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 … [Read more...]
Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes are an easy, delicious and family-friendly side dish. 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, … [Read more...]
Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette
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, … [Read more...]
Honey Glazed Garlic and Ginger Sugar Snaps
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 peek around her blog. Tell her I say hi! Note: Tali's site is no longer active, so the recipe is posted below. Ingredients: 1 lb sugar snap peas (frozen works well) 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1/2 Tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger Instructions: Preheat oven to 425. Line a … [Read more...]
Mushroom Beef Sliders and a Review and Giveaway of CHIC Made Simple
Giveaway Closed! I'm super excited to be reviewing another fabulous and hot new kosher cookbook, CHIC Made Simple. The author, Esther Deutch, actually writes for the same magazine as me, Ami Living's Whisk magazine. Oddly enough, I didn't meet her until Kosher Fest, when we practically bumped into each-other. "You're Overtime Cook?!" She exclaimed. "I am such a fan." Well. After an introduction like that, I couldn't wait to see her beautiful cookbook and try some of the recipes. At a First Glance: CHIC Made Simple is beautiful. And I am not talking simply about the pictures (which are really nice!). This book is big, hard covered, and really nice all around. Every page has a … [Read more...]
Pesto Potato Pinwheels
Let me preface this post by telling you that I'm typing it up on my (barely functional and very old) iPhone 4 (because my iPhone 5 isn't expected for another two weeks- boo!) on the bus, headed home from work. And by "work" I don't mean my usual "very tame" 9 hour work day. I mean an Advil-sustained, coffee and diet-coke guzzling absolutely intense ten and a half hour work-athon. Yeah. Cause that's what happens when your company closes ten days straight in celebration of a holiday. Not fun. Wait. I should clarify. Vacation is fun. Coming back isn't. Wait, was that obvious? Also, I'm probably not coherent. Consider yourselves warned. Oh, and I'm not finished complaining about my work day. … [Read more...]
Sukkos Recipe Roundup
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 … [Read more...]
Pomegranate and Apple Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Giveaway Closed! A couple of weeks ago my friend Leah was super nice and stopped by my office with a salad she had picked up for me at a nearby restaurant . (Friends bring you ice cream. Real friends bring you salad. Everyone knows that.) The restaurant had called it a tropical salad. It has lettuce, apple and mango, and a delicious dressing. I immediately began thinking of how I would recreate it. Then the folks over at Pom Wonderful were kind enough to send me a couple of bottles of pomegranate juice, and I immediately knew I would be making the pomegranate version of this salad. Seriously, the pomegranate juice is kinda like magic when making a salad … [Read more...]
Citrus Carrot Salad
A while ago, when Borders book stores were about to close their doors, they were blowing out all of their merchandise. Needless to say, I totally stalked the cookbook section, buying a lot more books than I should probably admit to. Most notably, I picked up a copy of Mark Bittman's encyclopedic book, How To Cook Everything. It was only today that I realized that I've never actually made a recipe from it. Don't get me wrong. I read the book (almost) cover to cover. I learned tons and tons from it. I've gotten ideas from it. But today I finally took it down to make a recipe. This is one that intrigued me every time I saw it. I love the combination of carrots, citrus and cumin in this. … [Read more...]
Puff Pastry Pastrami Pockets
You know those foods that are so quintessentially Jewish that everybody associates them with New York and the Jews? I'm talking about foods like K'nishes (remember how I posted a recipe to make those at home?) and a big 'ol pastrami sandwich on rye bread. With a pickle. And sushi. Okay, that last one isn't necessarily a Jewish food, but we definitely support Japanese cuisine as much as we do Chinese cuisine, in recent years. Well, here's a food that is Jewish through and through: deli roll. Honestly, I'm often surprised that this hasn't made it out of the Jewish world much, because deli roll is just plain delicious. But it's also kinda boring. At least if you're a Jewish gal from New … [Read more...]