Baby Spinach Salad

Some of the ingredients in this recipe (read: spinach leaves) might throw you off. But I'm telling you - this is one of the best salads I've ever tasted!

1 bag baby spinach leaves
1 carton fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 can hearts of palm, cut up
1 box cherry tomatoes
1-2 avocados, diced

1/4 cup sugar or splenda
1/2 cup vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 cup oil

Toss salad ingredients. Mix dressing (makes a lot, so use only half) and pour onto salad.

Bubby's Cheesecake

3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 lb cottage cheese
1 lb cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
1/2 cup milk
vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
cinnamon for top

pie crust recipe or graham cracker crumbs

Mix all ingredients in blender. Bake in a 9x13 350 for 1 hr.

My aunt's cheese cake

I love this cheescake because it's not too rich. It makes a square pan, though, so I recommend doubling it.

1 lb farmer cheese, softened
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened or whipped
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp flour
4 eggs
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1 cup sour cream (can use lite or substitute plain yogurt)
1 Tbsp sugar (use more if you use yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla

Combine cheese and mash with sugar using a fork. Add flour. Add eggs (slighhtly beaten) a little at a time. Add lemon juice and vanilla and mix well. Pou into 9x9 pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Mix all topping ingredients together. Pour over cake and return to oven for 10-15 minutes, until the topping sets.

Chicken meat-balls

These are a yom tov thing in my house, to make the same-old soup different. They're fabulous in chicken soup, adding to the taste and texture without soaking up all the liquid. Plus, they look like matzah balls, so on Pesach if you don't brok, you can substitute potato starch for bread crumbs and then serve your family and guests and watch them freak out.

2 pounds ground chicken
1 egg
1/2 to full cup bread crumbs- add as many as you need for it to be dry enough to work
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup minced onions

Cover minced onions with boiling water or soup and allow to soak in. Pour off excess water. (Can used fresh chopped onions instead.) Combine all ingredients, form balls and cook in simmering soup for at least 1/2 an hour. You can leave them longer.

Non-Gebrochs Blondies

Esty’s Blondies

1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 ½ cups sugar
6 eggs

1½ cups oil
4½ tsp vanilla sugar
4½ tsp baking powder
1½ cups potato starch
7 oz ground walnuts (almonds)
1 cup chocolate chips

Beat eggs and sugars well. Add rest of ingredients. Greased 9x13; bake at 330 for 45 minutes until done.

No-Margarine Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Taam Tov III, p 186, by Leah Levy)

1 cup oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
chocolate chips to taste

Cream oil with sugars, add eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and add to mixture. Add chocolate chips. Spoon by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until browned.

Parshas Vayishlach – Basar (meat)

This week's parsha food comes from a very way out, corny type of place. The pasuk says in בראשית, ל"ח, כ"ה – "ויותר יעקב לבדו", pronounced "va'yevaser ya'akov l'vado," meaning that Yaakov remained alone. In Hebrew the word בשר(basar), meat, though spelled differently, sounds the same. I know, I know, it's very corny, but it's too close to Shabbos to think of something better.

So, I bring you Peppered meat (otherwise known as Pepper Steak).

The directions for this recipe are somewhat vague, somewhere along the lines of taking as much as you want of each ingredient, putting it together in a pan somehow, and baking it until it's done. I've never actually tried it, but I had it at someone's house while I was in Israel, and it was delicious!

Pepper Steak

Sliced pepper steak
Peppers
Onions
Baby corn
Soy sauce
Paprika
Garlic powder
Salt
Water

Parshas Vayeitzei - SEVEN Layer Cake

This week's parsha starts off with Yaakov leaving Be'er Sheva, literally, the SEVENth well. SEVEN layer cake is very appropriate for this shabbos ....

Cake:
7 eggs, separated
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 lb sweet chocolate
3 Tbsp cold water

Frosting:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 sticks margarine
1 tsp vanilla

Cake directions:

• Beat egg yokes until thick and lemon colored.
• Add confectioners' sugar gradually, beating constantly.
• Sift flour and salt together and fold into yolk mixture.
• Beat egg whites until stiff enough to hold a peak and fold in lightly.
• Line seven-layer cake pans with paper and grease the paper.
• Divide batter evenly among pans and bake in moderate oven (350 degrees F.) for 12 minutes.
• Remove from pans at once.
  

Frosting (filling) directions:
For the frosting, heat chocolate and water in the top of double boiler. Mix eggs and sugar thoroughly, combine with melted chocolate and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add butter and beat until well blended.
Add vanilla and continue beating until filling is stiff enough to spread. Cover each layer and top and sides of cake with filling.
NOTE: It may be necessary to place several toothpicks through the top layers to hold them in place until filling sets.
Serve after 24 hours.
Serves 14 to 16.

Parshas Toldos - RED Velvet Cake

Starting a new series - recipes appropriate for every parsha. This week is Parshas Toldos. In this week's parsha, Yaakov and Eisav are born. Eisav is an Admoni (red head), and he later asks Yaakov for some of that red stuff (talking about red lentil soup).

1/2 oz red food coloring
3 Tbsp cocoa
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp water (1/2 oz)
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (1 cup milk substitute + 1 Tbsp vinegar)
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
scant tsp salt

Mix the food coloring, cocoa and water. In a separate bowl, cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs and cocoa mixture and beat well until blended smoothly. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth. Bake in greased layer pans at 350 until done (30-35 minutes). You can also do this in a 9x13 pan, but add more time and keep checking until it's done.

Heaven Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 sticks softened margarine ( for a healthier version use 1 cup oil instead)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 bag (10-12 ounces) real semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place cut parchment paper onto cookie sheets. Cream the margarine and sugars. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and beat until fluffy. Add the flour salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Add in the chocolate chips. Spoon onto the cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes until the center does not look wet, being careful not brown the edges too much. Cool on wire racks. ENJOY!!!!!

Easy Lokshen Kugel Souffle

8 oz thin noodles

5 eggs

16 oz applesauce

½ cup oil

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

¾ cup sugar

1 can (15 oz) crushed pineapple, drained

 

Cook noodles as directed. Mix all the ingredients together well, sprinkle cinnamon on top, and bake in a 9x13 pan at 400 for 45 to 1 hour.

Butternut Squash Kugel

2 10 oz boxes frozen butternut squash

½ stick margarine, melted

½ cup flour

½ cup sugar

3 eggs

½ cup non-dairy creamer (soy milk)

1 deep dish frozen pie shell

Sprinkle of cinnamon

---

Preheat oven to 350. Defrost squash and mix with melted margarine. Add flour and sugar, and mix well. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and nondairy creamer together. Add to squash mixture. Pour into pie shell and sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Bake uncovered for 1 hr.

• Can successfully be doubled
  
• Freezes well
  

This recipe is from the TAG cookbook, but I forget the exact title. Enjoy!!

Broccoli-Craisin Salad

1 lg package frozen broccoli florets, thawed
Handful of almonds or cashews, toasted lightly in oven
Handful of craisins

Dressing:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon (1 ½ Tbsp)
2-4 Tbsp sugar, to taste

Combine salad ingredients in bowl. Mix together dressing ingredients and taste to adjust flavors. Pour over salad, toss, and serve chilled.

Shabbos Chicken

1 chicken cut in pieces
Carrots (2), sliced
Zucchini (1), sliced
1 onion, sliced into rings
1 stalk celery, sliced

Breadcrumbs
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Salt
Paprika

Clean chicken. Layer vegetables in bottom of roaster and place chicken on top. Cover chicken with breadcrumbs. Mix spices and sprinkle over chicken. Bake covered at 400 for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake for another 45 minutes.

NOTE: the numbers in parentheses are the amounts I used. You can add more or less of each ingredient as you see fit.

Beena's Macaroni Salad

1 lb macaroni (whatever shape)
Mayonnaise (start with 2 spoons, add more as needed)
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp salt
Pepper, diced

Cook noodles according to directions on package. VERY IMPORTANT: Immediately after draining, mix in mayonnaise (so it won’t get greasy). Mix in rest of ingredients.

Honolulu Chicken

1 chicken, whole or in pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 can crushed pineapple
½ cup brown sugar
3 tsp lemon juice
1 small can tomato puree/sauce
¼ cup water
Salt

Put chicken in covered broiler pan. Smother it with vegetables. Mix all other ingredients and add to pan. Bake at 300 for 2 hours until tender. Slow cooking allows chicken to absorb the other flavors.

Sauteed Fish and salsa

I made this on vacation with access to a frying pan, a stove and a fridge/freezer.
It's a quick and easy meal.

Any thin-ish white fish, such as turbot, tilapia, flounder, etc.
Lemonade
Jar of salsa
Can of corn
Two tomatoes
Cooking spray or oil

Saute fish in oil or cooking spray on both sides until mostly cooked through (test in the middle). Add lemonade to the pan until it comes about halfway up the fish. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove fish to a plate and cook liquid until slightly reduced. Pour over fish.

Rinse and wipe out pan. Add spray or oil and add corn. Cook until slightly blackened. Add salsa and diced tomatoes. Cook several minutes until warmed through. Serve with fish.

Mushroom- Pastry Appetizer (Easy!)

1 can of condensed mushroom soup
1 cup Coffee Rich, soy milk or rice dream
1 container button mushrooms, baby bellas, or mixed
1 package Pepperidge Farm pastry shells

Combine soup and milk-substitute in small pot on low heat. Stir intermittently until well combined and heated through. Slice mushrooms and sautee briefly until just softened. Add mushrooms to saucepan.

Bake pastry shells at 350 for about 20 minutes. Pop off tops with a fork and return for a couple more minutes.

To serve, put a shell on each plate and spoon in a generous helping of mushroom sauce (overflows? perfectly OK). Place pastry cap on top.

Note: This sauce is also good without the pastry. You can use it on chicken, on top of deli roll, or even as a thick soup with toast. Can also be made milchigs by using milk.

Cranberry Crumble

Crumbs:
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal, uncooked
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
1 stick margarine, melted
2 tsp cinnamon
Fruit:
1 (16 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, not drained
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges

Mix ingredients for crumbs until crumbly. Pat ½ down on greased 9x13 pan (or 3 6” rounds). Mix fruit together and put on top of bottom layer. Sprinkle remaining crumb-like mixture on top of fruit. Bake uncovered at 350o for around 45 minutes.

Note: This recipe is from Simple Pleasures

My aunt's no-fry schnitzel

Canola or vegetable oil
2 onions
One large package of chicken cutlets (works with white or dark- no need to flatten in any way)
Italian dressing
Matza Meal
Seasoned bread crumbs


Pour oil into two baking pans, enough to very thinly cover the bottoms. Slice the onions and cover the bottoms of the pans with them.

Put Italian dressing in one bowl and mix together matza meal and seasoned bread crumbs in the other (if your Italian dressing in highly seasoned, you can use plain breadcrumbs). Dip each cutlet into dressing and then into matza meal/bread crumbs. Lay on top of the onions in the pan.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, then flip cutlets (I use a fork or tongs so I don't scrape off the crust). Bake another 20 minutes. Serve with the onions.

Notes: The outside "crust" won't be crispy, but soft, and it's very juicy. Also, this recipe freezes VERY well.