Posted in Appetizers, Guest Post, Healthy, Salads, Seasonal, Sides, Super-Easy, Vegetables, Vegetarian on May 17, 2013 | 1 Comment »
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.
And of course, come back soon for more yummy treats! -Miriam
Posted in Appetizers, Condiments/Sauces/Dips, Passover, Super-Easy, Vegetarian, tagged dip, food, garlic, jalapeno, recipe, vegan, vegetarian on April 28, 2013 | 24 Comments »
It’s funny that I am posting one of my passover recipe hits now, when so many of you have been asking me when I am starting to post recipes for Shavuot. (For those of you who don’t know, Shavuot is a Jewish holiday celebrating the Torah. And it’s traditional to eat delicious dairy food…like cheesecake! I’ve got you covered in that area…later in the week!
But today I want to share this fabulous dip recipe. I made it on Passover, when I couldn’t use many spices (or even the garlic) so I roasted the jalapeno to bring out more flavor. It was an amazing hit, so I knew I would make it again to photograph and post.
Well when my awesome friend BL told me she was coming as a Shabbat guest, I knew she would be the perfect one to make it for.
Suffice it to say there aren’t any leftovers.
Roasted Jalapeno Dip:
By Miriam Pascal, overtimecook.com
Ingredients:
8 jalapenos
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Cut the jalapenos in half. Remove all or some of the seeds and membranes, depending on how hot you like it. (The more of the membrane and seeds you leave behind, the hotter it will be.)
Place the jalapeno, garlic and olive oil on the tray, and toss to combine.
Bake at 450 for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
When the jalapeno and garlic has cooled, place them with the oil from the tray into the bowl of a food processor (you can also use a tall bowl of container and an immersion blender.) Add the mayo and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with bread, crackers or veggies, or anything else you like to dip into delicious dips!
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon because I have some of the most drool-inducing, awe-inspiring and fab-tastic desserts coming your way very soon! -Miriam PS: I made a layer cake for the first time today! I documented it all on instagram…do you follow me?
Posted in Appetizers, Healthy, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian, tagged gluten free, Mushrooms, Recipes, red wine, shallots, snow peas, vegetables, vegetarian on April 15, 2013 | 15 Comments »
Well 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.
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!
Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon, I have more deliciousness up my sleeve! -Miriam (PS – are we connecting on Facebook and Twitter?)
Posted in Appetizers, Healthy, Holiday, Passover, Sides, Vegetarian, tagged food, gluten free, onion, Passover, Potato, recipe, roasted potatoes, Side dishes, sweet potato, vegetarian on March 19, 2013 | 9 Comments »
Raise your hand if you need another potato dish this Passover?
You too? I knew it wasn’t just me. I mean, there is such a ridiculous amount of potatoes floating around come Passover. And if your family is anything like mine, they’re groaning at the thought of more potatoes. My trick? Change things up a little. Roasted potatoes, baked potatoes, fried potatoes…they only get you so far. So if you’re in need of a new idea, I’ve got one for you.
But first, let me explain about Passover recipe testing and the measures of success. There’s a point, I promise.
Some of you might disagree, but overall I think we can pretty much agree that there’s a whole different bar for Passover food. What might constitute “good” during the year is probably considered “great” on Passover.
But as a recipe developer, that presents a total problem. Y’all are cooking for Passover *now* but I’ve been doing it for months already. And while that bar might be lower for Passover food, nobody cuts you slack for food your prepare during the year. Even if you tell them it’s for Passover.
So basically my point of this entire (very long) introduction is to tell you that my family totally has no mercy when it comes to critique of my recipes. And what can I say? This one was tested on them weeks ago, and it got rave reviews. Not rave Passover reviews, but all-year-round, fight-over-the-last-bit kind of rave reviews.
And that, my friends, is a successful Passover recipe. Or, as I just established, a successful year round recipe. There’s no reason this shouldn’t be on your dinner table tonight. Or any night.
If you don’t eat peels on Passover, scroll down for a no-peel option!
Two Tone Stuffed Potato Cups
Ingredients:
8 medium red potatoes
2 sweet potatoes
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
Cut the potatoes and sweet potatoes in half and place cut side down on greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 400 for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for a couple of minutes.
While the potatoes are baking, sauté the diced onions in olive oil on a low flame.
Remove the peels from the sweet potatoes and place the insides in a bowl.
Cut the center of the red potatoes out to form a cup. Don’t cut all the way to the peel, or they won’t hold their shape nicely.
Place the potato centers that you cut out into the bowl with the sweet potatoes. Add the sautéed onions, egg, salt and pepper. Mash the mixture until smooth.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared potato cups. For a neater presentation, place it into a bag, cut a hole in the corner, and pipe it into the potato “cup.”
Place the potato cups on the tray. Return them to the oven and bake at 400 degrees for an additional 15 minutes. Serve hot.
Tip: if you don’t eat peels on Passover, pipe some of the mixture onto a slice of potato- (partially bake it per the directions above) or even straight onto a tray. Bake as directed above.
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by! I’ve got more fun passover stuff in store for you, so come back soon! And if you didn’t already, make sure to enter my DOUBLE giveaway of The No Potato Passover! -Miriam
Posted in Healthy, Sides, Vegetables, Salads, Appetizers, Vegetarian, Cookbook Reviews, Holiday, Giveaways, tagged salad, Butternut squash, nuts, Passover, cookbooks, giveaway, cookbook review, almonds on March 3, 2013 | 277 Comments »
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
Passover Made Easy
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!
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!
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
Posted in Appetizers, Healthy, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian, tagged appetizer, food, Healthy, Mushrooms, Quinoa, Recipes, spinach, vegan, vegetarian on January 23, 2013 | 22 Comments »
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 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!
Thanks for stopping by folks, and enjoy! -Miriam
Posted in Appetizers, Healthy, Sides, Snacks, Super-Easy, Vegetarian, tagged easy, food, herbs, Recipes, sweet potatoes on January 13, 2013 | 17 Comments »
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:
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!
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
Posted in Breakfast, Healthy, Seasonal, Super-Easy, Vegetarian, tagged breakfast, food, Healthy, pancakes, pumpkin, Recipes, whole wheat flour on November 6, 2012 | 32 Comments »
Firstly, thank you all for your lovely and supportive comments on my last post! My power is back on and I’m back in the kitchen and appreciating and loving every single minute of it.
Now let’s talk about elections. I’m totally not political. I found this on Pinterest and it completely describes my feelings about today:
So. I didn’t vote, but I did make pancakes. Not just any pancakes, but healthy pancakes. With pumpkin and all kinds of awesome spices and things. Oh and there’s oatmeal in them, so they have negative calories, I think. Or something like that. So regardless of who wins the election, and whether you’re happy about the result or not, you can totally be happy when you make these pancakes. And happier when you finish eating them, because you did something good and healthy for yourself.
Healthy Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes:
Edited on 12/18 with improvements to recipe!
Ingredients:
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (old fashioned)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch salt
1/2 cup sweetener or sugar (12 Splenda packets)
2/3 cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup milk (skim works)
Instructions:
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oatmeal, baking power, spices and Splenda or sugar. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
Spray the pan well with Pam, or use a small amount of oil. When the pan is hot enough, spoon some of the batter onto the frying pan and spread it slightly into a circle.
When the pancakes are set on top, flip it and fry for a couple of minutes until both sides are golden brown.
Serve hot with maple syrup, agave syrup or sugar free maple syrup and a sprinkling of chopped toasted pecans.
Enjoy!
Hope everyone is ok and getting their lives back to normal after Sandy! If you’re bored of my diet recipes, stay tuned, because I’ve got a fabulous treat coming up for you soon. And a surprise treat! -Miriam
Linking to Shine Supper Club
