Category: Paleo

Sweet Pepper Burgers

Unless you’re the type of person who has all their Pesach food cooked in advance, most people are pretty sick of cooking by the time Chol Hamoed comes around. Quick and easy dinners are a must!  This simple recipe is a nice change from the standard chicken & potato fare, and works for lunch or dinner. The burgers can be broiled, grilled or pan-fried, and seasoned according to your Pesach pantry. If you use ketchup or spices, feel free to add some. In my case, I need to peel the peppers, but the sweetness it adds to the burgers makes the effort worthwhile.

 

Sweet Pepper Burgers

2 lbs ground beef
1 cup mixed colored peppers, diced
1 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 eggs
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix gently to combine. Scoop out palm-sized portions of meat and shape into patties. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil and broil on high for approximately 7 minutes on the first side and 5 minutes on the opposite side. Drain on paper towels. Alternatively, you may cook the burgers on the grill.

TIP: Always mix the beef gently and pack the burgers lightly as squeezing the meat results in tough, rubbery burgers.

NOTE: I like to switch to a clean cookie sheet when I turn the burgers over so that they don’t cook in the fat that was released from the first round of broiling.

1 year ago: mock chopped liver

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Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash

It’s been almost a week since my last post, and I just couldn’t push off blogging any longer. I know a week doesn’t sound like much, but I know myself. If I go for a week, I’ll go for two, maybe three, and before you know it, It’ll be a month without blogging.

And I have reasons too. For one, I’ve been working on Purim recipes. More importantly, my internet connection has been out of whack lately. I’ll be just in the middle of pinning an amazing recipe onto my drooling board on Pinterest when my internet goes down on me. Up and down, and up and down. And you know what the embarrassing part it is? My husband is a computer technician. But you know how it goes. The shoemakers kids and their shoes. That’s me.

So now that I’ve braved my unreliable connection (my cable has gone down about 10 times since I started working on this post), let’s get to why you’re really all here. The food.

This is one of those recipes that I dreamed up one night…literally. Does anyone else develop recipes in their sleep, or am I the only crazy one? The worst part is, I usually forget them once I wake up, but this time, it stuck with me. Maybe that’s because it’s not that complicated, and there aren’t that many ingredients.  Jack’s Gourmet sweet Italian sausages are so full of flavor, you just don’t need to add much for the recipe to sing.

OK people, I’m gonna be honest here. We’re talking full disclosure. I haven’t blogged because I’m too busy on Pinterest. I’m obsessed. If you haven’t checked it out yet, go to http://www.pinterest.com/busyinbrooklyn and follow me!

 

Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash

2 small butternut squashes
2 Jacks Gourmet sweet italian sausages, finely diced
2 apples, cored and thinly sliced
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
3 tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Place butternut squashes on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees until it pierces easily with a fork, about 1 hour. Saute the sausage for a few minutes until it has browned and rendered some of its fat. Remove the sausage from the pan, but leave the drippings. Add the apples and saute until softened. Add maple syrup and continue to saute until golden and caramelized. Return the sausage to the pan and mix into the apples.

When the squash is ready, leave it to cool for several minutes. Cut it in half, lengthwise, and remove the pits. Scoop out most of the flesh, leaving about 1/2″ of squash all around. Add squash pulp, brown sugar, salt and pepper to the pan and mix to combine (dont overstir the squash, you want it to be lumpy). Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Return the squash to the oven and bake, uncovered, until browned around the edges, about 15 minutes.

1 year ago: organic oven baked sweet potatoes

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Tu B’shvat Truffles

This Wednesday, Jews around the world will celebrate Tu B’shvat, the New Year for the trees. Traditionally, we celebrate by eating fruit and nuts that are native to the land of Israel (grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates). Growing up, they’d always give out carob in school, which they called buxer (yiddish for carob). They were long black pods that were difficult to chew. If you made the effort, you’d be rewarded with a sweet taste. Most of the girls would just throw them away, but I’d always chew away at them. Nowadays, you can find many carob products on the market including coffee, chocolate, cookies and butters.

When I thought about what to make for Tu B’shvat, I wanted to use dates and figs, but also incorporate the chocolate flavor of carob. I decided to throw together some dried fruit truffles, or sugarplums. Sugarplums are balls that are made up of dried fruits, nuts and spices. Think of them as a kind of Larabar in the round!

You can make my traditional Tu B’shvat recipe, or come up with your own combination. To make sugarplums, you’ll need:

Dried fruit (dates, figs, apricots, prunes, raisins,craisins, cherries, apples)
Nuts (pecans, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts)
Seeds, optional (sunflower, pepitas, anise, fennel, caraway)
Spices (cinnamon,  cardamom, nutmeg, mace, cloves, allspice, sea salt, cocoa, orange zest)
Sweetener, used to bind the mixture (honey, agave, maple syrup)
Butters, optional (almond, peanut, carob)
Extracts, optional (almond, vanilla, rum)
Alcohol, optional (rum, orange liquor, chocolate liquor)
Toppings (powdered sugar, turbinado sugar, coconut, cocoa, nuts, chocolate, sesame seeds)

For a healthy boost, add  some oats or flax seeds.

 

Tu B’shvat Truffles

1 cup pitted medjool dates (about 10)
1 cup dried figs (I used 5 calimyrna and 10 mission)
1 cup almonds, pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp carob powder*
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup turbinado sugar or ground coconut

Method:

Toast nuts in a 350 degree oven until fragrant. Remove pits from dates and add to food processor along with figs and nuts. Process until finely chopped. Add honey, carob powder, cinnamon and sea salt and pulse several times until the mixture begins to clump together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it is difficult to mix, add to a bowl and incorporate the spices by hand. Roll into bite size balls and dip into turbinado sugar (or ground coconut). Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to one month.

*carob powder is available at health food stores. If you cannot find it, you can use cocoa powder instead.


1 year ago: Mustard Roasted Dried Fruits

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Green Guacamole

I’m embarrassed to tell you how old I was when I first ate avocado. I was scared to try it for the longest time. But once I did, I was hooked. It’s buttery taste and creamy texture lends itself well to a variety of applications from breads and salads to desserts and pastries. Avocados don’t just taste good, they’re good for you too! They’re rich in healthy monounsaturated fat, folate, potassium, as well as many vitamins. As for me, I’m catching up on lost time. This guacamole is just one preparation that I enjoy!

Green Guacamole

2 avocados
1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, minced
1 scallion, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
cilantro, optional
chips, for serving

Method:

Peel and diced 1 avocado. Add to a bowl and mash. Peel and dice the second avocado and add to the bowl without mashing. Add peppers, jalapeno, scallions, olive oil, lime and salt and mix to combine. Add chopped fresh cilantro, if desired (I’m not a fan of cilantro so I leave it out, but it is a classic accompaniment to guacamole, so if you like it, go ahead and put it in!) Serve with chips.

NOTE: If jalapenos are too hot for your taste, use a long hot green pepper instead.

TIP: Always wear gloves when deseeding a chile pepper as capsaicin (the chemical that gives peppers their heat) can stick to your hands. Since capsaicin is only found in the seeds and veins, you can control the heat factor by eliminating some, or all, of the seeds.

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Sea Bass en Papillote

En Papillote is French for “in parchment.” It is a popular method of baking fish by steaming it inside a folded pouch. Since the fish cooks in its own juices, all the flavors are concentrated, resulting in a light and tasty product. Typically, parchment paper is used to seal in the moisture, but foil can also work.

Classic en papillote preparation is done by folding the parchment paper over the fish and then sealing the edges by folding the parchment tightly all around. An assortment of vegetables is usually added, along with citrus and fresh herbs. You can experiment with different types of fish (whole or fileted) and veggies to suit your taste.

Sea Bass en Papillote

1 filet of sea bass (or any white fish)
1 bunch fresh dill
1 lemon
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
extra virgin olive oil
dry white wine
salt and pepper
parchment paper

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut a rectangular piece of parchment paper and fold it along the center. Rinse sea bass and pat dry. Place fish on one side of the parchment and season with salt and pepper. Top with fresh dill and lemon slices. Place red pepper slices closely around the fish. Drizzle peppers and fish with olive oil and a splash of wine and finish with a touch of salt and pepper. Fold the parchment over the fish and starting from either corner, begin sealing the pouch by twisting or folding the parchment all around. Place the pouch inside a pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for several minutes. Open the parchment (careful of the hot steam) and serve!

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