Busy in Brooklyn – Page 38 – Modernizing traditional food, one dish at a time.

If you’re a Trader Joe’s fan like myself, chances are you heard about their latest spice to go viral, the EVERYTHING BUT THE ELOTE seasoning blend. Like everything new to TJ’s, word spread fast and everyone went to hoard the spice. Reviews have been mixed, but I was definitely intrigued.

If you’re a follower of my blog, or a fan of my cookbook, Millennial Kosher, you know I’m all about trying new things, especially different types of ethnic cuisine! I’ve recently been on a tajin kick (a chili spice blend that inspired Trader Joes famous blend), but I have yet to make classic elote, a popular street food in Mexico.

To make elote, corn on the cob is grilled, slathered in mayo or crema, and then rolled in a mixture of cotija cheese (like a cross between parmesan and feta), chili powder and lime. Sounds amazing, I know, which is why TJ’s went for it! Their first intro to the spice was their Elote-spiced corn chip dippers, and since it flew off the shelves, they decided to work on a seasoning blend.

As posted on Trader Joe’s website, “In the spirit of our Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend that came before it, Trader Joe’s Everything But the Elote Seasoning Blend is “Everything” you might find on elote—chile pepper, Parmesan cheese, chipotle powder, cumin, dried cilantro, sea salt, etc.—minus the corn itself. (We also add some corn flour & cane sugar, so there’s really no mistaking what it’s meant to mimic.)” SAY NO MORE.

Unfortunately for me, since the product is dairy, and I adhere to the laws of cholov yisroel, (a kosher stringency in which dairy products must be made from milk that has been milked by a Jew), I could not taste it – so I did better, I made it! If you caught the fun process on my Instagram story, I basically broke down the ingredients from the label, shopped for it, and tested different amounts of each until I was happy with the results. I got it on the fourth try!

Homemade vegan elote seasoning is easy to make, and the ingredients are fairly easy to find. I found the corn flour from Bob’s Red Mill, and I used Trader Joe’s nutritional yeast. All the others can be easily found at your local supermarket.

If you’ve tried the TJ version, I would love to hear how it compares to my blend, so leave a comment or shoot me a DM!

Vegan Elote Seasoning

1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp sea salt
Scant 1/2 tsp cumin
Scant 1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp sour salt or citric acid

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add to a jar and store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.

ELOTE SEASONING USES:
mix with sour cream or mayo for dip
sprinkle on corn on the cob
sprinkle on popcorn
add to cornbread
add to cornflakes for chicken fingers
add to panko for fish sticks
sprinkle on roasted green beans
sprinkle on roasted broccoli
sprinkle on roasted chickpeas

VARIATION: to make this dairy, just use parmesan instead of nutritional yeast.

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Sweet Hawaiian Deli Skewers

On January 30, 2020January 30, 2020

by chanie

4 Comments

The Super Bowl is just around the corner and although I’m not a sports fan, I’ll take any excuse for a party! Especially when said party involves lots of finger food!

I’ve never been into sports, although I grew up with brothers who were big into the game so I totally get the hype! I’m happy to let the guys do their thing in front of the TV, while I do my thing in the kitchen. Just as there’s a strategy in the sport, there should be one in your menu planning too – lots of deli, plenty of small bites, and don’t forget the drinks!

When Domino® Sugar reached out to me about their new Domino® Golden Sugar, I was stoked to work it into a Super Bowl recipe! I love that it’s less-processed than granulated sugar and that it has a hint of molasses flavor. Domino® Golden Sugar is made from pure cane sugar and works cup-for-cup just like white sugar, but has a beautiful golden color.

I’ve always been intrigued by pineapple glazed ham, so I decided to do a bite-sized kosher version, using smoked turkey! The Super Bowl has always been about the big deli subs, so why not make glazed deli bites with a sweet sauce, inspired by the new Domino® Golden Sugar.

What I love about this recipe is that it uses easy to find ingredients and doesn’t take long to put together. They look adorable plated and no one will be able to resist the sweet, smoky and salty bite!

Now no matter who wins the game, you know you’ll be winning in the kitchen! Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Sweet Hawaiian Deli Skewers
YIELD: approximately 30 skewers

1 lb. chunk of smoked turkey
20oz. pineapple chunks, in 100% juice, juice reserved
12oz. maraschino cherries
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup Domino golden sugar
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp sriracha

Cut the smoked turkey into chunks. Thread the turkey, pineapple and maraschino cherries onto skewers. Place the skewers onto two baking sheets.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small saucepan, combine the reserved pineapple juice, sugar, soy sauce, ketchup and sriracha. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Brush the sauce onto the turkey, pineapple and cherries and bake for 15 minutes, glazing it again with the sauce halfway through cooking.

Serve warm.

This post is sponsored by Domino® Sugar.

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Funfetti Krembo

On January 13, 2020January 14, 2020

by chanie

6 Comments

Nine years. NINE. WHOLE. YEARS. Somebody pinch me!!!!!! It’s almost like I’ve been pregnant with a blog, and now what? I’ve had a baby? Do I retire now? ha!

I’ve always kind of wondered that actually. Do bloggers actually retire? How does that work? Do you just stop posting? Not that it’s on the agenda or anything. I’d like to do this until I’m old and gray. Oh wait. I AM old and gray. Ok – I’d like to do this until I’m very old, and very gray.

I constantly surprise myself that I still haven’t gotten bored by all of this. I still jump up and down when I nail a recipe, and I do the happy dance when I shoot the perfect photo. I stay up at night dreaming up my next viral recipe and I cry happy tears when the hundreds of photos roll in and it actually happens!

Speaking of tears, I’m crying tears of gratitude as I write this because I am just SO. DANG. GRATEFUL. Grateful to have a job that nurtures me – mind, body and soul. Grateful that any of you even take the time to read this, cook my recipes, message me, share photos with me, and allow me to take a humble place upon your dinner table. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

This year, I was kinda more excited about using sparklers in my photos than anything else! This house was covered in firecrackers and I loved every minute of it! The krembos were a big surprise too, and my kids were so thrilled to come home to such a special treat!

Me? I’ve never been much of a cream person, I definitely prefer salty over sweet, but I love how pretty these turned out, and they are basically a kids cream come true.

Think about customizing them for a party with your sprinkle color of choice, or just bake up a batch of cookies and roll them in whatever fun toppings you have around.

Thank you for sticking around for 9 wonderful years. To many, many more!!

Funfetti Krembo

Yield: 12 krembo (plus extra cookie dough)

12 funfetti slice and bake cookies
1 recipe meringue cream
1 recipe chocolate magic shell
sprinkles, for garnish

Method:

Place the cream in a piping bag with a wide tip. Pipe onto the cookies, creating a mound. Place the cookies into the freezer for 30 minutes – 1 hour.

Pour the chocolate magic shell into a large mug. Place the cookies on a rack set over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the chocolate over the cookies to coat. Garnish with sprinkles and set aside to harden, or freeze until set.

For the cookies:
YIELD: 24 cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter or trans-fat-free margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c sprinkles
1/3 cup nonpareils

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the flour and salt and beat until fully combined. Add in the sprinkles.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into two. Shape each half into an 8-inch log, about 2.5 inches in diameter. The measurements don’t have to be exact. Tightly wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove 1 log (or both, if desired) from the freezer and roll into nonpareils. Slice into about 12 equally thick cookies and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely.

For the meringue cream:
1 cup sugar
⅓ cup water
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Place the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and dissolve completely over low heat. Simmer until a candy thermometer reads 235°F.

While the sugar is heating, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Once the syrup is ready, carefully and slowly drizzle the syrup into the mixing bowl with the egg whites while the mixer is running. Add the vanilla. Keep whipping the whites until the mixture is stiff and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes.

For the chocolate magic shell:
8 ounces chocolate chips
2 tablespoons coconut oil

Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil over a double boiler, or in the microwave. Stir until smooth.

8th Blogoversary} Funfetti Tart Number Cake
7th Blogoversary} Funfetti Rice Krispie Bites
6th Blogoversary} Funfetti Raspberry Palmiers
5th Blogoversary} Funfetti Pecan Turtles
4th Blogoversary} Funfetti Cake
2nd Blogoversary} BBQ Brisket
1st Blogoversary} Mulled Wine

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Sweet Chili Cauliflower Poppers

On December 23, 2019December 23, 2019

by chanie

2 Comments

Happy Chanukah everyone!! You gotta love this holiday of parties, fried foods and presents, it really is my favorite! Partly so because I like to do without the pressure. Quick and easy recipes, throw together a cheese board and buy some donuts and we’re good to go!

There’s also 8 days to spread out the homemade stuff – so I tackle one thing at a time – classic latkes one night, a mashup on another. Some funnel cakes and deep fried oreos if we’re having a party and these SUPER EASY cauliflower poppers for the prettiest and simplest appetizer!

Sure in general I’m all for the homemade from-scratch stuff, but we all need an easy recipe in our back pocket that’s semi-homemade, and breaded cauliflower florets are a gift to foodie kind!

I first tasted a variation on this recipe at an Israeli-style cafe in Florida, they’re all over the sweet chili sauce! It came out still steaming and crispy from the fryer with a mayo dip on the side and something about it was just addictive and delicious! I realized that it was really easy to replicate at home, so I’ve been making it ever since and they are always a crowd pleaser!

I went a little Asian with the toppings and dip but you can go Middle Eastern with some parsley over the top and some za’atar ranch on the side, or maybe Mexican with some taco seasoning and cilantro with some salsa for dippings.

Get dippin’!

Sweet Chili Cauliflower Poppers

24oz. package breaded cauliflower florets
20oz. jar sweet chili sauce
1 scallion, chopped
1 tsp toasted black and white sesame seeds
canola oil, or cooking oil spray
spicy mayo, for dipping

Method:

To fry: heat oil in a deep fryer and fry the florets until crispy. Alternatively, heat oven to 425 degrees, spray the poppers with oil and bake until crispy.

While the poppers are hot, toss with sweet chili sauce, top with scallions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

VARIATION: try this recipe with breaded broccoli poppers or chicken nuggets!

sweet-chili-cauliflower-poppers

Jelly Donut Linzer Cookies

On December 16, 2019December 17, 2019

by chanie

19 Comments

Woohoo, it’s officially my favorite time of year! Jelly donuts, latkes, fried food and presents, what could be better?! Lets get the Chanukah fun started!

When Upfield reached out to me about their new plant based butter made with olive oil, I was so excited to use it for Chanukah – the holiday where we celebrate the miracle of the small flask of olive oil that lasted in the menorah for eight days in the Holy Temple. I happen to be a big fan of olive oil in desserts (like in these gelt cookies!), although used to not be so much a fan of margarine.

When I was in kosher culinary school, we only had a meat kitchen, so all of our butter-based sauces and recipes were made with margarine. We used LOTS and LOTS of margarine. One day, someone came in and said that margarine was molecularly equivalent to plastic, and I never looked at margarine the same way again. We started calling the sauces we made “plastic sauce” and I could barely swallow any of them! But that was my Bubby’s margarine. The margarine of today is different.

I started using a lot of coconut oil in my recipes, but there were times that coconut oil just did not do the job, so I was really stuck. I would say that in the kosher kitchen, the butter conundrum is really the #1 obstacle.

For people who keep kosher, pareve desserts is the hardest challenge. While liquid fats can easily be replaced with oils, fat in solid form has always been a problem. So when Country Crock reached out about their plant-based butter made with oils, I was happy to give it a try.

Regardless if you keep kosher or not, plant-based foods are all the rage right now, and for good reason. That’s why we’ve adopted Meatless Mondays in our house, and we try not to eat so much animal protein. It’s amazing to see all the healthy options available on the market these days and I really believe that this isn’t just a passing trend.

I’m so grateful that Upfield, the company behind Country Crock and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, has transformed our Bubby’s margarine into products that are more natural, with less saturated fats and no trans fats, made with ingredients that are better for our health while still tasting great and working well as a substitute for butter in any recipe.

I LOVE how these jelly donut linzer cookies turned out, and not just ‘cuz they make the perfect cookie for your holiday spread, but because they taste absolutely amazing, are perfectly crispy and still, yes, pareve.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Chanukah!

Jelly Donut Linzer Cookies
YIELD: 18 cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) Country Crock plant butter with olive oil
1 cup sugar
1 extra large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raspberry jam
powdered sugar, for dusting

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix with a hand blender until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to mix until combined. Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix and low speed until the dough starts to come together. Press the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/4″ thick and cut into 2″ rounds with a cookie cutter. Cut a 3/4″ hole in the center of half of the cookies. Place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until the edges are starting to lightly brown. Cool completely.

Spread raspberry jam on the solid cookies and cover with the cut-out cookies to form a sandwich. The raspberry jam should peak through the hole (add more if needed). Dust the cookies with powdered sugar.

This post is sponsored by Upfield.

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Vegan Elote Seasoning Blend

Sweet Hawaiian Deli Skewers

Funfetti Krembo

Sweet Chili Cauliflower Poppers

Jelly Donut Linzer Cookies