Our go-to dessert when we want something easy and homey is this simple applesauce cake with its moist and tender crumb. After many years of experimentation, we decided to leave the raisins out and substitute cornstarch for some of the flour to lighten the texture. The result is a cake that practically melts in one’s …
Brown Rice and Tomato Soup
While it’s not really appropriate for the low carb high fat people, this hearty brown rice and tomato soup is easy-to-make, stick-to-the-ribs deliciousness. It’s also the perfect vehicle for lots and lots of grated cheese, so you get that lovely stringy melted cheese topping on every piping hot bowl of soup. We have this often …
Recipe: Mock Kishke
Real kishke is delicious. But no one wants to deal with cleaning an intestine to use as a casing. Instead, the modern cook gets creative and improvises a casing. Some use a cooking bag, others use aluminum foil, and then there are those of us who make do with parchment paper. None of them match …
Recipe: Salami and Eggs
Sometimes, you want something hot and filling without any fuss or fancy ingredients. And sometimes pasta or potatoes just don’t cut it and we want meat. Since most of us have salami and eggs in our refrigerators, this American Jewish dish has become a staple for quick, weeknight suppers. Anyone can make it, including people …
Recipe: Low Carb Chili Con Carne with Kohlrabi “Beans”
This awesome chili was concocted while observing a low carb high fat diet, but having developed a fierce hankering for a bowl of chili. Beans are high in carbohydrates, but we had two kohlrabi bulbs sitting in the fridge, waiting for me to become inspired. I peeled and chopped the kohlrabi, threw it into the …
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine Reduction: The Right Sort of Roast for Chanukah
Everyone knows about having latkes for Chanukah, how these potato pancakes symbolize the miracle of the oil lasting for 8 days, just long enough to get some more of the right kind of oil to rededicate the Temple in Jerusalem. But there is a further custom among many to eat fatty meat for the same …
Recipe: Hearty Winter Minestrone Soup
Winter has arrived and that means lots and lots of soup. Which makes us very happy. Especially when it’s this awesome minestrone that makes a lot and gets better and better as the days go by. Minestrone Yield: 12 or more servings Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped 1 onion, …
Recipe: Swiss Potato Pancake (Rösti)
With the cold comes that natural instinct to bulk up on heartier food, which somehow seems more warming. In our home, sometimes nothing else seems to hit the spot quite so well as the Swiss potato pancake known as Rösti. It’s basically a large, skillet-sized potato pancake with a texture and taste similar to hash …
Recipe: Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms
Stuffed mushrooms make an elegant starter or even a side for any Shabbat or festive meal. They are a lot easier to make than you might suspect. I like to use frozen chopped spinach to save time. I just thaw and squeeze out the excess liquid before continuing with the recipe. If you have leftover …
Recipe: Thanksgiving Craisin Slaw
Nothing goes with turkey and all the fixings of Thanksgiving like a sweet and tangy slaw with craisins. This one fits the bill, though it cannot be made more than 6 hours in advance or it goes all soggy and loses its crisp, crunchy, and craisin-chewy charm. A guest once described this slaw as “So …