Celebrate Tu B'Shevat with a sweet and nutritious grain salad made from Biblical ingredients like barley, figs, apple and pomegranate seeds. Tu B’Shevat is a minor Jewish festival at the beginning of the Biblical agricultural cycle known as the New Year for trees. In ancient times, worshippers brought fruit offerings to the temple on this ...
Guacamole and a Cooking Demo with Chef Josh Capon
This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Macy’s; as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are entirely my own. Calling all Chicago readers! Join me on January 19 at 12pm for a delicious afternoon at the Macy’s on State Street with Macy’s Culinary Council and Chef Josh Capon. Learn from this master chef as he ...
Mexican Chocolate Pudding
A dairy-free chocolate pudding with warm, earthy spices, like cinnamon and cayenne, for an indulgent holiday dessert that everyone can enjoy! The holidays can be a difficult time for families with food allergies or dietary restrictions. Grandparents may not understand how to feed their newly vegan granddaughter. Aunts and uncles aren't sure ...
Arugula and Fennel Salad in Edible Parmesan Bowls
Today’s post with a tutorial on how to make edible Parmesan bowls is sponsored by Parmigiano Reggiano. I am proud to be a 2017 Parmigiano Reggiano Brand Ambassador. Real Parmigiano Reggiano, imported from Italy, is the only parmesan for me! If you are looking for a special first course this holiday season, look no further than this arugula ...
Purple Passion Hummus
Do not adjust your monitor. You are seeing correctly. That's purple hummus! I make it with a secret ingredient: Stokes Purple sweet potatoes. Before you recoil in horror at the idea of hummus in a never-before-seen shade of purple, let me assure you that this hummus is not so very different from the hummus you know and love. This is not some ...
Brussel Sprouts with Pickled Cranberries and Pecans
A perfect Thanksgiving side dish: roasted Brussel sprouts drizzled with a touch of honey and tossed with pickled cranberries and toasted pecans. After I posted the recipe for pickled cranberries last week, I received a few comments along the lines of: "That's nice, but what am I supposed to do with pickled cranberries?" I mean, I did give ...
Stokes Purple Sweet Potato Souffle
Gorgeous Stokes Purple sweet potatoes bring an earthy warmth to this just-sweet-enough soufflé. A perfect way to end a holiday meal or impress guests at brunch. I don’t think there are enough purple foods. Purple is not only beautiful and vibrant — my favorite color, in fact — but when you see it in a food, it is a sign of heathfulness. A ...
Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Today’s post for classic mashed potatoes enhanced with real Parmesan cheese is sponsored by Parmigiano Reggiano. I am proud to be a 2017 Parmigiano Reggiano Brand Ambassador. Real Parmigiano Reggiano, imported from Italy, is the only parmesan for me! Thanksgiving is not Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes. That's a given. But what kind of ...
Pear Cranberry Relish
Combine fall favorites pear and cranberries with spicy ginger for a sweet-tart relish that will add zing to your Thanksgiving turkey. It is officially November and that means it is time to start planning your Thanksgiving menu. I will be here to help all month long. So, let's dive in! Not much of the Thanksgiving feast can be prepared in ...
Quick Pickled Cranberries
Fall for fresh cranberries this holiday season! This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FallforFresh #CollectiveBias. November is the season for Ocean Spray® Fresh Cranberries in the store, as I did at my local Walmart this week, I always buy at least two bags: one to use ...
No Bake Lentil Energy Bites (Nut and Peanut Free)
No-bake lentil oat energy bites taste like an oatmeal cookie, but are packed with protein, fiber, and vitamins to keep you and your kids going all day! Nut and peanut-free to be allergy-friendly. In case my extra-nutritious banana bread -- high in protein from secret ingredient mashed red lentils -- were not enough to get my teenager to eat ...
Red Lentil Banana Bread
Sweet, moist banana bread with a secret ingredient for added nutrition and protein: mashed red lentils. Four kid taste-testers all loved it! Here is what I have learned recently: Teenagers don't like to eat breakfast. But they do like banana bread. Since she started high school, it has been well near impossible to get Zuzu to eat in the ...
Savory Baked Pumpkin Pastries (Pumpkin Bishak)
Get global inspiration for pumpkin season with these savory baked pumpkin pastries, known as pumpkin bishak -- a specialty of Jews from Central Asia! This fall, I want to introduce you all to some new ways to use pumpkin -- particularly in savory dishes because I think it is easy to use pumpkin in sweets. First, I shared a recipe for ...
Apple Cranberry Cheese Blintzes
For autumn Jewish holidays like Sukkot and Simchat Torah, a festive and seasonal meal of traditional cheese blintzes smothered in sautéed apples and dried cranberries. This week marks the end of the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot and also the holiday of Simchat Torah, a celebration of ending one and beginning another annual cycle of ...
Chershi Kara’a (Libyan Pumpkin Spread)
Shake up your pumpkin with chershi kara'a, a tangy, spicy pumpkin spread that comes from Libyan Jews and is now a favorite among Israelis. So easy to make! After making pumpkin pie last week, I had approximately three cups of pumpkin purée left over. I debated about what to do with it. Pumpkin bread? Pumpkin pancakes? Pumpkin whoopie pies? ...
Couscous with Seven Vegetables
A vegetarian entree for Rosh Hashanah and other fall holidays, Couscous with Seven Vegetables is colorful and healthy way to celebrate the harvest and usher in a new year! Seven is an especially lucky number in many cultures, including Judaism. The world was created in seven days. The seventh day is Shabbat. Together, there are seven ...
Leek Patties for Rosh Hashanah
Leek patties, or keftes de prasa, are a classic Sephardic holiday dish. This vegetarian version is a perfect appetizer for your Rosh Hashanah table. Keftes de prasa, or leek fritters is one of those dishes that is beloved throughout the Sephardic world, especially Turkey, Greece and Romania, but little known in America, where most Jews are ...
Roasted Beets and Carrots with Burrata
A striking fall salad of roasted carrots and beets with creamy burrata and hazelnuts. Perfect for entertaining, a light lunch or as part of your Rosh Hashanah celebration. The combination of roasted beets and burrata has got a hold on me and it won't let go. A few days ago, I posted a recipe for roasted beets, blackberries and burrata over ...
Beets, Burrata & Blackberry Salad for Rosh Hashanah
A beautiful and balanced early fall salad with earthy beets, creamy burrata and tart blackberries over arugula in a honey vinaigrette. Perfect for your Rosh Hashanah table! Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, begins at sundown on September 20. Like many new year celebrations, it is joyous and festive. All over the world, Jews will gather ...
Edamame Succotash
Sweet, crunchy succotash made with late-summer corn and a new twist: edamame instead of lima beans! It's "my supper dish/My succotash wish." Sing it, baby! Summer corn is a short-lived, seasonal treat. So while it lasts, I make the most of it. I never buy fewer than a dozen ears at the farmers market. At $5 a dozen, there is truly no reason ...
Queen’s Jam (Raspberry and Blueberry)
Queen's Jam, a combination of raspberries and blueberries, is a classic Swedish preserve. It is also the perfect way to use the best summer berries. I write a lot about my Jewish heritage and how it influences my cooking. What I perhaps do not mention enough is that I am also part Swedish on my mother's side. My maternal grandmother was the ...
Fattoush Salad with Yogurt-Tahini Dressing
Enjoy this crunchy chopped salad inspired by the Middle Eastern dish fattoush with a creamy yogurt-tahini dressing. This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Organic. As always, all opinions are my own. Everyone knows by now that Middle Eastern food is one of my favorite cuisines. Ever since 2012, when Yotam Ottolenghi's award-winning cookbook ...
Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Mashed Potato-Parsnip Crust
Keeping with our theme of healthy comfort food -- the way we all want to eat in January -- today I present you with a recipe for a meatless, can-be-made-vegetarian-if-you-use-vegetable-broth version of Shepherd's Pie. Shepherd's Pie is a comforting, hearty casserole typically made with seasoned ground lamb and vegetables and topped with a mashed ...
Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Meal planning in January can be struggle between our New Year's resolutions to eat healthier and our desire for comfort foods to warm our souls in the dark of winter. Consider the struggle over. This rich, creamy roasted cauliflower soup will satisfy your cravings for warmth and comfort without causing any guilt because it's nutritious, meatless, ...
Tropical Smoothie Bowl for Breakfast
Today, I am resetting your expectations about what breakfast can be with a quick and easy recipe that is packed with nutrition but tastes like a trip to a tropical island. This tropical smoothie bowl will fit right into your busy morning routine while making you feel full and energized until lunch. What’s a smoothie bowl you say? So glad you ...