Author: Rachel Katzman

My Bubbie’s Tuna Casserole

Tuna CasseroleTuna casserole.  Just the name brings up fond memories (and heavenly aromas) for most of us who grew up with this classic dish.  But this isn’t just ANY tuna casserole.  Nope, this one is extra special to me.

My grandma, or “Bubbie” (my father’s mother), Madeline, passed away 1 year ago this week, and she was famous for her “Tuna Romanoff”, as the original recipe calls it (unclear where exactly it came from, but probably some classic cookbook somewhere).  It’s the dish that my siblings and I constantly craved from when we were young. We always requested it when we came over to my Bubbie and Zayde’s house. My Bubbie usually had one stashed in the freezer, because she knew how much we loved it.

 

Reinventing a Classic

So it’s been a crave-able dish for so long.  And for good reason – there is a TON of fat in here (my fellow keto community, rejoice!) lots of full-fat dairy!!! But there’s also a lot of ingredients that I personally don’t eat these days. Things like cream of mushroom soup (too much sodium and I’d rather make it myself), and pasta (too many carbs for me, personally).  I’m all for the classics, but I love using fresh mushrooms instead of the condensed can of thick mushroom soup.  And instead of pasta?  Ah, how about cauliflower?  This time I used mini florets!

So it seemed only fitting that for my Bubbie’s 1st yahrzeit, why not re-create her rich, creamy, savory tuna casserole into something a bit more Rachel-friendly, but more modern too – a perfect way to celebrate her life!

Preserving a Memory

Gold-foiled recipe art

And, to top it off, a few months ago, I decided to have this recipe framed in this cool gold foil curated piece, from minted.com. I feel so grateful to have a few copies of some classic Bubbie recipes she wrote down many years ago.

I got a few other recipes too – a decadent and rich spinach and cheese mostaccioli and an insanely buttery, ooey gooey St. Louis coffee cake. The cake was known, when my dad was growing up, as the “Shiva” cake, because when the kids came home from school and they saw a cake sitting on the kitchen table, they knew that a Shiva call was in the books. Sorry kids, no cake tonight for you!

It’s little stories of my Bubbie and Zayde like these that are so touching, yet there’s always a little bit of humor in them. Bubbie had many “Shiva” cakes stored in her freezer – I guess like any Jewish grandmother would.

Another funny story, she used to put her garbage in the freezer, so it wouldn’t smell!  Honestly, I think it’s kind of a brilliant idea! The first time my mom came home to meet my dad’s parents, she opened up the freezer and looked a little stunned and immediately went to tell my dad about the oddities she found in that ice box.  I know, I’m dating myself, ha! 🙂

Mad (as she was affectionately known) would have absolutely loved this. She loved feeding people so I couldn’t think of a more fitting way to honor her memory. Plus, she was a very classy lady, so a gold foiled-frame with her recipe, and reinventing a “classic”?  It’s Bubbie-approved perfection in my book.  I know she’d be smiling, giving me her lovable “Bubbie kisses” and saying “oh doll, how special!  What a wonderful treat, Rachel Shira”.

This is for you Bubbie – I miss you!

My Bubbie’s Tuna Casserole Recipes

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Reinvented Tuna Casserole
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 
Servings: 6 people
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 2 cups cauliflower florets I used frozen (thawed) mini florets
  • 3 5 oz. cans tuna (packed in water)
  • 1 cup full-fat sour cream
  • 1 cup full-fat cottage cheese
  • 1/4 cup green beans, sliced into small chunks You can use fresh or frozen or even canned - whatever you got!
  • 1 cup mushrooms, diced Use any kind you like! White button mushrooms work just fine here 🙂
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup pecans, lightly toasted and chopped
  • 2 tbsp pimento, or roasted red peppers
  • 1.5 tsp dehydrated onion
  • 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
  • 1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
  • 1/4 tsp thyme
Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.

  2. Add the ghee to a hot skillet and saute the mushrooms, about 5 minutes until softened.  

  3. Add the heavy cream and season with a dash of salt and pepper and add the thyme.

  4. In a large mixing bowl, add the tuna, cauliflower, pimento, sour cream, cottage cheese, dehydrated onion, seasoned salt, pepper, Tabasco and pecans (just take a dry skillet and toast the pecans for a few minutes over medium heat - be careful not to burn - then roughly chop).

  5. Pour the tuna mixture into a greased casserole dish.

  6. Add the mushroom and cream mixture and pour on top - do no mix in.

  7. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

  8. Serve hot! YUM!

Grandma Janie’s Hot Mushroom Dip

Before we get to the food, don’t forget to enter our giveaway for the cookbook Millennial Kosher by Chanie Apfelbaum of the amazing kosher food blog Busy In Brooklyn.
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Mushroom DipJust this past August, my grandma Janie, moved out of her house, after living there for 55 years.  The house in Miami where I’d been going to visit a few times a year since I was only a few weeks old.  The house where my sisters and I spent every Thanksgiving for the last 15 years or so, complete with drinking wine, eating fresh fish, swimming, working on the New York Times’ crossword puzzles while laying out by the pool, and of course, eating yummy food (always).  The house that smells like humidity, nostalgia and a hint of chlorine wafting in from the patio.

It was bittersweet to help her pack up the house but our family has lots of wonderful memories spending hours in the kitchen, watching my uncle Eliot carefully prepare the classic dinner salad, complete with fire-breathing garlic dressing while sampling today’s vino selection.  And all the while we were emptying out the drawers and cabinets in her kitchen to prepare for the move, a special dish was handed to my sister, Melissa.

The dish – the large brown dish with the little handle on the end.  The dish that my grandma always used to serve her hot, creamy mushroom dip.  I know, it’s just a dish.  Believe me.  But it doesn’t feel right to serve this dip in anything but.  So much so, that when I decided to re-create it my kitchen, I HAD to go find my version of the mushroom dip server – complete with the little handle and all.  Granted it didn’t taste the same, but that’s always the case when food memories are at play.

Something about sitting in those swivel chairs at her kitchen counter, scooping a big heap of cheesy, creamy mushroom spread onto a crispy cracker and spending time with family. THIS is what I love about food.  About family and memories and how it brings people together.  It sounds so cliche, but it makes me feel at home.

So here you go, dear readers.  Enjoy making this super simple, yet super rich and satisfying dip.

PS – this would make an insanely rich and creamy addition to your next pasta dish!  Just use a bit of the “dip” as a sauce and you’ve got an unctuous, savory and umami yummines to your spaghetti! #DROOL

PPS – WARNING.  Ultra delicious. Will not want to share with others.  Proceed with caution.

Grandma Janie’s Hot Mushroom Dip Recipe

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Mushroom Dip
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Grandma Janie's Hot Mushroom Dip
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1 cup white button mushrooms, chopped
  • 1/2 white onion, diced
  • 1 8 oz. cream cheese package, softened
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 325F

  2. Saute the onions and mushrooms in butter in a pan on medium heat.

  3. Remove the pan from the heat and wait 5 minutes until cooled.  

  4. Add the onion and mushroom mixture to a baking dish and add the softened cream cheese, egg, salt and pepper and mix well. 

  5. Bake for 25 minutes until creamy and bubbly. 

  6. Serve hot with crackers or sliced veggies!

Raw Walnut Tacos

Raw Walnut Tacos

The Challenge

A few months ago, my co-worker texted me asking if I could give her some ideas for high-protein recipes (per instructions with her nutritionist), with the caveat of no meat, no tofu (but dairy is okay). My first question to her “what about nuts?” – and yes, luckily those were on the “do” list. So thus became my homework for the night.

Immediately I thought of giving her some no-cook/no-bake recipes since at the time of this text. It was mid-August and a squillion degrees outside so at least for me (living with no central air), I just had to give her a recipe that didn’t require an oven.

The Solution

So here is what I came up with!  Raw walnut tacos!  Yup, you heard me right.  And this can go vegan pretty quick if you don’t use any cheese, so feel free to play around with what you like! Don’t lose me now, people! The walnuts are so versatile because they have good protein and healthy fat. If you pulse them in a food processor with garlic (duh, because everything is better with gahhhlic), cumin, seasoned salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil and my favorite – hot paprika, it morphs into a crumbled meat-like texture!

Raw Walnut Tacos Mix

Just scoop into a fresh Boston lettuce leaf, top with shredded cheese, sliced avocado, some sour cream, scallions, radish (for that crisp, slightly spicy crunch), cilantro and lime and maybe even some hot sauce drizzled on top and even add some pickled jalapenos, and you’ve got yourself the perfect little summer meal!

Just one thing to note, you can totally add salsa, but I didn’t want the taco getting too “wet”, since this was being served up in a lettuce leaf, but some fresh pico de gallo would be amazing.  If you have some fresh tomatoes, white onion and jalapeno, just dice them up, add some fresh lime juice and salt and you’re good to go.  Or go ahead and buy some store-bought (it’s okay, I won’t judge – we all use those handy-dandy shortcuts sometimes!). 🙂

I still can’t believe how easy this is – requires zero cooking – just assembling a few ingredients and BAM – a simple, healthy-ish dinner is served!

Giveaway

Before you check out the recipe, don’t forget to enter our giveaway for the cookbook Millennial Kosher by Chanie Apfelbaum of the amazing kosher food blog Busy In Brooklyn
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Recipe

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Raw Walnut Tacos
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
Servings: 4 tacos
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole, raw walnuts
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin, or I like avocado oil, for it's smooth and subtle taste
  • 1 dash hot paprika
  • 1 dash cumin
  • 1 dash seasoned salt
  • 1 dash freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 large Boston lettuce leaves, rinsed and dry
  • 1/4 cup shredded cheese Use whatever you have on hand - I used mozzarella and cheddar blend, but pepper jack would be amazing in this!
  • 4 tbsp sour cream
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 2 radishes, sliced thin I used Easter egg radish that I found at Whole Foods, but any type will do!
  • 1 handful of cilantro, rinsed and chopped
  • 1 small handful of pickled jalapenos optional - but I like my tacos spicy!
  • 2 tbsp pico de gallo optional - but a nice fresh bright, burst of flavor!
  • 1 lime, halved
Instructions

  1. In a food processor, add the walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, hot paprika, seasoned salt, cumin and pepper.  

  2. Pulse a few times until it resembles ground beef

  3. Lay the Boston lettuce leaves on a platter.

  4. Top with the walnut "meat", cheese, radish, avocado, scallion, sour cream, pico de gallo (if using), cilantro (if using) and picked jalapenos (again, if using). 

  5. Finish with a squeeze of lime and serve with a nice cold beer!  Enjoy!

Curried Pumpkin Bisque

It’s official.  The temperature is dropping and the leaves are slowly turning their bright orange – but how do you know fall is REALLY here?  Well, of course, the aroma of pumpkin spice lattes filling the air like a thick cloud! Pumpkin spice lovers, rejoice!

And as we prepare for the festival of Sukkot that starts this evening, so what a perfect way to bring in the official first few days of fall with…you guessed it – PUMPKIN!  I know you may be rolling your eyes thinking “ugh, another pumpkin recipe?  Really?”  But this one is just slightly different.  Think of sweet and creamy pumpkin with a touch of heat and warm aromatic spices.  This is not your typical overly-sweetened pumpkin pie or pumpkin latte.  No, this is pumpkin kicked up a notch!

When I was in college, I became a little obsessed with making soups.  So much so that my roommate bought me a soup-only cookbook!  I think with the craziness of being a full-time college student and working jobs and internships that forced me to make easy dishes that I could make in huge batches and freeze for later.  I loved being able to make this in advance and have friends over for Shabbat dinner, serving up giant bowls of soup like this one, or my Mexican Tortilla Soup (that one was a bit hit).  And even better, anything that you can make in just one pot is always a win in my book.  And this soup would be great if you froze it to serve later.

Quick Tip

Here’s a quick freezer tip:  Add the soup in a plastic zip top bag and lay it flat in the freezer (labeled with the content and date, of course) – it makes it easier to store, versus a bulky container!

Fun fact!  Did you know that about 10 years ago, I started writing a cookbook?  Of course it was titled “Risky Veggie” but I decided to turn it into a blog (well, now technically it morphed into TWO blogs of course), but this soup is one of the recipes from that project – granted it’s been tweaked just slightly over the years.  And thank you to my very talented sister Avi, for taking this photo! Maybe one day I’ll get start up again on that cookbook… but in the meantime, here at Meat Your Vegetables, we’d like to wish everyone a chag sameach and Happy Sukkot!

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Curried Pumpkin Bisque
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 
Servings: 4 people
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. cumin seeds
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 tsp. salt Add more, to taste
  • 1/4 tsp. white pepper
  • 1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, or coconut sugar Feel free to use any other sugar substitute, like "Swerve" or Stevia
  • 1/4 tsp. ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. cloves
  • 1/4 tsp. allspice
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper Add more/less depending on how spicy you like it. Make sure to taste as you go along and adjust seasoning to how you like it!
  • 1/2 tsp. curry powder
  • 1/2 cup non-dairy milk (almond, coconut cream, cashew, oat) If making this dairy, feel free to add heavy cream instead
  • 1/2 cup vegetable stock Use store-bought or homemade - whatever you have on hand!
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice For some brightness
  • 1/4 cup chives, minced (optional) For garnish. Or, you can use popcorn!
Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.

  2. Add the cumin seeds and toast for 1 minute, making sure not to burn.

  3. Add the onion, garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.

  4. Add the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, cayenne, curry powder, salt and pepper, and toast the spices for another 2 minutes.

  5. Add the pumpkin puree, vegetable stock (or you can use chicken stock, if you're making this for a fleishig meal), and light brown sugar . Taste the soup and adjust seasonings if needed.

  6. Simmer the soup for 45 minutes on low-medium until all of the flavors meld together.

  7. Using a handheld immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.  If you don't have an immersion blender, you can ladle the soup into a few batches into your blender - make sure not to fill your blender to the top, as you want some heat to escape.  

  8. Pour the soup back in the pot (if using a blender), and add the non-dairy milk (or heavy cream, if making a milchig meal) and lemon juice. 

  9. Ladle into bowls and garnish with freshly snipped chives, or sprinkle with parve popcorn!

Gluten-Free Honey Muffins & Ginger Maple Apple Chips For Rosh Hashanah

Happy Tuesday!  Hope ya’ll had a great Labor Day weekend! And what was I up to on the stormy last-official-summer day? Well since Rosh Hashanah starts this upcoming Sunday night, I thought I’d get my bake on!  On today’s menu – ginger maple apple chips and gluten-free honey muffins!  Even though I’m not eating many apples these days (too high in sugar and carbs for me), fear not because this recipe would be amazing with blueberries or strawberries!

Obviously, I HAD to do something with apples and honey this time around!  And this one is all about multi-tasking!  While the apple chips are baking low and slow (buckle up, because this takes some serious oven time) you can prep the muffin batter and let it set up in the fridge and bake it tomorrow, or later that day AND get stuff done around the house!  I’m all about making this easy and efficient for you!

I know I mention “easy” recipes quite often, but c’mon, making apples chips really isn’t too intimidating, is it?  All we’re doing here is slicing apples really thin, sprinkling on a concoction of ginger, maple extract, cinnamon and coconut oil and baking in the oven at 250F for 4 hours.  That’s it – just set a timer for the oven and you’re good to go. After a few hours, your house will smell like hot apple pie (way better than a scented candle, just trust me). 🙂

Apple Chips

Here are some tricks for getting the perfect crispy apple chips:  make sure you slice the apples thin.  The thicker the pieces, the longer they take to bake, so if you have a slicer, or mandolin, or you prefer to just slice thinly with your knife – any of those work fine, as long as they’re somewhat the same thickness, they’ll crisp up nicely together, if not, you may have to keep an eye on them so as not to burn the thinner ones. Also, make sure not to overcrowd your pan.  You want the apples to be on one single layer, so no overlapping here, otherwise they won’t crisp up.  Once your timer is up, turn off the oven and let them sit (I actually leave them in the oven overnight and in the morning, they are cool and perfectly crispy).

Honey Muffins

As for the muffins?  Well, just a few ingredients, mix in a bowl or whip up in a blender, scoop and bake.  1 bowl, minimal prep and you’re golden.  Well, honey golden, that is!  Keep in mind that coconut flour is super absorbent, so feel free to add in another 1/2 cup of water if the batter looks too dry, but the batter will be thick, so I like to use my hands to scoop our some and add it to the muffin pan. And one more thing on the coconut flour – I decided to use it instead of almond flour, as it’s a custom for some to omit nuts on Rosh Hashanah, since the gematria of “nut” is the same as “sin”.

Oh, and in case you’re also looking for an easy, yummy, hearty salad, perfect for any Rosh Hashanah meal, check out my Roasted butternut squash date salad with honey lime dressing – recipe here!

Wishing you all a Kesivah VaChasimah Tovah – for a happy, sweet, healthy and successful 5779 new year!

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GF honey muffins
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Gluten-free Honey Muffins
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 muffins
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tbsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tbsp. pomegranate vinegar Totally optional, but I love the sweet, tart note it brings to these muffins, and so perfect for Rosh Hashanah! I used the organic pomegranate vinegar from Trader Joe's.
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 dash cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup sugar, or sugar substitute I like using "Swerve"
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 1/2 cups water
Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.

  2. Place cupcake liners in muffin tin and spray lightly with oil (I like using avocado oil because it has a very mild taste).

  3. Mix all ingredients and scoop into muffin tin.  The batter will be pretty thick (the coconut flour absorbs lots of liquid), but it's okay, that's what you want. 

  4. Optional:  drizzle some more honey on top of the muffins, OR, mix some honey, unsweetened shredded coconut and cinnamon and add on the top of the muffins as a streusel topping!

  5. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Let cool, and enjoy!

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Ginger Maple Apple Chips
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Resting time
1 hr
Total Time
4 hrs 10 mins
 


Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 20 chips, approx.
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 2 apples, sliced thin
  • 1 tbsp. maple extract Use can use pure maple syrup if you have that handy
  • 1 dash cinnamon
  • 1 dash ginger
  • 1 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 250F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

  2. Add the apples slices in a large bowl and add in the maple extract, cinnamon, ginger and coconut oil.  

  3. Mix the spice mixture on each apple slice and place on baking sheet - be sure that there are no overlapping apple slices.

  4. Bake for 4 hours.  Once time is up, turn off oven and let sit for 1 hour or up to overnight.

Indian night pop-up event!

Well folks, it’s been a few weeks since Daniel and I tackled our first ever #Meatyourvegetables pop-up food event and the Indian food was a HUGE success and a big hit overall!

First off, we have to thank the incredible people at Congregation Ezras Israel in West Rogers Park for their help in getting this event planned in only 5 weeks! Becky Goldberg – we literally could not have done this without your vision, your patience, and your incredible hard work so THANK YOU!  Thank you also to Zevy Ashkenazy, Randie Chubin, Josh Troppe, Gila Wallach and her son Adiv (for expediting and helping us make extra mango lassi!!), Zev Goldberg, Samantha Lavenda (for helping in the kitchen) and of course, thank you to Rabbi Falk! We felt so welcome at Ezras and G-d willing, we’ll do many more of these pop-ups in the future!

So, let’s start at the beginning, shall we?  Like I said…FIVE weeks and this event hit the ground running.  Lots of meetings, emails, and even our test prep (check out our earlier posts on our test prep!).  The Thursday night before the event was the big shopping spree at Restaurant Depot.  It’s amazing how many cans of chickpeas and 20 lb. bags of rice I can fit in my trunk!

Fast forward to Saturday night and the fun really begins.  Chopping veggies (thank you Josh for your speedy knife skills), roasting chickpeas, fermenting pickles, and stirring up some fresh mango lassi (who doesn’t love a mango yogurt smoothie, with cardamom and ginger, ya?  It is so refreshing)!  Two hours of prep done and back at it tomorrow.

Sunday – the big day!  8:30 a.m. bright and early.  GIANT pots of rice and lentils on the stove top.  And when I say giant, I mean, cooking-for-200-people giant! As those cooked away, time to make the eggplant!  Lots of cumin seeds toasting, eggplant and okra cooking down and garam masala added to the lentils until it became mushy (yup, the recipe calls for “mushy lentils”)!  By this time, the kitchen smells heavenly – warm, aromatic spices, sweet and savory – garlic, ginger, and cumin.  Yum!

Before we knew what hit us, we had 4 large foil pans of each dish.  And to re-cap, here’s what we made!

  • Roasted chickpeas – crispy chickpeas roasted with olive oil and spiced with seasoned salt and paprika (the perfect snack food!)
  • Seasoned Basmati rice – long grain white rice cooked with cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods and black peppercorns
  • Tark Dal – slow-cooked yellow lentils, sauteed garlic and onion seasoned with cumin seeds, turmeric, and garam masala, garnished with fresh parsley
  • Veggie Biryani – Basmati rice with mushrooms and water chestnuts, lightly seasoned with turmeric and garnished with fresh parsley
  • Matar Paneer – Fresh firm cheese and peas with roasted red peppers in a tomato sauce with cumin, coriander and turmeric
  • Baingan Bharta – Smokey eggplant and okra in a stewed tomato sauce with cumin seeds, turmeric and coriander, garnished with fresh parsley
  • Red (hot) and green (mild) sauces on the side – to amp up the volume on any dish!
  • Indian spice blend!  A homemade blend of green cardamom pods, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon
  • Mango Lassi – Mango, yogurt smoothie seasoned with ginger and cardamom

The doors opened at 5 pm and the rush of hungry folks rushed into the room towards the buffet tables.  Food was being served, and we could hear the collected “mmmm’s” coming from around the room.  Every time I peeked into the full social hall, I got lots of thumbs up and lots of mid-bite OMG-this-is-so-good comments.  Feeling good so far!

Next came time for the food demo!  I must admit, even though we had rehearsed this part previously, we were a bit rushed because trying to expedite in the kitchen was a little crazy – it just seemed that all of the food needed to be replenished all at the same time! But through the hustle and bustle, we demo’d both the Indian spice mixture and the quick pickle (utilizing the spice mixture – how multi-purpose of us, right?).  Click here to watch our live food demo!

So that’s it, folks!  All in all, a fantastic event, with lots of satisfied and no-longer-hungry patrons.

Thanks again for everyone’s support for this awesome albeit busy adventure and stay tuned for more events coming up in the near future!

Check out some photo highlights from the event!

 

 

Baingan Bharta – Indian Eggplant Dip!

I’ve been on a MAJOR okra kick right now, which works well in this Indian classic. You’re probably thinking, “wait, isn’t this an eggplant dish”.  And you’d be right.  But first let me back up and profess my new found love for okra first.

I know okra gets a bad rap – that weird, slimy texture is not to appealing to a lot of people and unless you’re a gumbo aficionado, most people just aren’t on the okra train. To be honest, I had okra for the first time only a few years ago (I know, for a vegetarian, you’d think I’d have tasted every vegetable on the face of the earth, but we just didn’t grow up with it at all)!  Granted what I had was the fried okra with garlic aoli at Milts BBQ for the Perplexed, here in Chicago, but honestly, what can you fry that ISN’T good?  But I was searching for a low-carb “chip” alternative that wasn’t zucchini.

All I do is slice the okra down the middle, trim the tops, drizzle with avocado oil and sprinkle a ton of spices (just anything I have on hand – onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, hot paprika, rosemary, really…anything goes) and roast at 425F for about 20 minutes and you get crispy, crunchy and not-at-all-slimy okra chips!  Ahh, my mouth is drooling already just thinking about these!  Dipped in spicy guac, it’s the perfect snack food for me!

So what better way to incorporate my new favorite ingredient than into some Indian food! And no, this dish is primary accented with peas, not okra, with eggplant as the star of the show, but isn’t the fun of cooking to make it your own and experiment?  After all, okra is a common staple in Indian cuisine!

So, here we are in – in the midst of “the 9 days” before Tisha B’Av, which means it’s time to be meat-free (and that’s every day, in my world).  And while some are cooking up a dairy-lovers paradise in their kitchen, Daniel and I wanted to mix it up a bit and bring a warming, yummy vegan Indian dish to you!  And speaking of Indian food…this recipe is a sneak peek to what you’ll get at our upcoming Pop-Up food event on July 29th, 2018!

In case you missed it, Daniel and I will be doing the cooking and food demos for the first International food pop-up at EzrasINDIAN POP UP Israel!  You can register for the event here!

This may sound intimidating but not to worry, we’ll go through it together!  Though hard to pronounce, this Indian eggplant dish called “Baingan Bharta”  (BANG-IN, BARTA) is similar to baba ghanoush so it’s a perfect appetizer to make for a party, Shabbat meal or even a picnic, since it’s mayo-free!

This chunky dip would be great served with naan (Indian flatbread), pita, crackers or simply scooped up with some warm challah!  The warm aromatic spices will make your kitchen smell like a spice market! And if you’re not a fan of okra, just substitute the traditional peas in this dish, or frozen spinach instead (just make sure to squeeze out all of the water if you’re using frozen spinach, otherwise you’ll end up with a super watery dish)!  Also, if you love spicy food like me, feel free to add in some diced green chilies – but if you prefer it mild, then this recipe is perfect for you!

Hope you can join us at the Indian popup food event!

In the meantime, happy cooking everyone!

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Indian Baingan Bharta
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Baingan Bharta
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
 
Servings: 4 people
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 1 eggplant
  • 2 tbsp olive oil + extra
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 cup can of petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 cup okra, sliced
  • 1 handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp salt + extra
  • 1/2 lemon or lime, sliced
Instructions

  1. To make the roasted eggplant:  Pre-heat oven to 425F.  Coat the eggplant with a bit of oil and salt and pierce all over with a fork.  Roast for 30 minutes, or until blistered and a bit charred (but not burnt). 

  2. Remove the stalk of the eggplant and scoop out the flesh into a bowl.  Using a fork, mash it well and place it to the side.

  3. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the cumin seeds, coriander and turmeric and cook for about 30 seconds until the spices get a bit darkened and warm and fragrant.  Add the onion and ginger garlic paste and cook for about 8 minutes.  (if you don't have ginger garlic paste - you can easily make your own:  just add some freshly peeled ginger and garlic in a blender with some olive oil and puree until a paste forms.  If you don't have fresh, just sub 1 tsp ground ginger and 2 cloves of garlic, minced). 

  4. Add the petite diced tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.

  5. Slice the okra in small pieces and add to the pan.  Cook for another 5 minutes until the okra is tender and a little crispy.  

  6. Add the eggplant to the pan and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the eggplant has warmed through with the spices and tomato, onion mixture. 

  7. Scoop the dip into a big bowl, drizzle with some more olive oil, squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice and top with fresh parsley. Garnish with more lemon or lime slices. 

  8. Serve hot with fresh naan bread, pita, or gluten-free crackers!

2018 Chicago Kosher BBQ Competition!

Go team!!

The rain boots are dry, the stench of smoke has dissipated and showers and laundry and done. This could only mean one thing – the BBQ competition has wrapped up!  This year, we had the unforeseen pleasure of working in muddy, and VERY swampy conditions (the giant puddle was affectionately known as “Lake Q”).

It’s been 3 years since there was a Chicago Kosher BBQ competition and this year, with the incredible help and organizing (and kick-off, I should say) from our very own Daniel Peikes, the ‘Q became part of the Greater Chicago Jewish Arts Festival!  And it made sense – why not include it into a Jewish arts fair, where you know you’re going to get lots of people coming by to check it out.  Granted, it wasn’t a total wash out, but the rain did prevent a lot of people from showing up, but needless to say, the BBQ event is NEVER cancelled – this is a “rain or shine” event!  We don’t stop because of monsoon conditions.  BRING IT ON!

This year was no different.  Same 4 categories – brisket, ribs, chicken thighs and turkey.  Sanctioned by the KCBS (Kansas City Barbecue Society).  Yes, it’s a thing.  Prep on Thursday night at Congregation KINS went well – I was in autopilot, making the rubs and sauces (and of course, through a bit of miscommunication, I added 1 CUP of cayenne to our brisket rub, instead of 1 TBSP.  Yup, it was spicy, but we mellowed it out with some more brown sugar and apple juice).  Almost-major crisis averted.

Although this was my 6th Kosher BBQ competition, I felt a bit anxious knowing that one of our teammates was out for the BBQ season, due to a broken foot (get better soon, Debbie)!  And she’s our “chicken queen”, so I felt a good amount of pressure to take her place on that task.  And it’s been a few years since I’ve prepped the chicken.  But once I got back into the rhythm of trimming off the knuckles, removing the rib bones and cleaning the skin, I ended up with 12 beautifully portioned (and all equal in size I might add) chicken thighs.  So that’s what I did for 2 hours that Saturday night – what were you all up to? 🙂

The next few hours were a bit of a blur.  A few zzzz’s (maybe a half hour), thunder, lightning, rain, mud, MORE rain, driving home to get my rain boots (best decision I made that day, so yay for dry feet), smoke, more drizzle, and finally…it’s time for turn-ins.

The brisket smoked for 10 hours, and rested.  The ribs and turkey smoked for 3 hours, and chicken smoked for less than that, with rub and sauce.  The ribs were looking good – nice smoke ring and adding Mendel’s sweet BBQ sauce really made the difference.  Tender, juicy, sweet, smokey and a bit spicy (so I’m told, since obviously I didn’t taste any of the meat, haha).  7 portions are plated, spills and drills were wiped away carefully, and brought to the judges.

Now, we sit and wait.  And by sitting and waiting, I mean, getting as much of our stuff packed up as we can.  Oh I love being efficient!  And here we go – results are in!

As much as we just hoped to get everything cooked and submitted on time, results were…

#1 in RIBS!

#3 OVERALL!

Honestly, it was shocking.  This is the best we’ve ever placed and with a good group of competition around us (and even though the ribs weren’t great quality), hey, this is our first, first place win!

Overall, it was a good competition with great company.  Sure, it wasn’t perfect and sure there are some things that could have been tweaked or organized better (not Daniel’s fault, just a lot of details to work out with the Arts Festival on it), but my favorite part of these BBQ competitions are the camaraderie and friendships that come out of this.  I’ve made some close friends through these events and it becomes a big family and feels like a family reunion when we all get together every summer.  There’s no ego here, always great sportsmanship and everyone helps each other out.  I offered my friend Mordy (who came here last minute by himself and of course swept the competition), with any help he needed, even though my team was short a person too, so I made his foil squares for his turn-in boxes.  It’s easy, I know, but something that you can easily forget!  We all give each other advice and truly, we all want each other to do well.  The congratulatory hugs at the end are honest and heartfelt.  THAT’s why I love doing it.  This underground world of Kosher BBQ, a level playing field competition where everyone’s a winner (yea, yea, so cliche, but so true).

Who knows…maybe you’ll see our team, 5 Dudes and a Vegetarian at the Dallas BBQ competition in October!

Until next time… this is Rachel signing off!

Check out some highlights from the event!

Dairy-free Maple Cinnamon Custard

I have to give credit where it’s due, so I found this original recipe in “Easy Dairy-Free Ketogenic Recipes” by Maria Emmerich – it was so easy to follow, I just tweaked it a tiny bit to make it my own.  I adjusted the flavors a bit and the cooking time and temp and I’m happy with how these turn out.  And I love that you can adjust the flavors as you like!  You could add in lemon zest and juice for a lemon custard topped with a fresh lemon slice for a pretty presentation, or add in some fresh blueberries Dairy-free maple cinnamon custardor raspberries for a fresh springtime berry custard.  YASSS!

So thank you Maria for the original recipe, I’m obsessed!  SO obsessed in fact that I made a batch last Shabbos as a “last minute” dessert (I mean, it’s just my husband and me, who exactly am I trying to impress here?).

Needless to say, if you’re a big dairy or cheesecake fanatic, Shavuot is always the holiday for you! And being a pescetarian, it’s nice to opt out of a heavy meat meal.  But when you want a break from too much dairy, and want to opt for something a big lighter – and something that won’t spike your blood sugar, check out these custards!  And I just love the presentation with the ramekins (you can always pick some up at the Dollar Store I’m sure, or you may be able to find disposable foil ramekins too).

Wishing you all a Chag Sameach!

xoxo

Rachel

PS – how adorable is this vintage-style bird serving tray? I got it years ago at Macy’s and I love it so much!! It’s such a cute presentation for a Shavuos meal!

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dairy-free maple cinnamon custard
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 


Servings: 4 servings
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups dairy-free milk, such as almond milk I like the brand Califia Farms
  • 1/2 cup Swerve granulated style you can use regular sugar if you prefer
  • 1 tbsp maple extract I like the brand Fronteir - you can find it at Whole Foods or on Amazon
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp (plus more) Swerve, confectioners style
Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.  Spray 4 ramekins with coconut oil spray or coat the ramekins with a little bit of coconut oil using your hands (just so it doesn't stick as much) and place on a baking sheet.

  2. Add all ingredients except the Swerve powdered sugar to a blender and blend for 10-15 seconds until fully mixed.

  3. Pour in the custard into each ramekin and carefully place in the oven.

  4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the center is no longer jiggly in the middle.

  5. Wait until cool enough to handle (about 20 minutes) and dust with the powdered Swerve. 

  6. Serve, warm or cool.  And try it topped with whipped cream or whipped coconut cream!

Don’t forget to check out Daniel’s Shavuot recipe: Cream of Potato Zucchini Soup

Spicy Salmon Tamales

Hello dear readers!  Boy do we have a special treat for you this week!  Since Cinco-de-Mayo is coming up (tomorrow! May 5th), the annual celebration of Mexico’s victory over France, what better challenge than TAMALES!  Now, just to make the record straight, there are so many varieties of Tamales – from Central American tamales that are wrapped in plantain leaves, to Mexican tamales, wrapped in corn husks – Daniel and I both used corn husks for our recipes, but by all means, experiment for your own!  Wouldn’t it be awesomely crazy if you made tamales using grape leaves stuffed with chicken and topped with Korean BBQ sauce?  Talk about the ultimate Greek/Mexican/Korean mashup!

I’ll admit though, this one took me some time to experiment.  Especially being gluten-free, and corn-free, I was a little hesitant on my attempt at making a dough, but after some trial and error I think I got something pretty solid here.  Not the prettiest looking tamales but they taste good so that’s a plus. 🙂

I first tried to make a “dough” using ground flaxseeds and chia seeds, adding in some hot water with some spices and hot sauce but it just didn’t turn out at all – more like a gloppy mess.  Even adding in almond flour, the dough just went “bleh” in the corn husks and totally fell apart.  On to round two!

This should have been a no-brainer but once I decided to go full on almond flour base, there was no turning back.  I do have a little tip for the veggie stock! Doesn’t matter if you use homemade or boxed, but I froze some stock in ice cube trays (or in my case, some cute square-shaped trays).  Then all I have to do is pop out a few cubes of stock, pop them in the microwave to defrost and you’re good to go!  I like having some on hand in the freezer if I just need a little bit but I don’t want to keep an opened box of stock or jar of homemade – this way I just use what I need and freeze the rest for later.  Definitely comes in handy (also, same tip is great for freezing pesto too)!

And in case you’re wondering – you can get dried corn husks at some grocery stores that carry Hispanic foods.  If you’re in Chicago, I highly recommend Morse market (just around the corner from the Morse red line stop).  They have a TON of delicious ingredients, incredible prices and lots of random kosher finds too!  It’s definitely a hidden gem!

One little note though – when I folded up the sides of my husks, the dough didn’t quite wrap all the way around creating a nice little tamale package, probably because I didn’t add enough dough on the sides, but that’s okay.  It’s not perfect, things take practice, but as long as it tastes good, it’s good to go in my book.

Buen Provencho!  Enjoy your meal! 

Now…where is that pitcher of margaritas that I ordered?  😀

5 from 1 vote
Print
Spicy Salmon Tamales
Servings: 4 people
Author: Rachel Katzman
Ingredients
Tamale Dough
  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened, but not melted
  • 1/4 cup vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp Franks red hot sauce
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
Salmon filling
  • 1 1/2 6 oz. cans wild caught Alaskan salmon
  • 1 3 oz. can fire roasted green chilies
  • 1/2 lime, freshly squeezed, plus more for serving
  • 4 tbsp hot salsa any brand (mild or hot) is fine, or homemade is even better!
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 fresh jalapeno, sliced be sure to wash your hands after slicing!
  • 10 dried corn husks, soaked
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
Place the dried corn husks in a large bowl and cover with hot (not boiling) water until softened (at least 1 hour)
  1. To make the dough, add all ingredients into a medium-sized bowl and using your hands (your best kitchen tools) mix the dough until it come together.  I like having the coconut oil softened because it helps to bind the dough a bit better since there are no eggs.  The hot sauce give the dough the signature tamale color! Place the dough in the fridge to set up while you make the filling.
  2. To make the filling, drain the cans of salmon and add to a bowl.  Mix in the green chilies, lime juice, salsa, salt and pepper (you'll save the jalapenos for assembling).
  3. Remove the corn husks from the bowl, and wipe clean (if it's still a little damp, that's fine). 
  4. Flatten the corn husk on your cutting board, with the narrow side facing closest to you, and using about 1 tbsp.. (depending on the size of your corn husk), smooth the dough in the middle-to-lower section of the husk.  You want it in the middle section, not touching the sides, otherwise it'll leak out of the husk.
  5. Place about 2 tsp. of the filling on top of the dough and place a slice of jalapeno on top. 
  6. Using dampened hands if needed, fold over the sides, like you're folding a package.  The fold up the bottom and top over so the tamale is "sealed". 
  7. Place a steamer basket inside your pressure cooker (I used my instant pot).  Place all of the tamales, seam side toward the outside of the basket in the steamer.  Place about 3 cups of water inside the pot.  Seal the pot and press "manual" for 25 minutes on HIGH pressure.
  8. Use the pressure valve to release the steam, open up the tamales and sprinkle some fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice and enjoy!  Careful, they'll be HOT!  These would be great dipped in a little avocado sour cream!

Don’t forget to check out Daniel’s tamale recipe: A Tale of Two Tamales: A Lesson in Leftovers