Category: Recipes

Cajun Quinoa Burgers

Call them burgers, call them patties, call them cakes – call them whatever you want. So long as you make them. Because they’re gooooood.

I call them burgers because burgers are my thing. And because it’s summer (finally!) and that just makes me want to eat more burgers. Meat burgers are great, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes you just want something light for lunch. Or dinner. Or hey, even breakfast (OMG can you imagine a fried egg dripping down this thing?!).

So back to my burger obsession, lets talk about it. I won a recipe contest for this vegetarian cheeseburger, I’m also in love with this Paleo burger, and don’t even get me started on this spinach falafel burger. These chickpea burgers are awesome on the grill, and these sweet pepper ones are not too bad either. Told you I had a burger obsession.

I quite like quinoa too. And I just about put cajun seasoning on everything – like roasted chickpeas, and broccoli, blackened fish and chicken. Yummo.

And of course I like things spicy too, so my easy jalapeno crema packs a great punch and an added brightness that goes great with these patties.

One of the things I love about these is how great they are for packed lunches. Picnic at the beach? check. Quick lunch on the go, check. Easy bites for vacation, yup.

And speaking of vacation, I’m working hard on keeping things as healthy as possible as we slowly shed our sweaters and jackets, inching our way towards summer. With the holidays behind us, there are no more excuses, who’s with me?!

How are YOU planning to eat light and healthy this summer? Share your ideas with me in the comments below!

Cajun Quinoa Burgers

2 cups cooked quinoa*
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup finely diced red pepper
2 scallions, chopped
Heaping 1/2 cup flavored bread crumbs
3 eggs
generous 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper, to taste
light olive oil, for frying

Method:

Add all ingredients, besides for the eggs, to a bowl and mix until combined. Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning as desired. Add eggs, and  using a scoop or measuring cup, portion out the quinoa into patties. Fry until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

*To cook, rinse 3/4 cup quinoa thoroughly in a fine-mesh sieve. Add to a pot with 1 1/2 cups water and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

NOTE: If you find the mixture too loose, you can pulse it in the food processor to make it more sticky.

GLUTEN FREE OPTION: use corn flake crumbs instead of bread crumbs.

VARIATION: Use chickpeas instead of black beans. You will need to pulse the mixture in the food processor so the mixture sticks together.

Jalapeño crema

6 oz sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeño, seeds and veins removed, finely minced
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp lime zest

Method:

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.


Related Recipes:

quinoa pad thai
roasted veggie quinoa salad
spinach falafel burger
portobello cheeseburger

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Broccoli Parmesan Poppers (Gluten Free!)

We’re gonna keep things short and sweet today since I know you’re all so busy prepping for Shavuot! I’m gonna let the photos do the talking.


I think you’re getting the picture (pun intended). I took some good old broccoli trees and made ’em kid friendly! And they’re even gluten free. Because I love you. (And because I’m on South Beach).


Do yourself a favor and bookmark this flaxseed crumb recipe because if you’re gluten free, you’re going to want to put it on everything. Especially homemade chicken nuggets. Trust me.


Did I mention they are baked too? You’re welcome.


I love how much goodness is packed into these little balls. Broccoli, flaxseeds, almond meal, and I even made a Greek yogurt ranch dip. Betchya never knew that healthy food could taste/look this good!


And you know what else? these little magic balls are easily adaptable too! If you want a more cheesy bite, add some shredded cheddar. Or your favorite cheese. And you can easily swap in some panko or breadcrumbs if you don’t have gluten free ingredients on hand like I do. Told you they were magic balls.


You’ve got the recipe, now get into the kitchen and make them already! Happy dipping!

Gluten Free Broccoli Parmesan Poppers

32oz. bag frozen brocolli
2 eggs
1/2 cup Natural & Kosher grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup flaxseed meal
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Marinara sauce or Greek yogurt ranch dip (recipe follows), for dipping

Method:

Add broccoli to a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Drain well, pushing down on the broccoli to remove moisture. Pulse the broccoli in the food processor until finely chopped, but not ground. Place the chopped broccoli in a mixing bowl and add eggs, Parmesan, almond meal, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the flaxseed meal and spices. Roll 2 tablespoons of broccoli batter into balls and dip into the flaxseed mixture. Place on a greased baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

Yield: 27 poppers

VARIATION: For more cheesy goodness, use Natural & Kosher cheese shredded cheddar instead of the parmesan.

NON GLUTEN FREE OPTION: roll the broccoli balls in flavored panko bread crumbs.

NUT FREE OPTION: use bread crumbs instead of almond meal.


Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip

6 oz. plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp minced onion flakes
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
pinch of black pepper

Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.


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

Related Recipes:

3-cheese broccoli pull-apart buns
sweet sand savory cheese balls
zucchini parmesan chips
gluten free pesto zucchini fries

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Rosewater Cheesecake Mousse Parfaits

I like rosewater, can you tell? Honestly, I hadn’t even heard of the stuff before I married into a Sephardic family. And I didn’t like it at first either.

Rosewater has a very distinct, perfumy taste and you either love it or hate it. I like how it compliments certain dishes, when used in the right proportions – never too much, just a splash for subtle floral notes.

I especially like to incorporate rosewater into my Shavuot recipes since the holiday is also called “The Feast of the Roses”. On Shavuot, Jews commemorate the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. It is told that Mount Sinai was covered in roses at the time the Torah was received, so many communities have a custom to decorate their homes and synagogues (as well as Torah scrolls) with roses. In some Sephardic synagogues, it is customary to sprinkle rose water on the congregants. I’ll pass on that one, but rosewater-scented mousse? yes please.

When it comes to light and airy cheesecake mousse, there are so many possibilities and if rosewater is not your thing, you’ve got plenty of options! Think vanilla, or lemon, almond or coffee, anything tastes good with cream cheese and whip cream! And the filling? You can go to town on that too! Angel food cake, brownie crumbs, blueberry sauce or lemon curd are all great ideas to use in a cheesecake parfait.

Since I’m not much of a baker, and cheesecake is so difficult to perfect (just ask Molly), I take the easy no-bake route and go for the mousse. It’s Shavuot after all, so we get to whip out (pun intended) the heavy cream and really go at it!

If you follow my blog, you probably know that I love to cook seasonally, so when Shavuot rolls around, I always try to incorporate something rhubarb or strawberry into my menu. You can go with fresh or frozen here, but since I always keep my freezer stocked for smoothies and popsicles, I went with that. The sweet and tangy ruby-colored sauce, with notes of honey and pomegranate, is a perfect match to the rosewater-scented cheesecake. I finish it with some cinnamon graham cracker crumbs (mixed with some melted butter, of course) and a shaving of white chocolate. Does it get any better than that?!

Now that I’ve got my dessert down pat, I’ve got to think up some menu’s for our 3-day food fest! I’ll definitely be making my gluten free broccoli parmesan poppers (recipe to be posted on Wednesday), as well as my famous roasted eggplant parmesan. I’m thinking of making my roasted tomato soup with muenster breadsticks and maybe my zucchini parmesan chips. Goat cheese ice cream is always a huge hit and this linguini lasagna is a huge time saver.

Of course there will be some meat meals too, and these Moroccan fish balls are definitely making an appearance as an appetizer. What’s cooking in your kitchen for the holidays? I’d love to hear your menu’s (maybe it will give me some ideas!), so leave a comment and share them with me below!

And don’t forget to check out the Shavuot category for more great recipes and ideas! 

Rosewater Cheesecake Mousse Parfaits

For the Base:
1 1/2 cups cinnamon graham crumbs crumbs (from 1 sleeve of crackers, about 9)
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and press into the bottom of serving glasses.

For the Mousse:
2 cups heavy cream
2 8oz. containers lowfat whipped cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 – 1 tsp rosewater (or to taste)

Whip the heavy cream until stiff and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar and rosewater until fluffy. Fold the whip cream into the cream cheese mixture.

VARIATION: If you don’t like rosewater, use 2 tsp vanilla extract instead.

For the Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce:
1 lb frozen strawberries
1/2 lb frozen rhubarb
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup honey
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick
Pinch of salt

Add all the ingredients to a pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Using a potato masher or the back of a spoon, break up the fruit and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

To Assemble:

Pipe the cheesecake mousse on top of the graham cracker crumbs, filling about 1/3rd of the serving glass. Top with strawberry rhubarb sauce and another layer of cheesecake mousse. Garnish with graham cracker crumbs and white chocolate shavings.

Yield: approximately 10 4 oz. servings


Related Recipes:

goat cheese ice cream
classic cheesecake
strawberry rhubarb soup
sachlav rosewater pudding

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Moroccan Fish Balls

If there is one store I wish every Jewish community around the world would have, it would be Benz’s Gourmet. The local gourmet kosher shop is celebrating it’s 12th anniversary and we’re feasting on a special gefilte fish recipe in their honor!

Benz’s carries everything from artisan cholov yisroel cheese (imported from France!), smoked fish, caviar, beer, as well as specialty baking and gluten free products. They boast a huge olive bar and a whopping 27 varieties of herring. Whether I’m looking for a gourmet kosher product (like truffle oil), or I’m in the mood for fresh fish, I head on over to Benz’s. Thankfully, it’s just a few blocks away!

What I love about the store is that they are constantly on the lookout for new kosher products. If there is ever an item that I can’t find locally, I ask Benz’s to order it for me, and they do! Recently, I needed rosewater for an upcoming Shavuot recipe, and I couldn’t find it anywhere. I gave them a call and it was in the store just a few days later. Now that’s what I call good service!

Besides for Benz’s gourmet selection, they also carry traditional gefilte fish, a family recipe that they’ve been perfecting for over 30 years. I’m always looking to change up traditional gefilte (‘cuz reinventing traditional food is what I do best!) and Benz’s gefilte fish offers me the perfect canvas to build my hybrid recipe.

I don’t know about you, but the more I cook, the more I appreciate savory food. And the more I experiment, the more I realize that you don’t need to use a lot of sweetener in your cooking. My mom doesn’t agree, and neither does my Bubby. They’re ashkenazi food is loaded with sugar, the more the merrier.

If you ask me, sugar is just a fill-in for the absence of flavor. If you build layers of flavor and spice, there’s no need to load sugar into savory food. Look at gefilte fish – most Jewish Bubby’s cook it up in stock made of onions, carrots and celery (the good stuff!), they season to taste with salt and pepper and then they go ahead and pour a boatload of sugar into the pot. I grew up on that stuff, so I know. And don’t get me wrong, it even tastes good. So does candy.

I don’t want to carry on the sugar torch, so I’m trying to condition my kids to like savory foods. I don’t overload my salad’s with sugar, and I make spicy roasted chickpeas as a snack instead of cake. That’s not to say that my kids don’t get to pick their favorite sugary cereal as a Shabbat treat. Believe me, they have their fill of sugar. But I try. And all Bubby’s everywhere are questioning my better judgement!

Sephardic Bubby’s have been serving chraime for years. it’s a popular Moroccan dish of fish cooked in a spicy tomato sauce, and it’s usually made with white fish or salmon. I decided to shake things up by using prepared gefilte fish, ‘cuz that’s the way I roll (pun intended). I incorporated all the traditional elements of Moroccan fish here – including colored peppers, lots of garlic, parsley, lemon, and of course, harissa – a hot pepper paste that’s often used in North African cuisine. I’ve made variations of this recipe for a fish loaf as well as fried patties, but I love how these fish balls can stretch a roll of gefilte fish into so many portions. The fish balls become nice and fluffy, almost the texture of a matza balls, but with lots of spice from cumin, turmeric and fresh garlic.

As good as it is, I’m not sure my fusion cooking would win my husband’s Sephardic family over (although it did win him over, he asked for triples!). Sephardim are not fond of gefilte fish (understatement). On the flip side, try asking my Ashkenazi Bubby to eat spicy gefilte fish, I can just hear her already. Spicy gefilte fish? With harissa? What’s that? Could you pass the sugar please?! So here I am, mixing up the cultures with another one of my hybrid recipes, and I hope ya’ll will enjoy it, Ashkenazim and Sephardim alike.

1 pkg Benz’s gefilte fish, defrosted (I used no-sugar-added)
3-4 tbsp matzo meal
1 egg
3 tbsp chopped parsley
heaping 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1⁄4 tsp ground turmeric
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 15oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1 tbsp harissa (or, to taste)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4 cups fish or vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

In a bowl, mix the fish, matzo meal, parsley, cumin, turmeric, garlic, and egg. Place in the frige while you prepare the sauce.

Heat oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic, carrots and peppers and sauté until softened. Add tomato paste; cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 3 minutes. Add chickpeas, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, harissa, lemon, stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Form the gefilte fish mixture into small balls and slowly add to the sauce. Don’t overcrowd the sauce, if there isn’t a lot of room, wait for the fish balls to set before moving them around to make more space for additional balls. Reduce heat and simmer until balls are cooked through, about 45 minutes. Serve hot with additional parsley for garnish.

NOTE: You may add a pinch of sugar or a drizzle of honey to the sauce if you wish.

VARIATION: Fish balls have more of a fluffy matza ball texture. If you want something more dense, you may fry up the gefilte fish into patties instead. Make the sauce without the stock, adding only as needed and serve over the patties.


This post is sponsored by Benz’s Fish. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram or at BenzsFish.com. And don’t forget to visit Benz’s Gourmet at 332 Albany Ave in Brooklyn. 

Related Recipes:

gefilte fish patties in tomato sauce
breaded gefilte fish patties
gefilte fish, three ways

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Garbanzo Shakshuka with Labneh & Za’atar

I might be a blogger, but the truth is, I don’t read many blogs. Sure I frequent them, and I drool over the mouthwatering dishes, but actually read them? Not really. Between work and family, there’s not that much time to get acquainted with the lives of fellow food bloggers. It’s a shame, really, but there’s only so much time in the day!


Confession #2: I don’t really cook things from other blogs either. Sure I pin the recipes, bookmark them, screenshot them, and even email some to myself. But I never quite get around to making them. Yeh.


There’s one exception though and that is the JewHungry blog. Not only do I read Whitney’s posts, I actually make some of her food. Like this, and these, and of course this! Whitney is a girl after my own heart. She loves sriracha and anything Middle Eastern, and her recipes are no fuss. She’s also a mom, a social worker/school counselor and a southern girl with lots to say! I love to read her articles on motherhood (and anything, really!) for The Huffington Post. Whitney’s writing is as good as her food, but today, I’m filling in! I’m happy to do a guest post for Whit, and since she’s pregnant, I wanted to make one of her favorites – shakshuka!

Now unlike Whitney, I’m a total cheat. Instead of slaving over a sauce, I make my own quick and easy version, and I’ll show you how. Head on over to Jewhungry for the deets!

Related Recipes:

spaghetti squash shakshuka
baked portobello shakshuka
quick and easy shakshuka

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