Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Vegetables’ Category

grean beans 1

Hey folks! My friend Samantha from Little Ferraro Kitchen is graduating, and studying for finals, and all kinds of stuff that keep her too busy for blogging. I’m so excited to step in with a guest post for her.

So head over there to see my recipe for Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Cherry Tomatoes, and to wish Samantha a big mazel tov on her graduation.

grean beans 2

And of course, come back soon for more yummy treats! -Miriam

Read Full Post »

snow peas 1Well hello there friends. It’s been a while.

I missed you all, and I missed my kitchen. But after weeks of cooking non-stop for passover, I could barely face my kitchen. Take out and freezer food became my best friends, especially as I worked overtime at work, trying to catch up. And yesterday, I was finally ready to get back to my kitchen and cook.

I started chopping shallots to prepare this old favorite of mine, and fell back into a rhythm of relaxed cooking that I haven’t felt in a while. And as I finished off the dish, I suddenly remembered that this is one of the reasons I started my blog.

I first made these snow peas about two years ago. Maybe two and a half. I don’t remember. What I do remember is the feeling of fun. Of adventurism. Of loving to cook. And as I thought about what a great recipe I had come up with, I started to think about whether or not I could actually pull off my own food blog. I thought about it for a while after that, and eventually, took the plunge. The rest of the story, you all know. But this humble vegetable dish is the beginning of my story. It’s delicious, and you should try it too.

snow peas 3

Sauteed Snow Peas and Mushrooms with Shallots and Red Wine

Recipe by Miriam Pascal; overtimecook.com

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

3 shallots (or 1 small onion), sliced thin

1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced

(about) 1 pound mushrooms, sliced thin

(about) 1 pound snow peas

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 Tablespoons red wine

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium flame.

Sautee the shallots for a couple of minutes, until transparent. Add the garlic and mushrooms and sautee for an additional five minutes.

Add the snow peas and sautee until limp, about 10-15 minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Add the red wine, and increase the flame slightly. Let the wine reduce, about 5 additional minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot. Enjoy!

snow peas 4

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon, I have more deliciousness up my sleeve! -Miriam (PS – are we connecting on Facebook and Twitter?)



Read Full Post »

spaghetti squash 1

With Passover coming, everyone I know is scrambling for recipes and ideas. I don’t know about you, but when I think Passover, I think potatoes. And when I think of the day after Passover, I think about being intensely sick and tired of potatoes. And that’s why I think everyone celebrating passover can appreciate The No Potato Passover by Aviva Kanoff. Read what I thought of it, then enter below for one of two chances to win a copy!

At a First Glance:
First I was all, “no way I want to go through an entire Passover without a potato.” But as I read through the cookbook, I was impressed with the idea. Sure I’m going to eat potatoes. But this book has some refreshing ideas of recipes that can supplement all those potatoes!

When you first open the book the first thing you notice is how colorful and fun looking this book is. Every page has a colorful border and a picture (or two!) in addition to the recipe!

This book has the full range of recipes, from salads, soups and sides, to mains including meat and poultry, and even dairy dishes. And of course dessert! All kosher for passover, and not a potato in sight!

Some Features I Liked:
This book is colorful and fun looking, and features a picture for every recipe.

What I liked about the recipes in this book is that they are simple, approachable and doable. This isn’t a book full of fancy recipes to look at and admire, but practical recipes to cook this Passover.

In addition to the food photos in this book, there are a bunch of breathtakingly beautiful travel photos from around the world, taken by the author herself. They serve not only to visually enhance this book, but to take you with the author on a journey to new flavors, regions and cuisines.

The lack of potatoes (and obviously grains) means that the book features lighter fare than your average Passover food, which is always a big bonus in my book.

 

Some Recipes I Can’t Wait To Try:

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup: I love butternut squash, and I love it in soup, but now I need to try it roasted in soup!

Salt and Pepper “Noodle” Kugel: made with spaghetti squash, so it’s lighter and healthier than regular noodle kugel!

Cajun Carrot Fries: These look like sweet potato fries, but they are actually a veggie!

Parsnip Mash: think mashed potatoes, but again – made with a vegetable! Add some sauteed onions and I am *in*!

Who This Cookbook is For:

This is a fun cookbook and a great alternative for people who are making passover, and who’s customs allow for processed ingredients.

Additionally, as this is a passover, the majority of the recipes in it are gluten free (with the exceptions of a couple of recipes which use matzah meal) so this is a great year round option for people who are gluten free.

Who This Cookbook Isn’t For:

If your Passover customs don’t allow for processed ingredients from the stores, you will find that most of the recipes in this book won’t work for you. The book also relies on quinoa for many recipes, so if your customs don’t allow for that, many recipes in this book won’t be right for you.

What I Didn’t Like About This Cookbook:

Firstly, as mentioned above, the book relies on a lot of ingredients that are processed and due to my family’s customs, off limits to me.

I also found that a lot of recipes relied on store bought ingredients such as “imitation soy sauce” and “imitation mustard” or manischewitz boxed cake mix as a short cut instead of developing the flavors organically.

Lastly, because I always discuss the photography in the books I review, I found the food photos in this book disappointing. While the travel photos are beautiful, the food pictures have a more amateur look to them, lending the book a less professional look than some others I have reviewed.

In Conclusion:

This is a fun and colorful cookbook with great (and light!) alternatives to the standard heavy passover fare, and it’s a good option for people who are either gluten free or cooking for passover and have less restrictive customs.

Want to win a copy? Scroll past the recipe for your chance to win one of TWO copies!

spaghetti squash 2

Garlic Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Basil
Adapted from The No Potato Passover

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, sliced into half rings

3-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 cups spaghetti squash, cooked, peeled and shredded*

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

10 basil leaves or 5 frozen basil cubes

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion slices and sautee on a medium flame until translucent. Add the minced garlic and sautee for an additional couple of minutes.

Add the spaghetti squash, tomatoes and basil. Sautee for about 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

*To cook spaghetti squash: poke holes in it with a large knife, then place whole in a pan and bake at 350 for an hour to an hour and a half, until it’s tender when you pierce it with a fork. Allow to cool, then cut in half, scrape out the seeds, and shred.

spaghetti squash 3

Giveaway Details!

For your chance to win one of two copies of The No Potato Passover:

Please note: Each entry requires its own comment! Multiple entries in one comment will only be counted once!

You can enter as many of the following as you wish:

Entry #1 – Leave a comment on this post telling me what you like to eat on passover that doesn’t include any potatoes!

Entry #2 – Follow @OvertimeCook on twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 3- Like Tales of an Overtime Cook on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 4 – Follow @OvertimeCook on Pinterest and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 5 – Subscribe to OvertimeCook via email (link is on the right sidebar of the blog). and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry #6 – Follow Overtime Cook on Instagram and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Note: if you already like/follow etc, that’s fine. Just leave a comment letting me know that!

Giveaway Details:

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, March 20th. A valid email address or twitter profile must be provided.

Prize can be shipped within the USA.

Giveaway is sponsored by the author.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a review copy of this book, but all opinions are my own. There are affiliate links within this post.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone for stopping by! Come back soon, I have some really amazing recipes coming up, including a sweet treat for passover! -Miriam

Read Full Post »

chicken with mushroom sauce 3

I’ve been saving this recipe for ages. Why, you ask? Well, I don’t really know. It’s one of my favorite recipes to make, it’s totally versatile, it’s a meal in a pot, it’s gluten free and healthy…do I need to go on? I was going to post this forever-ago, then I got side tracked with stuff like purim and I kinda forgot about this recipe. Then I cooked it for supper tonight (it’s simmering on my stove right now and it smells amazing and I was all oh. I never posted this recipe. And then I realized how passover friendly this recipe is, and I knew it was going to have to get featured.

Regarding passover (who gets all stressed out when I start discussing Passover? Just me?), this recipe’s versatility comes into play if you need to make this conform with your customs. For example, my family doesn’t eat mushrooms on passover. Tough, but that’s what I have to deal with. Oh, and we don’t eat garlic either. Good news. Skip the garlic. Replace the mushrooms with some zucchini. Throw in a handful of tomatoes or cherry tomatoes if you’re so inclined. Don’t use red wine vinegar? Well I am sure you use wine, right? You’ll love this recipe no matter how you change it!

chicken with mushroom sauce 2

Chicken in Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (use whatever size you have, but alter cooking time accordingly)

oil, for browning

salt, for browning

pepper, for browning

for sauce:

3 large onions, diced

3 boxes (about 2-2 1/2 lb) mushrooms (use white, cremini or any combination of the two), diced

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Instructions:

Heat oil a large pot over a medium flame. Sprinkle chicken on all sides with salt and  black pepper, and place in pot. Brown it on all sides, turning every few minutes to brown it all evenly. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside.

Without washing the pot (you want the drippings from the chicken to add flavor to the sauce) add the diced onions and sautee for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the mushrooms and sautee for an additional 15 minutes.

Add the chicken back into the pot, burying it under the vegetables. Add the broth, parsley, salt, garlic and vinegar. Cover and let simmer on a medium-low flame for about an hour and a half, until the chicken is cooked through. Stir the sauce occasionally to make sure the liquid doesn’t all evaporate.

Note that cooking time once the chicken has been returned to the pot will vary depending on the size of the chicken. Adjust accordingly.

Serve hot, over rice – or mashed potatoes for passover.

Enjoy!

chicken with mushroom sauce 1

Thanks folks for stopping by! If you are looking for even more Passover recipes, don’t forget to enter my giveaway for the amazing new Passover Made Easy! And of course, stop by again soon, I have lots of great new passover recipes coming your way! -Miriam

 

Read Full Post »

butternut squash salad onOvertimeCook

I know that nobody really wants to think about the imminent arrival of the Passover holiday, but face it, friends. Passover is coming. The good news is that today I am reviewing a cookbook that aims to make Passover cooking easy. I know, it sounds too good to be true. But this book proves that it can be done!

Passover Made Easy is a brand new book, written by the fabulous duo of Leah Schapira (or Fresh & Easy fame) and Victoria Dweck, food editor of a number of top kosher magazines, including the one I write for. The book is a project of CookKosher.Com, and actually features about a third of the recipes by a number of the members, myself included! Leah and Victoria took the recipes, tweaked them and triple tested them, then compiled them into one gorgeous book at a very affordable price! So read what I thought about the book, then scroll down for details on how to win a copy…oh, and a recipe for one of my favorite salad recipes ever!

At a first glance:

The book is visually gorgeous. The pictures are bright and modern, and beautifully styled, the graphics are amazing, and the whole layout is fun and inviting and makes you want to just dig in!

Once I flipped through the book a bit, I was amazed at how none of the recipes screamed Passover. This sure isn’t your bubby’s passover cookbook! There’s a really wide variety of recipes in this book- it even features a brunch and dairy section. (I always thought of that category with regard to passover as scrambled eggs. But no, this book features recipes like Banana French Toast and Matzahroni and Cheese!

Some Features I Liked:

You all know how much photography in cookbooks is important to me, and this book fulfills my expectations in a *big* way. Not only does every recipe have a beautifully photographed picture to go with it, but there are step by step pictures to guide you through the process of things like plating the Potato and Flanken Kugel, a delicious dish that doesn’t usually look very nice on the plate.

Another thing I loved about the book were the cute little anecdotes and stories that come with each recipe. I have to admit that both of the authors are good friends, so I felt like I could hear them talking to me as I read these little stories. But that’s how this cookbook is – it invites you into their kitchens to make Passover together with them.

I’m not a big wine gal (I know!) but for those who are, there are wine pairings alongside many of these recipes.

Due to the vastly varied customs within the Jewish community regarding which ingredients are acceptable for Passover, some of the recipes feature ingredients that some may not use. However, the book features a Replacement Index of substitutions you can make if your customs don’t allow for all of the ingredients. As someone with rather restrictive customs for Passover, I found this feature especially useful!

The beginning features a very useful section of Passover building block recipes, including crepes, passover crumbs and homemade mayo. (They even made a fabulous video demonstrating the process!)

Most importantly, I loved the variety of ideas and flavors in this book. The biggest challenge for me, every year, on Passover, is to make foods that don’t all taste and look the same. With this book at my disposal, I know I won’t face that challenge this year!

Some Recipes I Can’t Wait to Try:

Brisket Eggrolls: Do I really need to say anything else?? I had (non-passover) at Abigails a while back, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. But the idea of making a Passover version of such a delicious dish is mind-bogglingly awesome. This is so going on my menu this year.

Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Soup: We’ve all established how much I love soup, but this one sounds totally different. I might not be able to wait for passover to make this one!

Sweet Potato Pepper Steak: my family doesn’t love the traditional pepper steak, but this looks like a recipe they could really get behind!

Pecan Pie with Cookie Crust: everyone loves pecan pie during the year. I am so excited to try this passover version!

Who This Cookbook is For:

Anyone who is cooking for passover this year and needs a fresh batch of ideas will find this cookbook ultra useful!

Who This Cookbook isn’t For:

Obviously this book is for passover recipes, so if you either aren’t celebrating passover, or are going away (or not cooking for any other reason) this book isn’t for you.

On a smaller scale, people with certain dietary restrictions such as no sugar, nuts or eggs will find a lot of recipes in this book are problematic for them. (But then again, most passover recipes will be a problem for you, so that’s not so much about this book as it is about passover cookbooks in general.)

What I Didn’t Like About This Cookbook:

My main complaint about this book is that there are a number of recipes that I can’t make due to my restrictive Passover customs. As I mentioned, there’s an index of helpful substitutions, but there will still be some recipes I can’t make.

My other issue with this book is that a bunch of the recipes do require an extra step or two, but again, I think that’s more of a complaint about Passover cookbooks and recipes than this book specifically, because there are so many things you can’t buy, so they require extra steps to make them.

Conclusion:

This is an innovative, exciting, fun and totally beautiful book that everyone who is cooking for passover should own. Not cooking for passover this year? Consider this as a gift for your hosts – that way everyone reaps the benefits!

butternut squash salad 2

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Sugar ‘n Spice Nuts:

Adapted from Passover Made Easy

Ingredients:

for the roasted butternut squash

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes

2 Tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

for the sugar ‘n spice nuts:

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 teaspoons sugar or sugar substitute

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon oil

for the shallot dressing:

1 medium shallot

1/4 cup oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

to assemble salad:

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

1 green apple, diced

Instructions:

for roasted butternut squash:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the butternut squash cubes with the oil, salt, pepper and sugar.

Bake at 475 for about 30 minutes, until the cubes are tender and cooked through.

for sugar ‘n spice nuts:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Combine nuts, sugar, spices and oil on tray.

Bake at 300 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

for shallot dressing:

combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Alternatively, place all ingredients in a tall container and blend with a hand blender until smooth.

to assemble salad:

Combine lettuce, diced apple and butternut squash in a bowl. Toss with the dressing and top with nuts.

Enjoy!

butternut squash salad 3

Giveaway Details!

For your chance to win a copy of Passover Made Easy:

Please note: Each entry requires its own comment! Multiple entries in one comment will only be counted once!

Entry #1 – Leave a comment on this post telling me what is your favorite passover dish!

Entry #2 – Follow @OvertimeCook on twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 3- Like Tales of an Overtime Cook on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 4 – Follow @OvertimeCook on Pinterest and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 5 – Subscribe to OvertimeCook via email (link is on the right sidebar of the blog). and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Note: if you already like/follow etc, that’s fine. Just leave a comment letting me know that!

Giveaway Details:

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, March 11th. A valid email address or twitter profile must be provided.

Prize can be shipped within the US and Canada.

Giveaway is sponsored by the publisher.

Disclaimer: I was sent a review copy of this book, and one of my recipes is featured in it. All opinions are my own. There are affiliate links within this post.

Good Luck!

Thanks for stopping by folks! Come back soon, I have some more great recipes up my sleeve! -Miriam

Read Full Post »

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

 

 

 

Read Full Post »


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!

Read Full Post »

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

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 4,071 other followers