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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Sweet Cooked Latkes (a.k.a. Chremslach)

If there is one food that is off limits in our home during the week, it's Latkes (Jewish potato pancakes). Don't get me wrong, I like them just as much as the next person, but they're just completely out of the question for an ordinary weeknight.   

The potatoes have to be grated fresh. Whether I grate them by hand or use the food processor, I get exhausted just thinking about doing that after a day of work. 

They have to be fried fresh, on the spot, immediately before eating. (At least in my opinion. Otherwise I just don't think they're worth the effort or calories.)

But these Latkes (known in some families as Chremslach) are different. They require no grating or washing of the food processor. You can make the batter ahead of time (!). You can even fry them in advance and serve them rewarmed or cold. They make for a special treat for my kids, and are manageable even on a non-Chanukah weeknight.

Sweet Cooked Latkes

These are very different than typical latkes, which are made with raw grated potatoes and onions. They are sweet and mild, but very delicious. And manageable on a weeknight because so much of the work can be done ahead of time!

3 large Idaho potatoes

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

about 1/2 cup canola oil, for frying

Peel the potatoes, cut them in chunks and put them in a saucepan covered with water. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1/2 hour, till they are nice and soft. You want them to mash easily. 

Drain the potatoes and mash them well. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. (This part can be done up to a day ahead of time. Just refrigerate the batter till you're ready to use it. Bring to room temperature, if possible, before proceeding.)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil's good and hot, spoon the potato batter in to form about eight roundish pancakes. Each one should be about an inch thick. 

Cook the pancakes for about 10 minutes on the first side. When you spot some nice brown crispiness underneath, it's time to flip them. (This part's easy - they are not at all runny and should flip nicely!) Flip them and then let them cook on the second side for another five minutes or so, till nicely browned. 

Serve immediately, or put aside for later. If you're going to serve them later, you can eat them cold, at room temperature, or rewarmed in the oven. 

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Homemade Pizza

You know you've been reading way too many fancy French cookbooks when you start splitting your garlic cloves in half to remove the germ. I mean, who does that in real life?

Apparently Dorie Greenspan does. Almost every recipe in Around my French Table, one of my favorite new cookbooks, states that you should.

So I have been, recently, and I am not quite sure how to confirm that it's worthwhile. Does my food taste good? Well, yeah, but I thought it was just fine before I started picking apart garlic cloves and obsessing over the bits of green in the center.

Anyway, this pizza was a winner. So maybe picking out the garlic germ is a good thing. I'll never know for sure if it's worth the effort, but please feel free not to do it yourself when you try this recipe. You have my permission. (Thanks, Annie's Eats for the great pizza recipe. I made some changes but based it on your original. Thanks!)

Thin Crust Cheese Pizza (adapted from Annie's Eats)

Makes 2 pies; 1 hour prep plus lots of waiting 

CRUST

2 cups white flour 

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/3 cups ice water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ teaspoon salt

SAUCE
1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, thoroughly drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, split in half, germ removed, and then minced
1 teaspoon salt
some fresh basil
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

TOPPING 

Olive oil, for brushing
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella
canned mushrooms, sauteed onions, olives, or any other favorite pizza veggies 

First, make the dough. Combine the flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse to combine and then, with the machine running, add the water. Process just till combined and then add the oil and salt. Process until it forms a smooth ball, about a minute. Remove the dough from the bowl and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.

Now, make the sauce. Simply combine all of the ingredients in a food processor (no need to even wash it from the dough prep! Yay.). Blend until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and cook on medium-low heat for about 1/2 hour, to reduce and thicken. Refrigerate until ready to use.

One hour before baking the pizza, remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature on the counter.

About 15 minutes before baking time, adjust an oven rack to the second highest position and place a baking stone on the rack to preheat. Preheat the oven to 500*. 

Assemble the pizza. Divide the dough in half. Transfer one of the balls of dough to a VERY well floured work surface. Flatten into an 8-inch disk, leaving a slightly thicker edge around the rim. Gently stretch the dough to a 12-inch circle. Lightly brush the thicker edge of the disk with olive oil. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the crust and then spread ½ cup of the pizza sauce over it. Sprinkle evenly with the shredded mozzarella and any desired toppings. 

Carefully transfer the pizza to the preheated baking stone. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned, 12-14 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Linking this up to My Meatless Mondays. 

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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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Garlicky Vegetarian Stew

This is embarrassing. In telling you how this stew came to be, I'm going to have to admit that I ran out of onions. What self respecting housewife runs out of onions? At the beginning of the week?

Well, I did. I could pretend that I intentionally came up with an onion-less stew recipe. That I thought it would be an interesting challenge to prepare a stew without onions. But the truth is that I simply ran out of this very basic staple. And since onions forms the basis of almost every cooked item I prepare, I had to think outside of the mesh bag box. So I thought garlic. Lots and lots of garlic.

Since I buy garlic in bulk at Costco, there's (almost) never a shortage of it in my home. I peeled and peeled and then chopped and chopped. And guess what? It worked! Fifteen cloves later, this stew was amazingly rich and flavored. I recommend it even if you have a bag full of onions at hand (as every housewife should).

Indian Inspired Vegetable Stew
This was perfect served with plain Greek yogurt and tortilla chips. But then I'm always looking for any excuse to eat yogurt and tortilla chips at meals. It feels sinful. 

2 tablespoons olive oil
10-15 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/8 teaspoon black or aleppo pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
an entire head of celery, chopped coarsely
6 carrots, peeled and chopped coarsely
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks (I like them nice and large)
1/2 cup barley
2 cans chickpeas, or 1/2 bag dried chickpeas soaked overnight

Heat the oil in a large pot (I used my Le Creuset stock pot) over medium-low heat. Add the chopped garlic and mustard and cumin seeds. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until your kitchen is smelling lovely and the seeds are beginning to pop.

Add the remaining spices and the salt and cook for another minute, stirring, to incorporate all those lovely seasonings.

Add the vegetables, barley, chickpeas and enough water to cover. If you're using canned beans, cook for about 2 hours. Dried beans may need longer to really soften up (I cooked mine gently for close to four hours).

Serve as a main dish with some plain yogurt and tortilla chips.  Oh, did I mention that it freezes really well? Freeze anything you have left for another time. It's great a as a side dish next to meat or fish.

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Hummus, plus 3 tips for getting kids to eat healthy

If you're a mother to picky eaters, you develop your own set of rules about healthy eating. White potatoes don't count as a vegetable; sweet potatoes do. Pickles are junk food but olives are healthy. Canned vegetables are off limits, unless, of course the vegetable drawer is bare because Mommy didn't have time to shop, in which case they are a-okay. Celery and baby carrots, regardless of what they are dipped in (don't ask) are great. And, even if you smother it in parmesan cheese and alphabet noodles, vegetable soup is still a super food.

Here are three strategies I've developed for getting my kids to eat healthy. What are yours? Please share them in the comments section below!

1. Hummus. See recipe below. My kids love vegetables cut up pretty dipped in hummus. 
2. Soups. My kids will eat pretty much any vegetable if it's pureed in a soup. My current favorites: Parsnip Soup, Roast Vegetable Soup, and Butternut Squash Soup.  
3. Get 'em while they're hungry. When my kids get home from school, they'll eat just about anything. If I welcome them home with a platter of cut up fruit, they'll devour it in minutes. It's an amazing thing that warms any mommy's heart. 

Hummus from scratch
I prefer to make my own tahini rather than buying the store bought paste. I hate how the store bought stuff settles and needs to be remixed. The homemade tahini is  just SO much fresher, and really no extra effort once you're pulling out (and washing) the food processor anyway. This recipe calls for 1 cup of sesame seeds even though you only need about half that amount. Less than a cup just doesn't puree well in my food processor. So I make a cup and put away half for another use.  It lasts for about a week in the fridge. 

1 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup olive or canola oil
3 cans chickpeas, drained, but reserve 1 cup of the liquid
1/2 teaspoon salt
Aleppo pepper or cayenne pepper
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Combine the sesame seeds and olive oil in the food processor. Process for a good 5 minutes, scraping down the sides from time to time, until all the seeds are smooth.

Remove about half the tahini paste from the machine and put it away for another use. (I just add lemon juice, a bit of water, and spices for a wonderful homemade tahini that's great on salads.) Add the chickpeas, salt, pepper, lemon juice and cumin to the food processor. Add the reserved chickpea liquid a bit of a time, till the hummus reaches the desired consistency.

Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Linking this post up to Weekend Bloggy Reading, KOAB Recipe Exchange and Ultimate Recipe Swap 

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Green Salad with Roasted Vegetables

It's happened at last. The winter has gotten to me. 

I'm tired of snow. I'm tired of cold. I'm tired of my warm winter clothes and the ugly landscape out the window.

I want summer tomatoes. Basil and thyme. Strawberries and blueberries. Lemon balm. Local parsley and cucumbers. I want my herb garden!!!

This salad makes the most of winter produce. Roasting the vegetables brings out their sweetness. The balsamic vinegar and olives give it a pungency, a welcome saltiness. If I can't have summer back, this is a pretty good way to make the most of the winter. Pretty, pretty good.

(Linking this up to Pennywise Platter Thursday and Real Food Wednesday.)

Green Salad with Roasted Vegetables
I really prefer this recipe with baby spinach instead of Romaine, but it works well with Romaine or any dark lettuce. This recipe feeds one as a main dish for lunch, or 2-4 people as a side dish. (Me, I eat the entire salad and will not share.) 

2 parsnips
1 carrot
1 onion
2 tablespoons olive oil

6 baby peppers left whole, or 1 bell pepper sliced in thick wedges

salt and pepper to taste
a handful of green or black olives

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 cups baby spinach, Romaine, or other dark lettuce, cleaned and chopped coarse

Preheat the oven to 425*. Peel the parsnips, carrot, and onion. Cut them in even slices, about 1/8 inch thick.

Pour the olive oil onto a large aluminum baking sheet. Add the sliced vegetables plus the peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix well. 

Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, stirring a few times to be sure the vegetables brown evenly. When they look ready, turn off the oven and let them rest in the oven for a few minutes to be sure they are fully roasted. (Sample one if you like, just to be sure.) 

Add the olives to the vegetables and then toss it with vinegar. (At this point, the salad can sit for a few hours at room temperature.) 

Right before serving, add the greens and toss once again. 

Linking this up to KOAB Recipe Exchange!

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Creamy Parsnip Soup

Today, I'm delighted to be a guest on Cooking Manager. 

I pride myself on my healthy eating habits. I eat loads of fresh seasonal produce, and build almost every meal around vegetables. I’m a good role model for my kids, setting an example of balanced and nutritious eating. I serve a wide range of vegetables and prepare them so many different ways. My kids see me and husband eating healthy at almost every meal.

As luck would have it, I have a houseful of picky eaters. Between the four of them, my children eat only four vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, string beans, and baby carrots. (I refuse to count potatoes, olives or pickles as vegetables.) They will not eat mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower or broccoli. They balk at peppers no matter what color. Eggplant is completely off limits, and I won’t even tell you what happened when I tried convincing my son to try Swiss Chard. Suffice it to say that we had quite a cleanup afterwards.

But I’ve discovered that they will eat a really wide range of vegetables if I cook them up in soup! Now that winter is upon us, I make an effort to make one or two pots of soup over the weekend. If I make a double recipe, each pot lasts two or three nights, and most soups taste better when rewarmed. Here’s one of my recent favorites. It’s simple and a real hit with kids and adults alike. The kids love it because it’s so sweet, and, the best part is, the sweetness is 100% natural! A mother’s dream!

Please visit Cooking Manager to read the recipe! 

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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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