-Crusted Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce


I love fish cakes, but I rarely make them. I’m always ordering them in restaurants. I’ve made salmon cakes before, but only using canned salmon. The result is usually quite fishy and fishy just doesn’t fly in my house. When I saw this recipe for salmon patties using fresh salmon, I just had to try it. And let me tell you people, I don’t think I can ever go back! These croquettes were crunchy on the outside, full of flavor, and not fishy at all! My husband is the ultimate meat and potatoes kind of guy, and when he saw that I made fish cakes, he kind of rolled his eyes. But then he tasted them. And tasted them again. ZERO fishiness. TONS of flavor. And the sauce was equally delicious! Light, creamy, and lemony.

I doubled the recipe and froze some of the patties. I also refrigerated a few for lunch the next day. They are delicious on a baguette with some mayo or tartar sauce.

Snacker-Crusted Salmon Croquettes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce
adapted from a recipe by Giada de Laurentiis

Salmon:
1 pound skinless salmon fillet (about 2 large slices)
Olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Patties:
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup (1/2-ounce) chopped fresh chives
15 snackers, crushed (for filling)
1 package snackers (or Ritz crackers), crushed (for crust)
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
canola oil, for frying

Sauce:
1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt, such as J&J
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Salmon: Preheat the oven to 400. Drizzle the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Put in a baking dish and bake until just cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Patties: Using a fork, flake the salmon into 1/2-inch pieces and put into a medium bowl. Add the egg, chives, 15 crushed crackers, the corn, mustard, mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix gently until just combined. Form the mixture into 2 1/2-inch diameter patties, about 3/4 inches thick. Carefully coat the patties in the package of crushed crackers and refrigerate for 1 hour. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the patties and cook until golden and crispy, about 7 to 8 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels.

Sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, capers, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Arrange the salmon cakes on a platter and serve alongside the sauce.

Notes:
If the mixture seems too wet to form patties, refrigerate for an hour or longer until mixture is set.
If the mixture is too dry to form patties, add extra mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon at a time.
To crush crackers, put into a Ziploc bags, and crush with your hands.

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Low Carb Portobello Pizza

Every once in a while, I like to take a break from eating too much carbs. They just make me so tired and lethargic. Stopping to eat them also makes me tired and lethargic. But after I get over those first few days of transitioning, I am high-energy and light on my feet.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been battling my weight. You name the diet and I’ve probably tried it. Weight watchers (meetings and all), check. Suzanne Somers, check. Atkins, check. South Beach, triple check. The Low GI Diet, check. My Own Version of a Diet, quadruple check. The Seafood ie SEE FOOD Diet, yeah!! lol. Through all my dieting, I have definitely learned about my body, and I found that the diets that work best for me are the low (but not NO) carb diets. “No” carb diets definitely take off the pounds, but the second you go off of it, you gain everything back. “Low” carb diets, on the other hand, help you regulate your blood sugar so that you don’t have cravings and you stay full for longer. You don’t feel deprived since you can incorporate some healthy carbs.

I learned to swap certain foods for their healthier counterparts, as opposed to eliminating them altogether and feeling deprived (which only leads to cravings and cheating). For instance, I’ll have a small baked sweet potato, instead of  mashed potatoes. Or if I really want to be good, mashed cauliflower. Since I absolutely LOVE pizza (who doesn’t), I sometimes substitute Tumaro’s Gourmet LOW CARB Tortilla’s for the crust (or you can use 1/2 of a whole wheat pita) or, my all time favorite recipe – portobello mushroom pizza.

Portobello mushrooms are so meaty and hearty. They work great in this recipe because they really fill you up, without filling you out! You can get creative with toppings, using onions, peppers, or whatever you would put on traditional pizza. I love the taste of the spinach because I almost feel like I’m eating lasagna.

Portobello Mushroom Pizza

1 portobello mushroom
marinara sauce of your choice (or plain tomato sauce for even less carbs)
1 handful of thawed frozen spinach
oregano
garlic powder
shredded mozzarella cheese

Method:

Preheat your toaster oven to 400. Line your oven tray with foil and grease with cooking spray. Turn mushroom upside down and remove stem. Clean with a damp paper towel (never wash mushrooms, they absorb all the water). Pour some marinara sauce into the cavity. Squeeze the thawed spinach so that there is no excess water and spread on top of marinara sauce. Sprinkle with garlic powder and oregano. Top with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If needed, toast or broil for 1-2 minutes to crisp up the cheese.

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