Salad – Busy in Brooklyn

I don’t think I’ll ever get over the mangoes I had in Peru. They were, hands down, the best mangoes I’ve ever tasted—so incredibly sweet, juicy, and bursting with flavor. I’ll be dreaming about them for a long time!

While helping out in the kitchen at Chabad of Cusco in Peru, I wanted to create a salad that really let the mango shine. I worked with what they had on hand in the kitchen, including green beans and snow peas, and brought it all together with a curry honey lime dressing. The combination of sweet, savory, tangy, and crunchy was absolute perfection, and everyone went crazy for it!

We all loved it so much that I made it again for 200 people on Simchat Torah, alongside a few of my staple salads, including my roasted cabbage salad and Busy in Brooklyn house salad from Millennial Kosher (the Peruvians loved the addition of quinoa in it!). They were all a huge hit, but this mango salad was something special. A little taste of Peru that I’ll be dreaming about for a long time!

Mango Curry Crunch Salad

5oz butter lettuce
1 large ripe mango, diced (preferably Ataulfo mango)
1 heaping cup green beans, trimmed
1 cup snow peas, thinly sliced diagonally
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup roasted salted cashews, roughly chopped (I like the chili ones from Trader Joes)
1 generous cup sweet potato or root vegetable chips, lightly crushed

Curry Honey Lime Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoon honey
1 heaping teaspoon curry powder
1 garlic clove, finely grated
kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and blanch for 2–3 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender. Transfer immediately to an ice bath to stop the cooking, then drain and dry thoroughly.

In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, honey, curry powder, garlic, salt and pepper until well combined.

Arrange the butter lettuce in a large serving bowl and top with the mango, green beans, snow peas, and red onion.

Just before serving, toss with the curry honey lime dressing and finish with the roasted cashews and crushed sweet potato chips.

Serve immediately while the chips are crisp and crunchy.

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Celery Tabboule

On August 13, 2026

by chanie

in Brunch, Diet, Recipes, Salad

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I bought the most beautiful bunch of celery at the farmers market in Liberty on Friday and, honestly, I had no idea what I was going to do with it. But it had SO many gorgeous celery leaves that I started thinking about tabboule, and suddenly it made perfect sense. I used the celery leaves as the main herb, added the celery stalks for that fresh, crunchy bite, and made it with Boostcous instead of traditional couscous. And let me tell you… this was a VERY good idea. It is SO delicious.

As you know, I’ve also been working in a restaurant all summer, which means I’ve been eating a lot of restaurant food, not always making the healthiest choices, and I am definitely starting to feel it. So I’m taking this as my little jumpstart back into eating food that makes me feel good.

I love that Boostcous gives me 18g of protein and 11g of fiber per serving, but it still feels like I’m just eating a really good couscous salad—not some sad “healthy alternative.” It cooks in minutes, has a great texture, and I honestly love it cold in a salad like this.

I also made it the other week for dinner risotto-style with peas and my kids loved it! It’s definitely going to become a staple around here.

Celery Tabboule

1 box boostcous, cooked according to package directions
3 stalks celery, diced small, leaves reserved
1/2 red onion, diced small
1 heaping cup baby tomatoes, diced small
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced small
2 cups chopped fresh herbs (I used mostly celery leaves, and some parsley, cilantro and dill)

Dressing:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove grated garlic
1 tsp za’atar
1/2 tsp sumac
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Add all your ingredients to a bowl, pour over the dressing, mix it together and get diggin!

VARIATION: if you cant find boostcous, you can sub 1 cup of cooked bulgur, farro, couscous, brown rice or grain of choice.

Related Recipes:

Cauliflower Tabboule

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Fennel Fig & Feta Salad

On July 27, 2026

by chanie

in Appetizer, Dairy, Recipes, Salad, Shavuous

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You know I love me a little alliteration! But seriously that only happened by mistake! This recipe came together in the supermarket aisle – which is really how I like to build my salads – seeing what’s available and springboarding off of that!

The shelves were freshly stocked with beautiful figs, and I can never resist them, so I decided to make a salad for Shabbat to showcases them. I walked down the aisles for inspiration and I first saw the fennel. The licorice flavor would pair wonderfully, I thought, so I grabbed some. Then for some greens, bitter arugula seemed like the perfect pairing, so I added a container to my cart. Next, some alliums, and red onion is always the obvious choice.

I loaded my cart, stocked my fridge, and Shabbos morning, I started to play! I sorted through my pantry, grabbed some sunflower seeds for crunch, and toasted sesame for the nutty flavor. I spotted fig jam in the pantry so I decided to go fully on figgy and add it the salad dressing! The salad was devoured at the table, but as soon as I took a bite, I knew I had to make it again with feta cheese (our Shabbos meal was meat, so adding dairy wasn’t an option!). So I made it again on Sunday for lunch and it was salad perfection!

Fennel Fig & Feta Salad

5 oz. arugula
1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
4 figs, sliced
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp fig jam
2 tsp silan
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

You know what to do!

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Old School Macaroni Salad

On July 23, 2026July 23, 2026

by chanie

in Instagram Reel Recipes, Pasta, Recipes, Salad

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If you’ve been following me for a while, you already know this recipe is completely out of character for me.

I spend so much of my time talking about technique—cook your pasta al dente, never rinse it, balance flavors naturally, and definitely don’t add sugar to everything. Then along comes this old-school macaroni salad that breaks every single one of those rules.

The pasta? I intentionally overcook it until it’s soft. Then I rinse it, which is something I almost never do. And yes, there’s sugar in the dressing. But here’s the thing: not every recipe is meant to be elevated. Some recipes are meant to transport you. They’re the ones that showed up at family barbecues, summer picnics, and Shabbat lunches. They’re familiar, nostalgic, and comforting because they taste exactly the way you remember them.

Could I make a more sophisticated macaroni salad? Of course. But that isn’t the point. This one makes me smile after the very first bite because it tastes like childhood.

So I give you macaroni salad (without the macaroni! I prefer rotini because the sauce and veggies get stuck between the grooves!), unapologetically old-school comfort food. And honestly? Sometimes that’s exactly what belongs on the table.

Old-School Macaroni Salad

1 (16-ounce) box rotini
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stalk celery, finely diced celery
1 carrot, julienned
2 scallions, diced small

Method:

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until it’s past al dente and nice and soft, about 2–3 minutes longer than the package directions. Drain the pasta and rinse it well under cold water until completely cooled.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice and kosher salt. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit of water to thin it out. Add the cooled pasta along with the celery, carrot and scallions. Toss until everything is evenly coated.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until chilled. Taste before serving and adjust with a little more salt, sugar, or lemon juice if needed.

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Smashed Cherry Chicken Salad

On July 10, 2026July 10, 2026

by chanie

in Instagram Reel Recipes, Leftovers, Meat & Poultry, Recipes, Salad, Shabbos

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Can I dedicate an entire blog to chicken salads? probably. And who doesn’t have some leftover grilled chicken after Shabbos, right? Especially in the summer. I got you babes!

Smashed Cherry Chicken Salad

5 oz arugula
2 grilled dark meat cutlets, diced
1/2 cup cherries, smashed
1/2 small red onions, sliced into half moons
1/4 cup sliced dried apricots
handful of chopped honey glazed pecans

1/3 cup grapeseed oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove minced garlic
2 tbsp silan
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch red pepper flakes

You know what to do!

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Category: Salad

Mango Curry Crunch Salad

Celery Tabboule

Fennel Fig & Feta Salad

Old School Macaroni Salad

Smashed Cherry Chicken Salad