Meals
I'm more of a baker than a cook, but I knew I had to start somewhere. So here's my recipes that are more on the cooking or Shabbos/ yom tov food side that are my favorite (and easiest!).
Barbecue Pastrami Pizza
This fun supper idea takes just minutes to throw together. It’s sure to be a favorite for all.
Main ingredients
1 store-bought prebaked parve pizza dough (we like the ones from TJ's, but you can bake any frozen pizza dough as well)
2 Spanish or Vidalia (white/yellow) onions, finely diced
1 pound (450 grams) sliced pastrami or smoked beef fry, cut into thin strips
Red Wine or Brisket Sauce, to taste
spicy mayo, for drizzling
arugula, for garnish
Prepare the Pizza
In a frying pan, sauté the onions in oil until they soften and turn brown. Add the pastrami or smoked meat and sauté for five more minutes until cooked.
Spread the prebaked dough with a generous amount of red wine or brisket sauce. Sprinkle the onion and meat mixture in an even layer over the dough.
Preheat your barbecue (or oven rack) and spray with cooking spray. Heat the pizza for just a few minutes, until the dough gets just a bit crispy on the edges.
Drizzle with some spicy mayo and top with arugula. Serve immediately.
Salsa Chicken Tacos
A great Mexican-style recipe that is delicious and easy!
Main ingredients
1 and 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (16-oz.) jar salsa, any kind (ideally sugar- and preservative-free)
6-8 corn tortillas
1-2 avocados, peeled and sliced
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
8-10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
Cook the Chicken
Place the chicken breasts into the crock of a slow cooker.
Season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Pour the salsa over the chicken and cover. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours.
Transfer the chicken to a plate and, using two forks, shred the meat.
Assemble
Just before eating, assemble the tacos: Scoop the shredded chicken onto the center of a tortilla and top with avocado, onion, tomatoes, and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Spicy Baked Nile Perch and Potatoes
It's fun to try something a little different!
Main ingredients
6 to 8 perch fillets
lemon juice, for soaking
2 large onions, diced
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
Garlic powder, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
3 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Prepare the Nile Perch and Potatoes
Soak fillets in lemon juice for 15 minutes and rinse.
Sauté diced onions in oil until golden brown. Add ketchup and spices, mix well. Remove from flame.
Place sliced potatoes on bottom of nine- by 13-inch pan and lay fillets on top. Pour sauce over fish and cover well.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour and 15 minutes or until potatoes and fish are soft.
Sweet Potato Pasta
Pretty, kid-friendly, yum. Perfect.
Main ingredients
1 pound spaghetti
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Prepare the Sweet Potato Pasta
Prepare pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, add potatoes to a medium saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain and mash.
Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Slowly add milk and heavy cream and whisk until smooth. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce thickens.
Gradually add mashed sweet potatoes, whisking until smooth. Cook for an additional five minutes.
Add pasta, a little bit at a time, to the sauce. Add in cheese and mix until melted. Season with salt. Serve hot.
Herb Roasted Chicken & Crispy Rice
I don't like making chicken-or any meat, poultry, or fish for that matter. But when my mother made this chicken, I knew I needed to post it. But I needed to make it first. So I did, and it was surprisingly simple and yummy. I hope you all like it as much as I do!
From I heart Kosher
You will need:
1 whole butterflied chicken (skin & bone in)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
3 tbsp herbes de Provence*
1 tbsp rosemary (crushed & dried)
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
*I sometimes use Italian Seasoning, but you can use any herb spice blend you have-be creative!
Rice:
1 cup long grain white rice
1 tsp light olive oil
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 cup boiling water
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place the chicken lying flat with skin side up, in a large baking dish and drizzle the oil over the top of the chicken.
Rub garlic and spices all over the chicken and into the top and underside, coating it as much as you can.
Rinse the rice under cold running water and drain.
Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the oil, turmeric, salt and pepper.
Scatter the rice around the chicken in the baking dish. Pour the boiling water directly over the scattered rice (not over the chicken).
Cover dish tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes, remove from the oven, uncover and return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes or until crispy. Serve and enjoy!
Pesto Zoodles with Flaked Salmo
Zoodles are a great carb-free substitute for pasta, and are easy and fun to make. This recipe incorporates a homemade spinach pesto with a zesty lemon salmon to create the perfect light summer dish.
From Millennial Kosher
You will need:
Pesto:
3 cups baby spinach (packed)
2/3 cup toasted pistachios (unsalted)
1 cloves garlic
2 tsp lemon juice
¼-½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Zoodles:
2 large zucchini
¾ cup spinach pistachio pesto
Lemon and olive oil
Salt and pepper
Salmon:
4 salmon fillets
2 tbsp olive oil
1 Lemon (juice and zest)
Salt and pepper
​
Directions:
Pesto:
Combine spinach, pistachios, garlic, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper into the food processor.
Blend until the mix has reached the correct consistency.
Zoodles:
Using a spiralizer or julienne peeler, create zucchini noodles.
Stir in the pesto until zoodles are well coated.
Add olive oil as needed.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add lemon juice to taste.
Set aside to marinate.
Salmon:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place salmon onto a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.
Rub with lemon zest and drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Once cooked, flake the salmon into small pieces using a fork.
Divide zoodles between individual plates and top with salmon.
Garnish with pepper and lemon zest (if desired) and serve!
​
​
Kale salad & chips
A healthy, hearty salad you can eat all day, with a side of kale chips
From my mother
What you'll need-salad:
1 bag chopped kale
Roasted sweet potato cubed (lightly seasoned)
1 container of pomegranate seeds
Feta cheese crumbled
Pine nuts
What you'll need-dressing:
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 frozen cloves garlic
Note: you most probably won't use all the dressing
What you'll need-kale chips:
Chopped Kale
Oil
Salt
Spread kale out evenly on a baking sheet, sprinkle salt to taste, and drizzle with oil. Put in oven on 425 for 5-7 minutes.​
Honey Challah
It might take a long time, but the delicious challah is definitely worth it!
From Busy In Brooklyn
What you'll need:
4 packets (or 3 tbsp) rapid rise yeast (these come in envelopes of 3, use 1 3-pack plus a fourth packet from another 3-pack)
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
add to a bowl and rest for a few minutes until the yeast starts to bubble and activate. then add:
1 1/2 cups honey
2 tbsp salt
1 1/4 c oil
1 egg (you can leave this out)
mix to incorporate and stir in 3 cups of lukewarm water.
Add half of the flour (a 5 lb bag) and mix until creamy. Add almost all of the rest of the flour (leaving over 1/2 cup or so) and knead with your hands until your dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is no longer sticky.
When you are done kneading, grease the dough with a bit of canola oil and cover it with a towel. Put it in a warm place (I like to put my oven on 200 degrees and put it on top of the oven). Leave the dough to rise for 1 1/2-2 hours.
Pound it down, take challa for hafrashas challah, and braid. When you are done shaping the loaves, leave them to rise for 30 minutes.
Brush with egg and topping of your choice. Bake at 350 until golden brown, about 35 minutes. (check the bottoms of the challahs, they should be browned and hollow when you tap on them).
The sweet crumb topping:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 – 1/2 cup canola oil
1 capful vanilla extract (optional)
Pretzel dogs
No words needed I believe. Why bother with crumbly, defrosted hot dog buns when you can wrap your hot dogs in fluffy, salty pretzel buns. Find out how to give them that crisp, pretzel taste and texture right here!
From Easy Does It at Kosher.com
Main ingredients
1 ball pizza or Challah dough, cut into 6
6 hot dogs, patted dry
6 cups boiling water
1/4 cup baking soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
pretzel salt, for sprinkling
How to make​
Prepare the Pretzel Dogs
Prepare the baking soda bath by bringing a large pot of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, roll out each piece of pizza dough into a rope and wrap around each hot dog. Pinch seams tight to ensure they won't unravel. Repeat with all dough and hot dogs.
Add baking soda to boiling water and submerge each pretzel dog for about 30 seconds. Remove to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Bake for about 20–25 minutes on 375°F.
Garlic Knots
These garlic knots are easy to make and taste indescribably delicious. Best of all, they can be eaten at any meal, any day!
From Kosher.com
Ingredients
1/4 recipe challah dough
a few tablespoons olive oil
4–6 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or 4 cubes frozen garlic
1/4 cup parsley (leaves only), chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
How to make​
Divide challah dough in half and roll each half into a large rectangle. With a pizza cutter, cut the rectangle in half and then into one-inch (two- and- a- half-centimeter) strips. (Each rectangle will yield 16 strips.) Roll each strip into a rope and twist into a knot (similar to a small challah roll). Continue with remaining dough.
Brush knots with olive oil and let rise for approximately half an hour. Halfway through the rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
Meanwhile, prepare the garlic. In a small saucepan, place oil and garlic. Cook the garlic gently in the oil (this takes the raw edge off the garlic) for one to two minutes. Add the parsley and salt. Mix together. Remove from heat and set aside.
After knots have risen, place in preheated oven and bake for 14 minutes, rotating trays after seven minutes. Remove from oven and brush generously with garlic-oil mixture while still hot.
Yields 32 garlic knots
Tip: If you have any leftover garlic oil, use as a salad dressing.
Zucchini Kugel
This must-have kugel is perfect for Shabbos, Yom Tov, and all year round! I love it hot, but cold works too.
From my mother
What you'll need:
6 zucchinis, finely sliced
8 large eggs
½ cup oil
1 cup bread crumbs/corn flake crumbs/matzah meal
1/2 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic
​
How to create:
Preheat oven to 425.
Finely slice zucchinis, then put them in a bowl.
Add eggs, oil, and breadcrumbs
Mix. You may need to add more eggs, until it has a batter-like consistency (not just crumb-covered zucchinis).
Add the spices.
Bake in a half-size pan, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
Meat loaf
For Pesach and all year round, this meat loaf can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
From my mother
What you'll need:
Shredded:
1 carrot
1 potato
1 onion
In the bowl:
6 eggs
Salt
Ground meat
How to create:​
Preheat oven to 425
Shred the carrot, potato, and onion
Mix it with 6 (or more) eggs, salt, and ground meat
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes
Challah Dough
Any recipes that call for pizza or Challah dough, use this (or store-bought) or make it into Challah!
From Kosher.com
Main ingredients
6 tablespoons dry yeast, or 180 grams (6 and 1/2 ounces) fresh yeast
6 and 1/4 cups warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
3 yolks
1 whole egg
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
2 heaping tablespoons salt, mixed together with some of the flour
20 cups flour (a 5 pound bag of flour)
1 cup oil
1–2 eggs, beaten, for egg wash
How to make​
Place yeast, warm water, and sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Cover and proof for 15 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients except for egg wash in order, adding the oil slowly after the 15th cup of flour, until incorporated into the dough.
Add remainder of the flour and knead until a soft dough forms. Continue kneading for 10 minutes. If necessary, add an additional 1/4 cup oil at the very end.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes. Punch dough down, take challah, and divide evenly in four.
If using just for challah, shape into large challahs h and let rise 30–45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius), brush challahs with egg wash, and bake 35–40 minutes for challah.
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