Recipe: Hamantaschen

Purim is upon us, or will be Saturday night. It's loud, brash, costumed, and carnivalesque. Merriment comes in many forms, including baking, so for those looking to make some traingle-filled-deliciousness, here you go:

Hamantaschen

Ingredients:
Dough
1/2 lb. butter (1 cup/2 sticks/16 tbsp*)
2 large eggs
1/2 c. sugar
2 c. flour + more to roll out dough
1 tsp. baking powder

Filling
{Be wild! The options are infinite.} Last night I used:
Raspberry Preserves
Blackberry-Pomegranate Jam
Apricot Jelly
Nutella
{Basically, you want the filling to be thick so it doesn't run. Mohn (poppyseed) is traditional though, truth be told, not my favorite, no matter what the Slate wizards claim.}

1. Combine butter, eggs, and sugar. Mix well.
2. Add flour and baking powder. Mix well. Add more flour as necessary. The dough should be just a slight touch sticky.
3. Place dough in refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350.
5. Roll out dough about 1/8" thick. Cut out circles. (I use a pint glass as a cookie cutter.)
6. Place about a teaspoon of filling in the center. Make triangles -- I find this pinwheel technique (as shown at the bottom of the link) the best for creating secure triangles.
7. Bake for about 13 minutes at 350.
8. Eat, share, enjoy!

*Last night, we decided to make a third batch with 1.75 sticks of butter remaining. They turned out fine, so you can reduce the butter if you so please with little, if any, consequence.

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Vegification: Tofu Soba Noodles in Curry Broth

Image snagged here

Someone recently asked me if I got bored with vegetarian cooking. The simple and immediate answer is no (even if I've been derelict about adding recipes here). There are tons of great vegetarian recipes out there as well as plenty of non-vegetarian recipes that are easily made veggie. Last week, I vegified this beef soba noodle dish and adjusted it to ingredients I had on hand; I'll definitely be making it again. Here's my vegetarian version.

Tofu Soba Noodles in Curry Broth
Serves 4-6 

Ingredients
1 pkg tofu (firm), cut into cubes or strips
kosher salt
1 pkg soba noodles
8 c. coarsely chopped bok choy
1 lb. spinach
1 c. coconut milk
4 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp rice or white wine vinegar (rice would be ideal but I didn't have any)
2 tsp honey
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp peanut or walnut oil (I happened to have walnut oil in the cabinet)
2 tbsp fresh ginger
6 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
3 tsp red curry paste (more to taste)
1 tbsp sesame seeds


Steps
1. In a large pot, boil water + 1 tsp salt. Add soba noodles and cook according to package directions. During the last minute of cooking, add spinach and bok choy. Drain and rinse under cold water.

2. Prepare tofu: steam it or lightly fry it. If you're steaming it, you can steam it over the noodle pot while the noodles are cooking. If you lightly fry it, do so now (this will require more oil).

3. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 tsp salt, coconut milk, lime juice, vinegar, honey, and pepper. Stir with a whisk.

4. In a small pot, combine 2 tbsp oil, ginger, and garlic over low heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add coconut milk mixture and curry paste. Stir well, until curry paste has fully dissolved.

5. Combine pasta, tofu, curry mixture, and sesame seeds. Toss well. Eat, and take the leftovers for lunch.

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Friday Recipe: {Vegetarian} Tortilla Soup

Image Source*

It's been quite a while since I posted a recipe, but the combination of sale tomatoes, early frost, and a friendly request leads me to post the recipe for my favorite soup of all times. Seriously, I could eat this every day. And if tomatoes were always bountiful and cheap, then I probably would make it every day. I got this recipe from a friend whose family had adapted a non-vegetarian version (tortilla soup frequently has chicken broth and chicken in it) into a vegetarian version. It's awesome. Go forth and make it. And eat. Often.

{Vegetarian} Tortilla Soup
Serves 8-10

Ingredients
Olive Oil
2 12-inch tortillas (I usually use whole-wheat but use what you like)
1/2 large white onion, chopped (sometimes I use a whole medium yellow onion)
3+ Tbsp fresh garlic, pressed
2 lbs. frozen baby white corn (white corn is key)
3 lbs roma tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1+ Tbsp cumin
1+ Tbsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground white pepper (I've used black pepper in a pinch)
Few dashes of cayenne pepper
4 c. vegetable broth or water + pareve/fake chicken soup mix

Optional Garnishes
Grated cheddar cheese
Blue corn tortilla chips
Cilantro

Instructions
1. Rip tortillas into small pieces and, in a large soup pot over medium-high heat, fry tortilla pieces in thin layer of olive oil.

2. Add onion and saute until translucent (or you can start with the onion and add the tortilla pieces).

3. Add garlic.

4. After the garlic is lightly cooked, add all the other ingredients EXCEPT 1/2 corn (i.e., add only 1 lb).

5. Bring the soup to a low boil and boil for about 5 minutes.

6. Turn off heat and, using an immersion blender, puree the soup. It should be thick, but not chunky. (If you don't have an immersion blender, you can do this in a regular blender but make sure the soup has cooled sufficiently.)

7. Add the remaining corn and return to the soup to a low boil. Simmer without burning the bottom (stir occasionally).

8. Eat! And eat some more. Optional Garnishes include shredded cheddar cheese, blue tortilla chips, cilantro, or anything else you'd like.

*I do love fiestaware. One day I might even have some in my kitchen. Feel free to send me some if you want.

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Friday Recipe: Chickpea Curry

I disappeared for a bit, totally unintentionally. I even have several blog posts written (mentally anyways!). But the semester finally came to an end, and I've been wrapping up a few things this week. I'll be spending my summer reading for exams, but I'm hoping to reward myself with some crafty projects as I complete the reading I need to do each day.

But first, I've got a chickpea curry recipe for you.

**Warning: I made it last week and didn't write anything down, so it's from memory and it relies on tasting and adjusting as necessary. If this isn't your cooking style, I recommend trying it (or not, it's up to you!).**

Chickpea Curry
Serves ~8-10

1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
oil
3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
tomato paste
2-3 medium tomatoes, chopped
~12 oz fresh spinach
1 c. vegetable broth (liquid or hot water + powder)
curry
coriander
cumin
crushed red pepper
salt
pepper

1. Add oil to large saute pan and add the onion and garlic. Stir over medium heat.

2. Add 2-3 tbsp {this is where I didn't measure so play around} of tomato paste and the tomatoes to the onion garlic mixture. Stir and let it cook into a sauce/gravy (~5 minutes).

3. Add some spices (start with the curry/coriander/cumin/red pepper in smaller amounts and add more to taste). You'll probably want more curry/coriander/cumin and less red pepper.

4. Add the chickpeas and stir. Let it cook for ~5 minutes.

5. Add 1 c. broth (or mix 1 c. hot water + powder broth, stir, and add). Stir.

6. Let everything cook over low heat until the liquid has reduced into a gravy-like texture. Stir occasionally (~ 1/2 hour). Taste occasionally, adding any or all of the spaces as you see fit.

7. Add spinach, mix in, and let it wilt into the chickpea mixture.

8. Taste again and add spices (e.g., salt and pepper) as necessary.

9. Enjoy!

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Friday Recipe: Zucchini Lasagne (kosher for passover, I promise!)

Passover (it's day 4) makes me very jealous of Sephardic Jews (of North African and the Middle Eastern heritage) as they can eat a category of food called "kitniyot" -- corn, beans, pulses, legumes, and such -- that Ashkenazic Jews (of European descent) cannot. It's not the ban on bread and bread-like items that makes this holiday challenging for vegetarians, it's the restrictions on kitniyot and therefore sources of protein, that are difficult. Also, Passover reminds you just how many [processed] foods use corn syrup and soybean oil.

In any event, I had an epiphany when I realized that my friend Alix's Zucchini Lasagne is kosher-for-Passover as it brilliantly uses zucchini strips in place of noodles.

Friday Recipe: Alix's Zucchini Lasagne

Ingredients:
*3 large zucchini
*salt
*cooking spray (olive oil will work too)
*1 small onion, finely chopped
*2 medium garlic cloves, minced
*12 oz button mushrooms, sliced
*3 cups tomatoes, chopped (approx. 3 beef steak tomatoes)
*1 tbsp dried basil
*1 tsp dried oregano
*¼ tsp nutmeg
*¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
*1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch thick strips. Place in a bowl and salt generously, tossing once or twice to coat well. Lay strips on paper towels on your work surface. Set aside 1 hour. 

2. Meanwhile, spray a large saucepan with nonstick spray (or use olive oil) and set over medium heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes.

3. Add garlic; cook 20 seconds.  

4. Add the mushrooms; cook, stirring often, until they give off their liquid and it reduces to a glaze, about 7 minutes.

5. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, nutmeg and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to break down and the sauce thickens, about 25 minutes.

6. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F.

7. Blot any moisture off the zucchini strips with paper towels. Use one third of the zucchini strips to line the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan, laying them lengthwise like you would lasagna noodles. Top evenly with one third of the sauce, then one third of the shredded cheese. Place half the remaining zucchini strips on top, as before, then top evenly with half the remaining sauce and half the remaining cheese. Repeat this process one more time: using the remaining zucchini, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese.

8. Bake, uncovered, until bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing into 6 pieces; serve. 

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Friday Recipe: Hamantaschen

It's that time of the year again....Purim starts Saturday night. Purim (literally, "lots") commemorates the events of the book of Esther and involves all sorts of celebratory activities involving noise, costumes, drinking, and food. Though I think Purim is supposed to be one of those holidays everyone loves (see: noise, costumes, drinking, and food), I can't say it's up there with my favorites (see: noise).

To be honest, however, I'm not sold on the book of Esther. I think Vashti (the deposed queen) is much maligned for totally reasonable and even responsible behavior. She rejects the King's advances to promenade in front of his court, or in modern lingo, his frat. While this helps set up the annointing of Esther as queen and then savior of the Persian Jews of yore, I find it a highly problematic nonetheless.

But this textual issue notwithstanding, there are some lovely aspects of the holiday. In particular, the tradition of mishloach manot, or the sending of gifts, is fun. Basically, you make packages of food and drink and deliver them to friends. I haven't quite figured out why raisins and twizzlers appear so often in these gift bags and baskets (I get that they're sold in individual packaging, but still....), but hamantaschen always make the rounds. Hamantaschen, which represent Haman's ears or hat or anything else related to the misanthropic character, are triangular stuffed cookies. Traditional fillings include prunes, poppyseed, apricots, dates, and cherries. I'm more a of modernist, however, and use chocolate and strawberry jam.

I wrote my recipe on an index card at some point, and I don't know its original source, though I imagine most hamanraschen recipes are somewhat similar.

Friday Recipe: Hamantaschen
~ 30

2/3 cup butter (or margarine if making them pareve)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of salt
Filling of your choice (chocolate chips, nutella, jam, etc)

1. Cream butter with sugar.

2. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well.

3. Add in dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Cover and chill for ~ 1hour.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degreed.

6. Take a chunk of dough and roll it out, about 1/8 inch thick.

9. Use a cookie cutter (or pint glass!) to cut out circle shapes.

 

10. Place a small amount of the filling in the center of the circle. Pinch the sides together to create a triangle (a little water often helps hold the pinched points together.  Place of greased baking sheet.

  

11.  Bake on 375 degrees for about 12 minutes. 

12. Enjoy!

 

Tips/Nptes:

*I've forgotten the baking powder and salt and they still turn out fine.

*One year I had no chocolate chips, so I used Hershey's Kisses. I think some of their newfangled filled ones (e.g., caramel) could be excellent in hamantaschen.

*Be careful with jam. Sometimes it leaks and/or bubbles out of the dough and creates a mess.

A few friends came over on Wednesday night to help bake hamantaschen and make mishloach manot. The bag decorating (which I only watched) was pretty hilarious.

For those who celebrate it, Chag Purim Sameach!

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Friday Recipe: Knock-You-Nakeds

This is a G-rated post, but the recipe contained within is seductive, delicious, and terrible for you. Luckily, if you make them, everyone will want to eat them, so you can have a taste and not feel bad about it. Because they are truly amazing.

Introduced to me in college, Knock-You-Nakeds might be the best dessert ever. Recently, some college friends found the recipe and emails flew back-and-forth about making them, the best way to eat them (some say fro-yo, though I'm partial to them without additions as well), memories of eating them (it was important to consult the Dining Services calendar so as not to miss them), and so forth.

Knock-You-Nakeds
~Makes 1 large tray

1 box chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup of unsalted butter (melted)
1/3 cup and 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (1 small can will have some to spare)
1 package caramels (~14 oz)
1 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix cake mix with melted butter and 1/3 c. condensed milk. (It will be thick.)

3. Press half the mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.

4. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 and let cool.

5. While the cake part is baking, unwrap the caramels. Melt the caramels together with the 1/2 c. condensed milk. Stir regularly.

6. Spread caramel mixture over cooled chocolate cake.
7. Sprinkle chocolate chips over caramel mixture.

8. Spread remaining cake mix over the chocolate chips. At this point, the mix may be a little dry, which is handy for sprinkling.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.

10. Enjoy!!

Notes
*I used Duncan Hines Rich, Fudgy Cake because it was on sale for $1. I'm sure any cake mix will work. If you want to make it from scratch, you'll need to substitute the butter and condensed milk for eggs/oil/liquids.

*The easiest way to press the cake mix into the pan is to drop big spoonfuls and use the spoon to spread out the thick batter.

*A flexible spatula is key for spreading the caramel.

*I think these would be good without the chocolate chips, though they contribute to the intensity.

*Eat in small amounts as they are rich. I think they're great warm out of the oven, cool, or even frozen.

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Not-Exactly-Friday Recipe: Easy Polenta with Spinach & White Beans

I whipped up this dish for company last night. I had invited a few friends over for shabbat dinner, knowing full well that my day was packed. While they were bringing salad and dessert, I was still responsible for everything else. Which was fine, because it gave me a chance to test out a couple new recipes and see whether they were, as I thought, doable in a limited amount of time. The answer, fortunately for everyone, was yes.

Last night's menu:
*Challah (already made and frozen. I now divide the dough from my recipe into 4 which is perfect for freezing 2).
*White Bean dip (previously made and frozen, just needed a little defrosting and warming; I use this recipe and halve the butter)
*Corn/Tomato/Black Bean salsa (bonus recipe below!)
*Double Broccoli Quinoa from 101 Cookbooks (I didn't have enough parmesan cheese, but the recipe is delicious for those who, like me, love broccoli)
*Polenta (recipe below)
*Tossed Salad
*Dessert (my friends brought the Chocolate-Almond Tart from Trader Joe's; it's decadent)

Easy Polenta with Spinach & White Beans
~Serves 6-10 (depending on whether it's the main dish)

Onion
8-10 cloves garlic
1 28 oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes
6-10 oz spinach
1 can white (cannellini) beans
1 polenta log (organic, kosher, vegan, and gluten-free ones availble at Trader Joe's)
herbs (your choice! I'd recommend oregano, thyme, rosemary, chili peppers)
salt
pepper
olive oil

1. Chop onion and mince garlic.

2. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil and saute the onions and garlic.

3. Add the tomatoes. Stir regularly for about 10 minutes. IF you used diced tomatoes, use a hand blender to blend the tomato mixture into a sauce.

4. Add herbs, salt, and pepper to taste.

5. Add spinach and mix in until it wilts.

6. Add the beans and stir.


7. Slice 2/3 polenta into disks. Form small balls (size of gnocchi) with the rest.

8. In a 9x 13 pan, spread about 1/2 the tomato mixture in the pan. Then arrange the polenta disks and balls on top.


9. Cover the polenta with the remaining sauce.

10. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

11. Enjoy!

Notes:
*This is a recipe that can easily scaled up or down in terms of quantity and ease of cooking. To make it quickly, I used premade polenta, tomatoes from a can, and beans from a can. If I had a bounty of fresh tomatoes, I could have started with chopped tomatoes. I could have also made the polenta or soaked dry beans. Conversely, if I had even less time, I could have used prepared tomato sauce. I used fresh spinach but frozen could work too. It's all malleable.

*I prefer this dish warm, but my roommate ate it cold today and liked it. Eat as you please.

An extra recipe...

SIMPLE Corn/Tomato/Black Bean Salsa
~Makes one medium sized bowl

*8 oz corn (frozen, canned, or trimmed from fresh corn)
*4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
*1 can black beans
*Olive Oil
*Red Wine Vinegar
*Lemon Juice

1. In a medium bowl, combine corn, tomatoes, and black beans.

2. In a measuring cup, combine 1/8 c. olive oil, 1/8 c. red wine vinegar, and lemon juice to taste. Whisk well.

3. Pour oil & vinegar into corn/tomato/bean mixture. Mix well. Cover and let sit for an hour.

4. Enjoy!

Notes:
*I used what I had on hand. Sometimes I'll add red onion, minced peppers, or avocado as well.

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Friday Recipe: Zucchini with Pine Nuts

This recipe offers an easy way to use the end-of-summer bounty of zucchini. It's quick, delicious, and malleable.

Zucchini with Pine Nuts
~Serves 8-10 (side dish)

2 large zucchinis (I used green and yellow for variety)
1/2 onion
4-6 garlic cloves
1/2 tofu cake
olive oil
salt and pepper
pine nuts

1. Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Cut tofu into small cubes. Slice and quarter the zucchinis.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil, and add the onion and garlic. Saute until lightly browned.

3. Add the tofu and stir.

4. Add the zucchini. Continue to cook and stir until the zucchini is cooked through.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Sprinkle in pine nuts. Mix and serve.

7. Enjoy!


Notes:
*I used 2 large zucchini because that's what the farmers were selling. Medium and small would be fine as well.

*This can be eaten hot or cold, making it ideal for summer bbqs and potlucks.

*This is an easy dish to repurpose as leftovers. I reheated the zucchini in a saucepan and added black beans. Then I used the mixture as burrito filling with sour cream, salsa, and homemade guacamole. Even more delicious!

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Friday Recipe: Summer Potato Salad

Taking delicious pictures of potato salad is hard. I should have taken some pictures of the bounty of farmer's market produce I picked up on Wednesday before I made anything with it, but I was eager to use it once I got home.

Almost everything (except condiments and spices) in this potato salad came from my local farmer's market; however, it's certainly possible to buy all the ingredients at the store. It's a great side dish, potluck dish, and party dish, and it's simple to make. All the amounts are approximate and can be modified to your tastes.


Summer Potato Salad
~Makes 1 large bowl

15-20 small (larger than fingerling) potatoes (I used half white and half red)
6 eggs
red onion
3 small carrots (I had orange and purple from the market)
2 stalks celery
light mayo
spicy mustard
pepper

1. Boil potatoes until soft enough to slice. Drain and set in a bowl to cool.

2. Hard boil eggs. Cool, and discard the yolks (or keep them if you like egg yolks).

3. Chop 1/4 red onion into small pieces and slice the celery into small pieces.

4. In a large bowl, place the potatoes, boiled eggs, celery, and red onion. Grate the carrots into the bowl.

5. Add equal parts mayo and mustard. Take a big knife and start slicing (basically, you are cutting the potatoes and eggs down into eatable chunks while simultaneously mixing the condiments into the salad. I start with a large spoonful of mayo and mustard and add in order to get a consistency I like).

6. Add pepper to taste.

7. Enjoy!

There was more; I took this picture after 2 people ate some. It's good like that.

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(Almost) Friday Recipe: Soba Noodles with Peas and Feta

I'm striving to get back on track with Friday recipes. So, a little bit late for this week, I present this Soba Noodle with Peas and Feta salad. It's delicious, perfect for a summer salad meal, great as a side dish, and, best of all, very quick. And if you can't find soba noodles, as I couldn't this past week (ok, I only went to one store, but whatever), other Asian buckwheat noodles work just as well.

Soba Noodles with Peas and Feta
Makes 4-6 big portions, 10-12 side portions

1 pkg soba noodles (usually 10-12 oz)
1 pkg frozen baby peas (10-16 oz -- decide how many peas you want)
1/3 c. scallions, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1.5 tsp. soy sauce
3/4 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
6 oz. feta, crumbled

1. Boil Water. Add noodles and peas, and cook until noodles are done (~5 minutes)

2. In a large bowl, whisk together scallions, olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper.

3. Drain noodles and peas. Add to bowl.

4. Add feta. Mix noodle salad together.

5. Enjoy!

Notes
*I usually use Trader Joe's crumbled feta -- it's kosher, vegetarian, and comes in a 6 oz. container.
*The salad holds well, so it's good for picnics and potlucks as well as for lunches on subsequent days.
*I usually use about 12 oz. of peas -- approximately 3/4 of a 16 oz bag.

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Some Passover Recipe Options

At the midway point through 8 days of matzah, when the delights (if they were) of matzah pizza and matzah brei have run their course, it's nice to start making meals that don't depend on bread substitutes. Or at least only require minimal substitutions.

Here are some options:


From 101 Cookbooks, carrot soup and/or Japanese cabbage pizza. The former needs no substitutions while the latter requires substituting matzah meal or matza cake flour for the whole wheat pastry flour. It may not be perfect, but it should work pretty well. Make both items, add a salad, and a nice kosher-for-Passover meal emerges.

From my own recipe section, there's always crustless quiche and crustless spinach pie. You could substitute broccoli for spinach and make a broccoli pie. Likewise, minestrone soups (take out the pasta and the beans if you're Ashkenazic, take out the pasta if you're Sephardic) work well. A good home-made tomato soup would make a nice meal-starter as well.

On the dessert front, fruit is a mainstay. But if your sweet tooth, like mine, craves something else, there's nothing like using even more eggs to help you out -- meringues and meringue-crusted pies offer one good option. Yet another path includes the veritable crustless cheesecake, for which I'll post my recipe soon.

And to those readers celebrating a different holiday today, Happy Easter.

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Friday Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies/Cake

There are a billion recipes for chocolate chip cookies, and here I am to add my own. This is an amalgamation of a couple recipes, and one that I find works well for me...and those who eat the final results. And it's a nice way to use up that flour in the pantry right before Passover.

Chocolate Chip Cookies/Cake
~Makes 2 cakes or a lot of cookies

2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. skim milk
2 eggs
~1 package chips (chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, etc)

1. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla.

3. Add eggs to wet mixture and mix well.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Mix well.

5. Add milk -- you may decide to add more or less depending on how dry the batter is.

6. Add chips. Mix well.

7. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

9. If making cakes, split batter between 2 8-10 rounds (springform or cake pans). If making cookies, drop teaspoon sized rounds of batter on a cookie tray.

10. Bake cakes for 20 minutes at 375. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes at 375.

Notes:
*The milk moistens the batter and makes the cookies spread more. You can leave the milk out, and everything will still be good.

*I've adjusted the sugars when I didn't have enough of one, and it's been fine.

*You can add more or less or a combo of chips. The pictured batter has milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.

*You can freeze the dough and save it to bake later.

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Vegetarian Menu Planning

For anyone looking for a vegetarian menu (rather than just the recipes), head over here. Marie*Jolie at Permission to Unwind has posted her family's 2-week vegetarian (and mostly gluten-free) menu. She'll be posting shopping lists and recipes as the week progresses.

I suppose a certain amount of actual menu planning occurs when one is cooking for more than oneself -- which is not my life at the present. I tend to make 1-2 big things (soup, lentils, baked ziti, etc) for the week and eat it for lunch and/or dinner. I mix it up with some stir-fries, quick-and-easy burritos (open can, drain beans, place on tortilla, add some cheese, place in microwave, add veggies + toppings), and hearty salads.

One of the things that impressed me most about the 2-week veg menu is the variety of breakfast foods. For me, cereal, oatmeal, and english muffins rotate through, and that's about it -- which works for me. In the end, I think healthy (vegetarian) eating is more about figuring out what foods, recipes, and cooking framework works for you than following any plan, book, or diet rigidly.

With Passover soon arriving, I'll be posting a few veg-friendly Passover recipes that help create a little variety for those abstaining from leavened things for 8 days.

And finally, the giveaway remains open until Tuesday night. Leave a comment here to participate.

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Friday Recipe: Salads Galore

A couple days ago I got out my bike, I only had to wear a light jacket, I went for a run in shorts, and I saw a line outside multiple ice cream shops. Alas the cold air reappeared since then, but my calendar tells me that spring has arrived. In light of this change of seasons, today's recipe is less recipe and more salad combos. I eat a lot of salad, and spring promises the return of the farmer's market and more fresh veggies.

Woodbridge Salad
This was the Sunday night regular my senior year of college when I lived in -- wait, very surprising, a house named Woodbridge. The 13 residents plus a couple hangers-on (you know who you are), and our faculty associate gathered for dinner weekly. We cooked in pairs and had a range of meals, but this salad provided one constant.

*spinach
*baby corn
*tomatoes
*peppers (often cut out to spell "Woodbridge" but you can slice, dice, or julienne as you please)
*chickpeas
*hearts of palm
*goat cheese
*redwine/balsamic/mustard [choose one or more] vinaigrette

Spinach-Fruit Salad
I like making this salad when I want a sweet-tangy combination. It's also a good winter salad as it can use canned items more easily than many salads.

*spinach
*pomegranate seeds
*mandarin oranges
*raspberries (frozen can work if defrosted carefully)
*chickpeas or hard-boiled egg whites (for some protein)
*red-wine vinaigrette
[sometimes I add corn and/or hearts of palm as well, for color and saltiness]

Greek Salad
I love olives.

*Romaine lettuce
*tomatoes
*green/red peppers
*red onions
*kalamata olives
*feta (crumbled)
*vinaigrette
[some would add cucumbers; I don't like cucumbers so none for my salad]

High-Protein Salad
Keeps the vegetarians happy. This is basically a greens salad with a heavy dose of beans/tofu/eggs. The veggies you use can easily change to accommodate color/taste/texture preferences. Likewise, you can shift around the proteins as you like; the list simply gives some easy ways to make a salad into something more than a side dish.

*greens
*hard-boiled eggs (I only use whites but use what you like)
*chickpeas
*kidney beans
*cubed tofu (you can make with a marinade or use plain)
*shredded carrots
*peppers
*red onions
*tomatoes
*snow peas
*cheese to sprinkle on top
*dressing of choice


For me, salads depend on my mood and cravings, and change regularly. Hearts of palm always make me happy and thus appear as often as affordable. Chickpeas are another easy source of salad happiness and get tossed into my salads more often than not. I love tomatoes (as a child I would steal them off other people's plates....somehow my parents managed to be more amused by this pluckiness than horrified at my manners and somehow I stopped this). But I love really good tomatoes and so their presence is somewhat seasonable (or, admittedly, dependent on the quality of the tomatoes that make their way to the grocery store in winter. Yes I buy out-of-season vegetables). Again, know what you like but feel comfortable experimenting.

And I'm sure you have many more salad ideas -- feel free to add them in the comments section.


A Note on Vinaigrettes
I think there's some "rule" that vinaigrettes should be 2/3 oil to 1/3 vinegar. I break this rule all the time, favoring half-and-half or 1/3 oil to 2/3 vinegar. I prefer vinegar's tang, and adjust accoridngly. Depending on the salad and my cupboard, I may use balsamic, red-wine, or apple-cider vinegar. Taste them and figure out what you like. Sometimes I add mustard to either red-wine or balsamic vinegars. Sometimes I add lemon juice. Sometimes I add syrup or olasses (sweet + thickener).

The point is that there is no single way to dress a salad or make a dressing, and you should feel liberated to experiment. Using an old (but clean) glass jar, start adding ingredients, shake, and taste. Continue until you like the taste. Try and remember what you did for future reference.

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Friday Recipe: Rugelach

Rugelach are a rolled pastry of Ashkenazic (central/eastern-European) descent. Apparently one can make them with all sorts of fillings, though I'm of the belief that chocolate is the only good way to go. I might make an occasional exception for cinnamon-sugar, maybe.

I happen to think my rugelach (based off a Joan Nathan recipe) are pretty good; I don't, however, claim that they ascend to heights anywhere near that of the rugelach one buys at Marzipan (in Machane Yehudah, Jerusalm). On the plus side, I'm pretty sure the caloric content of mine is minor compared to those. And this recipe only requires 6 ingredients. How easy can you get?


Chocolate Rugelach
Makes 32

2 sticks non-salted butter, softened
8 oz. low-fat cream-cheese
2 c. flour

6 oz. chocolate chips
1 tbsp sugar
cinnamon

1. Cream together butter and cream-cheese.

2. Slowly add flour to the creamy mix. Use hands as necessary to fully integrate the flour.

3. Place dough in refridgerator for at least 1 hour.

4. Make topping: in a food processor, chop chocolate chips into small pieces and add sugar/cinnamon (a couple dashes) to mix.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Remove dough and halve. Take one half and roll into a ball. Then roll out ball of dough into a circle of dough, about 1/16" thick.

7. Sprinkle half the topping over the dough. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, divide circle into 16 parts. Roll each section up, starting at the wide end and rolling toward the center of the circle. If necessary, use water to "seal" the rolled up dough. Place on cookie sheet.

Repeat for second ball of dough.

8. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, checking once halfway through. If necessary, coat with melted butter to keep the rugelach shiny (I rarely need to do this).

9. Enjoy!

Notes:
*These are dairy, but there are rugelach recipes that are pareve/lactose-free, so go a-searching for them.

*I suppose you could use another topping -- fruit jam, chopped nuts and sugar, cinnamon-sugar, whatever else strikes yor fancy.

*I cover my baking sheets with aluminum foil to contain the mess. This is optional.

*I find it easiest to dip my fingers in water before rolling the rugelach as it helps the dough to stick.

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Friday Recipe: Spinach Pie

This is an easy dish packed with all the vitamins spinach has to offer. It's simple to multiply the recipe which makes it great for dinners at home or potlucks. Add a salad and soup, and you've got a dinner.


Spinach Pies
Makes 2 pies

Crust (look here for a simple recipe)
20 oz. frozen, chopped spinach
16 oz. ricotta (part-skim okay)
2 eggs
salt
pepper
garlic powder
shredded cheese (your choice -- mozzarella and cheddar both work but yield different tastes)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Defrost spinach and squeeze out excess water (I usually put it in my metal strainer and use a potato masher to remove the water).

3. Place the spinach in a large bowl, add spices to taste, and mix well.

4. Add ricotta and eggs (beaten or beat in the bowl) and mix well.



5. Pour into crusts.

6. Top with shredded cheese.

7. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

8. Enjoy!

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Friday Recipe: Molten Fudgy Brownies

What could be more delicious than fudgy brownies with surprise chips -- chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch, or anything else you think of? Maybe the brownie batter, but aside from that, these melt-y, fudgy brownies are the way to go. This recipe slightly modifies one my friend Maya (who blogs over at Lilith) gave me. I bake them in a brownie pan, which is smaller than a 9 x 13 pan, and make the rest into brownie cupcakes.


Fudge Brownies
Makes 1 large pan

Cooking spray
8 oz chopped chocolate (a combination of unsweetened, semisweet, and/or milk chocolate)
3/4 c. butter
4 eggs
1.25 c. white sugar
1.5 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1.5 c. chocolate/peanut butter/butterscotch etc chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat pan(s) with cooking spray.

2. Over low heat, melt the butter and chopped chocolate together.

3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until fluffy (about 4 minutes). Add vanilla and mix well.

4. Add in chocolate mixture and combine.

5. Add flour and salt. Mix well.

6. Stir in chips.

7. Pour into baking dish (either into a 9x13 pan, or a brownie pan + muffin tins, or other variations).

8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (a little less for muffins). When a toothpick or knife comes out clean (albeit sometimes a little smudgy from melted chips), the brownies are ready.

Notes
*I use a 50/50 mix of semisweet and milk chocolate. Maya uses 6 oz semisweet and 2 oz unsweetened. It's really about the level of sweetness you prefer.

*My favorite combinations are brownies with white chocolate chips and brownies with peanut butter chips.

*These freeze very well. I recommend cutting into small bites and freezing in a tupperware or large ziplock bag.

*If you want them very molten and melty, slightly undercook. If you're making them in muffin tins, cook for about 22-25 minutes to avoid burnt edges.

*You can make these pareve by using margarine instead of butter and making sure all chocolate is pareve. However, I don't endorse margarine-use unless absolutely necessary.

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Friday Recipe: Lentil-Spinach Soup

Lentil-Spinach Soup
~Makes 1 large pot (8-10 portions)

olive oil
2 onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed
3-4 carrots, sliced
10 oz. spinach, chopped (fresh or frozen can work)
2 c. green lentils
3 tsp. tomato paste
vegetable broth or water +bouillon
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper

1. Rinse lentils (green lentils don't need soaking but it doesn't hurt).

2. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in a large pot.

3. Add carrots and lentils. Saute for about 5 minutes.

4. Add tomato paste and enough broth or water to cover the vegetables and lentils (if using water + bouillon, add the water, raise to a boil, then add and mix in the bouillon). Bring to a boil.

5. Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until the lentils and carrot are soft.

6. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.

7. Add in spinach.

8. Eat!

Notes:
*This soup freezes well, so make it ahead of time and freeze in large or small portions.

*I like the color of the carrot-spinach-lentil combination, but you could substitute other greens (kale, chard, etc) and substitute (or add/combine) parsnips for the carrots.

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Friday Recipe: Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I was deliberating about whether to post a recipe for cauliflower soup or whole-wheat chocolate chip pancakes. The chocolate won out, in part because my morning called for them. But I ate them before I took pictures (I was hungry), so you'll have to imagine the goodness. Here's some chocolate chips to jumpstart that imagination.

image from here

Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Makes ~ 10 pancakes

1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1.5 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt (scant)
1.25 c. skim milk
3 tbsp. melted unsalted butter
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
(white) chocolate chips
oil

1. In a large bowl, sift or mix the whole-wheat flour, white flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour in the milk, melted butter, beaten egg, and vanilla. Mix -- but don't overmix. Some clumps are ok.

3. Let rest for about 10 minutes (or until you see little bubble indicating the baking soda/powder is doing its job).

4. Oil the skillet and set it over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cup of the pancake mixture and add as many or as little (white) chocolate chips as desired. When it starts to look golden brown, flip, and cook the other side.

5. Eat.

Notes:
*I love white chocolate, so I often add white chocolate chips or a mixture of white and milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips.

*The basic whole-wheat pancake recipe can clearly be used for other types of pancakes. Simply add the toppings of your choice. Or add no toppings and have plain pancakes with syrup or jam.

*The size of your skillet or griddle will obviously determine how many pancakes you can make at once. I often turn the oven to 200 and place the pancakes on a plate in the oven to stay warm while I cook the rest.

*This recipe is easily doubled, tripled, quadrupled...whatever you need.

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