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savory meat pie hamantaschen on overtimecook

It’s 1:30 am and I am sitting at my computer thinking about hamantashen. But it isn’t my fault, really. Blame it on…

Oh forget it. It’s totally my fault. I can’t help myself. Not only do I imagine myself to have hoards of anxious fans waiting for my brilliant purim ideas yeah right but I also need to impress people at my own purim seudah (feast/party).

It’s hard, let me tell you. No matter how much pressure you might feel at parties, think about what it’s like when you are a food writer. Exactly. Well I kinda wish I could invite each and every one of you to my purim party, because I am serving these meat pie hamantaschen as the appetizer and they are seriously delicious.

But sadly I can’t invite you all. Luckily I can share this awesome and gorgeous recipe with you. Make this!

savory meat pie hamantaschen

Savory Meat Pie Hamantaschen:

Ingredients:

for the crust: 

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) margarine, frozen or very cold

about 9 Tablespoons ice water

for the filling:

oil for frying

2 small onions, finely diced

2 lb ground meat

2 small cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

beaten egg, optional, for brushing

Instructions:

for the dough: (for tips on making pie dough, see my step by step tutorial here.)

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse quickly to combine.

Cut the frozen margarine into cubes and sprinkle over the flour mixture. Pulse in sort on-off bursts until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the ice water, starting with 6 Tablespoons, and pulse until the dough comes together. Add additional ice water until dough just comes together. Do not overwork the dough. 

Remove the dough from the bowl and place in a bag in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.

for the filling:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the diced onions and sautee for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add the meat and stir to break it up as the meat cooks. You don’t want to leave any large pieces of meat. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and sautee for about a half an hour, until cooked through. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

to assemble:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to about 1/8th of an inch. Cut out rounds about 4-5 inches in diameter (you can use a smaller circle if you want to make this smaller, but watch the baking time.) and set aside. Re-roll the scraps and repeat until all dough has been shaped into circles.

Place a mound of the filling in the center of the dough (about 1-2 tablespoons, depending on the size of the circle. Fold up the sides of the circles, meeting at the corners to create the hamantaschen shape. (For hamantaschen shaping tips, see my article here.)

If making this for an occasion other than purim, place the filling in the center and fold over for a half moon shape.

Brush the beaten egg over the tops of the hamantaschen, if desired. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until just turning golden on the outside.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!

savory meat pie hamantaschen 3

Thanks for stopping by! And don’t forget to check out my Chocolate Covered Hamantashen Pops that I posted on Cook Kosher yesterday! And come back soon for some more fun purim ideas! – Miriam

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quinoa stuffed portobello mushrooms 1

Let’s talk about a pet peeve of mine. I probably mentioned this here before, but it’s my blog, and I’ll kvetch if I want to.

Why in the world to people have this idea that healthy food and good food are mutually exclusive?

Listen to me folks. Let me say it loud and clear (or type it nice and bold. Work with me here):

Good food can and should taste good!

I think I have proven this a bunch of times here. Take my Spicy Zucchini Sticks, for example. They are healthy, but they are also boldly flavored, insanely delicious and kinda addictive. Or what about my Healthy Breaded Cauliflower? Ok, so they have some whole wheat bread crumbs, so some of you might not find them healthy enough, but for those who aren’t opposed to some bread crumbs, this dish is the ultimate way to fulfill a craving without going crazy unhealthy. And have you tasted my Orange Carrot Muffins? They’re delicious! For a healthy and protein-loaded breakfast, check out my Cottage Cheese Pancakes! Want pizza, but not the load of calories? Quinoa Pizza is going to be your new favorite food!

Are you getting my point yet? You don’t have to give up good food to be healthy.

Take these appetizers, for example. They are delicious and gorgeous – enough that I would happily serve them to anyone, dieting or otherwise. However, at the same time, this is the kind of dish you will feel good about eating – or serving!

quinoa stuffed portobello mushrooms 2

Quinoa and Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms:

Ingredients:

for the mushrooms:

4-6 Portobello mushrooms

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Black Pepper

for the stuffing:

1 large onion, finely diced

2 cups chopped spinach (frozen and defrosted spinach works nicely)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Drizzle olive oil over the mushrooms and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

While mushrooms are cooking, prepare the stuffing.

Sautee the diced onions in a bit of olive oil (or Pam) until translucent. Add the spinach, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the cooked quinoa. Stir to combine everything equally.

Once mushrooms have finished roasting, remove from oven. Distribute the spinach mixture among them. Return to oven and bake at 375 for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve hot.

Tip: for a different presentation, cook the mushrooms fully, then dice and toss with the spinach/quinoa mixture for a delicious warm quinoa salad.

Enjoy!

quinoa stuffed portobello mushrooms 3

Thanks for stopping by folks, and enjoy! -Miriam

 

 

 

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herb roasted sweet potatoes on overtime cook

If there was ever a time that I was going to post an almost non existent recipe, it’s today.

I finally wrapped up the first of two Purim features I’m doing for my magazine job, and I’m as closed to burnt out as it gets. It’s pretty weird, because the recipes I’m featuring are some of the most creative I’ve ever done. And then the packaging ideas are another important aspect of the article, and they kinda have to be really creative too. Couple that with doing photo shoots for all of them and basically my creativity (and energy!) tanks are on empty.

I’m exhausted. I want to sleep for a week. But no, I’ve got my second Purim feature due soon (luckily I’ve got 1 out of those 3 done and photographed already). And I worked late tonight. (Tomorrow, when I’m writing this, but it might be yesterday by the time I post this. Oh the unpredictability of my life!) And once I get Purim stuff all submitted, I don’t have long to rest before I go into Passover recipe testing mode. (Aka my most dreaded and feared time of year!)

Anyway, the point of all this is how tired I am. And uninspired. And how I feel like I’ve got a perfectly good excuse for posting one of my simplest recipes yet, with basically no story or introduction of any sort.

But lets be real, shall we? All of you lovely folks are busy. Whether its work, family, or anything else, and I know I don’t have the monopoly on being over stressed. (Although at times I wish I did. It would make for some great kvetching.) And if I found a super simple recipe like this one useful at a time like this, I’m sure all of you will too. Am I right?

Oh, and don’t let the simplicity fool you. These fabulous potatoes have got just the right amount of flavor and texture to bump these beauties up to the top of my favorites list!

herb roasted sweet potatoes 3

Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

Ingredients:
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Toss to coat everything evenly. Spread in a single layer on prepared cookie sheet. Place in oven.
Bake at 450 for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot.
Enjoy!

herb roasted sweet potatoes 1

Thanks everyone for stopping by! I hope you love these sweet potatoes as much as I did, and stop by soon, because the craziness is bound to wear off soon, and when it does I’ve got some fabulous recipes to share with you! -Miriam

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Asian Peanut Chicken Salad on OvertimeCook

So who’s planning to start the year with some healthy eating?

You too? Well I guess we’re all in the same boat here. Good news, I’ve got the most delicious salad I’ve ever made to share with you today.

Y’know how some people say that diet food doesn’t taste good? Well. That isn’t true. And I’m going to prove it to you as soon as you taste this salad.

Let’s first step back so I can tell you what it’s like to live in my head. It was about 2 in the morning and I was finally drifting off to sleep. Sadly for me, this is the time of day when I often have my best ideas. (Does this happen to anyone else?!) So there I am in bed, and I have this super cool idea. What would happen, I wonder, if I make a vinaigrette with actual peanuts in it?

I loved the idea, but I had a dilemma. If I rolled over and went to sleep, I might never remember this amazing idea again. But if I wake myself up enough to turn my phone on and write a note, it will be forever before I get to sleep again.

Eventually, good food won over sleep. (Are you starting to see a pattern emerge here? No? Good.) I wrote the idea down, then finally got to sleep. I may have been extra tired the next day, or maybe I was just dreaming about the fabulous salad I was planning to make.

Either way, all of this was worth it, because I’ve got the most amazing salad recipe to share with you folks. I may or may not have made it four times already. But like I said, make this and you’ll understand everything.

Dieting tastes good. I promise.

Asian Peanut Chicken Salad 2

Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:
for the peanut vinaigrette:
(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1/4 cup rice vinegar
Juice of 1 lime or 1 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon honey
3 Tablespoons canola oil

for the chicken:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin (or cut in half along the width)
1/4 cup peanut vinaigrette (above)

for the salad:
Feel free to adjust the veggies according to your liking!

4-5 cups romaine lettuce
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1 red pepper, diced small
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Peanuts, for sprinkling

Instructions:
For the vinaigrette:
Blend all ingredients except for the canola oil in a blender until mostly blended. With the blender running, slowly drizzle the canola oil into the mixture until dressing is thick and creamy. (There may be some small peanut pieces remaining, that’s fine.)

For the chicken:
Marinate the chicken in a quarter of a cup of the peanut vinaigrette. (Reserve the rest to use as salad dressing.) Let the chicken marinate for a couple of hours.
Grill or pan fry (spray is enough, no need for additional oil) the chicken on a medium low flame until lightly browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool slightly.
Cut the chicken into cubes. Set aside.

To assemble the salad:
In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, vegetables, cubed chicken and remaining dressing. Toss to coat everything with the dressing. Top with peanuts.
Note: for a fancier presentation, slice the chicken and serve on top of the salad.

Enjoy!

Asian Peanut Chicken Salad 3

Hope everyone’s new year is off to a fabulous start! Come back soon, I have lots more deliciousness to share with you! -Miriam

PS: Did you know I am giving away a copy of my favorite source of cookie recipes? Yep! Go enter!

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Honey Glazed Sugar Snaps 2

Hey everyone, remember when my blog friend Tali from More Quiche, Please guest posted for me over the summer when my sister got married? Well now I got to repay the favor!

I made my favorite vegetables in the world, and I talk all about them on Tali’s Blog. So go check out my absolutely amazing Honey Glazed Garlic and Ginger Sugar Snaps, and have a peak around her blog. Tell her I say hi!

Honey Glazed Sugar Snaps 3

 

Hope you love this awesome recipe folks! Thanks for stopping by, and don’t forget to enter my giveaway- a copy of Decorating Cookies by Bridget Edwards! -Miriam

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Purple Potato Latkes 3

Tonight was the fifth night of chanukah. Which means that if you are partying hard in true hanukkah fashion, you have had a lot of latkes by now. Are you bored of the typical? I am. I know that the world is full of people making latkes with all kinds of interesting vegetables, spices and sauces. But I decided to go a different direction, because I care more than I should about aesthetics. Which is how this idea was born. Let’s make a pretty latke, I thought to myself. So I bought some purple potatoes.

I posted a picture on instagram of my latkes frying, and they were totally beautiful:

latkes frying

You can’t see it clearly, but the purple potatoes and flecks of green courtesy of the scallions really are eye-catching.

I got a lot of skeptical questions on the picture. People wanted to know if they would keep their beautiful color.

The answer? Yes and no. The potatoes did lose some of their vibrant purple color, but they still looked far prettier and way different than any ordinary potato latke. And more than that, purple potatoes have a different taste and texture than ordinary ones, making these beauties all around unique, fun and delicious.

If you are experiencing latke boredom try these!

Purple Potato Latkes 2

Purple Potato Latkes

Ingredients:

(approximately) 1 lb small purple potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled

3 scallions, thinly sliced

2 eggs

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Olive oil, for frying

Instructions:

Grate the potatoes on the large side of the grater, and drain completely. (Excess water will prevent your latkes from getting crispy, so really squeeze them well!)

Heat olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the grated potatoes, scallions, eggs and spices until combine. Form a small patty of the mixture and place in the hot oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Purple Potato Latkes 1

Hope everyone’s chanukah is going great! Mine sure is! Did you all check out my fabulous giveaway (plus the best dessert…ever) earlier this week? I am giving away SIX cookbooks! -Miriam

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Y’know what the worst part about commuting is? It’s getting home from work at 7:30 pm on a cold, dark winter night.

I step off the bus into the cold air, and all I want to do is curl up in bed in my favorite (and super cozy, albeit hole-y) gap sweatshirt, sipping on a hot drink of some sort. But then I remember that my night starts when I get home at 7:30, so instead I eat some supper and get to work. And obviously, by work, I mean baking, writing and photographing.

One thing, however, is for sure. And that is that there’s no way on earth I’m gonna start cooking when I get home. Not on a freezing cold night. That’s where crock pots come into play. I prepare my meal the night before, plug it in before I leave for work in the morning, and come home to fresh hot comfort food. It’s the way the world was meant to be. It’s why I’m glad I live in the era of crock pots.

Let’s talk now about this specific recipe. I put it together one night, and stuck it in the crockpot the next morning. I was looking forward to a hot dinner when I got home at 7:30 that night. Except I didn’t get home at 7:30 that night. First, the bus didn’t show up at 6 as planned. Then when it finally showed up at 6:30, there was one bus instead of two, which meant there were people packed like sardines in the aisle. Luckily I got a seat because the ride never ended. Or so it seemed.

First the Lincoln Tunnel (a couple of blocks from my office) was backed up hours due to an accident. So the bus driver headed downtown to the holland tunnel, only to find out it was closed due to Sandy. So we headed back to…the Lincoln tunnel. Yep. At 8 pm, two hours after I left work, my bus got back to my office. We finally got through the tunnel at about 8:30, and I got home just before 9:30. Fourteen hours after I left in the morning.

If there was ever a time that I needed a good comforting meal, hot and delicious just as I walked in the door. It was that night. These meatballs were perfect. All you need is some brown rice or spaghetti and your perfect meal is complete.

Turns out? Traffic is the worst part of commuting.

Crock Pot Turkey Meatballs in Tomato-Spinach Sauce


Ingredients:
Oil or spray oil
2 lb ground turkey
1 large onion, finely diced
1 lb chopped spinach (I use frozen, but fully defrosted)
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 Tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup water

Instructions:
Heat oil or spray oil in a large frying pan. Form the turkey into balls (it will be hard to work with, so don’t worry if they aren’t perfect balls). Fry in hot frying pan on all sides until they are browned. The middles will still be raw, but they will cook in the sauce, so that’s fine. Don’t overcrowd the pan, rather work in batches.
Remove the meatballs from the pan and place in the pot of your crockpot.
Add a bit more oil to the pan, and add the diced onions. Next, add the chopped spinach and sauté for a few minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture over the meatballs in the crock pot.
Pour the crushed tomatoes over into the crockpot. Add the spices and water. Stir the entire mixture gently, being careful not to break up the meatballs.
Cook the meatballs in the crock pot on low for at least six hours. Serve hot over rice or spaghetti.

Note: browning the meatballs might seem like an extra step, but it gives the meatballs the most incredible texture, so don’t be tempted to skip it!

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by everyone, and I hope you enjoy! Come back soon, I made DESSERT. (Again.) -Miriam

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Here’s something you should know about me. I don’t really like carrots. Not raw ones anyway.

Here’s something else I should tell you. I despise ginger. Especially fresh ginger.

One more thing. I love carrot-ginger dressing. Seriously love it. Always have.

I first tasted this dressing, like many people did, at a local Japanese restaurant. I’m pretty sure the house salad came with the entree. Oddly enough, I remember nothing about the meal but the “free” salad.

Maybe that’s because my mother is an amazing cook, and has an even better palate. She has this magical way of tasting something at a restaurant, closing her eyes and tasting all of the components, then going home and recreating it. My mother made this dressing all the time when I was a kid. And recently I saw this at another table in a restaurant (admit it. You totally check out what everyone else is eating, right?) and thought about how I should seriously make it myself.

Sadly, my mother doesn’t believe in exact recipes, so I turned to the handy dandy Internet. This dressing came out absolutely perfect. It was everything I remembered, and more. If there’s a better way to eat lettuce, I haven’t encountered it.

One more thing- white miso paste isn’t exactly a pantry staple, but seriously, it’s completely worth purchasing it for this dressing. Seriously.

Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 large carrot, peeled and cut in chunks
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
1 medium shallot or 2 small shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 Tablespoons white miso paste
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tablespoons water

Instructions: 

Place carrot, ginger and shallot in food processor and process until finely chopped.Scrape down the sides and add the rice vinegar, miso paste and sesame oil and process. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the oil and water.

Serve over lettuce and vegetables of your choice.

Enjoy!

Remember how I promised you folks diet food? Well here you go! Make this one. Thank me later. Hope y’all are doing well! -Miriam



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