Tomato Peach Salad

What defines summer for you? Is it swimming? Tennis? Walks in the park? Weekends on the beach? Lazy mornings without school buses? 

For me - working mom without much time for tennis or lazy mornings - it’s tomatoes, peaches, and basil. I eat tomatoes daily in the summer (yes, EVERY day). Peaches and basil almost as often.

It’s no wonder this salad is one of my favorites, then. It’s a simple combination of my favorite summer foods with a bit of citrus, scallion, and salt to sharpen the flavors. 

And as far as I'm concerned, as long as there are tomatoes and peaches to be had, summer isn't over yet!

Please head over to Kosher Street for the complete recipe. 

Linking this to Ultimate Recipe Swap. 

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Roasted Zucchini and Eggplant Salad (Guest Post)

Today, I'm delighted to be a guest on Kosher on a Budget. Mara Strom, the super talented blogger who authors and runs this wonderful site, is my hero. She saves me money, entertains me, and makes me very happy.

This recipe makes the most of an ingredient that isn't particularly glamorous but is seasonal and fresh in New Jersey now. Roasting zucchini - along with eggplant, tomatoes, and aromatics - brings out wonderful flavors that I never knew were there.

Please visit Kosher on a Budget for the complete recipe and some more photos!

Linking this up to Fit and Fabulous Fridays and Ultimate Recipe Swap. 

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Marinated Zucchini Salad

I'm vacationing this week - mostly at home, with little getaways here and there - so I'll keep this post simple.

This recipe screams summer. It doesn't require an oven or even a stove. It's cool and refreshing, and uses just a few basic seasonal ingredients.

I hope you make it and enjoy it as much as we did.

Marinated Zucchini Salad
Serves 4-6

3 medium sized zucchinis
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Juice of ½ lemon
1 scallion, white and light green part only, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

First, peel the zucchini and then julienne it into very thin matchsticks. Use a mandoline if you have one; if you use a knife, cut the pieces as thin as you can. They need to be really thin to get ‘cooked’ by the marinade.

Mix the oil, salt, lemon juice and scallions in with the zucchini. Let it sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours, or in the fridge for up to 24.

When you’re ready to serve, stir in the mint. This dish works well at room temperature or cold. It’s great as leftovers too, if you have any.

Linking this up to What's in Season, Real Food Wednesday, Ultimate Recipe Swap, and Pennywise Platter Thursday. 

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Corned Beef and Rice Stir Fry

One of the basic tenets of motherhood is this: Serve Baby Corn. When all else fails and your kids refuse to look a vegetable in the eye, let them eat baby corn.  

So when I don't feel like fighting with them to eat their dinner, I serve baby corn. (Usually with some protein. I'm not a complete failure as a mother.) 

This dish is nice because it puts leftover cold cuts to good use. Of course you can buy them fresh too, but it sure feels good to use leftovers! 

Corned Beef and Rice Stir Fry

20 minutes prep, assuming you have the rice cooked ahead of time

Serves 6

Cook the rice well ahead of time. You want it very comfortably settled at room temperature for this dish. If it's warm, it'll clump. (Leftover rice from last night's dinner is fine too. Just let it come to room temperature for an hour or so, if you have the time.) 

4 tablespoons canola oil, divided

4 scallions

1 red bell pepper, julienned

3 stalks celery, sliced about 1/2 inch thick

1 can of baby corn

about 1/2 pound of deli sliced corned beef, cut in strips

3 cups cooked brown rice, at room temperature (this is important!)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup dry white wine (use sake if you have it)

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and saute for a minute or two, till fragrant. 

Add the pepper, celery and baby corn, and cook for a few minutes till heated through. Add the corned beef and cook for another few minutes, stirring, till heated. 

Remove the vegetables and meat from the pan and set aside. 

Heat the remaining oil. When the oil is nice and hot, add the rice and cook for a few minutes, stirring often. Let it start browning and warm through thoroughly, but take care not to burn it. 

When the rice is nice and hot and beginning to brown, add the soy sauce and wine, along with the vegetables. Cook for another few minutes till heated through. 

Serve immediately. 

Linking this up to Frugal Follies and Let's Do Brunch.

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Coconut Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Getting ready to write this post, I noticed a trend. My blogs seem to bring out a lot of guilty secrets. I've used this safe place as a stage to confess to an aversion to meatballs, a love for rich breakfasts, a nasty habit of picking topping off of fruit crisp, and a failure to buy onions at the grocery.

I have a theory about it. (Like I do about most things.) There are few places where I can share my foibles and inadequacies without being judged. If I tell my real live friends that I am addicted to chocolate, hate meatballs, or never make a grocery list, they would likely drop me like hotcakes. But you, my dear reader, will probably come back in spite of it all.

You'll stand by me as I rant about my chocolate cravings. You'll read my fried rice recipe even though it doesn't have a single photo of the actual dish. You will come back for more. Because you are loyal. Or kind. Or a little bit of both.

Thank you, readers. On to my confession. I have been a frequent user of Coconut Oil for years, even before Melissa Clark (New York Times food writer) announced that it is no longer on the banned-foods list. There you have it. It's out, and I'm not ashamed. Here's my latest recipe, courtesy of Melissa Clark and the New York Times. If you like coconut, this is the thing. If you like sweet potatoes and nutmeg, this is really the thing. It's delicately coconut-y with an almost elusive hint of nutmeg (I reduced the amount of nutmeg from the original). The sweet potatoes get soft from the long roasting time. And, best of all, no guilt. Coconut oil is BACK!

Coconut Roasted Sweet Potatoes, adapted from the New York Times

1 1/2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
a generous grating of fresh nutmeg
toasted coconut, optional, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350*. Melt the coconut oil by putting it in the microwave or on the stovetop for a minute or so.

In a nice large bowl, toss together the sweet potatoes, melted coconut oil, sugar, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Spread the potatoes in an even layer on a large aluminum  baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked through and beginning to develop a brown crust. This will take about an hour, depending how done you like them.

Garnish with optional toasted coconut and serve warm, hot, or at room temperature.

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A Formula for Frozen Vegetables

I try my best to eat healthy seasonal foods every day of the week. I build most dinners around vegetables, and try to eat a mostly plant-based diet. But there comes at least one time almost every week when I am just too tired to shop, peel and chop.

That's where frozen produce comes in. It's quick and easy and I always have some on hand. It doesn't require a trip to the grocery store. No peeling, cleaning, or chopping.

At the surface, this is just a recipe for simple sauteed corn. But it's actually a formula for the freshest healthiest tasting frozen vegetables. Use this formula with chopped broccoli, cauliflower, or peas. Vary the herbs if you like, and substitute oil for butter and stock for the milk/cream, for a pareve version.

Sauteed Vegetables
I've tried this formula with frozen corn (my current favorite), chopped broccoli, cauliflower, and English peas. Let me know if you try any others. 

1 tablespoon butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2-3 cups frozen vegetables (corn, chopped broccoli, cauliflower, peas)
4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk or a combination
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon of your favorite herbs, minced (my current favorites are mint and parsley)

Melt the butter in a large, preferably cast iron pan. Saute the onion for about 15 minutes on medium-low heat till it's nice and soft.

Add the celery and saute for another few minutes till it's softening. Add the garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes longer till fragrant.

Add the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes till heated through and through. Pour in the cream/milk and the seasonings. Heat through, stirring.

Stir in the herbs and serve warm.

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Slightly Special Baked Ziti

Raise your hand if you're a mom. Now, keep your hand raised if you have found a dinner that your ENTIRE family will eat (yes, including you!). Is it an easy dinner? Can it be made ahead of time? Is it reasonably healthy and not likely to raise your cholesterol / BMI / waist size more than 5%? Bet there aren't too many of you with your hands still raised!

Today I came up with a recipe that comes pretty close to meeting all these criteria. It's easy. It can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for a couple of days. It's not too high on the calorie/fat scale. And almost everyone in the family enjoyed it.

I was hoping you wouldn't comment on the 'almost.' (I even shrunk down the font size in the hopes you wouldn't notice it.) I have to admit (please don't think less of me): I am not a real pasta fan. I have nothing against it. It's satisfying, tasty, and usually easy to prepare. But I think of pasta as an indulgence, and if I'm indulging, I'd rather have homemade bread. Or some dark chocolate. Or a piece of chocolate cake. Or maybe a good medium-rare steak. Pasta just isn't worth it to me.

That being said, five out of six is pretty good. Who cares about Mommy anyway? She can always just eat some yogurt or toast. (Seriously.)

This dish is nice because it's just a cut above the standard Baked Ziti. Maybe it's because it requires the use of a blender, or maybe it's the creaminess of the sauce, but I think this recipe is just a bit more elegant. The kids loved it and so did my husband Avi. So in my book, this was a real winner.

Slightly Special Baked Ziti
Use milk for a lighter recipe; cream if you aren't counting calories. To make it ahead of time, prepare the pasta but hold off on baking it. Refrigerate it for up to two days. Just let it come to room temperature for a couple of hours before baking, or increase the baking time by about 20 minutes. 


1 box of ziti or penne

1/2 of a 26-oz. jar of your favorite marinara sauce (I use Frescorti) 

1 cup ricotta cheese (I use part skim)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1 cup milk or cream (or less)

Preheat the oven to 350*.

Cook the pasta till it's done but still firm. Make sure not to overcook it.

While the pasta cooks, combine the marinara sauce and all three cheeses in a blender. Add up to a cup of milk or cream, as needed, just enough to get the blender working through the thick mixture. Blend for a minute or two until well mixed and smooth.

Put the pasta into a 9x13 glass or disposable aluminum pan. Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix well.

 Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Cooked (naked) pasta

Doesn't this look
pretty? 

The blended sauce

Mixing the sauce in with the pasta

Pasta before baking

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Chickpea and Barley Stew

I discovered in the recent blizzard that I keep enough food in my home to stock a family of six for at least two months, probably more. I don't know if it's some kind of primal survival instinct, or just poor planning and budgeting, but I am not exaggerating when I say that we could go for MONTHS without a grocery trip. Right now, just to give you an idea, the top shelf of my pantry holds 11 boxes of pasta, 13 cans of tuna and 2 cans of salmon, 7 bags plus 14 cans of beans, 1 bag of split peas, 2 bags of lentils, 2 bags of barley, 2 bags of wheat berries, 4 cans of mushrooms plus a HUMONGOUS container of dried mushrooms, and 2 five-pound bags of flour. And that's just ONE shelf. (We have another four upstairs and three downstairs.)

It's rather scary.

Last week, I decided to do without any groceries, with the exception of milk, bread, and a few very basic fresh vegetables. We're cleaning out our pantry and it FEELS GOOD. This recipe is easy, healthy, and very economical.

Chickpea and Barley Stew
I have a plethora of dried beans at home, so I used those. You could easily use canned beans instead. Just add them along with the sweet potatoes instead of with the barley. I served some plain yogurt next to this dish (read more about my simple yogurt formula on my other blog) and called it a meal. 


1 tablespoon canola oil
1 yellow onion, minced
2 stalks of celery, chopped fine
1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 whole cardamom seeds (or use 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup barley

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained

1/8 cup soy sauce

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
6-8 large mushrooms, washed and sliced

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and saute on medium for about 5 minutes. Add the celery, carrots and garlic and saute, stirring, for about 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Add the spices and salt and continue to cook for another minute or two, stirring. Add the barley and cook for another minute or two, still stirring.

Add the chickpeas plus enough water to cover. Cook for about two hours, till the barley and chickpeas are tender but not mushy.

Add the soy sauce and sweet potatoes. Cook for another 1/2 hour.

Add the mushrooms and cook for a 1/2 hour longer. Serve warm.

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Mission Chulent: Week 7

It was a close call. I almost let you down this week. 58 minutes before Shabbos, I had ONE chulent (a.k.a. cholent) bubbling on the stove, and it was one which I blogged about three weeks ago. It was a busy week at work and home, and I just didn't get my act together to buy the ingredients for a new chulent.

Then I thought of you, my loyal followers, and the adrenaline kicked in. I pictured you rushing to my blog right after havdalah, eager to read my latest recipe and start shopping for next week's chulent. I imagined all those disappointed faces, devastated by my betrayal. I just couldn't let you down!

In high gear, I scrambled to think of a recipe that would cook up quickly and would use only ingredients I had in the pantry/fridge. I had come across a very non-traditional chulent recipe from thirschfeld on Food52.com. It had fast-cooking lentils instead of the usual beans, so I knew it had enough time to cook up before sundown. I thought I had most of the ingredients in the house, and with almost an hour till Shabbos, I figured I would throw it together.

I ended up improvising quite a bit. With [tick, tick, tick] 52 minutes left till Shabbos, I couldn't saute or caramelize or do anything at all fancy. To be perfectly frank here, I just threw everything in a pot, put it on a super high flame, and hoped for the best.

And guess what? It was GOOD. Fantastic rich flavors. Wonderful aromas. A real keeper. This one is making it to our favorites list, along with Esther Shemtob's Hamin and - but of course - my mother's meat chulent. The best part of all was that I made it less than an hour before Shabbos. This is a great backup recipe if you're ever running late putting up your chulent.

Indian Style Chulent with Lentils, inspired by thirschfeld's recipe
I made this chulent with chicken, as instructed in the original recipe, and it was FANTASTIC. But I think it would be wonderful with lamb or turkey instead. I'd like to try it vegetarian too. I suspect that the spicing will add enough interest to make up for the lack of meat. I would recommend making this chulent just a few hours before Shabbos. The lentils don't need a long cooking time like other chulent beans do. (You don't have to cut it as close as I did, though. I am still recovering....)


4 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
3 carrots, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 celery stalks, cleaned, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped coarse
2 russet or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 cup brown or black lentils (I used small black Beluga lentils and they really retained their shape)

1 cup brown rice
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin 

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup dry white wine

Put everything into a nice large pot or crock pot, in the order listed. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat, at least 10 hours. Serve hot.

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Chocolate Cupcakes, Improvised

I have to give my kids all the credit for tonight's fantastic creations. They were bored and (just a little) cranky. I had a headache and was in no mood to entertain them. So I set them loose in the kitchen and told them (in these exact words) to "leave me alone, I'm really not in the mood to bake or cook tonight."

About ten minutes into their escapades, they realized that we were out of eggs. (BAD Mommy.) In an effort to salvage the recipe, these ingenious modern-day kids decided to do a Google search for "egg substitute in cake." Voila. Did you know that there are at least a dozen things you can substitute for eggs in a pinch? They debated between applesauce and mayonnaise. My eight-year-old son loved the gross sound of the mayo but, in the end, applesauce prevailed.

They substituted 2 tablespoons of applesauce for the 2 eggs in the original recipe. We held our breath for the entire twenty minutes that they baked. (Just kidding. We didn't.) They came out looking perfect, even more perfect than they do when I make them the 'right' way with real actual eggs.

Next up was the icing. In my words: "No way are you kids making icing at 8:30 at night." So, they improvised yet again and melted some chocolate chips with just a bit of canola oil to make it spread easy. (Sarah's idea.) They collected LITERALLY every topping I had in the cabinet: two varieties of sprinkles, sugar pearls, mini chocolate chips, and flower confetti. Wow. These cupcakes are more beautiful than anything I have ever made (which isn't saying very much, but they really are). And, they taste fantastic.

Chocolate Cupcakes
This recipe makes about 24 cupcakes.

1/2 stick margarine
1/4 cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons applesauce (or 2 eggs, if you prefer)
1 teaspoon coffee, dissolved in a little water
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups water


Preheat the oven to 350*. Combine the margarine, oil, sugar, vanilla, applesauce and coffee in a large mixing bowl. Mix well with a stand- or handheld-mixer for a couple of minutes until well combined. Turn off the mixer, and add the remaining ingredients. Turn it back onto low speed and mix for a couple of minutes longer, till well combined.


Pour the batter into muffin tins lined with cupcake holder. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.


Prepare a simple icing by melting about a cup of chocolate chips in the microwave with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Spread the icing onto the cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles, chips, or whatever your heart desires.

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Mission Chulent: Week 5

This week, the hardest thing about making our chulent-of-the-week was getting the ingredients! This recipe, courtesy of my cousin Ley Taubs from Argentina, uses dried white corn. I'm sure there's lots of it to be had in Argentina, but it's not so simple in New Jersey, especially if you don't know what the ingredient is called in English!  (In case you are wondering, it's maiz blanco pisado in Spanish, which Google translated into "trodden white corn." Hmmm...try asking for trodden white corn at Shop Rite.)

Three supermarkets later, I got the goods. It turns out that Goya makes it and it's pretty easy to find. (They had it at all three supermarkets, but I just didn't know what I was looking for!)

White hominy corn, one of this week's chulent ingredients

Oops, there's a little person asking for Mommy's attention.

A closeup of the dried corn.

Once the main ingredient was secured, this chulent was a cinch. And, next to my mother's meat chulent, this is in next place for our favorite meat chulent! The dried corn is a lot like barley or wheat berries but has a lighter feeling, and a really nice taste.

Argentinian Meat Chulent
The corn and barley absorb quite a bit of water so make sure to put in plenty of water. My cousin Ley puts tomato sauce and honey in her version, but I left that out. Feel free to add those in if you want to experiment!


1/2 bag mixed chulent beans, soaked overnight and drained

2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil

1 onion chopped

1 teaspoon paprika 

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3 Idaho potatoes, cubed
1-2 pounds of flanken, preferably bone-in, cut in chunks

1/2 cup pearl barley

1/2 cup dried white hominy corn
2 teaspoons salt

In a large pot, heat the oil and then add the onions, potatoes, paprika, and garlic powder. Saute for about ten minutes until the vegetables are beginning to brown.

Add the flanken and saute for a few minutes longer.

Add the remaining ingredients plus plenty of water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low. Leave the chulent simmering on low until Shabbos morning, or until you're ready to eat it, at least 24 hours if possible. Ley recommends uncovering the chulent a couple of hours before serving so the extra liquid cooks out and it's nice and dry.

Serve hot.

The chulent ingredients,
ready and waiting

Chopped potatoes and onions

Spiced onions and potatoes,
browning in the pot

Chopped flanken

Dried corn

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