Live Hummus with Fermented foods

This is how I make hummus. All the fermented things add natural probiotics to the diet and act as a natural preservative. I recognize you might not have all these things in the house, so feel free to substitute, and tell me what happens!

*Try this with white beans, black beans, fava beans, and other legumes.

Into a food processor, add:

• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cloves garlic (I use pickeled garlic from making cucumber pickers)

Chop garlic with seasoning.

Add:

• 4 cups cooked or sprouted chickpeas, a.k.a. garbanzo beans, that's two cans -
  SAVE THE WATER/cooking liquid, save a few chickpeas for garnish.
• About 1/16 (1"x1" piece) of a preserved lemon
• 1.5 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about half a small lemon)
• 1 Tablespoon live pickle juice (optional)

Blend until smooth.

Add:

• About 1/4 cup (2-3 oz) water from chickpeas
• 2 Tablespoons Tahini paste
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Garnish with with extra chickpeas, a drizzle of olive oil, and a little fresh, quality cumin or zaatar.

Chickpeas are high in fiber and iron, and have been shown to help regulate blood sugar. Hummus is an excellent way to turn some raw vegetables into a hearty snack.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

In the time I saved making this sauce (compared to traditional recipes), I was able to tell you about it! Traditional recipes involve chopping the ingredients, adding them to a pan at specific intervals, and lots of standing over the pan/pot and stirring. Sauce can also be made in a pressure cooker much faster, but you always run the risk of burning it or under cooking it, since you can't peak.

The dry heat of the oven gives the ingredients a deep flavor without the need to stand over a frying pan.

Ingredients:

Basic:

• tomatoes, preferably ripe
• onions (I used sweet and purple onions)
• olive oil

Optional:

• bell peppers (I used red and green)
• garlic (whole cloves)
• mushrooms
• chili peppers
• fresh or dried herbs
• salt and pepper
• vinegar or dry white wine
• sugar or honey

1. Cut up all the vegetables into relatively similar sized chunks - about quarters for the tomatoes.
2. Remove any tomato seeds which come out easily and quickly, but without wasting a lot of time.
3. Toss with olive oil in a large pan, or pans.
4. Roast on high or broil until the edges are browning, probably at least half an hour. Stir/toss/flip or rotate at least once.
5. Add spices to taste and let cool.
6. Use a hand blender or pulse in a food processor to desired consistency.

This batch is mostly for shakshuka which I plan to serve for supper on Wednesday this week during Passover. I will serve it with homemade fermented chili sauce on the side. And maybe some fresh lemonade.

You might also enjoy: Creamy Roasted Tomato and Corn Soup with Cauliflower

Rice paper wraps = Leftover Heaven

wraps with baby greens, roasted bell pepper, sprouted lentils, and fermented cauliflower

How did I not know about these before?? Now that I've become friendly with my local Asian grocer, I can finally ask, "What is this?" And boy have I learned a lot!  When I used to see rice paper wrappers, they looked like too much work for me. I assumed getting these plasticy looking sheets into an edible form must involve soaking, cooking, steaming, or some other processing. Not so!

1. Dip the rice paper sheet in water for about 5 seconds, then brush the sheet over a tea towel to remove excess water.
2. Lay the sheet, still rigid, on a plate or cutting board. The sheet will absorb the water and soften in the time it takes to fill it.
3. Pile your fillings  near one side and roll up like an egg roll, blintz, or burrito.

translucent wrap with wild mushrooms, wakame, and homemade kimchi-kraut

How to Make Kosher Dill Pickles

I'd like to tell you about the method I use to make naturally fermented cucumber pickles. The same technique can be used for many different fruits and vegetables by varying the spices and the time. If you read no further, this is what you need to know:

 A. Use an appropriate amount of salt. Too little and unwanted molds and bacteria can develop and the cucumbers will become soft. Too much and you will retard the growth of good yeasts and bacteria, the pickling will take an unnecessarily long time, be unpalatably salty, and the cucumbers could get too sour, or too soft before they're ever really tasty.
B. Keep everything submerged. As long as your cucumbers (or other veggies) are safely deep in the brine, you can skim off whatever scum forms on top.

[More Than] 10 Ways to Use Preserved Lemons

I made preserved lemons after coming across this video from DietEasily. The whole series is excellent!

I started selling some of the fermented foods I've been making (see current selection HERE). The pickles and Sauerkraut are flying off the shelf (ok, more like trickling of the half-shelf in my refrigerator.) But no one seems interested in these gorgeous organic preserved lemons I have! My friends want to know, "What do you do with them?" Well, I shall tell you!

There are three basic ways to use the preserved lemon:
A. Whole - Slice it, cut it in chunks, chop it, blend it. The whole thing is edible.
B. Just the rind - When I want a more subtle sparkle where the lemon will be eaten raw, I use my thumb to scrape off the pulp and the pith. Then I usually slice the rind into thin slivers.
C. Juice - The lemons are usually packed in lemon juice, which becomes salty and mildly fermented. To keep the lemons for as long as possible (without mold) they must stay submerged in this wonderful elixir or salt water. But there is usually some to spare.

I encourage you to use them raw as much as possible, in order to preserve all the beneficial microorganisms. Preserved lemons can replace lemon juice and salt in a recipe.

Disappearing Kohlrabi

This gets gobbled up so quickly it doesn't always make it to the table!

• 2-4 kohlrabi bulbs/heads/roots (what do you call them?)
• Paprika (sweet, smoked, spicy, whatever you like... I used fresh gourd sweet and smoked)
• Garlic powder
• Sea salt
• Olive oil
• Dijon mustard

1. Peel kohlrabi, cube, and remove woody part around the point.
2. Season generously with all the other ingredients.
3. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.
4. Bake around 200 C/390 F until they start getting golden brown, about 20 minutes, then turn off oven and leave in until they are soft.

You may also enjoy "Kohl Slaw" Kohlrabi Salad.

Intro to Fermenting Vegetables

I have been absolutely obsessed with fermenting foods the last few weeks. My interest began as I read and heard reports on the multiple benefits of probiotics and the importance of a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut. It went beyond good digestion and better absorption of nutrients. Studies show better mood and brain function associated with healthy gut flora. Research suggests that 80% of the immune system may be in the gut, with probiotic-rich foods, like kimchi, offering serious illness preventing effects.

A study published in Nature found that, "Mice fed a strain of Lactobacillus rhamnosus were less anxious and produced fewer stress hormones than control animals."

I'm sold! But consuming effective amounts of probiotic tablets and yogurt can get very expensive. Multiply that times the six anxious, antibiotic ravaged guts in our household, and it is completely cost prohibitive. Then I remembered, I could culture my own probiotics! I've posted before about kombucha and kefir, but I was having trouble getting my hands on kosher kefir grains or a kombucha SCOBY. I discussed my interest with a friend, who told me she makes her own sauerkraut - and it's easy!

''Fresh'' Sriracha - homemade hot sauce

I recently made "fresh" (unfermented) sriracha after hearing about the popular "Rooster Sauce" or "Hipster Ketchup" on a couple of my favorite podcasts. I based my sauce on the technique from Food52, with some changes for my palette.

0. Before you begin handling the chilis, put on gloves and do not remove them until you have washed the cutting board and knife after step 2.

1. Coarsely chop:

• 3/4 lb (1/3 kg) red chili peppers
• 4 cloves of garlic

2. Soak overnight in:

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar (or enough to just barely cover the chilis after you squeeze them down)
• 1 tsp sea salt

3. The next day add:

• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp tamari or good soy sauce (optional)
• a few drops of mushroom sauce or fish sauce (optional)

4. Simmer for 5-15 minutes. Blend well. (I used a hand-held stick blender.)

5. Pour the sauce through a mesh strainer. Use a spatula to squeeze out every last drop. Scrape the bottom of the strainer.

"Kohl-slaw" Kohlrabi Salad

My whole family loved this, from my 1 year old to 7.5 year old, and my gluten-free, soy-free guest. My one regret is it's so boring looking. Next time I will have to add a little shredded raw beets, bell peppers, or carrots.

• 3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp sea salt (or tamari sauce)
• 1-2 tsp Fresh ginger - grated
• 1.5 Tbsp natural sugar (substitute stevia, agave, or Splenda, or use less sugar for diabetics)
• optional: fresh grated garlic or garlic powder
• optional: hot water
• 2 heads/bulbs of kohlrabi
• 1-2 (preferably firm, green) apples 
• 1-2+ radishes (I used one giant one, like bigger than your average beet) (optional)
• optional: shred something with color (something edible, of course!)

Southwest Chicken Salad

I have a special guest arriving today with multiple dietary challenges, including

• gluten free
• soy free
• egg free
• dairy free
• peanut free
• low fat

among other allergies and dietary requirements. She even has an intolerance for iodine; so she can't eat seaweed!

I wanted to make something that we could all enjoy on Shabbat, and that my guest could also eat when she comes. My husband went crazy for this. Inspired by Pressure Perfect by Lorna Sass, I created this festive low-fat chicken salad. I've done lots of gluten-free, egg-free experimenting in the last month. I hope to post some of those ideas this month, so stay tuned!

Shakshouka

I never understood what the big deal was with shakshouka - a tradition middle eastern dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. It seems like a staple on every breakfast buffet, from the watery sauce to the over-cooked eggs.

Then my friend Tzippy took me to Shvil Izzim restaurant. We shared (among other things) the best shakshuka I've ever had. Sweet bell peppers in a flavorful sauce with fresh tomatoes and not too much spice. And the eggs! Not the baked-to-death eggs I'd experienced in my previous shakshouka history. Delicate, gently poached, with rich, runny yolks!  And, of course, fresh bread to soak up all that rich tomato-y goodness. (See my post on Shvil Izzim and my photo restaurant review on Facebook.)

When I saw heaping piles of brightly colored, inexpensive peppers on sale, I immediately had an itch to recreate this traditional dish.  Shakshuka is the perfect nonrecipe meal. You make it how you like it. I didn't use a recipe and I didn't have an Israeli (or Algerian or Tunisian) grandma to teach me how to make it. But whatever I did, it was yummy AND EASY!

Roasted Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

This is so tasty and easy! You can snack on them with your hands, put them on salad, or just eat them plain with a spoon.

1. Rinse a can (or two or three) of chickpeas.
2. Put them in a zip-top bag or bowl with olive oil.
3. Season generously. I used curry powder and salt. Mix well.
3. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast on high until they take on some color, 15-20 minutes.

Alternatively, soak dry chickpeas overnight, dress, and roast at 400 F / 205 for a little over an hour.

For a great Good Eats episode, check out "Pantry Raid XIII: Destination Chickpea."

Eggplant & Tehina

See also: Key to Great Eggplant.

I think this is both the easiest and most delicious eggplant dish I've made in years.  It can be eaten with a fork and knife as a vegetable dish or spread on bread like a dip. The "recipe" for tehina follows. Plan ahead what else you can cook in the oven at the same time, or make several trays of eggplant and rotate them in the oven. If you are making this as a main side dish, plan about two large eggplants for every three people.

1. Wash the eggplant and slice off the top. 
2. Quarter lengthwise.
3. Salt very generously and let sit for at least 15 minutes until they sweat.
4. Rinse off the salt and pat dry. 
5. Paint all sides with olive oil and lay skin-side up on a greased baking sheet.
6. Roast in the top of the oven around 400 F / 200 C.
7. When they start to get dark, pull them out and carefully flip them over. 
8. Cover then with a thin layer of tehina (see below).  Lightly cover.
9. Rewarm before serving.

Make Yogurt Cheese - No cooking required

I had some down time in a mall last week and spent about 45 minutes browsing a beautiful gourmet food and cooking store - Lagaat B'ochel. One thing I saw was a "Yogurt Cheese Maker."  The instructions seemed so easy - just pour yogurt into the mesh insert in the plastic container and put it in the fridge for a few hours.  I thought, "I can do that, and I don't need to buy this "uni-tasker" to do it!"

1. You will need a clean, thin piece of cloth, cheese cloth, or extra fine mesh.  I used an old fashion flat cloth diaper or "mussy." Note, if you use cloth you may not have usable whey, just a very wet cloth.
2. Lay the cloth in a container so it is not touching the bottom. Secure it with a rubber band.
3. Add any yogurt. I used a small individual serving container to try this out and got enough cheese to spread generously on four pieces of bread.
4. Set the cover or a plate over the container and wrap any extra cloth over the top.

Cauliflower Tabouleh

In honor of my Father-in-Law's arrival this evening I want to share a raw food salad made with his favorite food - cauliflower. I got the idea from the Good Eats episode "The Caul of the Flower." I combined it with my recipe for quinoa tabouleh, and got a delicious and very healthy salad, which only gets better after a day or two in the fringe.

Start with the dressing:
Using the chopping blade in the bowl of your DRY food processor, put salt and other seasonings of your choice like red pepper flakes and cumin. (I didn't use cumin this time because I was making it for someone with celiac disease and I wanted to be extra careful that none of my ingredients were contaminated with traces of gluten.)  Turn on the food processor and drop two cloves of garlic through the chute. Add the juice of two lemons (close to half a cup) and almost 1/2 cup olive oil.  Set aside in a large bowl for mixing. You do not need to wash out the food processor or the blade, but set aside this blade.

Gluten free "bulgur":
Using the shredding blade on your food processor, feed in only the florets (the outermost inch) of one head of cauliflower. Dump it into the mixing bowl with the dressing.

Roated Veggie "Chips" PLUS Quinoa

A friend wrote to me:
"i'm sure you know this and might already prepare it but...this is a wonderful treat we have been feasting on. we got an extra virgin olive oil infused with roasted garlic ... not a cheap overpowering one...we've been slicing eggplant very thin (especially when it's the long lavender ones) brushing them with olive oil, sprinkling some seasoning and baking them on an olive oil brushed cookie sheet. some come out like chips and others are softer and all are addictive!

 on the bigger fatter and darker eggplants we put the kosher salt on the thins slices until they sweat, wash that off to kill any bitterness and then bake at 350 like the aforementioned ones. they are filling and fabulous."

Creamy Buckwheat "Kasha" in the Pressure Cooker

seasoned crunchy buckwheat groats
photo by vsimon

My hubby and kids gobbled this super simple side dish up so fast I just had to share.   Buckwheat is actually a seed unrelated to wheat.  It's gluten-free and low glycemic! (Buckwheat scores around 51 on the glycemic index and red lentils come in around 21.)  Plus buckwheat and lentils are good for the heart, high in fiber, and all that jazz.

1. Caramelize two chopped onions in olive oil in a pressure cooker.
2. Add chopped garlic.
3. Add 3/4 cup of buckwheat groats.
4. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup red lentils and about 3 cups of water, plus a couple pinches of salt.
5. Lock the lid and cook for 10 minutes after the pressure cookers reaches pressure.
6. Turn off heat and let pressure come down naturally.
7. Season to taste with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, mustard powder, cumin... whatever you like.  It doesn't need much.

If you want to up your intake of buckwheat, check out this recipe for Crunchy Buckwheat Groats.

Extra Meaty Turkey-Cabbage Soup

Did you know Israelis eat more turkey per capita than anywhere else in the world?  Turkey shawarma accounts for much of this, but about half the poultry sold in the grocery store is also turkey.  And yet its practically impossible to procure a whole turkey, like the type us Americans like to feast on every November.  I usually grab a package of chicken when I'm shopping, unless I go to the meat counter and see how much cheaper the turkey is.  It's hard to resist the savings.

This week I bought three big ole turkey legs to make for Shabbat.  Unfortunately, we had a crazy Friday and I didn't get them in on time, so I was stuck on Friday night with three only mostly cooked giant drum sticks.  (Thanks to my good friend Hannah of Cooking Manager, I still had a DELICIOUS challah and potato kugel to make our Shabbat special.  Thank you, Hannah!)

Today I used my pressure cooker to make a delicious, meaty soup from the turkey and some vegetables that had over stayed their welcome in my fridge.  Into the pressure cooker went:

Girlled Vegetable Salad

I made this salad to have a simple cold, healthy snack to keep in the fridge, and also to use up cauliflower and peppers.

1. Wash, and cut your vegetables into bite-site pieces. I used cauliflower, yellow and red bell peppers, several cloves of garlic cut in thirds, and cherry tomatoes. I meant to use red onion, but I forgot.  
2. Toss with olive oil and salt.
3. Spread out the veggies on a baking sheet or foil and roast, broil, or grill.  As Alton Brown says, "the broiler is nothing but an upside-down grill."  So in this manner, I "grilled" my veggies. 
4. Cook veggies until the tops brown. In the mean time, prepare the dressing.
5. Chop fresh parsley, add fresh finely ground black pepper, and some vinegar you like.  I used rice wine or "sushi" vinegar and toasted sesame oil.
6. Let vegetables cool. Then toss, taste, and add salt or more vinegar is necessary.

Libyan Meatballs - Simplified "Mafrum"

There is a lovely tradition in many communities that after a women has a baby, people bring her family meals for a week or so.  One of the meals I received after our little guy was born included the most amazing turkey meat balls.  Below is the recipe from my friend with my notes and pictures.  Note there are two cooking options.

In "non-recipe" style, this dish is modified from Tripolitanian "Mafrum," a more complicated dish made with minced beef sandwiched in potatoes.  It is the traditional Erev Shabbat (Friday night) meal of the Libyan Jewish community.  It is usually served with couscous, but for a lower glycemic option, I recommend whole wheat couscous, bulgur wheat, or barley.