Category: Whole30

Green Goddess Salad Dressing


I have a confession to make. The hamantaschen got the better of me. If you’ve been following my dieting journey on Facebook or Instagram, you’ve seen all my healthy foodie posts and you’re probably wondering where I’m holding. Well, I completed Phase 1 of South Beach, lost 5 lbs, went on to Phase 2 and fell off the wagon.


Yup, I’m human. My healthy hamantaschen could only take me so far! I caved on Purim and had some of my mom’s mouthwatering corned beef, potato knishes and a couple of other goodies for dessert (they shall remain unnamed). So, here I am, 1 month till Passover renewing my commitment to my diet.


One of the things that makes dieting easier for me, is having a sugar-free salad dressing that can double as a dip for cut up veggies. Having a container of the stuff in my fridge, makes preparing a salad less of a chore, and I’m less likely to cave into my cravings.

 

Related Recipes:

apple celery veggie dip (low sugar)
balsamic dressing (very low sugar, can leave it out)
poppy seed dressing (sweetened with honey)
apple & honey vinaigrette (sweetened with honey)
lemon garlic dressing (no sugar)
sriracha caeser dressing (no sugar)

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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?

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!

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.

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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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!

Other Butternut Squash Recipes:

butternut squash fries
butternut squash latkes
stuffed roasted butternut squash

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