Carrot Crazy!

I wanted to make a non-starchy side dish to go with tonight's chicken meatballs, so I turned to the two pound bag of organic, colored carrots from Trader Joe's that I had in the fridge. I have been having yummy success with zucchini noodles, so I used a spiralizer on the brightly colored carrots, and they were a huge success!! I loved that the kids had a yummy dinner of protein and veggies, but they felt like they were eating oodles of noodles!! Try for yourself!!

INGREDIENTS 

2 pounds of carrots, peeled and then spiralized or julienned 

1 tablespoon butter, coconut oil, olive oil or combo (I actually used organic Melt from Costco which is a buttery spread made from coconut oil)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Sea salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Melt the fat of your choice and add the carrots. 

Sauté for 2 minutes then sprinkle in the sugar, salt and pepper.

Sauté 2-3 more minutes until soft.

Eat and enjoy!!

Best brunch frittata!

My cousins were coming over and I had just enough time to quickly search Pinterest while rifling through the vegetable drawer to see what I could come up with! I ended up combining 2 recipes to make my own with what I had in the fridge. Let me tell you, this was a hit!!!! Easy, delish and healthy! Not super fast because of the time it takes to carmelize onions, but trust me-it's worth the time! Adults and kids alike finished this off, so I must share with you!

INGREDIENTS

2 onions, sliced thin 

3 cloves garlic, minced or 3 frozen Dorot cubes 

2 cups spinach (I used organic, pre-washed baby spinach)

1 head cauliflower, chopped into small florets (about 2 cups)

2 cups broccoli, chopped into small florets 

10 eggs, beaten 

Olive oil

Salt & pepper 

DIRECTIONS

1. Sauté the onions (in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet) with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until golden brown and carmelized. This takes about 25-30 minutes, but don't rush it!

2. While onions are cooking, put florets in a medium pot and cover veggies with 

water, add salt, and bring to boil. Cook for few minutes until fork tender and drain while broccoli is still bright green. Set aside (you can shock them in cold water if you like). 

3. Once onions are carmelized, add the garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Season with salt. Add spinach to skillet and combine until wilted.

4. Add floret mixture to the skillet and cook on low heat 1-2 minutes.

5. While cooking veggies, whisk the eggs with salt and pepper until well beaten.

6. Add eggs to skillet and stir to combine with veggies. 

7. Put in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until set.

8. Cut into 8 wedges. Eat and enjoy!!

Crazy for chickpeas!

Looking for THE yummiest salad to throw together for breakfast, lunch or dinner?! Here it is! A friend made this last week and I just had to have the recipe, then adapted it to suit my tastebuds! 

(Original recipe came from http://simpleprovisions.com.au/2012/07/09/chickpea-feta-and-parsley-salad/). 

This super salad can be served cold or room temp and stays great in the fridge for a few days. I made it ahead for book club the other day and it was a huge hit! So ladies, here ya go, the recipe of the best chickpea salad in the world! 

INGREDIENTS

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup parsley, finely chopped

3 green onions/scallions, finely chopped

1 red onion, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (I love and used 2 Dorot frozen garlic cubes- found at Trader Joe', kosher markets or other grocery stores)

6-8 oz good quality Feta cheese (I use the Eden Pastures feta from Israel, aka the green/yellow package at Trader

Joe's!)

Juice of 1 lemon

Extra Virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Sauté the onion in olive oil until golden brown, add garlic and cook few minutes-set aside and let cool

2. Combine drained beans, chopped parsley, diced scallions 

3. Crumble and add the feta 

4. Add lemon juice 

5. Add cooled onion mixture

6. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper, add extra drizzle of EVOO if needed 

Eat and enjoy! It won't last long! 

Appleicious

Aren't you always trying to make healthy snacks for your kids? I am!! Luckily they love all fruits and veggies, but they often get bored when I say "grab an apple" or "have carrots with hummus" I've been trying to changes if up for them with healthy yet fun snacks! I spied a version of this on Pinterest and adapted it to make it the way I knew my kids would love. Guess what?! They did! Total winner-so I'm going to share with you! Takes 60 seconds and you can feel good knowing their tummies are full of healthy yummies with protein and fiber. Here ya go!

INGREDIENTS

(Serves 1-adapt accordingly for more servings!)

1 apple, diced-the crispier, the better!

1 tablespoon natural peanut butter

Cinnamon

1 tsp mini chocolate chips (I usually use the Enjoy Life brand or Lily's which are sweetened with Stevia!)

DIRECTIONS

Dice apple, sprinkle with cinnamon, melt the peanut butter for 10 seconds until you can drizzle it over the apple, top with chocolate!

Eat and enjoy! 

Weeknight mushroom barley soup

My kids love soup-all kinds! Black bean, split pea, lentil, chicken noodle, broccoli cheddar-we're definitely a SOUPER family! Mushroom barley is one of their favorites, and as much as I hate mushrooms themselves, I love the soup too! There are some great recipes (my favorite is at www.toriavey.com) out there, but this is the only one I've made in under 30 minutes that has that slow-cooked, homemade deliciousness! I guess it helped that I only used what I had in the house, but it's flexible so you could add meat or other veggies if you choose. This souped up quickly in between homework, fighting and chasing a toddler. If I could do it, so can you!! Try this yummy soup with a big salad, a sandwich or some crusty bread and voila, dinner!!!

INGREDIENTS

1 onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 box white button mushrooms, stems removed, chopped

2 cloves garlic (I use Dorot frozen cubes from TJ, so 2 cubes)

2 boxes chicken/vegetable/beef broth + 2 cups or 10 cups liquid of your choice (if you use water you will need to season it more)

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp. olive oil 

1 package 10 minute barley from TJ ( or regular barley but will take longer to cook!)

DIRECTIONS

Sauté the onion, carrots and mushrooms in the olive oil about 10 minutes until soft and onions translucent

Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes m

Add liquid and bring to boil

Add barley and salt, reduce to simmer and cook covered 15 minutes. 

Eat and enjoy!!!

Bread Machine Challah Dough

As I sit and wait for challot numbers 5 & 6 to be done in the oven, I figured I would finally take the time to share my bread machine challah dough recipe with those that always ask for it! I have previously posted a fabulous recipe for challah which is made in an electric mixer, but this is my weekly go to because it literally takes 87.45 to put the ingredients into the bread machine, walk away for 90 minutes while it mixes/kneads/rises. Then I divide it in half, braid it, and let it rise again for another hour, or so. Then egg it, sprinkle it and bake it. Voila-fresh challah!!! This recipe makes 2 generous braids, or in today's case, rounds. Round challah is traditional for Rosh Hashana, and I hope that my challahs come out sweet and yummy to help us bring in a sweet and healthy Jewish New Year!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup water, room temperature
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter (best at room temp), cut in pieces OR just shy of 1/2 cup of canola or grapeseed oil (if making pareve I highly suggest the oil vs. margarine); taste difference between butter and oil is minimal
• 2 large eggs, room temp (not essential but preferable)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 3/4 cup unbleached or bread flour
• 2 teaspoons yeast (active dry, instant or bread machine-I almost always use bread machine)

DIRECTIONS:

• Put all of the ingredients in the ORDER listed above in the bread machine pan 
• Put the pan in the bread machine
• Set on dough cycle (I use a Cuisinart bread machine so it's setting 8, but this will of course vary per machine)
• After the cycle is completed (90 minutes), remove the dough and place on a lightly floured surface
• Cut in half, then braid each half
• Place on a parchment covered cookie sheet, or in tinfoil cake pans to make round (sprayed with cooking spray)
• Cover with a clean dry dishtowel and let rise another 60 minutes or so
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Brush with egg wash (egg beaten with a few drops of water)
• I usually do 1 with sesame seeds and 1 with rainbow sprinkles which is mandatory in my house and with our Shabbat guests (other toppings could be cinnamon sugar, everything mix, poppy seeds, or mini chocolate chips)
• Bake for 15 minutes then rotate the trays for another 10-15 minutes, watching the top so it doesn't burn (sometimes I need to cover them with foil or lower the temp to 325 if browning too quickly-it's trial and error depending on your oven)
• Remove and let cool on cookie sheet/pan for 5 minutes then place on cooling rack
• Best eaten fresh, but if made day before or earlier in the day just lightly wrap in foil to reheat
• Can be frozen if wrapped well in foil and a freezer bag, then defrosted on counter and reheated as above

Eat and enjoy!!

Two-color Potato Gratin

We had baked potatoes one night last week with grilled chicken, and mashed sweet potatoes with meatballs on another night. So I was left with 4 Yukon gold potatoes and 4 sweet potatoes (which are actually yams!) that I had to use up. I made a yummy, easy, pretty and pretty healthy side dish that I have to share! You can use this method for all one color potatoes, or whatever you have on hand, but the white and the sweet made this super pretty and yummy! 

Ingredients:

4 yams/sweet potatoes, peeled 

4 white/brown potatoes, peeled 

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 clove garlic, grated 

1 1/2 cups fat free half & half (or whatever milk you have or like)

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

After the potatoes are peeled, slice them thin by hand or use a mandoline on the medium setting (that's what I did!).

In a 9 x 13 casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray, layer the potatoes beginning with white and ending with sweet, 2 layers of each. Season each layer with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 

Once the potatoes are assembled, set aside and melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan. 

When melted, sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon, constantly for 2 minutes. (This flour mixture is called a roux.)

Next whisk in the half & half and bring to a slow boil, stirring very frequently, stopping just enough to add the garlic, or grate it right into the pot like I do!

Once it's thickened, turn off the heat and add salt and pepper, about 1/2 teaspoon of each, stir well.

Pour the mixture over the potatoes and lightly shake the pan so it is evenly distributed. 

Bake covered with foil for 40 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Cut into squares, eat and enjoy!!!!