Creamy Garlic Avocado Dip

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Labne (I used Karoun Lite brand) If you can't find Labne, sour cream or greek yogurt will do.
2-3 Avocados
1-2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
(A little lemon rind too, microplaned in)
Spicy Garlic Blend (to taste): Dehydrated Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes and Salt


Directions:
Slice avocados in half, spoon into bowl (or labne container!) Mash Avocado along with Labne, lemon juice, spices and lemon rind.

Serve with cucumber slices, crackers (or mini-matzah's), chips, as a sandwich spread, or with fish. If you're doing paleo or gluten free, it'd go well with even more crudite or Mary's Gone Crackers!

Ok. So you'll tell me that this is not quite guacamole. I presume that's not a complaint. Enjoy!

Edamame Salad with Miso Vinaigrette

A refreshing, healthy treat!

This is a great go to dish for a big potluck meal when you want promise of flavor and protein. I love the bright colors and flavors, and this has already inspired friends to make similar versions. I don't usually make this with lettuce but realized it would go a lot farther if I put in crispy romaine hearts... glad I did, after I left the meal ran into more friends on the way home sitting by the fountain on 100th and Riverside drive, so I shared it again there.  Another tip is that it's a great make ahead dish. Extra tasty when the veggies get to marinate, so give it a try that way too!

This time I whipped up the dressing in a bowl with a top so I could easily shake it up and taste test w/celery before adding it in. Feel free to experiment and tell me what you're up to. I almost always make this by grabbing whatever on my asian shelf seems exciting, so it could be adjusted for a lot of different palates! Enjoy.

Dressing:
1 tbs White Mellow Miso Paste
2-3 tbs Warm Water (to melt miso in)
Sesame oil
3 tbs Citrus juice (orange, lime or lemon otherwise - if you're using fresh, throw in some zest too!)
2 tsp Lime liquor (mine is Bartenura, I used to use a ginger vodka, but I'm out!)
3 tbs Rice Vinegar (I used pesto rice vinegar in this version)
Ginger (fresh or ground, 1/2 tsp)
Garlic (usually 1tsp ground, this time I boiled 4 cloves w/the edamame)
Tamari or Soy sauce (I used shoyu this time, and try to keep it gluten free so everyone can enjoy)
Salt (to taste)
1 tsp Mustard powder
1-2 tbs mirin
2 tsp brown sugar
More options: allspice, chili flakes or chili oil, dried beer, sherry if you're out of mirin

Vegetables:
Edamame (shelled frozen)
Red pepper
Celery (leaves included)
Pea Shoots
Avocado
Romaine heart
Mushroom stems, crumbled
Scallions (chopped)
(past recipes I've used corn or baby corn, sliced mushrooms, water chestnuts, or radishes)

Chop veggies a consistent size, waiting to chop avocado until the rest of the ingredients are mixed (even dressed) and then add it in. I use the greens and whites of the scallions, but whatever you have on hand. I also tore the romaine and the pea shoots.

For the dressing, start by melting miso into warm water (I try to use as little warm water as needed for miso to melt) then add in oil, emulsify, spices, juice, liquor, soy, mirin and shake it up. Taste by dipping celery or lettuce into dressing and adjust accordingly, then pour over vegetables.

Pesach Perfect: Avocado Salad!

This Israeli shuk inspired dish happens to also be perfect for passover... Bright green spring colors and fresh flavors, it always gets rave reviews.

Serves 6:
4 Avocados (Ripe but not mushy)
2 Red Peppers
1 Yellow or Orange Pepper
Lemon Juice (fresh- 2 lemons or bottled 1/2 cup)
Basil (1 Tbsp dry or 1/2 cup fresh, chiffonade)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Tips: To prevent Avocados from browning mix up the 'dressing' in advance and add some to the bowl where the cut avocados will go. Also, slice the peppers first, their high vitamin C content will keep colors bright. Also, if you're waiting to serve, or traveling to a picnic, use an air tight container to store. It's also a great shabbat lunch dish because you can prep it the night before and let the flavors marinate or the day of and serve shortly after tossing..

Mix olive oil, lemon juice and basil (if dry... if fresh, add at end), pour half into bowl
Dice Peppers
Halve and Cube Avocados
Add salt and pepper to taste
Add remainder of dressing
Toss all ingredients and taste.
I first made this after shopping at the shuk. A combination of my ideas along with those of a great friend.

Measurement Tip: Count a 1/2 to 2/3 avocado per person and 1/3 red and yellow pepper per person

Sheridan's Honey Whole Wheat Challah Recipe

Honey Whole Wheat Challah ...mmmm

I have to admit I usually make a mini-loaf for myself because when it comes out of the oven I can't resist this. Also, somehow, my dough always miraculously over-rises and I wind up with more challah than I know what to do with. If that's the case, pull it a few minutes early and freeze a loaf or two for next week. Anyway, I'll stop talking so you can start baking and enjoy!

3 tablespoons (3 packages) active dry yeast

1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup sugar

1 cup honey

3.5 cups lukewarm water

1 cup vegetable oil ( i use a little less)

6 large eggs (save 1 egg and add some water for egg wash)

2 tablespoons salt

16 cups flour total (I do a 2/3 whole wheat to 1/3 white all-purpose flour ratio ... leaning towards a little more white flour.)

Optional: sesame or poppy seeds for sprinkling

1. Dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in 3 to 3.5 cups of lukewarm water in a large bowl. Let yeast proof/activate for 10 minutes. (You can start to measure other ingredients)

2. Whisk the oil into the yeast mixture, then beat in 5 of the eggs, one at a time, along with the remaining sugar, honey and the salt. (To prevent honey from sticking ,use same measuring cup as for oil. Also, you can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading.) Gradually add the 16 cups of flour alternating 2 Whole Wheat with 1 White and stir. When the dough holds together, it is ready for kneading.

3. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out the bowl and grease it, then return the dough to the bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour. (You may also put the dough in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees, then turned off.) When the dough has almost doubled in volume, punch it down, cover, and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour or so.

4. To make a 6-braided challah, take 1/4 of the dough and form into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand tapered at the ends about 12 inches long and 1½ inches wide. Pinch the strands together at one end, then gently spread them apart. Next, move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then, take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Regroup to 3 on each side. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2 to the middle, then move the second strand from the right over to the far left. Regroup and start over with the outside right strand. Continue until all the strands are braided, tucking the ends underneath the loaf. Tip: always to have 3 strands on each side, so you can keep your braid balanced. Either make the remainder of the loaves the same way and place the braided loaves in greased 10- by 4-inch loaf pans or on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches between them OR, alternately, you can take a round pan and make a pull apart challah very easily; just take some dough, about the size of a tennis ball, roll it out to about 12 inches, and swirl into a roll. Snuggly fit rolls beside one another in the round pan. (Leave a small amount of dough for the "challah is taken" blessing - l’haph’reesh challah min ha’eesah.- for more on that see: http://www.jewishtreats.org/2009/06/challah-is-taken.html)

5. Beat the remaining egg and brush it on the loaves. Let rise another half hour.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and brush the loaves with egg again, then sprinkle on poppy or sesame seeds.

7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. Remove the loaves from the pans and cool on a rack.

Yield: 4-5 challot