Spiced Beet Latkes with Za’tar Labneh Dip

December 1, 2018 · by ·

I can’t believe I haven’t been back to the blog to post in such a long time. I’ve been so busy with instagram, I’ve sadly neglected my trusty blog. But I’m back. I had to blog for Chanukah. I had to get in on all the latke action!

Chanukah always has me thinking about latkes. Somehow I’m all about the latkes – more so than the sufganiyot. Maybe if I did a savory take on donuts, I’d get into it more. But latkes work for me. All the flavors and that crispy bite. Always gets me.

This latke was inspired by recent trip to Israel. At one place I want, I had an amazing dish that was served with a spiced labneh. Labneh is a Middle Eastern yogurt cheese that is a great stand-in for sour cream. It’s also similar to a Greek yogurt, but a bit more sour. When sprinkled with a bit of olive oil and Za’atar from the shuk, it’s amazing.

In addition to the amazing Za’atar, I had some wonderful red beets from my CSA share that I wanted to use. I typically just roast them and toss them in salads, but I knew that I wanted to feature them in my Chanukah latke fest.

I shredded the beets up with onion, garlic and some potatoes. Then, I mixed in some flour, eggs and spices. I fried them up and drained them. Then served them up with some labneh that I sprinkled with Za’atar and drizzled olive oil.

So good. Make it. Have a Happy Chanukah!


Spiced Beet Latkes with Za'tar Labneh Dip
 
Save Print
Author:
Ingredients
  • For the Latkes
  • 7 small beets
  • 1 onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 medium potatoes
  • 3 tsp. Whole Spice Turkish Spice Mix (Cumin Toasted, Garlic, Coriander Toasted, Onion, Sea Salt, White Pepper, Parsley, Turmeric, Green Cardamom)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • Oil for frying
  • For the Labneh dip
  • 3 tbsp. Labneh (you can sub Greek Yogurt)
  • 3 tsp, za'tar
  • oil for drizzling - about 2 tsp.
Instructions
  1. Peel all the veggies. It helps to wear gloves
  2. Shred all the veggies in a food processor
  3. Transfer everything to a bowl
  4. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible
  5. Mix in the eggs, flour, salt, pepper and spices
  6. Heat oil in fry fry pan over medium-high heat
  7. Add mixture to pan - a couple tablespoons at a time, forming the latkes
  8. Fry on each side for a couple minutes - until crispy
  9. Drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet with a cooling rack on top
  10. Place labneh in a dish and sprinkle with za'tar. Drizzle with olive oil
  11. Serve and enjoy!

 

 

 

Filed Under: Appetizers, Chanukah, Side Dish, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Tuscan Kale with White Beets and Farro

August 10, 2015 · by ·

kaledish

I know it’s been a while. I apologize for that. Life gets in the way, as it tends to do.

I have some good stuff coming your way though. Even some giveaways! So I hope you’re all still around.

So in addition to be finally sharing a fabulous dish with you today, I’m also excited that it’s been three years since our fabulous group of Kosher Connection food bloggers came together. I can’t believe it’s been three years! And in those three years, we’ve all grown. It’s amazing to see what our little foodie group can do and where we’ve been.

So today, we’re having a virtual potluck meal of sorts. And I’m bringing a fabulous vegetarian side dish to the table.

Summer in the kitchen, for me, is an exciting  time. The food that I serve is all about what’s in season and as much as possible, what’s local. My CSA pick-up is on Tuesdays and I tend to hit up the various local farmers markets Thursdays and Sundays. I’m thankful to have some amazing options near by.

This dish I’m sharing with you and with my Kosher Connection family is inspired by some greens I had a local restaurant and something I’ve played with over the past several weeks. You can change up any aspect of this dish based on what you have on hand. The greens are interchangeable with any hearty summer green – from kale to swiss chard to spinach to collard greens – you can play with it. I used beets today, but this dish is also wonderful with Japanese Turnips, radishes and other flavorful roots. Additionally, that farro can also be swapped out. I happened to have some ready made farro in my fridge from shabbat cooking, but you can also use quinoa or barley or whatever grain you prefer. The point is to use what you have – the freshest of what you have and to enjoy it.

The white beets that I used can be hard to find, but if you do see them, buy them. They are so great. If you can’t find them though, I’ve used Japanese Turnips in this dish. The taste is obviously not the same, but it’s another great root vegetable that works well against the greens.

I washed and peeled the beets and then I sliced them thinly with a mandoline. I then put them in the hot pan with some olive oil, shallots and garlic. Once the beets had softened, I added in the chopped greens. I added some salt and pepper to taste and stirred everything together. Greens don’t take long to cook.

white beets sliced

cooked beets

kale

Once everything was ready, I took everything off the heat and then stirred in the farro. And the dish is ready. It’s that easy. And it’s good. Hope you enjoy!

mixed




Tuscan Kale with White Beets and Farro
 
Save Print
Author:
Recipe type: side dish
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 3 cloves garilc, chopped
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
  • 2 white beets, washed and peeled
  • 1 bunch of Tuscan Kale, washed and chopped
  • 1 cup cooked Farro
  • Additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Wash and peel the beets.
  2. Slice the beets thinly. A mandoline is a great tool for it.
  3. Heat up the olive oil in a large pan.
  4. Add in the sliced beets, shallots and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes until soft
  5. Add in the chopped kale, salt and pepper. Stir and let the kale soften. Remove from heat when cooked.
  6. Mix in the cooked farro
  7. Serve

kale with white beets

 Loading InLinkz ...
Filed Under: Appetizers, Salads, Side Dish, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Roasted Beets and Beet Greens with Pasta

July 3, 2014 · by ·

roasted beet pasta900

If you’ve been following along on Facebook and Instagram feed, you probably already know all about my CSA and the amazing produce I get each week. I’ve been getting a weekly share from a local farm called Alstedes. Each week it’s like a foodie birthday present. As I pick up the crate of veggies and farm fresh cage-free eggs, I get a huge smile on my face. What am I going to make first out of all the amazing goodies?

I love beets. I love all kinds of beets. The first box that contained beets had me so happy. I had a bunch of red beets from the farmer’s market in my fridge, so when the golden beets came, I was exuberant. I love to see those rings when you cut in to a beet. They’re just so pretty. And the colors? I love it!

beet rounds

I often simply slice or grate beets and put them in a simple salad or side dish, but I decided to include them in something more substantial for dinner. I also wanted to include the beet tops. Did you know that you could eat beet greens? You totally can! Just wash them and eat them raw in a salad, or you can saute them! They’re fantastic and so good for you!

I started out by roasting my beets. I peeled and sliced the beets thinly and tossed in some olive oil, salt and pepper and placed on a baking sheet. I baked at 415 for about 20 minutes – keeping an eye on them so that they didn’t burn.

I cooked up the pasta, reserving some of the pasta cooking water.

I then sliced up both bunches of washed beet greens.

I toasted some pine nuts, then added some olive oil, chopped onion and garlic to the pan.

Next, I added the greens, some salt and pepper.

I love how fast everything cooks up in this dish. The greens take only a few minutes to wilt.

I tossed the cooked pasta in to the pan with a small amount of the cooking water.

I plated the pasta and greens and served with the amazing roasted beets and some goat cheese. So simple, yet so delicious!




Roasted Beets and Beet Greens with Pasta
 
Save Print
Author:
Ingredients
  • 2 bunches of beets (about 6 medium beets)
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Beet Greens from two bunches of beets, washed and sliced
  • additional salt and pepper as needed
  • Goat Cheese
  • parmesan cheese (optional)
  • ¾ pound pasta, cooked according to directions on box (reserving some pasta water)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Peel and slice the beets in to thin rounds. Toss with some olive oil, salt and pepper and place on baking sheet. Roast in oven for 20 minutes.
  3. Cook pasta according to the directions on the box, reserving some pasta water.
  4. Toast pine nuts in large pan for 2 minutes.
  5. Add in the olive oil, salt, pepper, onions and garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes to soften. Add in the beet greens and saute a couple more minutes.
  6. Mix in the cooked pasta and a couple tablespoons of the pasta cooking water.
  7. Plate the pasta and greens. Top with goat cheese, roasted beet rounds and Parmesan Cheese if desired.
  8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Enjoy!

 

roastedbeets text

Filed Under: Dinner, easy, Lunch, Main Course, pasta, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Spinach and Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

June 19, 2013 · by ·

http://www.salutbaramericain.com/

I never used to be a salad person. I would eat it and enjoy it, but I never really sought it out or really appreciated it. It wasn’t until I couldn’t eat salad that I started to crave it and get more creative with salad. Crohn’s has kept me away from raw vegetables on and off at different spurts in my life. So here I am now, Crohn’s free, and taking full advantage of this lull in my life. Summer has come on with full force and with that, we have some beautiful veggies showing up in the markets. Baby spinach is one of my favorite greens. You may have noticed that it shows up in some of my favorite dishes.

Since it’s summer time, I like to eat more fresh dishes that don’t require heating up the house.

I think it was my sister that introduced me to this Spinach and Beet Salad with Chèvre and Walnuts. I ate it on one of my visits back home to Minneapolis. Since then, I order this salad on whatever menu I see it on. I decided to make it myself. I had recently received some beautiful beets in the CSA and I had everything else in the fridge.

The spinach I used in this salad was prewashed and ready to go. I roasted some beets and I toasted some walnuts in the oven.

I served the salad with a red wine, basil  and shallot vinaigrette that I quickly whipped up in my Cuisinart Mini-Prep processor.

red-wine-vinaigrette


Spinach and Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
 
Save Print
Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 small bunch of beets (about 4-5 small beets)
  • 1 bag of pre-washed baby spinach
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1 small red onion, sliced thinly
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • sea salt
  • fresh ground pepper
  • goat cheese (Chèvre)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Trim off the ends of the beets and place in foil. Sprinkle olive oil over the beets and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap in the foil.
  3. Roast the beets in the oven for about 40 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven and cool.
  5. While the beets cool, place the walnuts on some foil and toast in the oven for about 5 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and cool.
  7. When cooled down, slice the beets thinly.
  8. Layer the salad - first the spinach, then the beets, then the onions and walnuts, then the goat cheese.
  9. Sprinkle on a dressing of your choice. I would recommend a red wine vinaigrette.

 

Red Wine, Basil and Shallot Vinaigrette
 
Save Print
Author:
Recipe type: Salad Dressing
Ingredients
  • 1 shallot
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 15 basil leaves
  • 5 tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 tsp. sea salt
  • 2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Place everything except for the olive oil in to the food processor.
  2. Start blending the mixture.
  3. Slowly pour in the olive oil and let the mixture emulsify.
  4. Transfer dressing to a container.
  5. Enjoy on your favorite salad.

spinach-and-beet-salad

 

Filed Under: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, Salad Dressing, Salads, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Warm Roasted Beets and Carrots With Farro

September 4, 2012 · by ·
IMG_2108

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.
IMG_2087
Pour in a cup of the vegetable broth and stir. Stir for a minute and then stir in the chopped and roasted veggies.
IMG_2092
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.
IMG_2108
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: , , , , ,
1 2