Kosher Cooking... Solemn Gathering

Welcome to the Kosher Cooking Carnival - KCC - for the Hebrew month of Av. As we enter the nine days of heightened morning over the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, we take on many morning rituals. We don't wear new clothes, cut our hair, or eat meat. In this spirit, I would like to share my unusually sparse, and completely pescetarian edition of KCC.

To get us in the spirit, let's start with the annual Our Shiputzim: A Work In Progress tradition: Requisite Fast Day Food Post: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars Edition by Mrs. S.

Speaking of shiputzim (renevations), This American Bite is looking good, Yosef! I was just drooling over some vegan Naan Pizza with Zaatar and Eggplant.

Devo K, from In the middle, on the right, had a Spiritual baking experience after reading The Secret of Challah, by Shira Wiener and Ayelet Yifrach.

Pre-Pesach Kosher Cooking Carnival

Chodesh tov! I've been hearing people mentioning Pesach for over a month, and until recently, it hadn't quite clicked why. According to my daughter, the families of all her friends in our building are already done cleaning for Pesach! When she interrogated me about my Pesach cleaning, I assured her that I had begun... by cleaning out a couple boxes of cookies.

Well, the month of Nisan has arrived! I now give you all permission to begin your Pesach preparations, and even mention the 'P' word without me growling in return.

This week I am giddy with excitement to welcome a new member into our home, specifically, my kitchen - a Magimix food processor. It only cost half a years worth of diapers! I just can't stop thinking about it. It actually makes me want to clean faster so I'll have more time in the kitchen to chop and whip  things up like Pesach brownies, Homemade Gefilte fish, Cauliflower Tabouleh, Banana Ice Cream, quick tomato sauce for Shakshouka (pictured), and "Fresh" Sriracha - Homemade Hot Sauce.

I'm also going to make lots more of Faye Levy’s Almond Macaroons posted by Miriyummy.


Then after Pesach I hope to make more bread, like Easy Awesome Onion Challah (where I can use the Magimix to chop the onions and knead the dough) and stuffed focaccia like the Focaccia Hamentashen I made for Purim.

I love the idea of Schlissel Challah, Key Shaped Bread Baked After Passover (pictured) made by Creative Jewish Mom Sarah Rivka.

I could whip up Chaviva's No-bake Peanut Butter Mousse Pie or make a giant batch of Lavash/Laffa Bread posted on Challah Maidel.

Or maybe I'll mix up a giant batch of cookies and freeze some! Batya shared a simple cookie "nonrecipe" in Not Exactly The Recipe, But....

Kosher Cooking Carvival - Av

Welcome to the Kosher Cooking Carnival for the Hebrew month of Av. In the spirit of the nine days, we'll skip the meat, and the frills.  Welcome to the first ever Parve KCC! First, some news:

Tamar opened a "blogsite" - Kosher With Food Allergies - for information and resources for Jews dealing with food allergies. Maybe you have allergies and need tips for traveling outside your comfort zone, or you have guests coming this summer with food allergies, this is an incredible compilation/portal of resources.

Yocheved Golani is looking for a publisher for her new book The Comfort Foods Cookbook: Recipes to Calm You Down FAST Without Widening Your Waistline.  I've posted an excerpt from her book about whole grains and spreads.

Batya of me-ander is traveling to the states this summer and wants to know, So Which Starbucks is Kosher?

Israel has been threatened with rolling blackouts. Hannah K. of Cooking Manager wrote about Preparing Your Refrigerator for a Power Outage.

Photo credit: Mordechai Treiger

David Lebovitz (Living the Sweet Life in Paris) takes a culinary tour of Jerusalem.

At Isreview, Daniela reviewed PriGat’s "Retro" Blood Orange Juice and Bagel Bagel's Aleph-Bet Shaped Pretzels.

My friend Hannah Z. has revived her blog Keen on Quinoa and wrote A Lesson in Hilchot Kashrut.   Hannah posted several other blueberry themed posts including How to Can Blueberries, plus lots of cookie recipes.

Yosefa's Shakshuka

Now for the recipes:

I've been feeling extra Israeli in the kitchen lately. I recently posted Keys to Great Eggplant (you HAVE to try my eggplant and tehina) and I made sweet and easy Shakshuka.

Mrs. S. wrote The requisite fast day food post, including a  recipe for zucchini soup,  at Our Shiputzim: A Work In Progress.

A great idea idea for summer - Ester, of Frugal and Kosher, made Roasted Vegetable Gazpacho with a mixture of raw and cooked veggies. What a nice idea to get the fullest range of flavor and health benefits. Ester also made a vegan Raisin-Bran Cake. My mouth is watering!

Kosher Cooking Carnival - Adar

Welcome to the Rosh Chodesh Adar edition of KCC!

I want to welcome new blogger Miriam, writing From Miriam's Kitchen. She makes "Safta Cookies" from her kitchen in the Negev for her 13 Israeli grandchildren. She also posted some great looking "Yummy Salads and a Dessert" including a pareve Chocolate Espresso Mousse Recipe.

Yael's strawberry cake in progress

It seems like yesterday I was welcoming Country Mouse Cooks to the J-blogosphere, but now Yael seems like an old pro.  She recently baked "Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies" and a layer cake with fresh strawberries in "Strawberry Season."

Yael and I are both bummed we didn't post our Purim ideas in time to share them here, so I hope you'll come back and visit. (Better yet, follow me!)

The past few weeks I, Yosefa, have been making the BEST EGGPLANT EVER. Even eggplant haters love my traditional Eggplant and Tehina. I am also excited and scared about getting a new kitchen and having strange Israelis in my house for a week.

Kosher Cooking Carnival - The Holidays Are Coming!

Welcome to the Kosher Cooking Carnival (KCC) for the Hebrew month of Tishrei! Autumn is officially upon us. It rained this Shabbat here in Israel and I'm guessing some of you have an incredible view of the colorful autumn leaves. This year Israelis and Jews abroad unite under the infamous "three day yom tov."

For those who don't know: Outside of Israel, Jews celebrate holidays for two days, whereas in Israel the chagim are only observed for one day... except Rosh Hashana!  The Jewish new year is, and has always been, observed for two days throughout the world.  Outside of Israel, where two day holidays are commonly observed, it is not unusual for the holidays to abut or overlap with Shabbat, giving two or three days in a row where holidays are observed with the resulting restrictions.  But Israelis are not accustomed to the extended period of observance that occurs this year where two days of Rosh Hashana (beginning Wednesday night) lead directly into Shabbat.   This puts many in quite a frenzy, especially those in charge of preparing six festive meals in a row (lunch and dinner for two days of Rosh Hashana and Shabbat).

G6's  Croation Star Raisin Challah  

For the majority of us who have not been planning our meals and freezing kugals and pies for weeks, I hope this edition of KCC will put you in the mood to celebrate the way Jews do best... with food!

Food is an integral part of most Jewish holidays.  While Passover seems to be the best known for requiring specific foods, Rosh Hashanah has a rich tradition of food-based symbolism to reign in a good new year.  Sarah Melamed of Food Bridge celebrates Symbolic Foods of Rosh Hashanah with her beautiful photography and explanations of a sampling of traditional symbols.

Kosher Cooking Carnival - Tammuz

I am honored to host this month's edition of Kosher Cooking Carnival (KCC), a monthly round-up of kosher cooking ideas and eats.

If you're new to Cooking Outside the Box, bruchim habayim, welcome!  I hope you'll browse my blog while you're here.  Check out my blogroll for other great food and Jewish blogs.




Looking for something to cook?  

This Shabbat my In-Laws, including my vegetarian sister-in-law came for dinner.  I made upside-down stuffed peppers and an avocado dip with cherry tomatoes, cumin, garlic, and some red pepper.  I discovered that the cold leftovers are good mixed together!  I am also hosting a designer apron giveaway.

Rivki's rhubarb ginger muffins

At Kosher Cooking for Ordinary People,  Rivki Locker makes Rhubarb Ginger Muffins (right) and an Onion Tart.

At for Your honor, Lizard makes a simple Summer Squash Salad with avocado.  I like her instructions in the form of a slide show.  For dessert,  Lizard makes a delicious looking Berry Rhubarb Pie with a beautiful lattice work crust.

Mrs. S. makes her own DIY Vanilla at Our Shiputzim: A Work In Progress..  I like her commentary on olim getting things from the states.  My in-laws just brought me Zip Lock bags!