As you all know, I love cookbooks. Basically all cookbooks. But it's not every day that my good friends and colleagues publish a book, so this one has me extra excited! The dynamic author-duo of Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek have done it again. You may remember my review of their last joint effort, Passover Made Easy, and how much I loved it. Well, they have absolutely outdone themselves in their latest effort, Starters & Sides Made Easy. Ready to read what I thought? (Scroll down past my review for your chance to win your own copy!) At first glance: As with their previous book, Starters & Sides Made Easy is chock full of creative and inventive ideas, beautifully photographed … [Read more...]
Top Ten Healthy Veggie Dishes
I don't know about all of you, but after nearly a month of holidays and delicious food, I am *so* ready for some healthy eating! My best diet tip is to fill up on lots of delicious veggies - it makes you totally not miss the fattening and unhealthy stuff! I figured some of you could probably use some great veggie ideas, right? Well, here are my top 10 favorite vegetable ideas! Click around, enjoy, and stay healthy! Spicy Baked Zucchini Sticks: These spicy baked zucchini sticks are the among the most popular recipes on my blog (second only to my Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes) and for a very good reason. Sure, these zucchini sticks are delicious. And yeah, they're easy to make. And of … [Read more...]
Crispy Baked Onion Rings
Crispy Baked Onion Rings are healthier than they look. Intrigued? Read on! Remember how last week I was craving onion rings? You might have read about it on facebook, and then later on when I mentioned it in my post. Well those who know me will not be surprised to learn that once I get an idea in my head, it doesn't leave very easily. And so onion rings were right on the top of my mind for a couple of days now. And finally I made them. But let me backtrack for a minute. I recently photographed baked onion rings for a photography job I did. (You didn't know that I do freelance photography? Now you do!) And really, that's when the cravings started. Those were baked, but still, not … [Read more...]
Broccoli and Quinoa Salad with Asian Vinaigrette
So I know that we've discussed the crazy sources of my recipes a few times before, but we should probably discuss it again today. The idea for this recipe struck late one night. And by late, I don't mean my usual 1-am-still-baking-cookies late. I mean almost asleep kind of late. And for those of you who know me...that's late! So I opened up one eye, opened up the notes app on my iphone, and typed "quinoa + broccoli salad." And it's been in the back of my brain ever since. At first, I was going to go with a traditional broccoli salad type dressing, but with added quinoa. Then I decided to take the flavors in a different direction. I settled on an asian-inspired dressing, and I am thrilled … [Read more...]
15 Recipes That Helped Me Lose 15 Pounds
***Before we start – have you signed up for my email newsletters? You’ll get new recipes, cooking tips, menu suggestions, kitchen deals – and more! Click here to signup.*** I'm really excited about today's post, but also a little nervous. I love sharing funny little anecdotes with all of you, but I am usually uncomfortable sharing more personal information here. But today I am crossing that barrier to post about something I am very proud of. It started a while ago when I promised myself that I would buy myself the new (and insanely gorgeous) MacBook that I had my eye on for ages when I lost 15 pounds. And since then, I have been dieting hard, more motivated than ever to shed a couple … [Read more...]
Citrus Shallot Salad Dressing
When it comes to eating food repetitively, I think there are two types of people. Those who are totally fine with it, and those who can't face the same food too often. My parents fall into the first category. They both have a habit of finding a food, cuisine, style of cooking, spice, or some other food they enjoy. Then they cook it. And cook it. And cook it again. And so many more times that people like me want to scream at the sight of the repetition. Personally, I need to vary my food. (I can't imagine you're shocked right now.) And while I definitely have old standby foods that I'll fall back on, I'll almost never eat the same food day after day after day. And when I do, you know that … [Read more...]
World’s Best Healthy Oatmeal Protein Cookies
Hey friends. I haven't been posting much lately, but I blame that on a combination of a humongous magazine deadline and serious dieting. I'm finally done with my deadline, so I figured I'd share one of my greatest diet recipe triumphs ever. Ok, so I know that diet and cookies don't seem to belong in the same sentence. And in most cases I'm inclined to agree. But sometimes even a serious dieter needs a treat, and if you're going for a treat, this is a less guilt inducing option than most cookies. There's a secret ingredient in these cookies that gives them a phenomenal texture and an added bit of protein. Don't let it scare you off though, because these cookies taste dee-lish-us. Healthy … [Read more...]
Chicken in Mushroom Sauce
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 … [Read more...]
Healthy Blueberry Muffins
Can we talk about names for a minute? I have a pet peeve. I know, my name is somewhat unusual. Okay, in the Orthodox Jewish world, Miriam is about as common of a name as you get, but in the general world, Miriam isn't very common. It's okay, I run with it. But here's the thing. Nobody can seem to get my name right. People call me at work, and I introduce myself as Miriam. "Did you say Maya?" I used to correct them, but I learned better. Just go with it. "That's right. Mary Anne." "Yes, I did say Maria." I don't bother, people don't get it either way. So the first part of my pet peeve is people who get my name wrong, then proceed to use it way too many times in the course of our … [Read more...]
Healthy Chocolate Cheesecake Pancakes
I love weekends. And I know what you're thinking. "Duh. We all do." But I have an extra love for weekends, and it's called pancakes. I know, I know, I've discussed this before, but I have a feeling most of you weren't around back then, so let me reiterate. Weekday breakfasts in my world consist of an enormous cup of coffee as I start up my computer at work, followed by a bowl of cereal and milk about an hour later. And in case any of you thought that bowl of cereal was a treat of any sort, let me clarify. When I say bowl, I actually mean a cup. As in the awful little Styrofoam cups that my company expects us to drink out of. And I have a theory about my cereal that is proven … [Read more...]