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Archive for the ‘Soups’ Category

Chicken, Vegetable and Barley Soup and a review of The Bais Yaakov Cookbook

Posted in Chicken, Healthy, Soups, Super-Easy, Uncategorized, Vegetables, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on October 18, 2012 | 11 Comments »

I’m super excited to be reviewing another cookbook today. I’ve got a bunch of books on my shelf, waiting to be written about, but this one is extra exciting because I heard so much about this book lately! I’m sure that all of my Kosher readers have heard about the Bais Yaakov Cookbook. There’s been a lot of hype in the kosher world about it. I couldn’t help wondering: was that earned? I finally got a chance to find out!

At first glance:

This cookbook looks really impressive. It’s a large, hardcover book with pictures that are breathtakingly beautiful. There’s a wide variety of recipes, all arranged clearly and intuitively.

My first thought as I flipped through this book the first time was “I totally see why its so popular!”

Some Features I Liked:

One of the things that stands out most about this book, as I mentioned, is the beautiful photography. The pictures seriously make you want to dig right in!

Another thing I like is that the cookbook has a good mix of basic, staple type recipes and some new and innovative recipes that make me wonder why I’ve never thought of that.

Another thing I really like about this book is the little helpful tips and tricks that fill some of the empty space on pages. From tips about plating and information about ingredients to descriptions of cooking methods and guides to reheating the recipes, there’s a lot to learn, even for an experienced cook.

Oh, and I love the salad section. I kind of want to make every single recipe in it.

Lastly, I like that this cookbook contains recipes contributed by lots of different people, so they’re tried and true.

Some Recipes I Can’t Wait to Try:

Pesto Chicken Salad- I love chicken salads, and I think it’s been firmly established how much I love all things basil…can’t wait to try it!

Grilled Beef Rolls with scallion dipping sauce: this is a gorgeous and delicious looking appetizer. Definitely happening the next time I make a party!

Beer Battered Chicken Fingers: I dunno what to say about this other than…YUM. I love beer battered anything.

Crispy Potato Roast: I love how this is a potato side dish, yet totally unlike any potato dish I’ve ever made!

Who This Cookbook is For:

This is a phenomenal cookbook for any kosher cook who want excellent recipes that are accompanied by mouthwatering pictures. It also contains information about kosher dietary laws and Jewish education, so it’s a great purchase for anyone who wants to learn more about that.

Also, all proceeds from this book go to charity, so that’s always a great reason to purchase it!

Who This Cookbook Isn’t For:

This book has a lot of information about kosher cooking, Jewish education and things like that, so a non kosher/Jewish reader might not find it as useful.

What I Didn’t Like About This Cookbook:

While I loved the pictures in this book, there were a bunch of recipes that had no pictures, though that’s me being spoiled.

As I mentioned before, there are recipes contributed by lots of people, which has a nice plus side to it, but it does mean that some of the recipes are pretty basic, or recipes I have seen similar versions of in other books.

Conclusion:

Overall, I loved this cookbook. It’s bright, beautiful, fresh and quite creative. I really do recommend it for anyone who keeps a kosher kitchen!

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this cookbook for review by Feldheim Publishers. Opinions are all my own. There are affiliate links within this post, which means I benefit if you click on them to purchase the book.

Here’s a sample recipe from the book. It’s delicious, easy and filling. Seriously- it’s comfort food done right!

Chicken Vegetable and Barley Soup:

Adapted from The Bais Yaakov Cookbook

Ingredients:

1/4 cup canola oil

2 large onions, diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

6 stalks of celery

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed

3/4 cup barley

1 Tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

10-12 cups water, enough to cover

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the diced onions and sauté for five minutes, until translucent.

Add the diced carrot and celery. Sauté for an additional five minutes.

Add the cubed chicken, barley, salt pepper and water.

Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and leave to simmer for 3-4 hours. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

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Sukkos Recipe Roundup

Posted in Appetizers, Bread, Chicken, Dessert, Holiday, Main Courses, Meat, Salads, Seasonal, Sides, Soups, Traditional, Vegetables, tagged , , on September 24, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Here’s what I was supposed to do yesterday. I was supposed to photograph this amazing appetizer recipe and post it for you folks. But then I got home from work at 7:30. You read that right. Work. On a Sunday. I don’t recommend it. I got cooking right away, and at 2 in the morning I was wise enough to realize that posting the recipe at that point would have been a really bad idea. So I went to sleep for like, four whole hours.

Anyhoo. Here’s a handy dandy list of stuff you should totally be making for Sukkot. They are a sampling of recipes from the archives, so feel free to dig around for even more! New recipes are a’comin, I promise. Wait, I don’t. I have so much left to do! But I really do hope they come, so stay tuned!

Challah:

Estee’s Famous Whole Wheat Challah

Appetizers:

Mini Shepherd’s Pies

Homemade Potato Knishes (also great as a side)

Puff Pastry Pastrami Pockets

Salads and Dips:

Pomegranate and Apple Salad

Citrus Carrot Salad

Raspberry Zinger Vinaigrette Salad

Creamy Basil Dip (works great as a salad dressing too!)

Marinated Tri-Color Pepper Salad

Soups:

Creamy Orange Vegetable Soup (this is a must have at every Yomtov meal in my family. Add bones in a net bag while cooking for extra flavor, and remove before blending.)

Zucchini and Broccoli Soup

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Sides and Kugels:

Homemade Potato Knishes

Sweet Lemon Noodle Kugel

Broccoli Kugel Muffins

Apple Cherry Crumb Kugel

Garlic and Shallot topped Smashed Potatoes

Basil Potato Salad

Grilled Vegetable Rice Salad

Spicy Baked Zucchini Sticks

Za’atar Roasted Cauliflower

Mains:

Mustard Marinated Grilled Chicken

Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Pastrami Wrapped Caesar Chicken

Herb Marinated Grilled Chicken 

Barbecue Ribs with Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Desserts:

Strawberry Chocolate Cream Cups

Mini Double Chocolate Trifles

Mocha Cheesecake (works great with non-dairy cream cheese)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake (works great with non-dairy cream cheese)

Homemade Cherry Pie (works well with frozen cherries)

Cakes and Cupcakes:

Zebra Cake

Zebra Bundt Cake

Cream Cheese Swirled Chocolate Fudge Cake (works well with non-dairy cream cheese)

Mini Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Mini Chocolate Pomegranate Bundt Cakes (can be made full sized as well)

Cookies and Bars: 

Mocha Bars

Chocolate Covered Oatmeal Bars

Maple Sandwich Cookies

Pretzel Coated Chocolate Cookies

Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Cookies and Cream Biscotti

Oreo Chunk Chocolate Cookies

Glazed Raspberry Cookies

Snickerdoodles

Looking for loads more? Check out the (non very recently updated :( ) recipe index. Or try a category (such as cookies).

Hope you all got some good ideas here! I know I did (funny how it takes posting this to remind me of my own recipes, huh?). Gemar Chasima tova to all of my Jewish friends and readers, and I will be back after Yom Kippur with some new recipes. (Or maybe before. Who knows?) Thanks for stopping by! -Miriam

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Zucchini and Broccoli Soup

Posted in Healthy, Soups, Super-Easy, tagged , , , on March 18, 2012 | 9 Comments »

I think that every time I post a soup recipe, I precede it with a long introduction about my love of soups. Are you tired of the introduction yet? Because if not, I can totally talk about it again. Or I can steer you to the other soup recipes on this blog. And in place of an introduction, I can go on a little rant about the New iPod.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m typing this on my iPhone, and really love all things apple. But! Here’s what I don’t get- why the lines outside electronics retailers on Release Day?

Let’s say you have the 500+ bucks to drop on a new iPad, and have been waiting excitedly for the new release. Would it kill you to wait until the next day, or even a week? Or sell your dignity for an extra day with the new toy. Your choice.

Speaking of waiting, don’t wait to make this fabulous soup. It’s healthy, it’s filling, and it’s totally delicious.

Zucchini and Broccoli Soup:
Ingredients:
Olive oil, for frying
2 large onions
3 cloves garlic
3 large zucchini
2 pounds frozen cut broccoli, defrosted
2 cups vegetable broth
6-8 cups water
1 can white beans (optional)
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a large pot. Dice onions and add to hot oil. Sauté over medium-low flame.
Meanwhile, mince garlic cloves and add to pot. Sauté until onions are translucent.
Cut zucchini into half rings (no need to cut too small, they will be puréed later on.) Add the zucchini and the defrosted broccoli to the pot. Keep flame on low and sauté vegetables until they are starting to soften.
Add vegetable broth and water and bring pot to a boil. Lower flame and leave to simmer until vegetables are limp. (About half an hour to forty five minutes.)
Add beans, if desired. Remove pot from heat and purée with an immersion blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.


Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! And if you have some chometz leftover in your pantry- stay tuned! I have some great recipes to use it up! -Miriam

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Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Posted in Soups, Super-Easy, Vegetables, tagged , on January 12, 2012 | 10 Comments »

I am a recovering soup-aholic. Don’t get me wrong. I still love soup, enjoy soup, even crave soup. But there was a point in my life when all I wanted every day, all day, was soup. This was in the days before I spent quite so much time in the kitchen, so most of the soup I consumed during that period of my life was bought.

Here’s the funny thing about store bought soup, though. You can order something very benign sounding, such as “vegetable soup” or “broccoli soup” and instead of a healthy dish, you just inadvertently consumed half of your daily allotment of calories. If I had tasted this soup in a restaurant or any other food establishment, I would have been wracked with guilt, convinced that there was more cream in the soup than anything else.

The great thing about making things yourself, is that you get the low-down on what’s really in it. (Well, that might not be the best in something like a triple chocolate fudge brownies, but you know what I mean.) And this soup? Well it’s not just devoid of cream, not just low in calories, but it is absolutely and amazingly delicious.

If there is anything better than coming home to a hot bowl of soup after a rediculously long day in the frigid cold of New York City, I haven’t encountered it. This soup is comfort food in the best way possible. Plus, it is souper easy to make. (Ahh! Excuse the pun. I simply couldn’t help myself!) The secret ingredient: beans. Interesting, I know. But the texture the beans give this soup is astonishing. Really, I have only one complaint about this recipe: it didn’t make enough!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup:

Slightly based on a recipe from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:

4 medium red bell peppers

3 (small) cloves of garlic (or more, if you like it extra garlicky)

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil, divided

1 Teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 onions (or 1 onion and 2 shallots)

1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained

4 cups (32 oz) broth (vegetable or chicken)

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking tray with parchment paper.

Cut peppers in half and remove stems and seeds. Place on baking tray. Slice garlic thinly and spread over peppers. Sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons (half) of the oil, salt and black pepper. Place in oven and bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutes, until peppers are starting to brown.

Remove from oven and let cool. Make sure to save all of the contents of the tray (including the bit of oil) as it has a lot of flavor. (This part can be done in advance.) Cut peppers into large cubes.

Meanwhile, sautee onions in remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil until soft. Add diced roasted peppers, sliced roasted garlic and any drippings from the pan. Sautee an additional five minutes, or until soft. Add beans and broth and bring to a slow boil.

Using an immersion blender, or in small batches using a regular blender, puree the soup until creamy. If desired, add a bit of water to thin the soup.

Serve warm, preferably on a cold winter night, and do I even have to say it? Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Miriam

 

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Creamy Orange Vegetable Soup

Posted in Healthy, Seasonal, Soups, Super-Easy on November 13, 2011 | 18 Comments »

I realize that the title of this post is kind of misleading. When you see the word creamy, you probably imagine a rich and creamy soup, full of…well, cream.

In actuality, this soup is thick and rich. However, it is not only devoid of cream, but it’s pretty healthy.

I’ve been making this soup for years, and it is one of my all-time favorites. While this soup is delicious all year round, the flavors and colors are absolutely perfect for fall. And because this soup freezes magnificently, I freeze it in single servings, and pop one in the microwave when I come home from work late on a frigid fall or winter night.

This soup is thick and filling, and warms you right to the very core. Best of all- it’s super simple to make.

Saute some onions. Add some garlic if you are so inclined. (I think garlic makes anything better. Except maybe ice cream.)

Cut up your butternut squash. This is the tough part, but don’t let the big scary vegetable stop you. Or buy pre-chopped butternut squash. I won’t tell anyone. You don’t need to make your pieces very small, you’re going to puree it all in the end anyway.

The peel and cut your carrots and sweet potatoes. Stop for a minute to enjoy the beautiful orange colors. Then dump them in your pot. Mix everything together.

Add some spices and liquid and bring it to a boil. Turn the flame down and forget about it completely while you go to Costco. When everything is soft, let it cool a bit, then puree it with an immersion blender (best kitchen tool ever!).

That’s it! 

Creamy Orange Vegetable Soup:

Ingredients:

Olive oil for frying, about 3 Tbsp

2 large onions

2-4 cloves garlic (depending on size and taste)

1 large (approximately 4 lb) butternut squash

2 large carrots

2 sweet potatoes

4 cups (1 32-oz box) vegetable broth

4 cups water

1 Tbsp salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp black pepper, to taste

more water, to reach desired consistency (about 3 cups)

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large pot. Dice onions and fry over medium flame until translucent. Add minced garlic. Peel and cut butternut squash into large cubes (about an inch) and add to pot. Peel and chop carrots and sweet potatoes. Add to pot. Stir to combine.

Saute on medium flame for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables appear to soften a bit. Add broth, water, salt and pepper. Bring everything to a boil, then turn the flame down to a simmer. Leave it to boil for about 2-3 hours, until all of the vegetables are tender. Turn the flame off.

When the soup is cooled somewhat, puree it with an immersion blender, or in batches in your ordinary blender. Add some water (about 3 cups, depending on how much boiled away and how thick you like your soup) until you reach your desired consistency.

Serve hot. When reheating, you may need to add some water to prevent the soup from becoming too thick.

As always, enjoy!

Opinions please: I love the idea of taking step by step photos of my recipes, but often wonder if it’s worth the extra work. Please let me know if you find the photos in this recipe, or in recipes in general, useful. 

Thanks for stopping by!

-Miriam

Sharing this at #SquashLove Bloghop

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Hearty Split Pea Soup..shhhh-it’s fat free!

Posted in Healthy, Soups on August 8, 2011 | 5 Comments »

I’m a real soup lover: chicken soup, vegetable soup, lentil soup, mushroom barley soup…you name it, I’ll eat it. But this soup has a special place in my heart.
It’s thick, hearty and filling, but it’s more than that. It’s got this magical quality that makes you feel warm all over, inside and out. It’s kind of like a hug from grandma.

And best of all…it’s fat free! Don’t tell anyone, cause it’s so delicious they’d never guess. So whip up a big pot of this soup, feed it to your family, and smile to yourself at our little secret- it’s so darned good for you!

Ingredients:
2 1 lb bags green split peas
1/3 bag (8 Oz) baby Lima beans (optional)
2 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt, or to taste
10-12 cups of water
2 large zucchini, peeled
2-3 large carrots, peeled
1 large onion, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 sweet potato, peeled (optional)
1 tsp black pepper, or to taste (optional)

Instructions:
Rinse peas and beans and place in large pot. Add water almost until the top. Add salt. Cover, and bring to a boil. After about half an hour, uncover and skim off the foamy substance on top of the pot. Reduce flame and continue to boil for a couple of hours (2-4 for this quantity, less for half recipe), until beans are completely soft and peas are dissolved into the water.

In a food processor, shred the vegetables to desired consistency. If your family aren’t fans of veggies, shred them finer (to disguise!). Add vegetables to pot and boil approximately 30-45 minutes more. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.

Serve with croutons, if desired.

Note: this soup freezes AMAZINGLY. In fact, that’s why I make so much of it. I freeze this soup in 16 oz containers and take it out for a meal when I’m short on time. You can easily half the recipe, if you have a smaller family or smaller freezer than I have.

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