Apple Pie!! 
Stay tuned for the recipe coming soon!
Butternut squash soup is one of my favorite “cold-weather” soups. Thanksgiving is a good excuse to have this delicious treat.
The following recipe is dairy, however condensed coconut milk can be used as a replacement for the heavy cream in the recipe. For those Kosher people out there enjoy this soup as an appetizer for Shabbat, Thanksgiving, or a meal for a regular weekday!
Enjoy the video below
Bon Appetit!
Flatbread pizza originated in Naples as the “poor man’s meal.” It only became popular once Queen Margherita and King Umberto I visited Naples in 1889 and were tired of their fancy French cuisine. The Queens favorite pizza (can you guess?) was a pie with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Hence, the popular name today- Pizza Margherita. I enjoy a good margherita pizza but I also love to add my favorite toppings! What’s your favorite topping?
PIZZA DELIZIOSO: Flatbread, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp minced garlic, basil leaves, oregano, turmeric, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, olives. **Note: I pre-mince my garlic and store in glassware with olive oil and refrigerate for later use. Soaking the minced garlic in olive oil enhances the effects of the antioxidants from the garlic.
- Put parchment paper on a baking pan and lay the flatbread down.
Take a bowl full of marinara sauce and add 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp minced garlic, basil leaves, oregano, turmeric. Stir. 
- Lightly (to your liking) spread the sauce on the flatbread.
- Add mushrooms, olives (any topping you choose), and mozzarella.
- Bake for 18 minutes at 350 degrees.
Bon Appetit!
**Tip: scoop out a zucchini and blend with marinara sauce and garlic for a delicious sauce.
July is National Ice Cream month. What better way to celebrate than with a parve recipe that tastes dairy?! Last fall I bought this easy to use Cuisinart Ice Cream Yogurt Maker and kept it parve since ice cream is always a big hit!
The key to a tasty parve ice cream is the heavy cream/half and half substitute. I use the canned Unsweetened Organic Coconut Milk which is gluten-free, kosher parve, vegan. You can mix the classic version with the lite version for a healthier option. The coconut milk found in cartons is usually too thin and won’t thicken enough for ice cream. *It is important to note that this ice cream recipe results in a gelato like consistency as it is non-dairy and less creamy than your usual dairy ice cream. The taste will not fail you so don’t expect leftovers with this recipe!
I used the Williams-Sononma Classic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe and substituted the half and half with coconut milk. I prefer to use organic ingredients to keep it as natural as possible.
VANILLA ICE CREAM (PARVE): 3 cups of Coconut Milk, 1 Vanilla Bean, 3/4 cup of sugar, 6 egg yolk
- Pour the coconut milk into a heavy saucepan. Cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the seeds and bean halves to the coconut milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 30 mins.
- Return the saucepan to the stove over medium high heat and bring to a simmer.
- In a heatproof bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks until blended.
- Gradually pour the hot coconut milk mixture into the yolk mixture (make sure the bowl is placed in a sturdy area and does not move as you pour), whisk constantly.
- Return the mixture to the same saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it (about 5 mins).
- DO NOT LET THE CUSTARD BOIL
- Pour the custard through a medium-mesh sieve set over a clean bowl. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
- Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker.
- Store ice cream in a freezer safe container, cover and freeze until firm (at least 4 hours before serving).
- Add desired toppings!
Bon Appetit!
Crab Cakes have been one of sea food lovers favorite dishes since the early 19th century. They can be served as an appetizer, dinner delicacy, or even a beach treat. Crab Cakes are great to eat during a holiday, occasion, or any ordinary day. The best recipes usually include fresh crab meat or lump crab, however, both those are highly non-kosher! Next step: Kosherize this fabulous dish!
The most important part of kosherizing this meal is choosing the right kosher substitute for crab. The most popular substitute to use are “crab sticks” made of pulverized white fish. Dyna-Sea Imitation Crab Meat is the brand I used in my Crab Cakes. Side Note: The link has them on sale for $4.99 which is great because I paid $10.00. You must unwrap each crab stick and cut in preparation for the recipe.
Williams Sonoma is one of my “go-to recipe” sites. I used the Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli recipe. Minor changes: added 1 onion finely chopped, 1/2 a red pepper finely chopped, and used an additional beaten egg. Also added 1/2 tsp more garlic to the Aioli – season to taste.
LEMON AIOLI: (prepare first because you will need some for the crab cakes) 1 cup mayonnaise, finely grated lemon zest of 1 lemon, 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice, 1-1.5 clove garlic-minced, fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Mix the mayo, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside 1/4 cup of the aioli for the crab cakes. Cover and refrigerate the remaining aioli.
CRAB CAKES: 1lb imitation crab, 3/4 cup of panko, 1-2 eggs beaten, 1Tbs Dijon mustard, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce, 1 Tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1/2 cup canola oil, 1 chopped onion, 1/2-1 chopped pepper, lemon wedged (for serving)
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper for the uncooked crab cakes. In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup of panko, 1/4 cup lemon aioli, the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, and parsley. Add the crabmeat and mix gently until combined. Divide the mixture into equal cake portions. Spread the remaining panko on a dish. Coat the prepared cakes evenly with panko and transfer onto the baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 mins.
In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high until it shimmers. Add the cakes and cook until golden brown (2-3 mins). Flip the cakes until the other side is golden brown. Using a slotted spatula, transfer cakes to paper towels to drain.
{Side Note: crabs and imitation crabs are not amongst the healthiest of meals, you can substitute the crab with salmon though the taste will definitely differ.}
Serve the crab cakes with aioli and enjoy!
Bon Appetit!
Shabbat preparation usually begins Thursday into Friday for my family. We take this time to prepare our menu, reflect on the week, and think of those who departed. This week my cousin shared a vegetarian Eggplant Caviar recipe that was special to her mother (Shulamit, Z”l) and I feel honored to share with you.
At the time, Shulamit was the wife of a baker, helped manage the bakery, and was a mother of 5 children- so you can only imagine how busy she was. However, there was always time for Shabbat- her goal was to make sure her guests left well fed and happy. Whenever Shulamit would prepare a meal she would sing Opera. The love and happiness radiated through the house and into her food, which was a key ingredient (love) in her dishes. A vegetarian family was one of the regulars that attended Shabbat dinner. Eggplant Caviar was one of their favorites!
EGGPLANT CAVIAR: 2 eggplants, 2 onions, 2-3 cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, garlic powder 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, parsley or cilantro
- Chop the onion and sauté in olive oil until they are clear.
- Peel and cut eggplant into 1 inch cubes and add to the onion mixture. Keep temperature on medium-low and cover.
- 20 minutes- you will see the eggplant is cooked- remove the cover and allow the water to evaporate.
- Add the tomato paste and mix.
- Once the majority of the water has evaporated shave the garlic into the pan and mix..
- Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley/cilantro.
- Allow to cool as it tastes best cold.
Enjoy!
And now I ask you, what is on your menu? Take a moment and reflect on this week: what changes will you make, what made you happy?
Shabbat Shalom and Bon Appetit!
Paprika, peppercorn, salt, and summer- BBQ juicy steak fruit come to mind? Summer of 2015 is about wet, juicy fruit topped with sweet and savory spices! Recipes can be as simple as adding salt to melon, or as exotic as Li Hing on pineapple, Tajin on cucumbers or throwing some peaches and watermelon on the grill.
Let’s start with salt. Salt is a basic spice found in any household kitchen that can add to and balance the flavor of any sweet fruit. I love it on melon and cantaloupe. Also, if you’re a risk taker you can enhance the flavor of your fruit by adding extra flavors such as peppercorn.
The first time I tried Li Hing (aka the traveling plum), was in Hawaii at a hotel Tiki bar. The bartender said it was a traditional spice, made of dried plum, used in Hawaii on fruits, candy, meats, fish and even in some alcoholic beverages. He dipped a pineapple into a beautiful red spice and it was love at first taste! Li Hing is made of dried plum. The flavor is a mixture of sweet, salty, and sour all in one.
Tajin, made of lime, salt, and Mexican chile, has been used on fruits (mangoes, melons, watermelon), meats, and cucumbers to boost flavor. Simply cut your fruit, sprinkle some Tajin and enjoy a whole new culinary experience!
BONUS: Going to a BBQ? Impress your friends with a whole new way of enjoying fruit by grilling peaches and watermelon. Below you will find two simple recipes that your friends and family will relish over! If you don’t have an outdoor grill you can use a stove top grill. My favorite is the Calphalon stove top grill that I got as a gift from a great friend.
SMOKIN’ PEACHES: peaches, smoked paprika
- cut the peaches in half (throw out the pits!)
- put on the grill until caramelized
- add smoked paprika
- Enjoy!
ZESTY MELON: watermelon, lime juice, honey, salt, garlic chili sauce, (cilantro or parsley)
- cut the watermelon (lightly salt on both sides)
- put on grill until caramelized on both sides
- mix lime juice, honey, garlic chili sauce
- add mixture to watermelon
- add cilantro or parsley (for those who have an aversion to cilantro)
- Enjoy!
Who am I kidding? Fruits are probably not the new meat, however, we are definitely spicing them up this season!
Bon Appetit!
Kosherize It 