Tag: Kosher Dairy

Pistachio, Cherry, and Dark Chocolate Bark

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Chocolate Cherry Pistachio Bark

I love Secret Recipe Club time! Each month I am assigned a blog and I get to pick any recipe I like and post about it on the 5th of the month. It’s been a wonderful way to meet other bloggers and to discover inspiring recipes. This month I was lucky enough to have Sustainable Cooking for One. Stephanie, the author of the blog, works in nutritional research and is passionate about food and sustainability. Besides wonderful recipes, Stephanie also writes thought-provoking posts like Ethical Eating: Raw Milk and Goats, Urban Ag, and Evidence-Based Supplements. And she should know – she has adorable goats! As the title of her blog suggests she focuses on cooking for one and even has a cookbook called One Bowl with even more recipes plus nutritional information and more. Continue reading “Pistachio, Cherry, and Dark Chocolate Bark” →

Spaghetti with Mushroom Cream Sauce and a Pasta Blog Hop

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Spaghetti with Rosemary-Mushroom Cream Sauce

I don’t think that it’s an exaggeration to say that growing up we ate pasta every single night with dinner. In today’s carb conscious, diet crazy world that may elicit gasps, but in my Italian-American family it was just the norm. And while I was a picky eater, I never got sick of pasta. My dad – the cook in our family – mixed up the shapes and sauces, served it with chicken parmesan or steak pizzaiola (ok, we also ate a lot of meat and cheese…) and well into my 20s I could not understand how or why anyone would want to cut pasta from their diet. Today my dinners are a bit more diversified, but pasta remains one of my favorite foods. Continue reading “Spaghetti with Mushroom Cream Sauce and a Pasta Blog Hop” →

Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

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Roasted Broccoli Recipe

Even if you think you don’t like broccoli, bear with me. Roasting this cruciferous vegetable completely transforms it. Although I like broccoli in all forms – raw, steamed, stir fried, you name it – there’s nothing like roasted broccoli. As it crisps and lightly browns it takes on an incredibly satisfying texture and nutty flavor that even broccoli haters have loved. I swear. This is barely a recipe, but it’s so good and I make it so often I finally had to share. It’s an incredibly versatile side that compliments just about every meal from roast chicken to steak, and from black bean burgers to pasta. Plus, it’s gluten free, kosher dairy, and vegetarian. Leave off the parmesan to make it vegan and parve! Trust me, it’s still delicious. What’s your favorite way to enjoy broccoli? Continue reading “Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan” →

Feta and Herb Scramble and a Breakfast Blog Hop

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Feta and Herb ScrambleI don’t post that many breakfast recipes. Many of the ones I have do double duty  as dessert and/or breakfast, like my applesauce cake or banana-walnut bread. Most days, I keep my breakfast simple. A cup of coffee. Oatmeal with brown sugar and dried cherries. Yogurt with date honey and homemade pumpkin granola. I’m not usually hungry right when I wake up, and often don’t eat until it’s nearly lunch time. On weekends there’s nothing like enjoying a luxurious brunch (with eggs Benedict and homemade hollandaise sauce of course), but more often than not something simple and flavorful, like this feta and herb scramble, graces our table. It almost seems silly to post a recipe, but I make it so often – and it’s so delicious – I wanted to share it. Continue reading “Feta and Herb Scramble and a Breakfast Blog Hop” →

Red Beet and Barley Risotto

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Red Beet and Barley Risotto

With Valentine’s Day tomorrow I thought it only appropriate to give you a bright red recipe in honor of the holiday. And, since you’ve probably been inundated with red velvet and chocolate (ahem, like Friday’s Chocolate Covered Strawberries), I figured I should provide a savory, somewhat healthy counterpoint. Beets are nutritional superstars, boasting high levels of folate, maganese, fiber, vitamin C, betaine, and more. And they taste great. Here they add vibrant color and sweet, earthy flavor to barley risotto – a slightly healthier alternative to traditional arborio rice. Although it takes a little longer than steaming, my favorite way to prepare beets is to roast them as I think it brings out the most flavor. I’m sure you can purchase cooked beets to speed up this risotto, but the roasting time is entirely hands off. The barley gives the dish a pleasantly chewy texture, but you could use half or all arborio rice instead. Continue reading “Red Beet and Barley Risotto” →

Chocolate Covered Strawberries and a Valentine’s Day Blog Hop

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Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe

It’s that time of year. If I were in the States right now I’m sure I would be inundated with chocolates packaged in red hearts, balloons shaped like hearts, and stuffed animals holding hearts. I am not against anything that celebrates love, but I do think people get a little carried away on Valentine’s Day. My husband and I have never once celebrated it. Rather than acknowledging our love on a random day that Hallmark has chosen with millions of other couples, we opt to love and appreciate each other every day and have an especially nice meal on our anniversary. In high school and college my girlfriends and I (even when we had boyfriends) would go out for a nice Valentine’s Day dinner. Now that’s my idea of V-Day. Continue reading “Chocolate Covered Strawberries and a Valentine’s Day Blog Hop” →

How to Make Hollandaise Sauce

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Hollandaise Sauce

I love any excuse for brunch. It makes me think of sunny days, meeting up with friends, and unlimited mimosas. On these special occasions I often splurge for Eggs Benedict or Florentine – who can resist a fluffy English muffin topped with Canadian bacon or spinach, a poached egg, and plenty of creamy Hollandaise sauce? But with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, there’s something even more romantic about preparing a lazy brunch at home for your loved one(s). And, despite its reputation Hollandaise sauce is easily prepared – it just takes some care and finesse. Continue reading “How to Make Hollandaise Sauce” →

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

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chocolate peanut butter cookies recipe

After a month-long hiatus, I’m happy to report that the Secret Recipe Club is back up and running! I have to say, I missed it! If you have no idea what I’m talking about here’s the short version: the Secret Recipe Club is a wonderful group of bloggers organized by Amanda of Amanda’s Cookin’. Each month we are assigned another blog and get to choose any recipe, prepare it (with any adaptations we like), and blog about it on the big reveal day. In case you haven’t guessed, today is the reveal day. This month I was excited to be assigned to Everyday Mom. Kim, the lovely lady behind the blog, is a mother of three who is always whipping up amazing concoctions in her kitchen. I love that she gets the kids involved, like in this recent post. (On a semi-related note did you see the article in the NY Times last week about the mom who has her teenage sons cook dinner for the family twice a week? Love it.) Continue reading “Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies” →

Fruit, Nut, and Goat Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

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Pear, Date, Pomegranate, and Goat Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette It’s been cold and rainy all week. In New York I knew how to deal with the rain, had no choice. But there I had proper rain boots, an underground train system to transport me through the dry belly of the city, more than one umbrella. Here, in Be’er Sheva, my wardrobe is now suited to the desert I live in. When it rains it takes all my energy to get out of pajamas, let alone leave the house. But therein lies the beauty of working from home – I don’t have to! And on days – more like weeks – like this, I crave warm, comforting dishes that I can curl up in. Yes, I literally mean curl up in. The other night, freezing in my poorly insulated apartment, I told my husband I wanted to make a stew just to bathe in it. I was only half kidding. Continue reading “Fruit, Nut, and Goat Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette” →

Mediterranean Pasta with Pine Nuts and Feta

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Mediterranean Pasta-5

My feta obsession continues with this recipe for flavorful Mediterranean pasta with pine nuts and feta. It’s another quick and easy meal that comes together in about the time it takes to cook the pasta. And, because it has cheese, vegetables, nuts, and carbs it’s a filling main dish (although a side salad never hurt anyone). I was originally inspired by this recipe from the March, 2011 issue of Cooking Light Magazine. The ingredients are basically the same, but the quantities are all different and I omitted basil while adding lemon juice and balsamic for a bit of acidity. I also used fresh red peppers instead of roasted, and I enjoyed the bite that it gave to the dish. Finally, instead of toasting the pine nuts separately, I just added them in with the onions and peppers, which allowed them to get a nice golden brown. Continue reading “Mediterranean Pasta with Pine Nuts and Feta” →