Category: Pescetarian

Light and Easy Shavuot Menu

Well, Shavuot is HERE! Starting in just a few hours, to be exact.  Ah, the holiday of cheesecakes.  People usually assume that Shavuot is MY holiday because I don’t eat meat, but I wouldn’t be a true Ashkenazic Jew without a little bit of lactose-intolerance, am I right, or am I right? 🙂  Therefore…I’m going with a more light menu.  Something a little healthier and easier on the tummy.  But if you’re all in for dairy-laden cheesecakes and lasagnas, then be my guest.

For the main event…Mini Socca Pizzas!  Um, excuse me?

Yes, soccas.  They hail from the Provence region of France.  I’m so fancy, I know.  I came across an old issue of InStyle, featuring recipes from lifestyle guru and actress Gwyneth Paltrow.  She featured these super easy-to-make soccas, so I’m doing my own spin on them!  All it requires is chick pea flour, water, a little olive oil and salt.  You can find the full recipe, along with some other entertaining tips here.  And since I typically try to avoid gluten, sugar and dairy, this seemed like a perfect way to have some fun in the kitchen and experiment with my mini socca trio toppings!

And since soccas are so easy to make, you can make a whole bunch of them, big or mini, pop them in a plastic bag and freeze them – it’s easy to keep on hand in case you need a quick dinner.  Just top with salad, veggies, or tomato sauce and cheese and dinner is ready in a flash.

Yes, I’m shamelessly plugging my “other” blog Riskyveggie.com for my other dishes for this Shavuot menu, so check it out and let me know what you think!  And have a chag sameach!

Shavuot Menu:

Sweet potato goat cheese popovers

Caramelized onion dip

Strawberry spinach salad with pecans, onions & feta

Mini Socca Trio:

  • Goat cheese, smoked salmon, fresh chives and dill
  • Spicy roasted garlic tomato sauce, zucchini ribbons, capers, fresh basil
  • Creamy mushroom ragout with black garlic, coconut milk, sliced radish and cilantro

And last but not least…

Dessert:

Chocolate Coconut Lime Pie – from one of my fav bloggers/cookbook authors, Elizabeth Nyland of GuiltyKitchen.com (this recipe is next on my list to re-create). YUM!

Spicy Slaw with Pickled Jicama and Creamy Salsa Verde Dressing

Welcome back from the Passover craziness! It feels like the Seder meals were forever ago, am I right?  Well, back to the swing of things, and this latest challenge ingredient is “Jicama”, also commonly known as a Mexican turnip.  I think it tastes somewhere in between an apple and a potato.  I love the versatility of the humble jicama – you can eat it raw or cooked and it’s such a neutral base, it’s good in so many dishes.

I had a few dishes running around in my head and tested a few things out, but what I started with was a quick pickled jicama – let that sit in the fridge for a day or so until I figured out my next move.  Just apple cider vinegar, water, salt and coconut sugar (since, if you know me, I don’t even have white sugar in my pantry.  I know, I know…I’m one of “those” people).  Diced it up, poured the brine in a mason jar and let it do its job.  Then, it was on to some inspiration.

Over Pesach, my mother-in-law showed me a new cookbook she got, “Perfect for Pesach” by Naomi Nachman.  Truth is, this is basically what I eat all year-long!  Gluten free, but definitely still delicious, I mean, who are we kidding.  I was really digging it, so I got a copy for myself (can one have too many cookbooks?  I think not)!  I came across a coleslaw with chimichurri and that got me thinking about my jicama dish.  But immediately, my mind went to salsa verde (green salsa). So, I got some tomatillos (they look like green tomatoes with a papery skin on the outside), some jalapeno AND Serrano peppers  (because you know, I live on the edge – maybe that’s another reason why I’m “risky” veggie, aye?), some green onions, garlic, olive oil, sat and pepper.  Broil for about 10 minutes until everything is slightly charred and piping hot and now you have a sudden craving for chips and dip.  Blend it all in a food processor and BAM.  Salsa verde.  I’ll warn you, it does have quite a kick, but you can always remove the ribs and seeds of the peppers before blending away.  But I like it spicy baby!

So that’s that!  I mixed some bagged coleslaw (because I’m not afraid of using shortcuts), sliced radish, pickled jicama, and fresh cilantro (and if I COULD, I would sprinkle cilantro on freaking everything – yea, I’m one of those weirdos that somehow doesn’t think it tastes like soap).  And to mellow out the heat of the salsa verde, I mixed in some homemade mayo, but you can always use store-bought, don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. 🙂

Fresh, light, spicy, crunchy – now THAT sounds like a perfect spring dish if you ask me.  I served this slaw as a side dish to my Moroccan salmon and carrots – look for that recipe coming soon on my other blog, riskyveggie!Jicama Slaw Menu

And coming up…my light take on Shavuous food!  (say WHAAA?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to check out Daniel’s Jicama recipe: Loaded Jicama Fries Two Ways