Category: Paleo

Chicken Shawarma

I was never much of a shawarma person. In fact, in my entire year of living in Israel, I don’t think I even ordered it once. I’m more of a falafel girl. Fully loaded in a freshly baked laffa – pure heaven.

But something interesting happens when you have kids. Picky kids. Kids who don’t like the BBQ marks on their grilled chicken, or the crumbs on their shnitzel. Kids who won’t eat fish. Or most types of meat. When you have such kids, you start to make foods that you never imagined you’d be cooking – like shawarma.

When said kid tasted a bite of my husbands shawarma and liked it (how he got her to do that is beyond me), I knew I had to learn to make my own. And that’s exactly what I did. The first couple of times, said kid was licking her plate. Now she has decided she no longer likes it. And I have decided, I do. How’s that for irony?

Chicken Shawarma

1.5-2 lbs. dark meat chicken
1 medium onion, finely diced
1/4 c + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp shawarma spice (use a spice blend or recipe below)
salt, to taste

Method:

Dice the chicken into small pieces and place in a bowl with 1/4 cup of olive oil and shawarma spice. Set aside to marinate while you cook the onions.

Saute the onions in 1 tbsp of olive oil until caramelized. Add marinated chicken and saute until the chicken is no longer pink.

Serve with hummus, techina, Israeli salad, red cabbage salad (recipe follows)

TIP: Dice the chicken when it’s partially frozen to make chopping easier.

Shawarma Spice

1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
salt, to taste

Method:

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine.

Israeli-Style Red Cabbage Salad

shredded cabbage
olive oil
fresh-squeezed lemon juice
garlic powder
kosher salt

Method:

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined. Marinate until cabbage is slightly wilted.

Other Israel-Inspired Recipes:

roasted eggplants with Israeli salad
malawach cheese pastries with zaatar
chestnut hummus with pita chips
sachlav rose water pudding
banana, date, milk & honey smoothie

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Persimmon Guacamole

It’s no secret that I’m kinda obsessed with persimmon. I gushed about it’s awesomeness here and here and even made some persimmon coconut ice cream here. But as long as persimmon are in season, I’m gonna keep eating them. And if I’m eating them, I’m blogging about them. So there.

When it comes to fuyu persimmon, you can eat them straight-up. No need to wait till their uber-ripe. That’s why they work so great in guacamole – it’s almost like using mango, except so much more delicious!

Guacamole is a great base for interesting add-ins. I love to make use of seasonal fruits and veggies and add them to creamy avocado dip. Pomegranates make an appearance in the fall, persimmon in the winter, and corn, of course, in the summer. The only classic ingredient not making it into my guacamole? cilantro. I’ve tried eating it, I really have. But it just tastes like soap over and over again.

No matter how you take your guacamole – make sure to add some persimmon, they’ll be gone before you know it!

Fuyu Persimmon Guacamole

2 ripe avocados
1 persimmon, peeled and diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño, seeds and veins removed, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
kosher salt, to taste
1-2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

Method:

Peel and dice 1 avocado. Add to a bowl and mash. Peel and dice the second avocado and add to the bowl without mashing. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Serve with chips.

NOTE: 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 add it in!

1 year ago: smoked paprika popcorn cauliflower
2 years ago: my ultimate guilt-free breakfast
3 years ago: chicken pot pie from leftover chicken soup

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Caraway Roasted Turnips


If you’re like most people, you’ve probably underestimated the turnip. Maybe you’ve added it to your chicken soup for some extra flavor, or if you’re brave, you’ve mashed them up with some butter. Me? I was not much of a turnip person until we made a roasted vegetable dish in culinary school that involved caraway seeds.

I don’t know what it was about those fragrant little seeds that made the veggies so good. If you ask me, they kinda look like mouse droppings. And really, all I could think of when I smell them is the “black bread” (which I grew up to appreciate as pumpernickel) my mom used to buy when I was a kid.

So yes, if you’re the type of person that doesn’t like to take a leap in the kitchen, this dish is going to involve some bravery. But when you take a bite of the caramelized turnips, you’ll never turn back. When I’m craving roasted potatoes, I make a huge tray of this stuff (with or without the caraway seeds) and it really hits the spot.

Caraway Roasted Turnips

5 medium turnips
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp caraway seeds
Kosher salt, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the turnips well, pat dry and cut into 8 wedges each. Place the turnip wedges on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle caraway seeds and kosher salt and roast for about 1 hour, until golden and caramelized, stirring occasionally.

NOTE: A word of caution – turnips can sometimes be bitter (like when they’re not fresh or in season), and roasting just brings out the bitterness. I’ve had a bad batch or two and it’s terrible. If you want to avoid that risk, sprinkle kosher salt over the turnips and place them in a colander. The salt will draw out some of the bitterness. Rinse, pat dry, and continue as per the recipe.

1 year ago: melt-in-your-mouth veal meatballs
2 years ago: cheesy stuffed mini peppers
3 years ago: cowboy cookies

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Persimmon Coconut Ice Cream

If you’re one of those people that walks right past the mushy, overly ripe persimmon in the supermarket, boy are you missing out! The orange winter fruit is sweet and cinnamony with a bright, fresh flavor. And while they may look rotten on the shelf in the produce department, guess what? – that’s exactly how you’re supposed to eat them!

Why am I suggesting that you eat rotten fruit? Well if you’ve ever eaten a hachiya persimmon that wasn’t overly ripe, you’re mouth was probably covered in a pasty white film that made you want to scream. Ask me how I know.

Why yes, I did just say hachiya persimmon. Kind of sounds like some sort of karate pose, doesn’t it? Well, it turns out that there are actually two different types of persimmon – fuyu and hachiya.

Fuyu persimmon have a squatted flat shape, almost like a tomato, and can be eaten when firm. Hachiya, on the other hand, are very astringent and can only be eaten when fully ripe (read: rotten-looking).

With their silky smooth pulp, hachiya persimmon make a great base for ice cream. Paired with coconut milk and warm winter spices – this creamy dessert is perfect for winter!

Vegan Persimmon Coconut Ice Cream

1 cup hachiya persimmon puree (from about 2 large hachiya persimmon)
1 14oz. can coconut milk
1 cup coconut milk (I use Coconut Dream Original)
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg, ginger and cloves

Method:

Refrigerate 2 very ripe hachiya persimmon, can of coconut milk and container of coconut milk overnight.*

To make the persimmon puree, peel and chop the persimmon and place in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend until incorporated. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn for 15-20 minutes.

*I prefer to work fast with cold ingredients, so that I don’t have to refrigerate the mixture (for several hours) before adding it to the ice cream machine.

NO-MACHINE VARIATION: To make persimmon ice cream without an ice cream machine (it won’t be the same as the one pictured, but it will still be really creamy), peel and chop 2 persimmon and freeze overnight, until solid. Place the frozen persimmon, 1 tbsp maple syrup and spices (omit brown sugar) into a blender and add just enough coconut milk (either type is fine) to get things going. Process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Related Posts:

passion for persimmon: salad & sorbet
persimmon yogurt smoothie

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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

If you’ve ever read any of my Shabbat menus on Facebook, you know I’m all about the roast-roast-roast. And I don’t mean a couple of pounds of meat. I’m talking about drizzling stuff with olive oil, salt and pepper and sending it for some browning action in a steaming hot oven.

The thing about roasting is – it concentrates flavors in the most delicious way possible, caramelizing veggies into nature’s candy. I know you can taste the difference because every time I serve up my roasted butternut squash pie, people don’t stop asking me what I do different that makes it tastes so good. I’m telling you people. You gotta try it for yourself. Roast. Roast. Roast.

To get the most flavor out of this soup, I roast the squash along with shallots, for amazing natural sweetness. Give it a try and and you’ll never go back to boiling your veggies again!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

approximately 3 lb butternut squash
3 shallots
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
1 honeycrisp apple, peeled, cored and diced
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp chinese 5 spice powder
1-2 cups coconut milk (I use original Coconut Dream)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With a knife, cut a few slits around the butternut squash (this allows heat to escape and keeps it from exploding) and roast for about 1 hour, turning half way through. Peel the shallots and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast with the butternut squash for about 30-45 minutes, until caramelized and tender.

Once the butternut squash if fork-tender, remove from the oven and slice in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and scoop out the flesh. Add flesh and roasted shallots to a pot, along with diced apples. Add the vegetable stock, Chinese 5 spice, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until apples are tender. Blend with an immersion blender. Stir in 1-2 cups coconut milk, until desired consistency/thickness is reached.

NOTE: I love the natural sweetness in this soup, but if you’d like it a little sweeter, add a drizzle of honey.

SUBSTITUTION: Chinese 5 spice powder is a mixture of 5 spices used in Chinese cuisine. If you don’t have it, you can use a pinch of any/all of these ground spices: szechwan pepper, star anise, fennel seeds, cloves and cinnamon.

Other Butternut Squash Recipes:

butternut squash fries
butternut squash latkes
stuffed roasted butternut squash

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