"Live" Tahini with Preserved Lemon and Garlic

Healthy tehina/tahina/tachina/tahini dressing or dip or sauce

I make this dip most weeks. We dip bread in it on Sabbath and I use it as salad dressing during the week. It would also be excellent drizzled over eggplant.

I do all this with my stick blender, so you will want a tall cup that fits a stick blender.

You CAN do this by hand, but you will need to finely chop all the solids.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup tahini paste (I use Ethiopian or sprouted Tahini)
• 3/4 cup water (less for thicker dip)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1, 2, or 3 cloves of garlic - preferably fermented (I use the cloves that are left after we eat all the pickles. Fresh or frozen are fine, but adjust for the potency.)
• 1/8 of a preserved lemon, seeds removed
• juice from 1/4 lemon
• 1/4 tsp salt

* If you don't have preserved lemon, use the juice from half a lemon or more to taste and 1/2 tsp salt in place of 3 ingredients above.

Add all ingredients to cup. Blend or mix until tahini turns white and smooth.
Add

• 1 small bunch of parsley leaves, optional

If using a blender, pulse to chop parsley. You may want to keep a couple leaves for garnish.

Now here's the tough part: Transfer to a closed container without eating it all.

"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!

Roasted Pepper and Olive Dip PLUS Purim Baskets

One of the mitzvot (commandments) of the Jewish Holiday of Purim is to give gifts of food (at least two types of food) called "mishloach manot" or "Shalach Manos."  There is an idea that it should be ready to eat food that can be enjoyed for the festive Purim meal. However, the most popular gifts are candy and cookies. I just moved my oven and fridge into my new kitchen yesterday (I'll post details of my kitchen renovation on Sunday.) so I had a last minute idea to make dips and give them with a pack of crackers. I also made a few packages of nonperishable packages for unexpected visitors, because the dips didn't stretch as far as I expected.

Each package had three of the following:
- Roasted chickpeas (recipe to come)
- Eggplant & Tehina/tehini
- Avocado salad with tomatoes and garlic
- Roasted bell pepper dip with olives and roasted garlic (instructions below)


1.Wash bell peppers and take excess paper off garlic.  Cut and seed peppers if desired. Alternatively, you can roast them whole, flip them half way through and seed them when you peel them.

2. Roast until the peppers are very soft and the tops are black.

3. Remove skin when they are cool enough to handle and squeeze a few cloves of garlic out of the skin.


4. Hand chop a little bit of the peppers and a few olives to top the dip.

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.

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.

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.

Non-dairy Gourmet "Tuna" Noodle Casserole (with vegan option)

My favorite compliment from my husband, "Can you make this again?" began with my son running in from the park asking, "Can we have pasta and tuna and frozen corn?"

Yes, my children would have been satisfied with pasta covered in ketchup, tuna salad, and frozen, literally still frozen, corn.  But, ew, really?

Though sardines are usually more expensive than canned tuna, I've been trying to steer my family toward these healthier and more ecological little fishies.  I even found a brand I love.  I call them "sardines for beginners."  No heads, tails, spines or scales, and no fish breath.  My husband was the last hold out, preferring the the dry mercury laden giants often called "the hot dog of fish" (canned tuna).  But even he couldn't resist sardines smothered in this flavorful creamy sauce in a familiar, noodle casserole format. 

For school lunch, try it cold, for a one-dish, energy packed, lunch to-go!

The sauce is so fast and easy to make, you can begin the prep at the same time you start the pasta water.  And like all my "non-recipes" the ingredients are flexible.

Make Pre-mixed Bulgur Salad

The end of summer is a busy time.  Everyone I know seems to be moving, having a baby, taking a last minute vacation, or getting ready for school to begin.  Busy times can lead to poor food choices, so I want to take this post to remember an old favorite - instant bulgur pilaf.

Bulgur wheat is pre-boiled, dried, and cracked.  It cooks as easily as instant oatmeal, is faster and healthier than instant rice, and fit for lunch or dinner.  And, it's a whole lot cheaper than pre-packaged grain mixes.

You will need a clean container that closes tightly.  I'm using the jar from instant coffee.  Before you begin, check all your ingredients and spices for bugs.  (One wormy walnut will ruin your whole batch.  Ew.)

Fill about halfway with bulgur wheat, then add whatever you like.  The bulgur will double in size, so season accordingly.  Don't be shy!  Have fun, be creative, mix and close tightly.  Here is what went into my last batch:

• bulgur
• sun-dried tomatoes (not marinated) chopped small
• dry shitake mushrooms, broken small  
• pine nuts
• dehydrated onions
• whole mustard seeds 
• dry thyme
• dry basil
• ground coriander seed
• garlic powder
• ground red pepper flakes
• citric acid 
• salt

For a single serving, poor 1/4 to 1/2 cup of mix into a bowl or hot cup, add twice as much boiling water, stir, cover, wait for grains to absorb all water.

Featured in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; 8/16/11. 

All About Iron & Black Lentil Salad

I did pretty well in high school and college.  Multiple choice tests, essay tests, I could handle them all, with the exception of oral Spanish tests.  Now I'm in my third trimester of pregnancy and most of my tests involve my blood, not my brains.  My blood is in severe need of after-school enrichment in order to pass the hemoglobin portion of my retake-test.

Adult women need about 18 mg of iron per day and pregnant women need 27.  However, not all iron is absorbed equally.  The body absorbs iron from animal sources (heme iron) much better then iron from plant sources (non-heme iron).  For instance, 100 mg of egg has 2-3 mg of iron, all of which is absorbed by the body, 100 mg of boiled spinach has 4 mg, but only about 1.2 mg is absorbed.

Summer Salad Links & Asian Coleslaw

First, my coleslaw: 

Cabbage is easy, cheap, and has numerous health benefits.  I often make an Asian-inspired coleslaw as an alternative the to classic mayonnaise version.  It's easy, and I just add whatever I'm in the mood for like:

• half a cabbage sliced, or a package of thinly sliced coleslaw mix
• shredded or matchstick carrots (optional)
• rice wine vinegar
• sesame oil
• soy sauce or tamari sauce
• date syrup or molasses
• lots of sesame seeds (toasting optional)
• dried cranberries, preferably unsweetened
• washed bean sprouts (optional)
• Optional: Before serving crumble instant egg noodles/Raman noodles into the salad. 

Now, for the invaluable links:

I just came across one of the most comprehensive lists of mouthwatering salads I have seen on the web, in link form.  It is well organized and you are sure to find something to fit your occasion.  My problem was, where to start?  The list was compiled by Leora A of Here in HP.  Check out her great list of Simple Summer Salads!

Photo by Leora @ Here in HP

I was especially intrigued by some of the "Light Meal Salads," including
Ilana-Davita's Salade Niçoise – Carbohydrate-Free Recipe
Leora's Japanese Noodle Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce
Chanita Harel's Tuna,Red Cabbage and Caper Salad 

There are also several recipes for vegetarian pate / mock chopped liver, such as the two recipes posted by Laura of Pragmatic Attic in her post "Tastes Like the Real Thing Vegetarian Chopped Liver."

Hey, look, Leora included my Quinoa Tabbouleh!

While we're talking salad, have you heard of purslane?  I'm still intrigued by urban foraging, but the summer seems barren of edible weeds.  Not so!  Mimi of Israeli Kitchen introduces purslane and how to eat it in her post, "Purslane, Summer's Edible Weed."

For a compilation of my salad posts, CLICK HERE.  Some salads you'll find here:

• Curried Watermelon Rind & Mango Salad
• Roasted Beet & Walnut Salad
• Sun-dried Tomato Basil Pasta Salad
• Asian Inspired Noodle Salad 
• Pomegranate Salad

Curried Watermelon Rind & Mango Salad

This dish was inspired by Penniless Parenting's "Watermelon Rind Salad (Moroccan Inspired)."
Penniless Parenting's adventures in extreme frugality lead to lots of interesting recipes, like "Banana Peel Chutney."  Her "Zero Food Waste Challenge"  goes way beyond composting to "Eating Food Scraps" my wasteful American tastes have trouble comprehending.  Check it out for things you never knew you could eat and other money saving tips.

Now for my recipe:

Watermelon Rind Prep:

1. Start with 1/2 a medium-large watermelon, after the insides have been eaten or frozen.
2. Slice  the rind into manageable slices about 1.5 inches wide.  Using a sharp knife, peel off the tough green skin and scrape off most of the pink inside.
3. Cut into squares and steam.  I steamed in my pressure cooker for 2-3 minutes on high pressure with natural release.

Dressing: Mix rind with:

• 1 Tbs (or less to taste) curry powder 
• 1/2 Tbs garlic powder (or fresh crushed garlic if you like)
• 1/2 Tbs ginger powder or crushed fresh ginger
• 1 tsp fenugreek
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs oil
• juice from 1/2 a fresh lemon
• fresh chopped scallions  

Salad: When rind has cooled, or right before serving:

• Chop watermelon rind pieces smaller (optional) 
• Add chopped fresh mango (alternatives could include oranges, peaches, or even strawberries)
• 
  

Serve chilled plain or on top of lettuce of bulgur wheat.

Also check out my recipe for the easiest pickled melon rind on the web. 

Roasted Beet & Walnut Salad

I love beets!  I got the original recipe through my mom from Marilynn Clark in Florida.  This is a great autumn salad, and I love dishes you can mostly prepare long before guests arrive or just keep in the fridge until you get hungry.

8 to 10 med beets (2 lbs) rinsed, trim stem ends to 1”
2 Tbls. Cider vinegar
1-½ teasp Dijon mustard
½ teasp sugar
Salt & pepper to taste
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
(optional) 4 oz. Blue cheese, crumbled
(optional) Mixed baby greans, Belgian endive, or greens of your choice

Alfalfa Sprout Salad

Quick Tip: If you make a non-lettuce salad with sprouts and parsley, you can dress it ahead with no wilting.

My good friend Leor shared this recipe with me.  Her pictures are included.  She says, "You have to triple/quadruple the dressing for a big salad."

Ingredients 
romaine lettuce
alfalfa sprouts
purple onion
cucumber
strawberries
candied almonds

Dressing:
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
 2 tbls almond oil or canola oil

Did you know that the recent E. Coli outbreak in Germany was traced to organic bean sprouts (not cucumbers)?  Sprouts have been known to be problematic for harboring food-born illness.  If you are worried, grow your own sprouts!  It's easy and exciting.  Check out my post on growing alfalfa sprouts.

Summer Salad

There's nothing like a nice crisp, even sweet, salad on these hot summer days.  Putting strawberries, orange sections, dried cranberries (preferably unsweetened), and candied pecans on a salad is nothing new to me.

A couple weeks ago I made a salad with some of these things (and yellow bell peppers), but the unique part was the greens.  Instead of packing the dressing with dried herbs, I put fresh herbs right in the salad, many from my window garden.  I mixed my own fresh romaine, finely chopped chives, tarragon, and a few other herbs, with store bought Italian parsley and baby greens. 

I used some of the juice that came out of the oranges when I sectioned them to start a dressing.  A basic salad dressing needs some fat, acid, and salt.  Acid can be fresh lemon juice or some type of vinegar; salt can be any kind of salt crystals, soy or tamari sauce; and fat is usually at least half olive oil.  I also like Dijon mustard and something sweet, like orange juice, honey, date syrup, etc.  If you taste it, use a piece of lettuce or vegetable. It should be strong, and tasting on a spoon or your finger won't give you an accurate idea.  If you dress the salad, always start with less than you think you will need.

Steamed Aromatic Chicken Recipe

 

The last couple weeks I've been steaming chicken breast in my pressure cooker.  I've taken chicken from frozen to juicy with great speed.  Even my kids love it.  The first week  I started with a layer of herbal scraps: leek greens, parsley, and wilted basil.  Then I added 1-2 cups of water, a lightly greased steamer basket, and chicken breast.

Bulgur Pilaf: The Instant Whole Grain

By now we've all heard that whole grains are healthier.  However, one of the greatest barriers to eating whole grains is that they take longer to cook.  Both singles and families are often pressed for time and turn to instant foods.  I want to encourage you to engineer healthy snacks and meals you can prepare ahead of time that work for your tastes and lifestyle.  Here's an idea:

 1. Find an airtight container, like the kind you might use to store flour or cereal.  (You can also use a zip-top bag.)  Fill it half way with Bulgur Wheat, which you can find in spice stores, health food stores, and the bulk bins of many grocers.  You may find it in a box marketed as tabouli/tabbouleh, often with spices added.   (Pictured above is a side-by-side comparison of dry and prepared bulgur.)

 

Soup Fail; Good Beets

My first real pressure cooker experiment was not very tasty.  I attempted a vegan stew with heavy middle eastern seasonings, chick peas, barley, beets, and carrots.  (My own idea, not from a cookbook.)  I probably should have learned by now that my husband won't eat pink or purple food.

Because the chickpeas take longer to cook, I left the carrots and beets whole.  I cut one of three beets up and threw them back in my not-quite-right soup.  The other two pressure boiled beets, I dressed with cider vinegar, brown mustard, and a dash of salt.  They are delicious on their own or on a bed of greens (shown), and/or topped with toasted walnuts and blue cheese.

I tagged this as kid friendly, because I think most kids love beets.  However, they are a lot friendlier if your kids wear bibs and use a fork.

Avocado

Israeli avocados have very thin skins and large pits.  They are delicious, but if you try to use the usual methods of spooning out the meat or peeling them, the skin breaks apart and makes more work.  Hannah K. of CookingManager.com sent me this avacado video from Risa from Isramom.blogspot.com.  I was very exited to try it!



You can make a quick and delicious avocado salad with 1 to 1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice, one small clove of garlic, and one tomato per avocado.  Below is a video of Hannah making avocado salad in my food processor.  Lesson learned: know your equipment.  I cut out the part where she had to fish out the chunks of tomatoes and cut them by hand before putting them back in the food processor.  Hannah has a Magimix, which I remember hearing excellent things about on the Splendid Table.  If I want to make a non-mushy avocado salad in my low-end processor, I need to start with smaller pieces of tomato.

The Miracle of the Oil

Tonight, Jews across the world will light their menorahs/hanukiot to celebrate the festival of lights - Chanukah/Hanukkah.  The holiday of Chanukah commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after it was defiled by the Syrian-Greeks.   Besides lighting 9-branched menorahs, we partake in fried foods, specifically potato pancakes called latkes or levivot, and jelly donuts called sufganiot.  In this way our arteries and waist bands will remember that when the High Priest in the temple lit the 7-branched menorah with the only kosher oil that could be found - enough for only one night - a great miracle occurred and the oil lasted long enough for fresh olive oil to be processed... eight nights.  I've reviewed the laws of Chanukah, where it discusses when we light the menorah and what materials are appropriate of lighting (like olive oil and cotton wicks.)  However, I didn't see any mention of consuming enough fat during eight days to last us eight months.

Now, I like to think of myself as an optimist, but when it comes to the environment and junk food, I'm a real kill joy.  Thinking of having a balloon releasing event?  Don't forget about the sea turtles and other wildlife chocking on your balloons when they deflate and fall.  And a holiday is no excuse to bombard my kids with candy to rot their teeth.  So in the interest of our bodies, I'd like to share a few ways to showcase oil without the mess and detrimental health effects of deep fried food.  If you do want to enjoy the traditional Chanukah foods, I recommend getting frozen latkes that you put in the oven so the frying doesn't smell up your home for a week.  Enjoy them with natural (no sugar added) apple sauce by the glow of the candles.  For sufganiot, go to a bakery and buy no more than 1 donut per person for the week.  Enjoy!

Baked "Celery Root" (Celeric) Sweet Potato Pancakes

1. Peel and grate celery root(s) and sweet potatoes, then drain liquid.
2. Mix with egg(s), seasonings, and a little olive oil.  You could also add fresh parsley, green onions, etc.
3. Brush baking sheet or pan generously with oil.
4. Plop mounds of the mixture on the baking sheet. (If it is too loose add flour.)
5. Bake until they take on color.

Israeli Salad

No joke.  Why not let salad be the base for our oil?  Israeli salad is based on chopped cucumbers and tomatoes, generally lightly dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  You could also add chopped parsley, green or red onions, bell pepper, and other seasonings, like za'atar.

 "Sparslic"
This is a dip I used to enjoy at Chabad House of Pittsburgh.  A good garlic press is very helpful.  Press or smash and finely chop raw garlic.  Add fresh or dried chopped parsley, good olive oil and salt.  This is better if you do it ahead of time and let it sit a bit.  Then enjoy with good bread.

Za'atar and Olive Oil 
In Israel different spice shops and companies have their own mixes for za'atar. If you live outside Israel, you may be able to find it from one of the three or so Israeli spice companies that export.  Look near kosher or Middle Eastern foods.  You can make it yourself, I think the following ingredient ratios are for a Lebanese style za'atar  I think the Israeli version has more marjoram, less sumac, some dill, and olive oil.
1/4 cup sumac
2 tablespoons thyme
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons marjoram
2 tablespoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
You may roast or crush the sesame seeds.  I guess that's a personal preference.   Mix za'atar mix with good extra virgin olive oil and enjoy with bread.  I also like the make a valley in a mound of hummus to hold my olive oil and za'atar, which I then eat with fresh pita.

Pita Chips

I don't believe the previous paragraph was my first mention of "fresh pita" on this blog.  Since moving to Israel we've become pita snobs.  Once it's approaching 48 hours old, it's just not the same.  By day three, if it's still in our bread box I make pita chips.  Preferably whole wheat pita chips.

1. Cut each pita into 6 pieces like a pie and split the two layers of the "pocket" with a knife or your fingers.
2. Brush or spray both sides with olive oil and spread on a baking sheet.
3. Leave plain or sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, or my favorite, za'atar!
4. Toast on high for about 5 minutes.  Don't walk away.  Pull them out when a couple start to brown.

Happy Chanukah!

This post is featured in Real Food Digest | Real Food Holidays – Hanukkah.