Noodles or Crepes? Joys for Passover

Passover Crepes (aka Egg Noodles)
6 Large Eggs
1 cup Tapioca (or Potato) Starch
1.5 cups Water (or Milk) a bit more or less to consistency that works for your desired level of thickness
1 pinch of salt
Large Non-stick pan, spray or oil (if pan is hot, less necessary)
Ladle or Squeeze bottle (the latter makes this so easy)
Spatula (or really delicate tongs)
Your Favorite Crepe Fillings (chocolate spread, fruit, jam, silan, syrup, marshmallows etc)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Whisk or stir with fork until blended. There may be a clump or two, but try to break it up as much as possible. Heat pan to a high temperature. If using a squeeze bottle, pour batter in. Ladle or squeeze batter into center of pan, then spread batter to coat pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until edges start to release from sides and crepe can easily flip. Continue to cook slightly less time on this opposite side. Stack onto plate to serve later, along with the side above, fresh fruit, chocolate spread (or chips).

As you make more, keep the batter well mixed, it separates easily (Shake inside of bottle or stir). Prepared crepes hold up well in the fridge, so make extra.

Optional other uses of this recipe:
Savory Crepes with roasted veggies
Make Egg Noodles: Roll up crepe tightly and slice into noodles for soup, tomato sauce, or bolognese, as pictured.

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!

Slowcooker Sweet & Spicy Tomato Sauce

This is the results of "OMG my fridge is packed with a full CSA haul!" when the person I share it with was on vacation.  Normally I'd add carrots and or celery to my sauce, but I'm set on not buying extra veggies given the abundance that I've been getting from the farm.

6 lbs of tomatoes

1 cherry bomb pepper
2 green peppers
3 zucchini/summer squash (~1/2 lb each)
1/4 lb enoki mushrooms
1 onion
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup Red wine (it's fine if it has turned, or you can use red wine vinegar)
1/4 cup rice vinegar (I used roasted garlic flavor. It's delicious, you could also roast the garlic rather than putting in fresh cloves)
6-8 cloves of garlic (smash prior to putting in so the oils are released)
2 tbs honey or brown sugar for vegans (or more, to taste)
1/2 cup or more fresh basil reserve some for later addition.
1 bay leaf
some: oregano,  dried italian herbs, salt to taste.
Slow cook in crockpot: Low 8-10 hours

Even if you have a casual relationship with your cutting board you'll be a master of this in no time. Quarter tomatoes (I didn't remove skins, some recipes really recommend blanching and removing, but they break down easily in the crockpot and were all farm-fresh, organic and whatnot). Rough chop other ingredients and add along with liquid.
Walk away! Have an awesome day at work, out with friends, whatever.
When you get back hope around hour 6,8 or 10 just remove bay leaf, place the immersion blender into the pot and blend. Taste and add in extra seasoning (I used fresh pink salt here) and fresh basil to taste.

This made three 24 oz. bottles plus two cups... so served that night and bottled the rest for me and to give as gifts. Also, the one cherry bomb just gave it a bit of a roasted flavor. Feel free to add more hot peppers for more of a bang.

Beer Braised Kale with Pastrami

So first of all there's the Pastrami. Here's the thing. I had  Pastrami from Grow and Behold just screaming at me to take it out of the freezer and eat it. I could tell it was going to be ten kinds of delicious, but it was still frozen ... so the solution was obviously to loosen it a smidge under hot water and put it straight into a frying pan.

Then I went to open the bag of Trader Joe's kale a little too gingerly to pour on top of this great pastrami, and an explosion happened onto my kitchen floor. I only lost 1/3 of the bag, but man, that's a lot of chopped kale I just swept up.

Anyway, on to the goodness:

Kale (10 oz, though I wound up with less)
Pastrami (4 oz)
1/3 cup Beer (I used corona, + 1 tbsp to deglaze at the end)
1.5 tsp meat tenderizer
1 tsp chili spice rub (or a garlic-onion-chili blend, whatever you have on hand and like)
squeeze of a lemon wedge

Add the pastrami to a non-stick pan on medium-high heat, when it starts to brown at the edges (about 2 minutes) add in the kale and about 1/3 a cup of beer... just enough to coat the bottom of the pan so that the kale can steam. (You could use any other liquid; veggie broth, sherry, wine. I really just needed to drink a beer after the kale cleanup.)  Once the kale wilts a little bit, add in the spices and a bit of lemon juice. Let it cook until it wilts down enough for you to enjoy (4-5 minutes, or just taste). Taste to see if it needs any seasoning adjustment. Enjoy! Let em know if there are any other spices I should be using when making this. I didn't want anything to mask the rich pastrami flavor, so kept it super simple... but I don't have to next time!

And for those of you vegetarians out there (or those preparing for a dairy meal) feel free to try your favorite meat substitute; veggie bacon, veggie sausage or the like... it might be just lovely. Report back!

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.

Protein Packed Ginger Carrot Slow Cooker Soup

This hearty treat evolved to serve a whole lot of vegetarians when I was making Brisket. It surely satisfied and even was enjoyed by meat eaters as well. I'm bound to make it again soon and will try to save leftovers for photographs...

 

Ingredients:

6 peeled sliced carrots

1 ½ inches  of fresh ginger root

3 cloves of garlic

2 cups red lentils

2/3 cup Mirin

6-8 cups broth and/or water (I like Brad's organic vegetable broth)

Celery leaves

1 sweet onion

3 ribs chopped celery

Dash Emeril’s Asian seasoning

Dash Allspice

Scallions (Whites for cooking, greens for decorating on top)

Directions:

Place ingredients into slow cooker on high for 2-3 hours until soft, then use a hand blender to mix all ingredients together, and if serving within 3 hours, keep on low, if serving the following day, keep on warm.  You may need to add more liquid depending on preferred consistency.


PS - I may have added a bit of the brisket gravy to the leftovers ... it was DELICIOUS ... so if you're not serving vegetarians feel free to add in some beef variant as well. If you are, either Sherry or Beer can be added to the liquids for more depth of flavor.

Crockpot Coconut Curry Chicken

This delicious dish can be made a variety of ways 

1 hour into the Coconut Currying process...

... But this week's version used off the bone chicken thighs which i cubed and browned before sliding into the crockpot. I did this mostly because I didn't have 'all day' to wait and wanted to make sure the meat was properly cooked. I do think it added to how excellent the flavor was, but then again, I'm not sure I've evercooked w/deboned chicken thighs before. In other instances, I've used (whole cut) chicken on the bone, cooked the whole dish longer and shredded the chicken off the bone before serving. When I use skin on chicken, I replace the chicken broth below with water. The latter version are also great budget saving swaps.

I have to admit, and you can probably tell by the fullness of the pot, that this was one of those meals where I had a lot of "maybes" coming to dinner - none of whom made it in the end, but it meant I had to prepare the kind of dish where I might enjoy leftovers for days. The side dishes to this menu are recipes which will be forthcoming: Broccoli & Spinach sauteed with meyer lemons, purple coconut rice. I'd tell you how to make the Burmese tea leaf salad my friend made, but the key ingredients were brought from Burma by way of Thailand. I do recommend a colorful side salad with nuts, red onion, purple cabbage and tomatoes though.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 lbs Chicken Thighs (skinless, boneless) I found empire's at trader joes, but picked up more at Seasons because of those maybes.

1-1 1/2 cans coconut milk (not lite!)

1/3 cup curries: I used Butter Chicken Masala* and Tandoori Masala

2 tsp ground mustard seed (I really like this flavor)

4-6 cloves Garlic, smashed to release flavor

3/4 inch Fresh Ginger, matchstick sliced (I never know how to describe this measurement!)

1 grated lemon peel (I mircoplaned the meyer lemon that wound up in the broccoli)

1 bunch Celery, incl greens, chopped

3/4 large Sweet Onion, (the other 1/4 went to the broccoli)

4 medium Carrots sliced (or 1/2 bag of baby carrots)

2 c. chicken broth/stock (homemade or low sodium)

1/3 c. Tio Pepe Sherry

1 tbs virgin coconut oil (or whatever you have on hand)

optional: Scallions, Chili peppers**

Serves 10+

One thing I love about this recipe is that you can do the major prep in advance, which is what I'd have done were it not for a friend in town and 1/2 price wine bottles at our local tapas place. So, instead, here's how this incarnation of the dish happened, the reviews were fabulous, so maybe I did it just right.

Put the crockpot on high and add in the can of coconut milk, the curry seasoning, mustard powder, next add ginger, lemon peel and smashed garlic. Stir together.

As those ingredients warm, chop all the veggies (if pre-chopped, proceed with), brown stir fry sized pieces of chicken thighs in sautee pan or wok w/a tsp of coconut oil and a tbsp of curry powder over medium-high heat.

Add in the veggies (I saved 1/2 the celery to add later so they would stay more crisp... this works better if shabbat starts later), then the browned chicken. Cover with chicken broth, sherry and water. Let flavors meld, stirring occasionally.

I kept it on high the whole time because I only gave it 4 hours to cook, traditionally, it's a slow and low dish - 6-8 hours on low.

** Chili pepper tip: I have dry on hand, it's the seeds that provide most of the heat, so if you soak and slice those out, the spice level will be more moderate.

*I only have the container for the butter chicken masala curry blend, which contains: Red Chilis, Onion, Coriander, Garlic, Tumeric, Black Pepper, Salt, Cumin, Fenugreek, Cardamom seeds, Cinnamon, Cloves, Mace, Nutmeg, Black Cumin, Saccharum, Ginger

Newlywed Meatloaf

Honey Love Layered Meatloaf

This layered dish ups the anti on meatloaf but just takes one extra step to turn traditional into fancy pants in a simple way. I was ready to kick up my cooking a notch because it felt like I had a rare opportunity to make a celebratory meal. Even though shabbat comes every week, and I managed the holidays with quite a bit of fanfare, this particular celebration was layered on top of Shabbat, so held more significance than a traditional meal around the table. I made this dish for a newlywed couple's first shabbat dinner after their wedding, this meal served as a night of their "Sheva Brachot." I wanted the ingredients to reflect some Jewish and general wedding customs, so I played around a bit there. Reviews say that the results were delicious. (Note the bold ingredients which will be explained below.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
For Meatloaf
1/3 of a cup honey
1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce
1lb ground beef
1lb ground turkey (not white meat)
2 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup corn flakes, crushed
Spices:
Nutmeg (fresh ground)
3 tbs Grill seasoning (Jaime Gwen's Chicken & Turkey spice rub - rosemary, sage, thyme)
1tbs Emeril's Essence seasoning blend
2 tbs Garlic Powder
Chili Flakes (to taste)
White Pepper (a guest was allergic to black, use tricolor if you have it on hand)
(I don't add salt because it's kosher meat, which is already salted. Add to taste if the meat isn't kosher)

For Veggie filling/topping:
1/2 cup Tio Pepe Sherry (or dry white wine), + 1tbs sherry for egg mixture
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 sweet onion, large
3 large celery stalks (leafy parts too)
10 oz mushrooms (1/2 cup)
2 cups spinach

• Add the honey, teriyaki sauce, and spices to a big bowl then folded both meats together with spices and honey, and let sit.
• Chop the veggies really small and added them to a pot to cook along with the sherry, adding the spinach last. You may want to use a bit extra of the same seasoning when you saute the veggies, I only added the garlic. Feel free to use fresh garlic if you have it.
• While the veggies saute, take a small bowl and crack two eggs, whisking them with a tbs of sherry.
• Add crushed cornflakes into the egg mixture to soften.
• When the veggies are done sauteing, create a well in the seasoned meat and added in the egg mixture, combining thoroughly.
• The next steps depend on whether you're folding the veggies into the meatloaf (particularly great if you're hiding them from picky eaters) or layering them (if you want to give permission to your picky eaters to just avoid them). I filled the large meatloaf pan half way, added 3/4 of the veggies, and spread out, then added the second half, decorating the top with a design of the remaining vegetables.
• Place in the 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until sides crisp.
• Strain the excess gravy into a bowl and discard or save to serve later.
  

Enjoy! (this version had a little difficulty staying together - so if you have recommendations for how to improve that, feel free to share. Also, typically I *always* add mustard or mustard powder to my meatloaves, but somehow forgot this go around. Feel free to experiment.)

Other tips and tricks: More veggies will make the meatloaf go further if you're on a budget. Also, you can use more turkey which is less expensive. For nearly the same rich flavor you can go as far as a 2:1 ratio. Also, save the gravy if you're making noodles or rice and serve it on the side. Saute extra vegetables for the side too. (Using chicken or vegetable broth and sherry keeps the extra fat away from that step of the dish.)

Wondering how the ingredients I used relate to marriage?
Two kinds of meat, for the blending into one family.
Honey, traditional on shabbat throughout the first year of marriage to set up a future filled with sweetness.
Teriyaki for all the future Christmases that will be filled with Chinese food.
Eggs, as a symbol of fertility, the life cycle and wholeness.
Spices are, indeed, emblematic of the spice of life, and the flavorful life that the couple will have.
Also, I shaped the extra veggies into the shape of a heart a top the meatloaf.