Tag: appetizer

Cucumber Salad with Almond Butter Dressing


I grew up eating a pickled cucumber salad with onions that my mom used to serve alongside the gefilte fish on Shabbos each week. I can’t stomach the stuff anymore, but years later I developed a recipe for this almond butter dressed cucumber salad which I absolutely LOVE. When @loganfewd started the viral sliced cucumber salad in a deli container trend, I had to hop on board!

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Cucumber Salad with Almond Butter Dressing

1 English cucumber, sliced thin
1 large clove garlic
1” piece of fresh ginger
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey
1/4 cup crunchy almond butter
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
Juice of 1 lime
Kosher salt, to taste
1 scallion, chopped

Slice the cucumbers directly into a 2lb. Deli container. Using a microplane, grate the garlic and ginger over the cucumbers. Add the remaining ingredients, seal the container and shake vigorously.

Eat immediately.

NOTE: The dressing may seem difficult to mix at first but as the cucumbers start to release water, it will thin the dressing out considerably!

VARIATION: Use peanut butter or tahini in place of almond butter.

Related Recipes:

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies
Gingerbread Pecan Nut Butter

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Crispy Rice Paper Dogs

Hi, I’m Chanie and I’ve been trashing up hot dogs for years! I’ve worked as an ambassador for Abeles & Heymann and I love doing fun things with their dogs! (and salami, of course!). My kids are huge fans of franks in blanks (aka moses in a basket aka pigs in a blanket), so I came up with this gluten free and sushi-inspired version using rice paper. You can choose to dip them in sesame seeds, or not (my little ones preferred the plain version and my teens liked the sesame-coated), such a fun recipe!!

To view the reel on Instagram click here.


Crispy Rice Paper Dogs

6 hot dogs, cut in half widthwise
12 sheets rice paper
oil for frying
black and white sesame seeds, optional
toppings: spicy mayo, sweet sauce, nori flakes

Method:

Soak rice paper in water until it’s pliable, about 1 minute. Wrap the hotdogs in rice paper like an eggroll, folding the sides in and wrapping around. Dip in sesame black and white sesame seeds if desired. Fry in a skillet with a little bit of oil, turning until crispy on all sides. Eat immediately.

NOTE: I have tried baking these and do not recommend baking for rice paper.

Related Recipes:

Bunless Fajita Dogs
Hot Dog Egg Rolls
Spiralized Spud Dogs

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Hawaij Roasted Cauliflower with Ginger Lime Tahini


when people ask me what my favorite cuisine is, I always answer -, can you have a favorite child? It’s so hard to pick! That’s exactly why I fell in love with Israeli cuisine – it’s a melting pot of global flavors. On a single walk through the shuk you’ll find a Mexican Jew making tortillas from scratch, a jachnun shop seling Yemenite food, Georgian Kadeh, Turkish bourekas, morrocan moufletta…

But Israel is not just a melting pot of food, it’s also a country mixed with different cultures, languages, traditions and so much more.

What is magical to me is that despite all of our differences – as diverse as the ingredients in a falafel sandwich itself – being in Israel gives me the greatest sense of belonging. It is our homeland that makes us a family. The shared steps we take in the path of our forefathers. Our history that is so deeply rooted in the beautiful land. Israel is home.

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Hawaij Roasted Cauliflower with Ginger Lime Tahini

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (I use the stem and greens too!)
1 tbsp hawaij for soup
kosher salt, to taste
1/2 bunch cilantro (stems removed)
1/2 bunch parsley (stems removed)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, minced
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds

Ginger-Lime Tahini
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup tahini paste
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated on a microplane
1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp honey
kosher salt, to taste
1/4 cup ice water

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread the cauliflower out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Season with hawaij and salt and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat evenly and roast until browned, about 25 minutes.

while the cauliflower is roasted, whisk the tahini sauce until creamy.

Spread the cauliflower out on a serving dish. Top with fresh herbs, olives, raisins, sunflower seeds and tahini.

Related Recipes:

Roasted Cauliflower With Dates & Smashed Olives
Roasted Cauli & Chickpea Salad
Roasted Cabbage Pizza

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Beef Nigiri

If you’re into sushi (most kosher-observant Jews are – that’s why they have a sushi stand in every kosher pizza store!), chances are you’ve had nigiri – a mound of sweet sushi rice topped with a slice of raw fish.

Omakase is all the rage these days – a form of Japanese dining where an experienced sushi chef serves a curated menu of sushi – ranging from nigiri, to sashimi and hand rolls. Onigiri is always my favorite – the sweet rice and fresh fish simply melt on your tongue.

So, I decided to make a meat-lovers version, using Denver steak that I could slice thinly to resemble raw fish. And to take it over the top, I made a simple Korean glaze in the pan drippings that I brush over the meat for an added touch.

These little nuggets of deliciousness are easy to put together and just perfect for holiday parties and get-togethers.

To view the reel on Instagram click here.

Beef Nigiri

2 cups sushi rice
3 cups water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 strips Denver steak
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 heaping tbsp gochujang
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
Optional toppings: Sliced jalapeño, toasted sesame seeds, spicy mayo, sweet sauce, micro greens

Method:

Rinse the sushi rice in a fine mesh sieve until the water runs clear. Add the rice and water to a sauce pan, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Keep covered and steam for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. For the mixture over the rice and stir to incorporate.

Using wet hands, or hands that are moisten with a bit of sesame oil, divided sushi right into small torpedo shaped mounds.

Are heat oil in a cast iron or heavy bottom skillet until shimmering. Season to Denver steak with salt and pepper and Sierra over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side. Rest for 10 minutes and slice thinly.

In the same pan that you seared the meat, With the heat turned off, add the garlic, gochujang, lime juice, soy sauce and honey. Whisk over medium heat until thickened.

Spread the sliced meat over the mountains of sushi rice and brush with the pan sauce. Top with your garnishes of choice.

Related Recipes:

More Appetizers

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Jalapeno Poppers


If JALAPEÑO POPPERS, Eggplant Parmesan and Lasagna had a baby, you’d get these amazing bites!

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Jalapeno Poppers

8 jalapeños, sliced in half lengthwise, seeded and deveined
1 cup whipped cottage cheese
2 frozen basil cubes
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp Parmesan
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheese
2 tbsp Panko crumbs
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

Mix the cottage cheese, basil, Garlic, oregano, pepper and Parmesan. Fill the jalapeño with the mixture and top with marinara, shredded cheese, Panko and more parm. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes until Jalapeños have softened and it’s cheesy and melted. Eat immediately!

Related Recipes:

Jalapeno Date Confit
Roasted Eggplant Parmesan
Roasted Eggplant Parmesan with Feta

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