Mandarin Orange - Almond - Lettuce Salad

Easy and delicious. Make the dressing before Shabbos so you can measure out each ingredient and don't have to worry about getting the right measurements on Shabbos. The original recipe calls for pulverizing an onion with the dressing, but I'd rather not pull out my food processor just to make a salad dressing! So I just cut a chunk of onion and left it to marinate and flavor the salad dressing overnight. I also opened the can of mandarin oranges before Shabbos, drained it, and stored it with the salad dressing. Not only did this marinate the orange segments, enhancing the flavor, it staved off any problems that come with opening cans on Shabbos.

Here's the recipe:

Dressing
1 chunk or slice of onion
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. ground mustard
1/3 c. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. oil
dash pepper
dash garlic

Mix in air-tight container and shake until smooth and fully mixed. If making for Shabbos, open the can of mandarin oranges and store with the dressing.

Salad
1 head of Romaine lettuce or Iceberg lettuce (I prefer Iceberg) washed, dried and checked
1 can mandarin oranges
1 cup candied or toasted almonds (I used toasted - you can buy pre-toasted ones at Trader Joes, or you can candy your own using the recipe in this previous post. Making them was slightly disastrous, however, so I do not plan on attempting it again soon.)

To assemble salad, mix lettuce with almonds and oranges, and toss with dressing to taste. Try with half of the dressing, taste, and see if it needs more. Nothing is worse than a too-heavily dressed salad, but you want to make sure you have enough flavor.

Checking lettuce (doo dah, doo dah)

Checking lettuce has definitely become the curse (or blessing) of my life. I dread it, yet I enjoy it while I'm doing it, and I feel so rewarded and proud immediately after.

Pros: Big mitzvah, providing healthy, kosher food to my family

Cons: Drippy, watery and time-consuming

Why don't I buy pre-checked lettuce, you ask? Well, at $3-$5 a bag, I don't find it a good investment. Plus, the bags go bad quickly, appear to be lower in nutritional value because of all the processing, are not conveneniently accessible (I do NOT live in Brooklyn or KGH or similarly Jewish neighborhoods) and I really like the look and feel of big Iceberg and Romaine lettuce leaves.

In case you're wondering, here's how I do it, with guidance from the OU bug-checking book:

Method 1
Carefully tear the lettuce into individual leaves and place in a big bowl to soak for 10-15 minutes. Agitate the water so dirt (and hopefully bugs) will get off of the leaves.

After sufficiently soaked, hold each leaf individually up to the light, scanning both sides while looking out for dark spots (potential bugs) and obvious bugs. When you find one (and it's not as uncommon as you may think), either tear off the affected area OR wash off the bug OR wipe if off with finger, being careful not to splatter bug juices. If you're in doubt about whether it's a bug or not, just give a little scratch to the lettuce leaf and see if it comes off. If if does, whether a bug or dirt piece, you're well rid of it.

Place on towel and pat dry.

Method 2
This way is either, and many people check lettuce this way, but it is not the method endorsed by the OU book, so not sure yet how I feel about it. Basically, follow procedure above but CHECK the lettuce before you soak it. This is extremely advantageous because you don't have water dripping down your sleeves as you put the lettuce leaf up to the light. Then soak the lettuce afterward primarily to wash it.

You can also use a lightbox instead of holding each leaf up to the light, but that didn't work for me. We did get a lightbox, but checking wet leaves didn't work as dust particles would get mixed up with the water from the leaf and skew my vision, plus the switch broke off after a few months. See if it works for you.

Creamy (and parve!) Scalloped Potatoes

Another great recipe from my sister-in-law!

Ingredients:
7 Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 tbsp margarine or oil
2 large onions, chopped
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 tsp. salt
28 oz. chicken stock (3 and a half cups water with about a tbsp of chicken consomme)
black pepper
paprika

Heat oil in a large pan and add onions - cook for three minutes until soft. Stirring constantly, add flour, mayo, salt and stock. Stir until smooth and cook until sauce thickens, stirring constantly.

With a ladle or large spoon, place a layer of sauce across the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread a layer of overlapping potatoes, top with sauce, and repeat. You should have 3 sauce layers and 2 potato layers.

Sprinkle with pepper and paprika. Bake uncovered for 1 and 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

Yum! Really hits the spot on a winter's day.

Strawberry-Mango Salad

I know everyone has a recipe for this, but here is a simple and easy one from my sis-in-law:

Strawberry-Mango Salad

One head iceberg lettuce, washed and checked (or one bag pre-washed and checked lettuce)
One carton strawberries, washed and checked
One mango
Sugar-coated almonds (recipe below)

1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt

Chop the strawberries and mango into small pieces, and tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Place together in a large bowl and sprinkle with the sugar-coated almonds to taste.

In a separate container, shake the dressing ingredients together until well-mixed. When ready to serve, pour over salad and toss to distribute dressing.

Sugar-coated Almonds

1/2 c. sugar
1 c. slivered or sliced almonds
Melt sugar on low heat until liquid. Add almonds and stir until coated. Pour on greased tin foil. Let cool and break into pieces.

Awesome easy yuntif

Well I lucked out this Simchas Torah, with three meals provided in the shul so I only had to make one, instead of four full-fledgers. It was a meat meal, since we were having some boys, but I did miss having dairy for the second night. Too heavy, you know? The meal was a winner, with great and easy meat, orzo, chicken, broccoli quiche (which was the only non-winner) and a good dessert. Recipes to follow!

Chicken and Yummy Orzo

Orzo (this dish is from a friend, who said it was inspired by Kosher by Design):
Craisins
Canned mushrooms
Chopped onion
Tri-colored orzo
Chicken consomme

Saute the mushrooms and onion until soft, then add the craisins and cook for another 10 minutes, till everything looks soft and juicy. Meanwhile, cook the orzo in water mixed with plenty of chicken soup mix or consomme, for great flavor. Experiment with ratios, but I like a lot of craisin/onion/mushroom to my orzo. Drain orzo when cooked, and mix with the veg. mixture. Freezes well.

Chicken:
4-6 chicken breasts
1/2 cup brown sugar (loosely packed)
1/4 cup dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Marinate the chicken with remaining ingredients in a bag for as long as possible, but at least two hours. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done.

To serve: place orzo on a pretty serving dish. Slice each chicken breast into 2-4 pieces and scatter across orzo. Pretty, nutritious, and yum. Enjoy!

Also try:

Teriyaki steak recipe from Quick and Kosher (recipes from the bride who knew nothing) which basically calls for sauteed onion and mushrooms (only cook til soft, not caramelized), place atop washed and patted dry minute steaks or shoulder steaks or whatever you got, and pour a cup of teriyaki sauce over. I think that's it, will need to look again for more details. Cook at 350 for about an hour.

And also try: chocolate chip cookie pie from my favorite baking blogger, bakerella! Here's the recipe, and enjoy the blog - she is awesome. http://www.bakerella.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-pie%E2%80%A6-oh-my/

Light 'n Smushy Vanilla Custard

This is a fantastically easy and delicious parve dessert, perfect for late-summer (I haven't decided yet whether it's appropriate for wintertime.)

I made a huge batch and it was all finished at Shabbos lunch - comments ranged from "wow, this is good" to "I have no idea what I'm eating, but it's great." This concoction is similar to vanilla pudding, but more heavenly and is made from ingredients you most likely have in the house. Meaning...it's cheap!

Vanilla Custard
Crust: - bake a frozen pie shell in a 350 degree oven until lightly browned and crisp. Putting dried beans in the pie crust while baking will keep it from rising up.
OR
- if you don't have a pie crust, or you don't want to pay for one (they're expensive!) just mix graham cracker crumbs with oil or melted margarine and press into a 9'' round pan

Filling: - Warm 1/2 liter (1/2 carton) of parve milk - soy or almond with 1 tsp. vanilla over low heat.

In a separate bowl, beat with a fork 2 egg yolks, 1 whole egg and 1/2 cup sugar. Then add 1/2 cup flour and beat until smooth. Add a little warmed milk mixture into the bowl to thin the egg mixture, then pour the whole thing back into the pot on the stove. Stir CONSTANTLY over low heat until mixture becomes very thick.

Pour into pie crust or graham cracker crust and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Toppings: Feel free to experiment, but here are some goodies: fresh berries and sliced strawberries, canned sliced peaches or pears, fresh kiwi, sliced bananas and strawberries.

Enjoy!

This Week's Shabbos Line-Up

Read on for the best Matza ball recipe, awesome and gourmet lemon bars and intriguing cabbage salad. I also made a terrific chicken from the Kosher Palate - not posting the full recipe here but I do encourage everyone to check that book out - it really is great.

Amazing, Fluffy and Savory Matzah Balls

(from www.myjewishlearning.com) - I omitted the cayenne pepper, because who actually keeps that around? They were still terrific. I think the chicken soup mix is key for added flavor. These are light without including seltzer, which seems to be everyone's go-to for fluffy matza balls, but I don't like using it. First of all, we never have seltzer, and secondly, it's not so effective. I've used seltzer and my matza balls have still been stinkers.

Intriguing Cabbage Salad (adapted from this recipe at www.grouprecipes.com.)

1/2 pkg. coleslaw mix
1/4 pkg red cabbage mix (you can use any combo of cabbage you want, just make sure it's a combo and you have some grated carrot in there)
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2-3 tsp. honey
Sesame seeds for garnish

Mix all ingredients together and sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds. If not serving immediately, mix dressing in bottom of container and layer cabbage on top. This will keep it from getting soggy or overly vinegary.

Amazing Lemon Bars - on second thought, I am not going to post the recipe as it is really secret (as they state in their cookbook), and subject to copyright laws, but you can buy it here. It's from The Dairy Gourmet and it is succulent and attractive, with a perfect measure of sweetness and tart lemon flavor. Serve with sliced strawberries for a pretty presentation.

I also experimented with this couscous recipe, but it was pretty terrible. Interesting, and was noticed and commented on by guests, but really did not taste good.

Decadent Breakfast - waffles, homemade whipped cream and strawberries

Wow, how's this for the most decadent breakfast ever? Beating the egg whites makes these waffles light and airy, and once you have the beaters out it's easy to make your own whipped cream - just beat heavy cream with a couple tablespoons of sugar, make sure it's cold when you put it on the waffles - delicious!

Alternatively, you can warm some melted butter and pour that on the waffles with syrup (if you're lucky enough to have your Mom bring you some terrific pure sugar-syrupy concoction from London, all the better.) But PLEASE don't eat your waffles plain like my husband does - it just halves the enjoyment.

Here's a good waffle recipe from cooks.com:

1 3/4 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
2 lg. eggs, separated
1 1/4 c. milk
4 tbsp. melted butter

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl, then add egg yolks, milk and melted butter. Stir until lumpy. Beat egg whites with a beater until stiff, then fold into batter keeping everything light and airy. Heat waffle iron and brush with oil; spoon on batter and cook until golden-brown (your waffle iron should alert you with a green light when waffles are ready.)

Heat up some more butter until melted (hey, your pan's already dirty) and drizzle onto waffles. You can also heat up the syrup in a pan, or just leave it out so it's room temperature. But for the ultimate decadence, read on:

Whipped cream and strawberries (for 2)
Pour a half-pint of whipped cream into a bowl and beat for 1-2 minutes until stiff. Pour in a tablespoon or two of sugar and beat some more. Add additional sugar to taste.

Slice 4-6 strawberries that have been washed and checked (instructions below.)

Spoon some dollops of whipped cream onto your waffles, and top with the strawberries. Eat slowly and savor - this Sunday treat doesn't happen often!

How to check strawberries
To ensure that we don't eat any bugs (a serious Torah prohibition), our favorite guys at the OU have put together a handy guide on cleaning fruits and veggies. Here is what they advise for strawberries:

Slice the green tops off of strawberries, carefully so you don't make a hole in the top. If there is a hole, then slice the strawberry in half length-wise. Place in a bowl with water and a few drops of vegetable wash, and move them around (or "agitate them") in the water. Soak for a few minutes, then wash each individually under running water. Dry and look at each strawberry for bugs, if you don't see any, you're good to go!

Delicious (and parve!) mushroom-onion quiche

I adapted this from a terrific recipe by a woman named Judith Gellerstein on some Jewish-lady recipe-share, found here, but please try this. It is absolutely awesome. Just takes a while as you have to cook the mushrooms and onions for nearly an hour so they brown and caramelize properly.

Parve Mushroom Onion Quiche
3-4 medium onions
2 cans sliced mushrooms
1 stick margarine (I know, I know, gross, but delicious)
1/2 cup non-dairy creamer
2 eggs
2 tbs flour
salt and pepper (always makes me nervous when there are no amounts, since I tend to oversalt things, but do your best. Less is more, but salt really brings out the flavor here.)
1 deep-dish pie crust or 2 regular pie crusts

Saute onion and mushrooms in margarine until soft, brown and caramelized. Will smell very delicious. Add rest of ingredients, stir well, and pour into pie shells or shell. Bake in 375 degree oven for about an hour, or until crust is brown and it looks done.

Shabbos this week - 7/10/09

Lots of salads:
A cucumber salad from cooking.com
A corn salad and a carrot kugel from The Kosher Palette
Honey chicken, delicious gooey chocolate frozen something, and a great oriental cabbage salad from Quick and Kosher
A mandarin orange salad and almond salad from cookeatshare.com (with red onion replacing the green onions)
An apple tart dessert (haven't made it yet, hope it's easy as I'm SUPER tired) from Kosher by Design - Short on Time (which I'm hoping I can make in double the time it says the recipe really calls for), which my super-cool and not-yet-observant boss gave me for a wedding present, along with the most stringent Halachah book (Jewish law) that I have ever come across!

Plust gefilte fish and chicken soup and homemade babaganoush, all of which I DO make pretty well, even having been married for just over a year, and all of whose recipes I do plan to post in the near future.

Shabbat Shalom!

Casadias - good for a quick Sunday breakfast

Tortillas are among the most useful food items to keep around your refrigerator (where they last the best. Don't freeze them or they'll snap.) Good for dinner burritos, scrambled egg wraps or whatever, on this lazy Sunday morning when I was too lazy to make pancakes, just sprinkled some grated mozzarella and two pieces of sliced tomato, folded the tortilla over (did I mention that it had sun-dried tomato flavor? I don't recommend it, didn't taste too great) and cooked on an oiled frying pan for a couple minutes on each side. Quick and filling, and pretty tasty. It will make you mighty thirsty, so be warned.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

After doing some random searching for a good and easy recipe (finding two terrific mom blogs in the process - check out ChiefFamilyOfficer.com and CouponCravings.com) I came up with my own variation of this classic which tastes quite good! Best of all, it uses no cream of mushroom soup, which every recipe seemed to call for and is not a common product found in the kosher pantry. Not sure why, but I don't think I've ever bought it.

Anyway, here is my concoction. If you make it, please enjoy it extra for me since I can only have it once in a blue moon. Being pregnant makes you scared of tuna, doncha know?

Tuna Noodle Casserole Concoction

1 16 oz. pkg noodles (any kind works, ziti was great)
2 cans tuna
1 and 1/2 cups milk
1-2 tbs marg. or butter
1/2 -3/4 cup mozzarella cheese (or american)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (or whatever you can afford
Pepper, oregano, basil and garlic powder to taste (if you don't use parmesan, you probably will need salt as well) Be generous with the spices - they add great flavor.
pepper, basil, oregano and garlic powder to taste

Cook the noodles, removing from heat before they are soft (don't want the casserole to be mushy!) and mix in rest of ingredients. (Your choice whether to add more milk, do so if you want a creamier casserole.) Place in greased or buttered pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Delicioso!!

Yummy Balsamic Potato and Green Bean Salad

I hope to make this for Shabbos lunch soon, whenever we decide to stay home for Shabbos. For some reason the invitations have been flowing in. Anyway, this looks perfect for a light summer lunch (not sure if it goes well with cholent though!)

--from Everyday with Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds small new potatoes
• Salt
• 10 ounces green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, plus whole sprigs for garnish

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, place the potatoes, 2 teaspoons salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the green beans and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and let stand.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mustard, pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk in the olive oil until combined.

3. Toss the potatoes and beans with the dressing to coat. Using a fork, mash several potatoes. Toss in the scallions and thyme. Season with more salt and pepper to taste and top with thyme sprigs. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Berry Cakes with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

--Refreshing summer treat from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup mixed fresh berries, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease a muffin pan. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until pale, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons cream, the vanilla and the salt and mix until combined, scraping as necessary. Beat in the flour until incorporated. Using a spatula, gently stir in the berries.

2. Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, about three-quarters full. Top each cake with a few berries and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar over the cakes. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in the pan, then run a knife around the edges and remove.

3. In a small bowl, whip the remaining 1 cup cream with the confectioners' sugar and cinnamon until soft peaks form. Serve with the cakes.