Mushroom & Leek Risotto

I am in love with this new recipe I made on Friday night by combining and adapting two different recipes. It's terrific! So filling, too.

Six things that surprised me about this risotto:

1) It tastes like it was made with chicken stock, even though it's totally vegetarian
2) It tastes like it's made with heavy cream, even though there's no milk in it at all (the only dairy is cheese, and that's optional). It really tastes like there's massive amounts of milk and cheese, but there's not.
3) It is really good cold! I ate it for breakfast this morning and it was wonderful.
4) I realized while cooking and eating it that it could easily be made without the cheese and would be almost as good, so with a few changes (noted in the ingredient list) it could be a great dish for vegans, dairy-allergic folks and anyone who needs a pareve dish.
5) It doesn't need to be a side dish - It makes a great main dish, too! We had it as the main part of our meal.
6) Making the rice itself was quick. It took no more than 20 or 25 minutes. I had imagined it would take forever, but it didn't.

Some tips: I call for you to saute the mushrooms and leeks in a separate pan but if you want you can saute them in the pot you'll be making the risotto in, and just remove them and set them aside in a bowl while you saute the onion and make the rice. This will save you a dirty pot, but it'll create a dirty bowl... Your choice!

Use the most flavorful vegetable stock you can get your hands on. I used Imagine Foods Vegetable Cooking Stock because it's richer than the regular boxed vegetable stock. You could also use homemade vegetable stock (if you don't have your own recipe, try my VictoriousVegetable Stock). For white wine, I used Kedem White Cooking Wine since it's so much cheaper than buying a bottle of real white wine. But skip that shaker of dried-up parmesan cheese! Stick to the real shredded stuff, or just do without.


MUSHROOM & LEEK RISOTTO

[Gluten-Free / Vegetarian / Vegan & Dairy-Free Option ]

4 Tbsp butter or dairy-free margarine
1 large or 2 small leeks, sliced (only white & light green sections)
1 lbs crimini ("baby bella") mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, diced finely
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups rich vegetable stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup water
Optional: 1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan (plus additional to garnish)

In a saute pan, melt butter (or margarine if you want it to be dairy-free) over medium heat. Add leeks, and saute until they begin to become tender. Add mushrooms. Continue to sautee until both mushrooms and leeks are tender and leeks begin to brown just slightly. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small pot or saucepan, combine vegetable stock, water and white wine and cook until they simmer. Cover and keep over low heat so the mixture stays hot.

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft. Add salt and fresh ground black pepper. Stir in the arborio rice and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to make sure the rice becomes coated in the oil. Stir in the rice and cook 1 minute, coating rice with the oil.

Add one cup of the hot stock-wine-water mixture and allow to simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed (there will still be some visible but when you stir it you should see that it's very thick and most has been absorbed by the rice). Stir very frequently to avoid sticking.

Add the rest of the liquid, a cup at a time, waiting each time until the liquid is absorbed by the rice.

Taste regularly to gauge doneness, as the risotto should have a creamy consistency but each grain of rice should remain a bit chewy at the center. The rice grains should not themselves be mushy. If the last of the liquid's been absorbed and the rice is still undercooked you may add additional hot water, stock or wine. Stir in the cheese and the mushroom-leek mixture, and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with additional shredded cheese if desired.

Un-Cooking: Strawberry-Pear Salad with Goat Cheese

I just posted one of my partner Rochel's recipes and I thought I'd share another. I feel silly posting this as a recipe because it is is less of a recipe than a list of ingredients, but it's so addictively tasty that I wanted to share it with you all. We make this with inexpensive kosher goat cheese we buy a huge log of for around $4 at Costco.

STRAWBERRY-PEAR SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

[ Gluten-Free / Vegetarian / Soy-Free ]

Romaine lettuce, chopped or Boston lettuce, torn
Ripe pear, sliced
Strawberries, sliced
Goat cheese
Balsamic vinaigrette (balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, black pepper, a little dijon mustard and some raspberry jam or pomegranate juice to sweeten it a bit)
Optional: Pecans

On each plate put a generous amount of romaine lettuce, then arrange strawberries, pear slices and slices of goat cheese in an attractive way. Sprinkle with pecans (optional) and drizzle with dressing right before serving.

Un-Cooking: Rochel's Purple & Orange Cabbage Salad

On this blog's Facebook fan page I mentioned that I was writing a blog post about a dish that's purple and orange, and I gave people a chance to guess. Mary Frances got it right on the first try, but I loved some of the other ideas - My mom picked "sweet potatoes and eggplant" and another fan picked "blueberry, orange and almond pie," both of which sound quite delicious.

But Mary Frances was right because she knew that since it's almost summer, I must be blogging a cabbage salad... yet again! Summer also means that it's time for more "un-cooking" - Recipes that can be made during hot weather without making your kitchen any hotter than it already is. I've posted before (a million times) about the cabbage salads that we live on all summer long, which are wonderful and crisp when freshly made but just get better and better the longer they sit in the refrigerator absorbing their dressing. The difference with this salad is how beautiful it is to look at - Bright orange and deep purple (my dad's favorite color combination). It brings a splash of color to an otherwise neutral-looking plate. In this case dinner was bean tacos and plantains. I hope the colors will appeal to some of my readers' vegetable-hesitant children.

But this is not my recipe, folks! Nope, I had no part in it. This is the foodblog debut of my wonderful partner Rochel's mad cooking (or in this case un-cooking) skillz. That's her picture over on the right hand side of this post. I made the tacos and fried the plantains, but Rochel insisted on making the cabbage salad herself so this recipe is 100% hers. The only change I made is to mention some optional alterations to the recipe. The spices don't have measurements because you'll need to spice this to suit your own tastes and your family's. Just be sure to make the cumin flavor strong... and don't skimp on the salt, either.

Rochel, you officially win the Prettiest Cabbage Salad Award for 2009. Your reward is flatulence my appreciation for how much of the cooking you've been taking on lately, plus some extra effort on my part to stop being such a kitchen dominatrix. Thanks for gently pushing me to learn how to let someone else into "my" kitchen.

For more easy "un-cooking" recipes for hot weather click here.



ROCHEL'S PURPLE & ORANGE
CABBAGE SALAD

[ Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Pareve / Vegan / Soy-Free ]

1/2 of a large head of purple cabbage
1 orange bell pepper
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 to 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Juice of 4 limes
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cumin
Optional: Canned mandarin orange segments or chopped pieces of fresh orange
Optional: Small amount of agave nectar, honey or other sweetener

With a sharp knife, cut 1/2 a purple cabbage into several wedges, then slice thinly across the wedges width-wise. Alternately, if you have a food processor, you can use its shredder function to shred the cabbage. Remove stem and seeds from the orange bell pepper and cut into long, thin slices. Combine cabbage, carrots, pepper and cilantro into a large bowl. Combine spices, lime juice and olive oil in a small bowl and then pour over the salad. Stir gently, making sure all of the vegetables are coated in the dressing.

Serve at room temperature. Stores well in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and increases in flavor over time. Can be refrigerated for up to a week.

This recipe has been posted as part of Weekend Herb Blogging, a weekly blog event hosted this week by Eat This.

Moroccan Cauliflower Recipe + A "Specific Carbohydrate Diet" Cookbook Review

[Photo: My New Year's Eve Dinner Table]

We decided to spend a relaxed New Year's Eve at home, with a movie, a bottle of wine, and a home-cooked Moroccan feast for two. What better opportunity to crack open some cookbooks I haven't yet used? Seeing as my partner has re-started the South Beach Diet and I'm doing my own low-glycemic food thang, the first book I went to was Eat Well Feel Well by Kendall Conrad. This is a book of recipes that comply with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

One of the perks of being a food blogger is having publishers send you new cookbooks to look at. Unfortunately I am way behind on cookbook reviews, so many months after receiving this book from Clarkson Potter Publishers, I'm finally getting around to using it, perusing it, and sharing my feedback here. I was won over by the beautiful color photographs in the center of the book. I must admit I have a serious aversion to cookbooks that don't have full-color photos, so the photo section of this book was a real plus. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is used to treat sensitive tummies as well as guts that have been damaged by Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulities, etc. Celiacs and gluten intolerant folks who eat a strictly gluten-free diet usually find that their guts eventually heal and are generally able to tolerate any non-gluten foods after the healing period is over. However, many of us have multiple food allergies or other digestive disorders. Others find that they continue to be sensitive to a variety of foods and have trouble with digestion long after they are gluten-free, due to damage to their digestive tract. A small number of people find that they simply cannot digest grains at all, and that non-gluten grains make them almost as ill as gluten-containing grains. This cookbook is based on the diet described in the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Healing Through Diet by Elaine Gottschall, which is the bible of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). The diet eliminates "virtually all starch and complex sugars" and features a balance of "smart carbohydrates, good proteins and fats, and essential vitamins and minerals." It is grain-free. No unfermented / un-aged dairy products are allowed so the diet is lighter on dairy than most. This way of eating has helped many people recover from life-threatening digestive disorders.

The difficulty of digesting grains has been explored in other books over the years, such as Against the Grain by Melissa Smith. I don't personally feel a need to eat this way, but many if not most of these recipes are also low-glycemic and low-carbohydrate and therefore fit well into my household's meal plans. Best of all they don't reflect deprivation, but rather an enjoyment of the plentiful healthy gut-friendly foods available at the farmer's market or grocery store. There are grain-free recipes for everything from grain-free Cashew Butter Tortillas to Peach Pocket Pies, and from Shepherd's Pie with Mashed Cauliflower to Tom Yum Kai with Coconut Milk & Lemongrass Infusion.

Tonight I tried my first recipe from the book, which was Moroccan Cauliflower. While it was the photo that first caught my eye, I was also intrigued by the unusual (or at least new to me) method used for cooking cauliflower. Although my favorite method for cooking cauliflower is roasting it, I think this will be my new cauliflower technique for when times is short or I'm trying to reduce the fat in a dish. By steaming the entire head of cauliflower without cutting it first, it avoids all the wasted little cauliflower bits that litter the cutting board when you try to cut a raw cauliflower into florets, because it's far easier and neater to slice a whole head of cauliflower when it's cooked. The presentation of this dish is lovely, and it might even convince one of those notorious cauliflower haters to reconsider.

Here is my adaptation of the recipe from Eat Well Feel Well. I hope you enjoy it, and have a fabulous, healthy and safe New Year!


MOROCCAN CAULIFLOWER
Adapted from Eat Well Feel Well by Kendall Conrad.

[ Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Pareve / Vegan / Soy-Free ]

1 medium head cauliflower
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed (use frozen garlic if raw garlic is too sharp for you)
1 tsp fine sea salt or table salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Trim the stalk of the cauliflower to the base, removing all leaves except the smaller green leaves closest to the head. Fill a pot with half an inch of water, place whole head of cauliflower in it (stem side down), and cover with a lid. Simmer on medium heat for 10-20 minutes (will vary depending on size of head, I had to simmer a medium head for about 15) until the desired tenderness. Remove from pot immediately, transferring to a cutting board or serving platter.

While cooking the cauliflower, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Lightly toast the ginger, paprika, cumin and cinnamon over medium-low heat in a small pan for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat and whisk into the liquid mixture, combining thoroughly.

Cut the cauliflower in 1/2-inch thick slices, transfer to a serving platter and drizzle all of the spiced oil over the slices. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve hot or warm.

OTHER CAULIFLOWER RECIPES:

• Lemon-Roasted Cauliflower with Dill

• Herbed Cauliflower & Green Bean Salad

• Aloo Gobi Matter (Indian Potato, Cauliflower & Pea Curry)

NOTE: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you click through the link and purchase something from the site I will receive a small commission that helps me pay for the costs incurred from running this website.

Cabbage Salad with Lime and Fresh Oregano, and a side of Big News!

Our new apartment is coming together slowly but surely. Merging two people and all their respective stuff into one apartment and a shared life is quite a project. I am loving living in a spacious apartment with hardwood floors and walls painted lovely colors. I am also really digging the endless cabinet and counter space in our new kitchen (still unpainted and far from ready for a photo op!) New Jersey life is treating me pretty well, considering how ill-suited I am to suburbia.

I have a piece of news that I am sharing with some butterflies in my stomach:

I got accepted to the school I applied to, to become a Nutrition & Food Science major with a concentration in Dietetics! It's an ADA-approved program to set me on track to becoming, G-d willing, a Registered Dietitian. I am pretty darn scared but also very excited. Gonna be a full-time student for the first time in many years. It'll be an intense few years 'til I finish my degree, let me tell you. Anatomy & physiology, organic chemistry and microbiology, oh my.

It was 96 degrees today and our air conditioner is/was broken. It's been repaired but is taking a long time to get our second-floor-and-right-above-a-pizza-place apartment back to a bearable temperature. So I decided to do minimal cooking.

It's hot, my back hurts, and my partner is on the South Beach Diet. So this is tonight's menu for a laid-back shabbos (sabbath) for just the two of us:

• Ground turkey tacos on corn tortillas, with black beans, homemade salsa fresca, fresh guacamole and dairy-free/pareve sour cream (Tofutti, since there's no time to make it from scratch).
• A delicious looking Rioja wine from the fantastic kosher wine section at the ShopRite liquor store in Englewood.
• Cabbage salad made from the hugest cabbage I've ever seen.
• Sugar-free ice pops.
  

Nothing fancy. For tomorrow's lunch we'll have salad with quinoa topped with roasted beets and carrots, and some feta cheese.

Here's a recipe for the cabbage salad I made. It's a quick, light, no-cooking recipe with lots of flavor. A great crunchy topping for tacos or a side dish for any meal, especially a spicy summer meal. It's not so different from the curtido de repollo I posted as a topping for homemade pupusas, but I made some alterations that give it its own crunchy identity. Like most cabbage salads, it should get tastier by the day so I made enough that my partner will be able to take some with her to work on Monday for lunch.



The picture above is of the cabbage I used, which is the biggest cabbage I've ever seen. I picked up for $1.50 at the Englewood Farmer's Market today from a local farmer. Good grief, this thing is huge! I don't know if the picture really conveys its hugeness, but I took this pic to show how half the cabbage filled up the biggest, gigantic-est tupperware we have. It was about twice the size of my head, and will easily feed us for two weeks. To be realistic, I've called for one medium cabbage in this recipe, even though in my case it was really 1/2 a mutant cabbage.



Enjoy! Gut shabbos.

CABBAGE SALAD WITH LIME AND FRESH OREGANO

[Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Pareve / Vegan / Soy-Free ]

1 medium cabbage, shredded or chopped into small pieces
3-4 carrots, shredded
2-3 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 limes, juiced
2 tsp agave nectar or honey

Mix all liquid ingredients and spices (except fresh oregano) in a small container. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, and oregano. Drizzle the liquid/spice combination on top of the vegetables, mixing frequently. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving cold or at room temperature.

Herbed Cauliflower & Green Bean Salad A/K/A German Potato Salad Without the Potatoes

I've been having quite a hankering for German potato salad - Specifically, my "famous" Herbed New Potato Salad with Green Beans. Unfortunately, potatoes are super high-glycemic and are not considered "good" carbohydrates, and thus are verboten on the South Beach Diet, any low-carbohydrate diet, and the Glycemic Index / low-gylcemic approach to eating. What's a serious potato lover to do? Cauliflower!

I love cauliflower. I always have. Since eating a lower-glycemic diet I've been cooking my Lemon-Roasted Cauliflower with Dill and other roasted cauliflower recipes quite a bit. Another favorite cauliflower dish is my Aloo Gobi Mattar (Indian Potato, Cauliflower & Pea Curry) which I will also try making without potatoes one of these days.

Simply by replacing new potatoes with small florets of cauliflower boiled until tender, I was able to re-make this recipe into something healthier, more nutrient-dense and dramatically lower carbohydrate, without compromising the taste. I loved this salad, and it was even better a day and two days later when the cauliflower and beans had absorbed more of the marinade overnight.

I make a lot of salads and vegetable dishes that can be eaten cold on Shabbos since I don't cook on the sabbath. So I made this Friday to eat with my dinner, but also ate it for part of my lunch on Saturday. Heck, I even ate it for breakfast!

HERBED CAULIFLOWER & GREEN BEAN SALAD

[ Vegan / Dairy-Free / Pareve / Soy-Free / Gluten-Free ]

2 large heads of cauliflower
2 1/2 cups green beans, cut in thirds
2 Tbsp salt
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
3 Tbsp minced fresh dill
3 Tbsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 tsp agave nectar, sugar or equivalent non-sugar sweetener
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Optional: Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley to taste

Combine all ingredients except cauliflower and beans in a large bowl. Wash cauliflower well and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Cover with water by several inches in a large pot, and add 2 Tbsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the cauliflower are tender without being mushy. Do not turn heat off, but transfer cauliflower into a colander immediately, and rinse with cold water several times. Allow to cool just until they are warm but can be comfortably handled.

Turn the heat up under the pot of water and add green beans. Cook uncovered for just a few minutes, until green beans are tender but still crisp and bright. Remove from water and drain. If you want to retain the brightness of their color, submerge them immediately in ice-water until cooled.

Add beans and cauliflower to the large bowl that contains dressing. Toss very gently to combine, stirring from the bottom to coat cauliflower and beans with the dressing. Allow to sit for 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional chopped herbs if desired. Serve while still warm, or at room temperature.

This recipe is part of the Weekend Herb Blogging event, hosted this week by Swirling Notions.

Sesame Edamame Salad

I have been eating a lot of edamame. I don't normally eat a lot of soy, but edmame (steamed or boiled soy beans) are a favorite snack on the South Beach Diet (especially during Phase 1) because they contains fiber and protein and are easy to travel with. I was a little tired of eating edamame plain so I decided to turn these humble little beans into a simple side dish with more complex flavors. What I ended up with was a dish that would be a wonderful compliment to a chicken or tofu stirfry, miso-ginger grilled fish, or sashimi and brown rice, as well as other dishes that reflect the use of Chinese or Japanese seasonings. It can also be used as a condiment of sorts, to sprinkle over the top of fish or meat. This flavorful vegan salad is high in protein and fiber, and contains no added sugars. It is suitable as an appetizer as well as a side dish. I'm a big fan of the flavors and textures of this dish and I guess my mother is, too, because I had to keep swatting her hand away from the bowl. I can tell I will be making it again and again. I thought it would last me at least two meals, but I wolfed the whole bowl down. This recipe is easy to double if you're cooking for more than one or two people.

Notes on ingredients: By the by, my partner discovered pre-shelled frozen edamame at her grocery store. It's made by Dr Praeger's, of all companies! (They are a favorite for kosher gluten-free goodies such as fish sticks and potato pancakes) I have been unable to find them anywhere else, and they're not yet listed on their website, but check your health food store or kosher grocery for them. Next time I'll use these, as they'll spare me 10 minutes of squishing the beans out of their pods. As far as rice vinegar is concerned, the brand I prefer for this dish is Eden Foods Organic Brown Rice Vinegar.


SESAME EDAMAME SALAD

[ Vegan / Dairy-Free / Pareve / Gluten-Free ]

1/2 cup shelled edamame
2 tsp gluten-free soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp unsweetened brown rice vinegar or white rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame seeds

If the edamame you use are frozen, defrost them. Mix in a small bowl with soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar. Adjust sesame oil to taste. For stronger flavor, marinate overnight. In a pan over low heat, toast the sesame seeds just until they start to turn golden. Immediately turn off heat, and remove directly from pan to the top of the edamame. Stir slightly and serve.

Spicy Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens: A Gluten-Free Vegan South Beach Recipe

Changes are afoot around these parts. As anti-diet as I am on principle, I have chosen to embark on a new project - Kicking my major addiction to sugar and high-glycemic carbs. I've chosen to use the South Beach Diet as the framework for doing this. The general idea is that you start with a two week period (Phase 1) without grains, fruit, potatoes, sugar and other high-glycemic and high-carbohydrate foods in order to rebalance the blood sugar and get the body stopping craving high-sugar foods. This phase includes eating 3 meals and 3 snacks a day, with lots of vegetables and beans and lean protein and nuts and good fats. This is followed by Phases 2 and 3 which more or less involve gradually reintroducing whole grains and fruit (and, optionally, occasional small amounts of sugar) into the diet a little at a time until you reach an equilibrium that works for your body - In other words, until you find a way of eating where you're incorporating good carbohydrates into your diet while losing weight and fending off the sugar/bad carb cravings. It's neither low-fat nor low-carbohydrate, yet somehow it has worked for nearly everyone I know who's tried it. So when I made a commitment to losing weight and eating healthier for 2008 (a renewal of my Rosh Hashanah resolution - a second start is the advantage to having two New Years!) I realized this was worth exploring. I want to lose weight, but more than that I want my blood sugar levels to be stable, I want to keep myself from becoming insulin resistant since it runs in my family, and I want to stop craving foods that are addictive to my mind and body and bad for my health.

I have always struggled with inability to eat certain foods in moderation - Foods with refined sugar, potatoes, or "white" flours. As a gluten-free eater, "white flour" has taken on a new meaning - I now use that term to mean all the flours that are high-glycemic and/or not made of whole grains, such as tapioca flour, corn starch / flour, white rice flour, and potato starch. I will hopefully be able to find some kind of moderation with these types of ingredients in the future, but I have to start out by eliminating them.

I haven't been blogging much because in the past months I have been eating more healthfully and, frankly, I haven't thought that anyone would be interested in reading recipes that aren't gluten-free revisions of traditional gluten-y baked goods and other starchy favorites. The recipes people view on my blog most frequently are my breads and my cakes. The majority of the gluten-free cooks who e-mail me aren't interested in learning how to eat healthier now that they're gluten-free - They want to eat the same way they always did (what is called the "Standard American Diet" [SAD]). They want gluten-free versions of processed, refined, starchy, sugary comfort foods. So for a while I considered calling it a day. But I know that even if my posts on delicious and healthy recipes such as my Quinoa-Cannelini Burgers don't generate the comments or excitement from readers that my old recipes did, there is an audience for healthier gluten-free cooking. I know this from the fact that when I started blogging, most gluten-free bloggers were posting recipes for brownies, breads, and deep fried vittles - Whereas recently I've noticed several other gluten-free bloggers writing about transitioning to healthier ways of eating. I know that I do get e-mails thanking me for posting healthy alternatives. And I also know this blog is not just for my readers, it is for me - A document of the changes and growth in my own eating and cooking. So this is the next chapter in the life of Gluten-Free Bay, and I hope you will join me as I find new ways to approach food.

To kick off here is a recipe I whipped up last night when I needed a healthy and filling pareve dish that I could eat with both dairy and meat meals. It's great for Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. It's vegan, it's nutritious and it's full of spice. The beans and greens are fabulously smoky thanks to the smoked sweet paprika. Best of all, it used up my very last collard green harvest - I dug the last collards out of a pile of snow the other day. There is nothing like harvesting fresh vegetables in the dead of a northeast winter!




SPICY BLACK EYED PEAS AND COLLARD GREENS

[Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Pareve / Vegan / Soy-Free]


5 cups collard greens, rinsed and chopped or shredded
2 15-oz. cans of black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3 bay leaves
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 large poblano or anaheim chili pepper, seeds removed, minced
1/3 cup wine (red or white)
2/3 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or deep frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sautee until translucent. Add the garlic and pepper and all of the herbs and spices except the salt. Stirring frequently, cook the spices in the oil for several minutes. Add the collard greens and saute, coating the greens thoroughly in the spices and oil. Sautee for 5 minutes or until the greens begin to wilt. Add all of the remaining ingredients and cover. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes or until the greens are tender. Stir regularly to make sure ingredients don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Serve hot, as a main dish or a side dish. Can be topped with sour cream, Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream, or vegan cashew sour cream.

Sweet Potato & Leek Latkes

Everyone in my family's been trying to eat a lower-glycemic, more nutritionally sound diet for a plethora of health reasons, so I thought we could do with a little change of pace this Chanukah. Breaking with tradition is always hard, but it can also be a good opportunity to try new recipes and create new relationships with ingredients. Tonight's experiment was one of those times when pushing the boundaries of "Jewish food" was well worth it. You may have noticed I am a big fan of the fried leek. In these latkes, the warm, mellow onion flavor of leeks compliment the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.

In addition to being healthier than traditional potato latkes, these sweet potato pancakes have a few other differences. They are less messy and easier to make. Because they don't have the potato starch that is so plentiful in white potatoes, they need a lot more help binding - Additional eggs and potato starch will do the trick (if you don't have potato starch, try tapioca or sweet rice flour - But stay away from grainier gluten-free flours such as regular white rice flour). Even with extra binder added, they have a looser and less sticky consistency so they need to be formed and placed in the oil and flipped with extra TLC. They take a bit longer to cook than regular white potato pancakes, so make sure to keep the oil turned down just a little below the heat you'd use for white potato latkes which will give them longer for the insides to cook before they become crispy around brown around the outer edges.

I recommend serving these tasty vegetable pancakes with sour cream or non-dairy cashew sour cream, but applesauce also works as a condiment. Chag sameach!



SWEET POTATO & LEEK LATKES

[ Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Pareve /
Vegetarian / Soy-Free ]

3 extra large sweet potatoes
3 large leeks
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Refined vegetable oil (preferably canola or corn oil)

Preheat oven to 200F (if you will need to keep the latkes warm).

Cut sweet potatoes lengthwise so that they are narrow enough to fit through the shoot of a food processor. Using the grater attachment of a food processor, shred the sweet potatoes. Alternately, use the largest holes on a box grater to grate the potatoes by hand.

Rinse the leeks well. Cut the dark green tops off of the leeks, as well as removing the roots from the very bottom. Cut in half lengthwise, and then slice widthwise in very thin slices. Combine the leeks with the grated potato in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, egg, and a generous amount of black pepper. Gently sprinkle potato starch across the top, then stir to combine thoroughly.

Heat 1/3 inch of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, until just below the smoking point.

Use your hands to pat a small handful of batter into a small, thin (no more than 1/3" thick) pancake. Gently lower each pancake into the hot oil. Press each latke with the back of a slotted spatula so that it becomes flatter and thinner. Fry until completely golden-brown on the bottom and crispy around the outside corners. Flip and brown on the second side. If the outside is getting browned and crispy before the inside has a chance to cook sufficiently, turn the burner down just slightly.

Transfer latkes to a plate lined with paper towels or several layers of brown paper (I use grocery bags). Allow paper to absorb excess oil, then transfer latkes to a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet in the preheated oven, where they will stay warm until ready to serve. Serve hot.

Extra latkes can be frozen on a baking sheet in the refrigerator, with parchment paper or freezer paper between the layers. When frozen, transfer to ziploc bags. Reheat in oven on 400 degrees F.

Serves 4.

The Thanksgiving Kugel: Gluten-Free Noodle Kugel with Cranberries

I haven't been inspired by Thanksgiving yet this year, which explains the lack of Thanksgiving mania on this blog. But tonight I think the bug finally bit me, if only mildly.

This past spring I posted my recipe for Savory Gluten-Free Noodle Kugel, a hearty mushroom-flecked kugel made with Manischewitz brand gluten-free Passover egg noodles. I made a point of stocking up last Pesach so I'd have some of these fabulous noodles to last me through the year, and I used up another bag tonight making a sweet lokshen kugel (noodle and egg casserole). I still have two or three left, just enough to get me through to this spring when they are back on the shelves at kosher grocery stores. Though I generally prefer Tinkyada noodles for just about everything, there are a few things that a wide, flat egg noodle is better for - Kugel is one of them. The fact that the Pesach noodles are made from potato starch means that they are all the more absorbent, which is perfect for a kugel.

Our family has two different kugel traditions - My dad's side of the family makes savory noodle kugels. On my mom's side, it's sweet kugel all the way. Since I made savory kugel last time (and boy was it good) this time I tried to sweeten it up without overdoing it on the sugar. What I ended up with was the Thanksgiving Kugel. There are thousands of bubbes rolling over in their graves at the very mention of the words "Thanksgiving" and "kugel" next to each other. I'm usually a little bit of a purist when it comes to ethnic foods. But I think if any of those bubbes would taste this kugel, they would forgive me. The dried cranberries (or "craisins" as marketing gurus seem to have renamed them) really plump up like little sweet-tart gems and make a tasty replacement for the usual raisins.

I lightened the kugel up a little - Trying to make this kind of traditional food low fat is just not something I have the heart to do. But I did trim some fat from where the texture or flavor wouldn't suffer. If you like your sweet kugels really sweet, you'll want to add an additional 1/2 to 3/4 cups of sugar, since I made this to be a side dish more than a dessert. This easy kugel would be a really nice side dish for Thanksgiving, it works well by itself for breakfast, and it should heat up well in a toaster oven or conventional oven.

Eat it in good health!




THANKSGIVING KUGEL
(GLUTEN-FREE CRANBERRY NOODLE KUGEL)

[ Gluten-Free / Soy-Free / Vegetarian / Dairy ]

16 oz wide gluten-free egg noodles*
6 eggs
7 to 8 oz farmers' cheese
2 cups low-fat sour cream
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar or raw sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Butter or margarine for greasing the pan
Optional: Additional pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar for top

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook noodles until tender but not overly soft, remove from heat and drain immediately, rinsing with cold water. Set aside. Grease lasagna pan.

In a blender, combine spices, salt, sugar, milk, eggs, sour cream and farmers' cheese. Pulse until smooth. In a large bowl, pour liquid over the noodles. Add cranberries. Stir until well-combined. Pour entire mixture (including all "extra" liquid) into the greased pan. Dust the top with additional sugar and pumpkin pie spice.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden-brown and the egg mixture has become slightly firm (will still be somewhat soft - do not overcook!) Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving warm.

* If you don't have access to gluten-free Passover egg noodles, gluten-free tagliatelle or lasagna noodles (cut in strips after cooking) will work, though the texture won't be quite the same.

My Famous Herbed New Potato Salad with Green Beans

We all have recipes that have become legendary in our families or our communities. The cake you made 5 years ago that your mother still raves about to all your relatives. The quinoa salad people ask you how to make on a regular basis. The grilled flank steak that your entire circle of friends ask you to cook every time there's a BBQ. The kugel you brought to the synagogue seder one year that people now expect you to make each and every year.

My own "famous" recipes (here in the off-line world, that is) are my Passover nut loaf, which I haven't yet posted here because it is still classified as Top Secret; my potato latkes; and my "German" potato salad which I've made for numerous BBQ's and potlucks over the years. Being that it's not really so German at all, I've decided this is as good an opportunity as ever to re-christen it with a more accurate and gourmet-sounding name. So allow me to introduce you to my Herbed New Potato Salad with Green Beans. It is inspired by the potato salad my dad made for us when I was growing up. It is best served slightly warm or at room temperature, but tastes fabulous cold as well. The leftovers are fantastic. It is mayonnaise-free... vegans, mayo-haters and cholesterol-watchers rejoice! I like it a whole lot, and I hope you do, too.

Tell me: What is your "famous recipe"?



HERBED NEW POTATO SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS

[ Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Nut-Free / Soy-Free /
Pareve / Vegan ]

2 1/2 lbs small red new potatoes
2 Tbsp salt
2 1/2 cups green beans, cut in thirds
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
3 Tbsp minced fresh dill
Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley to taste
3 Tbsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 tsp agave nectar or sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper

In a large pot, place well-scrubbed whole potatoes. Cover with water by several inches, and add 2 Tbsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender without being mushy. Do not turn heat off, but transfer potatoes into a colander immediately, and rinse with cold water. Allow to cool just until they are warm but can be comfortably handled. While the potatoes are cooling, turn the heat up under the pot of water and add green beans. Cook uncovered for just a few minutes, until green beans are tender but still crisp and bright. Remove from water and drain. If you want to retain the brightness of their color, submerge them immediately in ice-water until cooled. Add beans to the large bowl that contains dressing.

Cut warm potatoes into 1 1/2-inch pieces (quarters or eighths depending on size of potatoes). Add them to the rest of the ingredients, sprinkle with the fresh herbs, and toss very gently to combine, stirring from the bottom to coat potatoes and beans with the dressing. Allow to sit for 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional chopped herbs if desired. Serve while still warm, or at room temperature.

Un-Cooking: Garlic Scape & Toasted Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Dear readers, please forgive my seasonal inappropriateness.

I tend to eat, and blog, both seasonally and locally as much as possible. My recipes reflect that. This pesto is something I made back in early July. I wrote the recipe down and photographed it, but never did anything with it. Today I was daydreaming about this pesto's delightfully complex balance between the sharpness and sweetness of garlic scapes and the nutty comfort of toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), and I realized that though garlic scapes are now out of season (June is the prime month for them in most places), I should blog about this recipe before I lose the envelope it's scrawled on. So I hope you'll pardon me for blogging about a delicacy you can't obtain. See this as a reminder that as summer starts to wind down it is a perfect time to start thinking about what we look forward to cooking next spring and summer, or use it as an impetus for some of you gardeners to consider adding garlic to your garden plans for next year!

Since most of us don't follow recipes without tweaking them a bit, it occurred to me that this recipe could be a great jumping-off point for some experimentation. Maybe this recipe would be fabulous with lightly sauteed scallions and/or roasted garlic instead of scapes. Or with lightly steamed green beans pureed into the pesto with raw garlic. I can imagine that roasted leeks would also be a wonderful replacement for scapes. As far as I'm concerned, finding replacements for seasonal ingredients is always an enjoyable challenge.

"What is a garlic scape?" ask the uninitiated, whose ranks I was a member of until this year. Why, I couldn't explain it any better than this Washington Post blogger, who writes:

The "scape" in question is hardly a typo or a secret code word; it's shorthand for garlic scape, a part of the garlic plant that is a garlic lover's nirvana.

Here's the anatomy lesson: Garlic and its relatives in the allium family, (leeks, chives, onions) grows underground, where the bulb begins its journey, soft and onion-like. As the bulb gets harder (and more like the garlic we know), a shoot pokes its way through the ground. Chlorophyll-green like a scallion (maybe even greener), the shoot is long and thin and pliable enough to curl into gorgeous tendrils.

This stage of growth is the garlic scape, folks. If left unattended, the scape will harden and transform from green to the familiar opaque white/beige color of garlic peel. Keeping the shoot attached will also curtail further growth of the bulb. So, in an effort to allow the garlic to keep growing, the farmer is getting a two-fer with this edible delectable that cooks are just beginning to discover.

The pesto I created is vegan, and truly has no need for the usual parmesan cheese. It is sharp with garlicky flavor from the scapes, which mellows over time. The nutty flavor of the toasted pumpkin seeds is just wonderful. This pesto can last for quite a while in the refrigerator. Try it tossed with steam vegetables, or mixed with steamed rice or quinoa. Spread it on fish before or after grilling or broiling. Mix it with hot Tinkyada brown rice pasta. Thin it with some additional olive oil and/or water to create a more saucy pesto that can be poured over salad, meat, fish, vegetables or grain dishes. Use it as a sandwich spread, or eat it alone on a crusty piece of bread. This is a versatile alternative to classic basil pesto or my fresh and clean tasting summery Cilantro-Lemon Pesto. I hope that next spring/summer when you see garlic scapes at your local farmers' market you'll remember this recipe and look it up... Or create an even more exciting use for these beautiful green spirals curlicues, and share it with us!


GARLIC SCAPE & TOASTED PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

[ Gluten-Free / Soy-Free / Dairy-Free / Vegan / Pareve ]


3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, untoasted and unsalted*
Approximately 15 garlic scapes, raw or lightly sauteed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp nutritional yeast
Optional: ground black pepper to taste

Place pumpkin seeds in a dry, preheated skillet over medium flame. Stirring frequently, allow pumpkin seeds to toast until they brown slightly. They will puff up and start popping. Remove immediately from heat and pour into a bowl. Allow them to come to room temperature.

Cut scapes into 2 inch pieces. Add all ingredients to food processor and blend until smooth. Add warm water or additional olive oil to thin, if desired.

*Note: If you use pumpkin seeds that you removed from a pumpkin yourself (as opposed to pre-packaged, dry pumpkin seeds), you may want to try this method for preparing them.

This recipe is part of the Weekend Herb Blogging event, hosted this coming week by Real Epicurean.

Un-Cooking for Karina: Arugula Salad with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds & Grapefruit-Miso Dressing

This week has been a whirlwind, so the roundup post for the Cooking for Karina event roundup post is a little delayed, though it's on its way. Thanks to all the wonderful people who participated! You all will be amazed at the variety of recipes people offered up. Of course, I had to make my own contribution. The past week and a half found upstate New York in a pretty intense heatwave, which was a good excuse to create a new installment of my Uncooking series of no-heat or low-heat summertime recipes, this one dedicated to Karina, the Gluten-Free Goddess.

The arugula that inspired this recipe is from my garden. My principle for my vegetable and herb garden is that it should be built around things that are overly expensive to buy at the store. Thus my garden is full of fresh herbs that are hard to find at the market (or cost $2.99 for a little bunch that isn't particularly fresh), greens like arugula and gourmet mixed baby lettuce and rainbow chard, and leeks - lots of leeks. Arugula has such a delicious fresh and peppery bite. In the past I was intimidated by arugula's bitterness, so I always sauteed it lightly, but this week it was high time to learn to love the zippy-ness. After all, everything tastes good when you grow it yourself, right? I wanted the unique taste of the arugula to feature prominently in this recipe, so unlike my usual tendency to add all manner of mix-ins to my salads, I added only freshly toasted, unsalted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Citrus compliments arugula like nothing else, so I based my dressing on fresh squeezed grapefruit juice I extracted with a wooden reamer-- no need for a juicer if the grapefruit is ripe enough. The dressing add's just enough sweetness to the salad.

To accommodate Karina's soy allergy, she could use a soy-free chickpea or azuki bean miso such as the ones made by South River Miso (which is made in small batches and is not shipped during the summer but is available the rest of the year through mail order) or Miso Master (widely available, hekshered kosher). Bon appetit, Karina! May these new limitations on your diet open up new doors to health and culinary creativity.

ARUGULA SALAD WITH TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS & GRAPEFRUIT-MISO DRESSING

[ Gluten-Free / Soy-Free / Nut-Free / Vegan / Pareve ]

SALAD:
4 cups fresh arugula, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas), unsalted and untoasted
Optional: Grapefruit segments, pith and membranes removed.

DRESSING:
3/4 cup pink grapefruit juice (preferably fresh-squeezed)
2 tsp miso paste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Optional: 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Toast pumpkin seeds in toaster oven or on an ungreased skillet over low heat until they start to pop and become slightly browned. Remove from heat immediately and move to a small bowl.

In another small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients with a fork until well combined. Place a small amount (approximately 1/4 cup) at the bottom of a salad bowl. Add greens, and use tongs to gently brush the greens through the dressing without crushing the leaves. Each leaf should be very lightly coated with dressing. Place individual servings on plates or in bowls, and sprinkle with pepitas. Garnish with grapefruit sections if desired.


VARIATION ON A THEME:

There was leftover arugula so I came up with another salad using the same greens and dressing, but with different add-ins:

-Red bell pepper, cut in strips
-Pear, thinly sliced
-Celery, thinly sliced
-Kalamata olives

Voila:

Un-Cooking: Herbed Balsamic Tuna Salad

Cooking is the last thing most people want to do when it's 100 degrees farenheit, as it was here yesterday. But we all have to eat, and that's where "un-cooking" comes in. I'm going to try to post a few recipes in the coming weeks for delicious gluten-free meals that can be prepared with no cooking, or with minimal cooking using only a microwave or toaster oven. Meals that won't make your house any hotter than it already is on a mid-summer's afternoon! This here is the first recipe in the series.

This tuna salad is a flavorful twist on an old favorite. It is healthier, lower-cholesterol and more colorful than my other favorite tuna salad which is still my standby. Brightly colored bell peppers are a beautiful and tasty alternative to the usual celery, and a vinaigrette takes the place of mayonnaise - Though adding some mayo will make it creamier, if you prefer. The fresh herbs really shine in this salad, and while I used fresh dill and thyme this time around, I've also used chives and other fresh herbs at other times, so feel free to experiment.

Make sure to use tuna that was not cooked in broth. Check ingredients carefully, because many do contain broth, and it is not always easy to tell if the broth contained gluten as many commercial broths do. Stick to dolphin-safe, low-mercury varieties of tuna for the sake of your own health and the environment.

I enjoy this dish tossed with a green salad, but my favorite way to enjoy it is on toasted Enjoy Life Foods Rye-less Rye Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread, with lettuce from my garden, and a few thick slices of ripe avocado:



HERBED BALSAMIC TUNA SALAD

[Gluten-Free / Soy-Free / Nut-Free / Egg-Free / Dairy-Free / Pareve]

2 6-ounce cans of chunk light tuna in water
1/2 cup red and yellow bell peppers, diced finely
1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped OR 2 small dill pickles, diced
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
1 Tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper (a generous amount)
Optional: 1-2 Tbsp mayonnaise
Optional: 1 Tsp chopped chives

With a fork flake the tuna apart into small pieces. Add all other ingredients. Whisk olive oil, vinegar and dijon mustard (and mayonnaise, if you're using it) together in a small bowl until well-combined and creamy. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add more ground pepper to taste. Serve on top of a green salad or bed of lettuce, or in a sandwich.

This recipe is part of Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Kalyn's Kitchen.

Toasted Quinoa Pilaf with Garlic, Kale and Pine Nuts

Thank you all so much for your wonderfully supportive comments to my last post. I am so grateful for all my wonderful readers, it's like having a personal cheerleading team!

Meanwhile, I'm taking a break from the packing to post this powerfully flavorful quinoa dish I created for a friend's Passover seder. I was thrilled when several people told me it was the best quinoa they'd ever tasted - I think that my use of my extremely rich homemade vegetable broth combined with the toasting of the quinoa before cooking were a large part of its success. Use the most flavorful broth you have on hand, or try water and a gluten-free bouillon cube. I enjoyed this pilaf at room temperature the next day as a quinoa salad - It makes a nutritionally balanced lunch for work or school, and will last at least a week in the refrigerator.

TOASTED QUINOA PILAF WITH GARLIC, KALE AND PINE NUTS

[ Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Soy-Free / Vegan / Parve ]

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onions, chopped finely
6 cloves garlic
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 large carrot, shredded
2 cups finely shredded kale
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup celery, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 c pine nuts

If you purchased quinoa in bulk, rinse it thoroughly in a fine strainer to remove its bitter coating. If you purchased Ancient Grains, Trader Joe's, or any other boxed brand, no rinsing is necessary.

Place quinoa in a heavy, large skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 15 minutes, shaking the pan frequently to move the quinoa around. Cook until the quinoa becomes golden brown. Remove from heat.

Heat oil in the bottom of a medium saucepan. Add onions and sautee until just beginning to brown. Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add quinoa and sautee for a minute. Add all remaining ingredients except for celery and pine nuts.

Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the celery and mix well, then cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until done. When quinoa is done, it should be tender and the spiral-like germ will have separated from the rest of the grain.

In the dry skillet used for toasting the quinoa, now lightly toast pine nuts over medium-low heat. Pine nuts burn quickly so stir them frequently and remove them from the pan the moment they appear golden brown. Stir into pilaf before serving.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Gluten-Free Passover Recipe Roundup 2007

Hello everybody. By request, I have rounded up a diverse array of gluten-free Passover recipes from all over the internet. As you can see from this collection, it is definitely possible to have a delicious and kosher seder free from gluten! None of these recipe include gluten-containing grains (wheat, most oats, rye, barley, kamut, spelt, triticale and their derivatives) and most are also considered non-gebrokts. I've organized this list into categories of foods commonly eaten during the Passover week, especially during the seder. I hope this will help give you some ideas of foods to prepare next week. Feel free to post additional links in the comments!

Other Passover-related links that are of particular interest to gluten-free Jews:

• Manischewitz List of Ingredient Substitutions
  
• Recipe for Corn- and Gluten-Free Baking Powder
  
• Gluten-Free Passover Recipes Cookbook on Recipezaar

Please note: I haven't gone over all of these with a fine-tooth comb so please double-check to make sure they meet all your dietary requirements. Not all communities or individuals observe the same rules for Passover kashrut. Most of these recipes adhere to Ashkenazi kashrut, which holds that not only chametz must be avoided, but also kitniyot. A few of the recipes do contain kitniyot, so they are suitable only for people who follow Sephardic Pesach kashrut. Use your own judgment, and if you have questions please consult your rabbi.

KOSHER, GLUTEN-FREE PASSOVER RECIPES

Codes:

P = Parve (no dairy, no meat)
M = Meat (fleischig)
D = Dairy (milchig)
V = Vegan (no animal products, no honey)
VG = Vegetarian dishes containing dairy, eggs and/or honey

MATZO
Gluten-Free Mock Matzo (P, V)
Matzah Crackers (P, V)


CHAROSET
Charoset (Ashkenazi) (P, VG)
Tropical Charoset (P, V)
Charoset from Ancona (Italy) (P, V)
Traditional Ashkenazi Apple-Walnut Charoset (P, V)
Sephardic Haroset (P, VG)


SOUP
Fennel, Leek and Spinach Soup (M)
Creamy Carrot Soup (D, VG)
Jewish Chicken Soup (M)
Kittencal's Best Chicken Stock (M)
Not-Chicken Soup (P, V)
Chicken Soup (M)
World's Greatest Vegetable Broth (P, V)


MATZO BALLS & SOUP DUMPLINGS
Hemp & Walnut Wheat-Free Kneydlekh (P, VG)
Potato Kneidlach (P, VG)
Potato Dumplings (P, VG)


MEAT MAIN DISHES
Honey Golden Chicken - Sabra Style (M)
Passover Chicken and Chips (M)
Roast Chicken with Cinnamon, Apricots and Apples (M)
Passover Master Barbeque Sauce (M)
Garlic and Mushroom Chicken (M)
Tagine of Lamb (M)
Cinnamon Lamb(M)
Beef Tzimmes with Butternut Squash (M)
Legumbres Yenos de Karne (Sephardic Stuffed Vegetables) (M)
Passover Chicken Fricasee (M)
Pan-Seared Ribeye Steak with Smoked Paprika (M)
Marinated Brisket (M)


VEGETARIAN MAIN DISHES
Balsamic Honey Roasted Root Vegetables (P, VG)
Low-Cal Zucchini Quiche (D, VG)
Savory Non-Gebrokts Noodle Kugel (D, VG)
Carrot Tzimmes (P, VG)
Vegetable Pie with Cabbage Crust (D, VG)
Portobello Layered Mashed Potatoes Casserole(D, VG)
Turkish Vegetarian Eggplant Stew (P, V)
Crustless Florentine Tart (D, VG)
Portabello Pizzettas (D, VG)
Portobelo Mushrooms with Quinoa (P, V)
Big Delicious Quinoa Bowl (P, V)
Walnut Sage Potatoes Au Gratin (D, VG)
Egg and Asparagus Gratin (D, VG)
Sicilian-Style Quinoa (D, VG)
Purple Potato Quiche (D, VG)
Spinach Ricotta Pie with a Hint of Feta (D, VG)
Low-Carb Pizza (D, VG)
Potato Pancakes with Dill (P, VG)
Sweet Potato Latkes with Sugared Pecans (D/P, VG)
Potato-Kale Casserole (P, V)
Vegan Potato-Mushroom Kugel (P, V)
Zucchini "Noodles" with Alfredo Sauce (D, V)
Ghivetch (P, V)
Tzimmes (P, V)
Onion Mushroom Potato Kugel (P, VG)
Baked Eggs and Kale Parmesan (Fritatta) (D, VG)


FISH MAIN DISHES
Bacalao Provencal (P)
Salmon Fish Stew, Brazilian Style (P)
Salmon, Pan-Seared w/Citrus Vinegar Glaze (P)
Stuffed Trout (P)
Salmon with Sage and Vegetables in Parchment Paper (D)
Nut-Crusted Lake Trout (P)


SIDE DISHES
Lacy Potato Kugel (P, VG)
Raw Vegan Mock "Gefilte Fish" (P, V)
Apio (Turkish Braised Celery Root and Carrots) (P/M/V)
Acorn Squash With Apple Stuffing (P, V)
Roasted Brussels Sprouts (P, V)
Mandarin Almond Salad (P, V)
Non-Dairy Cashew Sour Cream (P, V)
Carrot Souffle (P, VG)
Greek Style Oven Fries (P, V)
Spring Potato Salad (P, V)
Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash With Smoked Paprika (P, V)
Quinoa Tabouli (P, V)
Easy Quinoa Pilaf (P/M/V)
Roasted Turnips with Balsamic Vinegar (P, V)
Easy Vegetarian Collard Greens (P, V)
Kalamata Olive Tapenade (D, VG)
Maple Butternut Squash Puree (D, VG)
Quinoa Greek Salad (D, VG)
Coconut Mashed Yams (P, V)
Spicy Garlic Kale with Sauteed Red Peppers (P, V)
Sugar and Spice Nuts (P, VG)
Curtido De Repollo - El Salvadorean Cabbage Salad (P, V)
Vegetarian Kishke (P, VG)


DESSERT
Quick Homemade Applesauce (No Sugar Added) (P, V)
Meringue Drops (P, VG)
Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote (P, V)
No-Fuss Chocolate Cake (P, VG)
Chocolate Mousse Cake (P, VG)
Fudgy Coconut Macaroons and Phoenix Pastificio's Almond Macaroons (D, VG)
Raspberry Cream Frosting (No Added Sugar) (D, VG)
Flourless Apple Cake (D/P, VG)
Deborah Snyder's Coconut Macaroons (D, VG)
Chocolate Chip Macaroons (P, VG)
Flourless Chocolate Cake (D, VG)
Almond-Lemon Macaroons (Almendrados) (P, VG)
Chocolate and Olive Oil Mousse (P, VG)
Orange-Almond Flan (P, VG)
Italian Chocolate Walnut Cake (D, VG)
Gluten-Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (P, VG)
Hot Fruit Compote (P, V)


BREAKFAST
Hot Quinoa Cereal (D, VG)
Spanish Potato Omelet (P, VG)
Maple Almond Souffle Pancake (D, VG)
Passover Pancakes (P, VG)
Crepes (D, VG)
Quinoa Porridge (P, V)


Chag sameach! Have a wonderful Passover.

A Savory Gluten-Free Noodle Kugel for Passover

Noodle kugels generally aren't associated with Passover, since most noodles aren't kosher for this holiday. Instead we usually focus on potato and vegetable kugels, and save the noodle kugel for the rest of the year. When I saw that the company I was ordering Passover supplies from carried Manischewitz Passover Gold Wide Egg Noodles, which are kosher for Passover and made from potato starch, I got an idea... A gluten-free Passover noodle kugel! I'd heard lots about these non-gebrokts gluten-free egg noodles. They are sold only in the weeks preceding Pesach, and cannot be obtained during the rest of the year. I ordered 5 bags of them without having ever tasted them, just to make sure I had enough to last me for a couple of kugels... And I'm glad that I did.

I hear that Gefen and Flaum also make their own Passover egg noodles, and Frankel's makes a frozen version. Try your local kosher grocery. If you can't find them, you can try making your own. If you're not kosher for Passover or you follow Sephardic kashrut, you can try almost any other brand of wide, flat gluten-free noodle. I imagine that gluten-free tagliatelle or lasagna noodles (cut in strips after cooking) will work, though the texture won't be quite the same.

I based this recipe off of suggestions from my dad, savory kugel recipes online, and a sweet noodle kugel recipe from Mama Leah's Jewish Kitchen (by Lisa Loeb Fischer). Mama Leah, a friend of my family, used to run a chain of Jewish take-out shops in New York City. Her book never lets me down. The result was wonderful - This kugel is peppery, filling, and full of flavor. It gets crisp around the edges but stays moist within, and it reheats quite well in the oven or microwave.

While your kugel is in the oven, read up a bit on the history and cultural significance of this dish:

Kugel Unraveled (New York Times)

Wikipedia on Kugel

Enjoy!

SAVORY PASSOVER NOODLE KUGEL (LUKSHEN KUGEL)

[Non-Gebrokts / Milchig / Gluten-Free]

1 pound wide gluten-free egg noodles (Passover)
2 Tbsp butter or vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 cups brown mushrooms, sliced
6 medium eggs
1 1/2 cup lowfat milk
1 cup lowfat small curd cottage cheese
1 cup lowfat cream cheese or sour cream
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp brown sugar or date sugar
1 tsp paprika
1-2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
Butter for greasing the baking pan

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add noodles and boil until tender (Manischewitz Passover Egg Noodles take about 4 minutes, but time may vary depending on brand). Drain the noodles immediately. Be very careful to not overcook them, they should not be mushy.

In a heavy saucepan, heat butter or vegetable oil on medium heat and sautee onions and 1 teaspoon of sugar until brown and beginning to caramelize. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender. Remove from heat.

Beat eggs in a large bowl, then add milk, sour cream or cream cheese, cottage cheese, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and ground black pepper. Mix together using a standing mixer, wooden spoon, or electric hand mixer, until combined (some lumps of cheese may remain). Add the noodles and onion-mushroom mixture and stir well to combine all ingredients.

Pour into a buttered 10x14 inch baking pan, and sprinkle lightly with paprika. Bake for 1 hour or until the eggs have set and the entire kugel is firm. The edges and top should be slightly browned. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.