Sushi Hamantaschen (Onigiri)

Anyone who reads my blog knows that I’m just not that big a baker. So when Purim comes around, I’m not about to make my own hamantaschen. The bakery stuff is good enough for me. I still like to get into the Purim spirit, so coming up with something that has three corners (reminiscent of Haman’s three-cornered hat) is a must. Last year, I made these puff pastry ones, filled with sauteed spinach, cabbage, and pumpkin fillings. This year, I knew I had to step it up.

Sushi has become a staple (read: obsession) in many Jewish homes. You can find sushi bars at most kosher restaurants, groceries, and even pizza shops. We Jews just can’t seem to get enough. So what better way to celebrate Purim, and enjoy everyone’s favorite food than with these adorable sushi hamantaschen.

It turns out that triangular shaped sushi is not my own creation. It’s a popular street food in Japan, named Onigiri, meaning “rice ball”. Onigiri can be made by hand, or using a rice mold. Either way you do it, these adorable hamantaschen are sure to be the talk of your Purim seudah table.

Onigiri can be stuffed with all different sorts of fillings including vegetables, fish, or meat. Fill them with whatever suits your fancy, or take some inspiration from your favorite sushi spot.

Onigiri Filling Ideas:

scrambled eggs
pickled vegetables
pickles
guacamole
portobello mushrooms
umeboshi (pickled plums, Eden makes a kosher version)
marinated tofu
tuna
lox
mock crab
flaked salmon
caviar
hot dogs
meatballs
chicken nuggets
gingery chicken
diced cold cuts

1 year ago: Savory Puff Pastry Hamantaschen

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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!

 

1 year ago: organic oven baked sweet potatoes

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Pumpkin Banana Bread

I’m officially done with my baby food stash. I had 3 jars of bananas left, and although they are my son’s favorite, he has long since graduated to the real thing. I’m not one to throw anything away, so I concocted this delicious recipe for pumpkin banana bread. It’s the first time I’ve experimented with baking, and I’m so proud of how it turned out.

When it comes to breads, cakes and cookies, I always have to follow a recipe, with only minor adjustments. I’m sure there is some kind of science behind baking that teaches you the proper flour:sugar:egg ratio, but I’ve never learned it. As much as baking is not my “thing”, finding a use for leftover ingredients, is. So I set my lack of baking skills aside and just went for it. I’m thinking I should probably do it more often. The results were outstanding!

 

1 year ago: quick & easy chocolate rugelach

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My Ultimate Guilt-Free Breakfast

Most of the time, I’m lucky if I can down a yogurt before heading out in the morning. There are no pots and pans on the agenda. But every once in a while, I like to sit down to a plated breakfast. On Sundays, I usually make a double portion of pancakes for the kiddies and freeze half. For my husband and I, I whip together a quick pan of shakshuka. If it’s just me, and I’ve got the time, I’ll throw together this delicious and nutritious dish. I toast an Ezekiel english muffin, so that it’s good and crunchy. Then, I mash some buttery avocado with lemon and salt, and finally, I poach a humble egg to perfection to top it all off. You’ve never tasted something so simple, yet satisfying.

There’s nothing better than a silky egg yolk on crusty bread. Follow my step by step instructions for the perfect poached eggs, here. It may take a little practice, but luckily, eggs and water are quite cheap these days :) The results are more than worth it!

1 year ago: low carb portobello pizza

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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.

 


1 year ago: Mustard Roasted Dried Fruits

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