Warm Roasted Beets and Carrots With Farro

September 4, 2012 · by ·
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On a recent visit with my parents, we strolled through the various food vendors at Chelsea Market. We happily came upon the Italian market where my parents were thrilled with the many goodies there. One thing they picked up was some Farro. Farro is a wonderful grain that is native to Italy. I wish it was gluten free so more people could enjoy it! It is very similar in texture to barley in the way it cooks up and has a similar nutty mouth feel.

When I was in Minneapolis at my parents, they prepared this lovely bag of Farro. As I was eating this, I thought about how versatile it was and how it would really go well with some Rosh Hashanah flavors. This Farro would be the perfect side dish with a slow-cooked brisket or even a grilled salmon. My parents cooked the farro rissoto style, giving it a really nice texture and bringing out all of the flavors of the other ingredients. I decided to cook this farro in a similar way. So happy I did.
This yummy farro recipe is a part of a special Rosh Hashanah blog party! Please see the details below and enter to win a fantastic giveaway for Levana Kirschenbaum’s latest cookbook, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen!

Warm Roasted Beets and Carrots with Farro
Ingredients:
4 peeled and washed carrots
1 large golden beet, washed
1/2 head of garlic
2 shallots
1.5 tbsp. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 cup farro
3-4 cups of warm vegetable broth
salt
fresh ground pepper
Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Wrap the beets in foil and place in the oven.

In a large roasting pan, place the carrots as well as some foil wrapped garlic and shallots and place in the oven.

When veggies are done roasting, chop them up. Peel the beet first.
Heat up the olive oil in a large saucepan.
Saute the chopped onion for a couple of minutes. Add in the chopped garlic.  Add about a teaspoon of salt.
Add in the farro and stir. Let the farro toast in the pan for a few minutes. Your stove should be set to medium.
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Pour in a cup of the vegetable broth and stir. Stir for a minute and then stir in the chopped and roasted veggies.
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Keep stirring until the liquid evaporates.
Once the liquid evaporates, ladle in another cup of the vegetable broth. Keep repeating until you have used up the broth and the farro has softened. It will still be nutty in texture.
Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste and serve.
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Enjoy!
P.S. See below for links to more tasty Rosh Hashana treats as well as a chance to enter a giveaway to win a copy of Levana Kirschenbaum’s The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen! 
~~~
Welcome to the first ever Jewish Holiday Blog Party, hosted by Jessie of Taste and Miriam of Overtime Cook, and sponsored by Kitchen Aid! As you may know, Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year is coming up, and Jewish bloggers from all over the world are celebrating with all kinds of twists on traditional Rosh Hashanah foods.
To kick off the celebration, Levana Kirschenbaum is giving away a copy of her fabulous new book, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen to three lucky winners. To enter, leave a comment on this post. Limit one entry per reader per blog so click over to the other participating blogs below for your chance at additional entries! Giveaway ends 5 am eastern time on September 11th, 2012.

Prize is sponsored by Levana and available to readers from all blogs participating in the Rosh Hashanah Blog Party. Prize can only be shipped within the US. 
 
This is the first of hopefully many exciting Holiday Blog Parties, so if you would like to join in the fun, please email holidayblogparties@gmail.com.
Stop by and check out some of these amazing Rosh Hashanah themed recipes on the following blogs:
 

Challah and Bread:

Marlene of The Jewish Hostess made Apple Challah
Amanda of The Challah Blog made Pomegranate Challah
Shelly of The Kosher Home made Apple, Honey and Pomegranate Challah!
Sides, Salads and Starters: 
Sarah of Food, Words, Photos made Tzimmes (Rosh Hashanah Carrots)
Tali of More Quiche, Please made Roasted Beets and Butternut Squash
Roberta and Lois of Kosher Eye made Simanim Salad
Chanie of Busy In Brooklyn made Pomegranate Coleslaw
Rivki of Life in the Married Lane made Super Salad
Hannah of Cooking Manager made Beets Marinated with Ginger and Garlic
Sina of The Kosher Spoon made Pomegranate, Almond and Raisin Couscous
Shulie of Food Wanderings made Rosh Hashanah Salad
Hindy of Confident Cook-Hesitant Baker made Warm Roasted Beets with Farro
Sarah of Kosher Street made Sweet Potato Apple Tzimmes
Main Dishes:
Jessie of Taste made Smoked Salmon
Samantha of The Little Ferraro Kitchen made Chicken with Dates
Michele of Kosher Treif Cooking made Coconut Chicken Strips with two dipping sauces
Melinda of Kitchen Tested made Key Lime Glazed Duck
Stephanie and Jessica of The Kosher Foodies made Chicken Braised in Pomegranate
Liz of The Lemon Bowl made Beef Brisket
Estee of Anyone Interested? made Easy Breazy 5 Minute Brisket
Desserts and Drinks:
Miriam of Overtime Cook made Mini Apples and Honey Tarts
Laura of Pragmatic Attic made Fresh Ginger Honey Cake
Susan of The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen made Honey Caramel Apple Galette
Danielle of Hugs and Cookies xoxo made The World’s Best Rugelach
Amy of What Jew Wanna Eat made an Apple and Honey Cocktail
Nick of The Baking Process made Apple and Date Honey Squares
Lisa of The Monday Morning Cooking Club made Honey Chiffon Cake and Traditional Honey Cake
Leah of Cook Kosher made Pomegranate Ice Cream
Nossi of The Kosher Gastronome made Non-dairy Key Lime Cheesecake Bar with Key Lime Caramel
Filed Under: Rosh Hashanah, Side Dish, Vegan, whole grain · Tagged: , , , , ,

Meatless Monday: Olive, Lemon and Chickpea Pasta

September 3, 2012 · by ·

It’s been a little while since I posted over here. I am back from vacation and back in to real-life mode. I initially intended to blog as I cooked while visiting the parents, but for the most part, they didn’t let me have my way in their kitchen.

Both of my parents are amazing cooks. They are also a bit possessive of their kitchen. I get so much of my inspiration from their ideas – both past and present.

My last might in Minneapolis, my Dad took over the kitchen – whipping up an amazingly simple and tasty pasta dish. This dish that I present here is more or less adapted from what he made.  The main difference, is that he used tuna for protein and I used chickpeas. I knew that my kids wouldn’t eat the hot tuna and I was not in the mood to make another dinner for them. This dinner pleased everyone.

Olive, Lemon and Chickpea Pasta
Ingredients:

1 pound pasta (I used spaghetti, but fettuccine would work well)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup green olives with pimentos, chopped
1/3 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
juice of one lemon
1-2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup peas
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil for drizzling
extra  Parmesan  cheese for sprinkling

Directions:

Cook pasta to al dente, reserving about 1/2 – 1 cup of the cooking water.

I cooked my pasta while I cooked up the sauce/mix-in. Made everything run smoother.

In a large saute pan, heat up the olive oil. Add in the chopped onions and cook for a few minutes.

Add in the chopped garlic, olives and chickpeas. Cook for a few minutes.

Add in the spices, lemon rind and lemon juice.

Olive, Lemon and Chickpea Pasta

Add in the peas and Parmesan cheese.

Stir in the pasta, adding some of the cooking water as you go to wet the sauce a bit.

Serve on a plate. Top pasta with extra red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese and a small drizzle of olive oil.

Enjoy!

Olive, Lemon and Chickpea Pasta
Filed Under: Dinner, easy, pasta, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , ,

Vegan Food Swap – August 2012 Reveal

September 3, 2012 · by ·

I was excited to participate in a second month of the vegan food swap hosted by Cat at The Verdant Life.
I had so much fun buying and receiving goodies, I had to do it again.

This month, I was selected to receive vegan treats from Thang. Thang doesn’t have a blog, but knew exactly what to get for me.

Check out these goodies!

Rice cracker heaven! Curry Powder! So much good stuff in this package! I also love cooking with coconut oil so I was so happy to see a jar! Yum!

Thanks so much, Thang!

If you’d like to participate in the September swap, go here!

Filed Under: Vegan · Tagged: , , ,

Homemade Sesame Rice Crackers

August 14, 2012 · by ·
Sesame Rice Crackers

I have made crackers a few times. Those Mary’s Gone Crackers copycats were big hit in my house.

This time, I was looking for something with a similar crunch, but a bit different flavor – perhaps a little less nutty. I wanted something similar to those packages of Japanese senbei crackers I get at Whole Foods, or perhaps the sesame rice rounds I get at Trader Joe’s. I wanted a cracker that met somewhere in the middle. I definitely wanted to keep it gluten free, but with a good crunch. I also didn’t want to have to run out and buy too many new ingredients.

These crackers fit the bill. I had everything on hand. Definitely happy with the way they turned out and will make again – perhaps with a few flavor tweaks. These crackers are great with tapenade or hummus, or anything you would pair with a chip or cracker!

Sesame Rice Crackers
Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1 cup roasted sesame seeds
3.5 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
3 tsp. sesame oil
1 cup warm water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix everything together in a mixing bowl. The dough shouldn’t be too sticky and should come together. You can add a little more rice flour if it seems too sticky and wet.

Let the mixture sit for five minutes.

Spray a large baking sheet.

Pull of little teaspoon size pieces of dough and roll in to balls.

Similar to my previous cracker recipe, take a small square of oil sprayed parchment paper and press the ball on to the pan. You can use your hands, or you could use a heavy glass.

You want the cracker dough to be very thin, but you don’t want it to rip. Even if it rips though, it’s still tasty.

The crackers do shrink a little in the oven – so it’s ok if your dough rounds are touching.

Bake in oven for around 15-17 minutes. Check to make sure they don’t burn,

Cool on rack.

Sesame Rice Crackers

Enjoy!

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for Tribes-a-Dozen’s Voila! Hallah!

Filed Under: Appetizers, Gluten Free, snack · Tagged: , , , , ,

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Wet Burritos

August 14, 2012 · by ·

I get so much of my food inspiration from social media these days. Everyone’s lunch or dinner gets posted to Facebook  twitter or Pinterest at any given moment. The photos are what get me motivated to cook and create new concoctions in my kitchen.

I have a growing list of friends from Michigan – either having grown up there or went to college there. At any given moment, a photo shows up in my Facebook feed of something that resembles an enchilada, but is really something so much more. It’s the Wet Burrito. It’s purely a Michigan concept. I can’t decide if it’s an upgraded or downgraded burrito. It’s not authentic anything, or perhaps it’s authentic Michigander food. Whatever it is, the spiced red gravy that tops the burrito is pure brilliance on a plate. And it’s easy to make.


Vegetarian Wet Burritos
Ingredients:
1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small zucchinni, chopped
1/2 package of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 can of black beans, drained
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1.5 cups cooked brown rice
Cheddar/Monterrey Jack Cheese Blend
4 large flour tortillas
Wet Burrito Sauce:
Ingredients:
1 can of Ro-Tel or chopped tomatoes with jalapenos
1/2 cup of plain tomato sauce
1.5 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (Use a fish-free version)
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
 
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.
Heat up the oil in a large saute pan. Saute the onions for a couple of minutes. Stir in the spices and the chopped garlic.
Add in the zucchini and the sliced mushrooms and cook for a few minutes.
Add in the black beans to one side of the pan and let them heat up. Mash up the beans a bit and stir in the vegetable broth.
Remove the pan from the flame and set aside.
In a small sauce pan, mix up all of the sauce ingredients. Heat on medium low for a few minutes. Puree with a stick blender.
Assemble the burritos.
Layer some rice then bean/veggie mixture then some cheese on top of a tortillas. Fold up in to a burrito. Set seam side down in a baking dish.
www.confident-cook.com
Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
Wet Burritos
Spoon the burrito sauce over the burritos.
Sprinkle over some cheese.
Bake in oven for about 15 minutes. If you have extra sauce, you can spoon more over the burrito as you serve.
www.confident-cook.com
Enjoy!

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway to win a free box of Tribes-a-Dozen Voila! Hallah! Enter here!

Filed Under: Dinner, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Tribes-a-Dozen Challah Review and Giveaway!

August 10, 2012 · by ·

I was so happy when I saw the an email in my inbox from Leah over at Tribes-a-Dozen. She told me all about this great new product – Voila! Hallah.

For those of you that don’t know, Voila! Hallah is a new product. It’s the first-ever challah mix in a box. You heard that right – a challah mix in a box. So cool, right?! When I first heard about the mix, I wasn’t so sure what to think. I like shortcuts. I don’t always have success with the boxed stuff. This is definitely a better approach than a frozen Kinneret challah though. And perfect for someone who wants to make a small batch of good challah with ease. You can learn more about Voila! Hallah on their website, facebook and tumblr pages!

I’ve had hits and misses with challah baking. I find that my challah never comes out the same twice. I have come a long way from my first challah baking experience. I now have one set recipe I prefer to use, and ever since I got a Bosch mixer, challah baking has been relatively painless. I tend  make a huge 5lb batch of flour in to challah at time. I manage to stretch that challah to around 12 small challahs or so – which will  last a month or more in our house. Still,  I  was intrigued by this box of promising challah.

Leah sent me three boxes. I am testing the regular plain challah as well as the spelt challah. I have one box of whole wheat challah mix to share with one lucky reader of this blog!

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I am pleased that the instructions on the box were clear and easy to understand. Like other boxed mixes, you only need to have a few ingredients on hand – eggs, vegetable oil, sugar and optional toppings.

I chose to follow the instructions as stated on the box. If I choose, I can always play with other options for subsequent challah bakings.

Included in the box is a flour mix and a yeast packet.

You start by mixing the flour and yeast mixture with warm water. The you add the egg and oil.

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At this point, I wasn’t sure how successful the mix would be. The mixture was sticky – though I was assured by the box, that it would indeed be sticky. I was just used to a different consistency for bread.

You let the dough rest and then you shape it and brush on some egg wash.

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After the shaping, you let the braided loafs rise.

In to the oven they go for around 25 minutes.

It smelled so good while it baked. I was excited to pull them out of the oven. Lo and behold – I have two challahs! Perfect for Shabbat! So happy! I did set aside a small challah roll for sampling before shabbat. Verdict is in – it tasted great!

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I highly recommend this mix – for the nervous or hesitant baker, or for someone short on time. This mix was easy and it came out perfectly.

Thanks to the kind folks at Tribes-a-Dozen, I have a box of Voila! Hallah to send to one lucky blog reader. Please fill out the raffle form below! Please note that this giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Shabbat Shalom!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: baked, bread, giveaway, product review, shabbat · Tagged: , , ,

Corned Beef Hash Egg Rolls

August 8, 2012 · by ·

My mom came to town for the weekend. A shabbat with family is always wonderful.

In my family, a visit = food. When I go back to the midwest, I bring smoked fish and bagels. When they come to me, I also get special care packages. In this case, my mom graciously brought some packages of smoked meat from Chicago’s famed Romanian Kosher butcher. That place has some of the most amazing meats. I don’t eat that stuff anymore, but the husband is thrilled to pieces when there is meat in the house. Especially really good smoked meats. What a treat!
The husband and my mom grazed over various deli sandwiches over the weekend, but we still had some leftover corned beef.
I thought back to my days as a waitress. One of the most popular dishes in the morning, was corned beef hash with eggs. There was this amazing meaty/salty smell that came off of the platters. I was thinking of just making that for dinner with some eggs for the husband, but I wanted to change it up a bit.
I had some egg roll wrappers sitting in the fridge. We’ve had pastrami egg rolls before, and those were a hit. I wondered how corned beef hash would work in an egg roll. It turns out that it tastes awesome. Not just because they are fried. They are even good when baked. The combination of the flavors along with the crunch of the egg rolls are perfect.



Corned Beef Hash Egg Rolls
Ingredients:

1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 medium potatoes parboiled, cooled and cubed
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 pound of fatty corned beef (the deli kind), cubed/chopped
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 tsp. paprika
egg roll wrappers
vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

Heat up the 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a large pan. Add in your chopped onion and cook for a few minutes.

Add in the chopped potatoes and cook for another five minutes until you start to see some browning on the onions and potatoes.

Confident Cook, Hesitant Baker

Add in the peppers and the garlic and cook another minute.

Now it’s time to add the meat and the spices. Let everything cook for a few minutes. Set aside to cool a little.

Corned Beef Hash Egg Rolls

Set up your assembly station: your bowl of filling, a board to roll up the egg rolls and a brush with some water to seal the egg rolls.

Place an egg roll wrapper on a flat surface. Have it facing you in a diamond shape.

Lay some filling across the middle and fold the bottom in.

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Next, fold the sides in and finish rolling up.

Seal the egg rolls with some water brushed on lightly.

Fry the egg rolls in about a 1/4 inch of vegetable oil. Fry a few minutes on each side until crisp.

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Serve the egg rolls with a dipping sauce. Some Thousand Island dressing or a spicy mayo work well.

Enjoy!

Corned Beef Hash Egg Rolls
Filed Under: Appetizers, meat, Side Dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Meatless Monday: Vegetable and Rice Patties

August 6, 2012 · by ·

My older daughter just left for camp. It’s so odd having one less child in the house. When I got home and started to prepare dinner this evening, there was nobody to complain. Nobody questioned the flavors that would show up on the plate. I kind of miss it! It is nice though to be left with just my kid who eats anything. It’s a nice treat to see everything eaten on the plate – even the onions.

I still miss the kid. A lot. And it’s only been a day.

We were gone over the weekend, and I have a limited selection of what is available in the fridge. As with any Monday, dinner must be fast. With a limited supply of veggies and some cooked rice in the fridge, these veggie rice patties were perfect for a light dinner. When paired with a salad, everyone is happy.

Vegetable and Rice Patties 
Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice, cooled (white or brown works)
1 small onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
3/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 small zuchinni, chopped
1 small yellow squash, chopped
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a cheddar jack blend)
3/4 cup panko crumbs or gluten free alternative
2.5 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. rosemary
2 tsp. garlic powder
4 eggs
2-3 tbsp. vegetable oil for pan frying

Directions:

Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl. Shape in to patties and let sit on a plate for about 10 minutes to set.

Pan fry in a small amount of oil for a few minutes on each side – until browned.

Drain on paper towels.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Rice PattiesN
This post is linked to My Meatless Mondays
Filed Under: Dinner, easy, vegetables, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Vegan Food Swap Reveal: July 2012

July 31, 2012 · by ·

This month, I decided to participate in the Vegan Food Swap, hosted by The Verdant Life.  I had been eyeing the various posts about the swap each month on all of my favorite blogs. I considered joining each month, but never got around to it in time. I am so glad that I finally signed up. It’s a fun way to virtually meet up with other bloggers. I also had a fun time picking out goodies for Mariam over at Birdie’s Health Chatter.

This month, I was matched up to receive a package from Stephanie over at Vegan Mainstream. I was so excited when her package came! She was very thoughtful in her hunt for things to send. The box was full of yummy treats!

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All of the goodies were fantastic. The kids have already dug in to the apple and veggie chips. I was happy to discover a new treat – Parma! I had never heard of it. It is a wonderful Parmesan cheese alternative. It is made from nutritional yeast and walnuts. It goes well on so many things. We have already added it to pasta and popcorn in our house. Thank you to Stephanie for sending these wonderful treats! 
Thank you to Cat at The Verdant Life for hosting this wonderful food swap! Check out her page if you’d like to participate in the August swap. I can’t wait to participate again next month.
Filed Under: Vegan · Tagged:

Meatless Monday: Socca with Mushroom and Tofu Saute

July 30, 2012 · by ·

I love playing with new flavors and new techniques in the kitchen. For the past year or so, I have been experimenting with various gluten free flour options. I prefer to find ways to use the various flours in recipes that are made for them, rather than using the flours as substitutes for traditional wheat flour.

A while back, I bought a box of chickpea flour on Amazon. I bought it for a specific recipe, but was left with three additional bags of flour. The price for the bulk flour made it worth it.
Most of the chickpea flour recipes that I have played with have been Indian recipes. While perusing the NY Times one day, I was excited to see another option – the Socca. Socca is a traditional French flatbread. It is chewy, soft and crispy around the edges. It pairs well with many flavors. A recent dinner found us eating the socca with a simple mixture of crumbled tofu, onions and mushrooms. It really is versatile, so I encourage you to play with it.
Socca Flatbread
Ingredients:
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup warm water
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1.5 tbsp olive oil plus more for brushing the pan
Directions:
Mix everything together in a small mixing bowl. Set aside for about 30 minutes or so.
Heat your broiler to high. Preheat your cast iron pan in the oven for a minute or two. 
Brush a thin layer of olive oil on your pan. Ladle a thin layer of the chickpea batter into the pan. I used around 1/2-3/4 cup of the batter for each flatbread. The process is similar to making a crepe.
Place the pan under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes. It will bubble and brown on top. 
Remove from oven and slice in to wedges.

We served ours with a sauteed mixture of tofu, onions, garlic mushrooms and herbs. Enjoy with any toppings you’d like. You could even make it sweet and serve for dessert!
Filed Under: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, whole grain · Tagged: , , ,
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