Smoky Potato Wedges

Inspired by 2 of my favorite potato recipes in @kimkushnercuisine ‘s The Modern Menu, these potatoes are absolutely addictive – even my picky kids love them. .

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, washed well and cut into wedges 
3 russet potatoes, washed well and cut into wedges
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled 
2 tbsp smoky paprika
1 tbsp sea salt, divided
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil .

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F
Mix together paprika, 3/4 tbsp salt and oil. Coat potatoes and garlic cloves with this mixtures. Spread evenly on greased baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300°F and bake for an additional hour. 
Remove from oven and top with remaining salt. 

Cheesy Potato Latkes

Ingredients:
2 cups grated potatoes (I use the frozen shredded hash browns, but I haven’t found them kosher in Montreal, only in the US)
1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella/cheddar blend 
1 egg
1/4 cup flour 
Salt and pepper 
Oil to fry (I use grapeseed oil)

Directions:
Fill frying pan up with 1/4” of oil. 
Heat oil over medium heat until it sizzles when you put in a small piece of the mixture. You can add a carrot to the oil to help keep the oil clean. 
As the oil is heating up, mix together potatoes, cheese, egg, flour, salt and pepper. 
Form small latkes with your hands (this ensures they’ll stay together) and drop into oil. Flip once you see the edges browning. 
Remove from heat and allow to cool on cooling rack.

Taco/Nacho Latkes

When it’s the first night of Chanukah and you’re completely zonked but you have an idea and want to see it through. Although when I think about it, I should have waited for #tacotuesday .
Trader Joe’s potato latkes (but you can obviously use homemade)
Sour cream
Guacamole (storebought or homemade)
Salsa
Grated cheese
Chili lime seasoning 
Black beans (not pictured as I did not have a can opener 🤦‍♀️)
Corn (not pictured because it didn’t even cross my mind)
.
Cook latkes as you normally would and top with the toppings listed above or any other ones

Miso Salmon – 3 ways

Ingredients:
2 tbsp miso
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger 
1 tbsp soy sauce or GF tamari
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp sesame oil 
Sesame seeds for garnish 
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salmon filet for 2 people
1 head of broccoli
1-8oz box mushrooms (optional)
1/4 red cabbage, chopped (optional)
Rice paper wrappers 
For rice paper wraps – assortment of grated white cabbage, red cabbage, grated carrots and fresh mint/basil

Directions:
This marinade is delicious and can be used to make a sheet pan salmon recipe, just vegetables as a delicious side or step it up a notch and make these beautiful rice paper wraps. 
Preheat oven to 400°F. 
Place salmon on greased baking sheet and surround with vegetables of your choice (vegetables should not be too crowded). For rice paper wraps, I recommend the broccoli as your vegetable. 
Mix together miso, soy, maple syrup, ginger and sesame oil. Spread half over salmon. Mix remaining with 2 tbsp olive oil and spread over vegetables. 
Bake for 20 minutes. You can simply enjoy as is or you can use this to make rice paper wraps. 
Alternatively, omit the salmon from this recipe and just roast the vegetables (I used broccoli and cabbage, swipe for picture). .
For rice paper wraps, see highlights for detailed instructions. 
Make an extra portion of your miso sauce to use for dipping. 
Place rice paper wrap in warm water until softened. Remove and place on kitchen towel. Fill with a small amount of salmon, broccoli, cabbage, carrots and mint/basil. Fold up tightly. Enjoy with extra marinade.

Bubby Bonnie Muffins

This recipe is inspired by the delicious blintz muffins in the first “Kosher by design” cookbook. My mother (Bonnie) makes them for my kids and they adore them! . 
Ingredients 
1 cup pumpkin purée 
1 cup ricotta cheese 
3 eggs 
1/2 cup pancake mix (I used kodiak cakes, use passover pancake mix if necessary)
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla 
Blueberries to top muffins
.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tray with parchment liners (important to use parchment, otherwise it sticks) 
Mix together all ingredients, except the blueberries. 
Fill 1/4 cup of mixture into each muffin cup and top each with a blueberry. 
Bake for 20-25 minutes 
Allow to cool. 
These muffins freeze beautifully. 

Pull Apart Banana-Almond butter French Toast

Ingredients:
1 banana
2 tbsp almond butter 
1 tsp vanilla 
1/4 cup milk 
2 eggs 
1 tsp cinnamon
5-6 cup cubed challah
Butter for frying

Directions:
Mash banana and mix well with almond butter. Add vanilla, milk, eggs and cinnamon to mixture. 
Place cubed challah in a large bowl and pour banana mixture over challah. Toss well to combine. 
Heat butter over medium-high heat. 
Place challah mixture in clusters in pan. Allow French toast to fully cook on 1 side prior to flipping to be sure that the clusters don’t fall apart. Cook until nicely browned on both sides. 
Enjoy with maple syrup!

Shakshuka Nachos

I don’t have exact measurements but I think you can wing it
.
1 tbsp butter
Kale (I used about 1/2 head, basically enough to fill the pan), torn into small pieces 
4 eggs 
1/2 can black beans, drained, rinsed and dried 
Corn kernels 
Chili lime seasoning
Grated mozzarella cheddar blend 
Salsa
.
Melt butter over medium-high heat. 
Throw kale into the pan, make 4 wells and place an egg into each well. Sprinkle generously with chili lime seasoning. 
Spread on cheese, beans, corn and a few spoonfuls of salsa. 
Cover pan until cheese melts. 
Serve with tortilla chips and guacamole.

Humus Sabich Pizza

My kids are obsessed with pizza – one night I suggested humus pizza and they love it! You can personalize it individually with whatever toppings you prefer. I make it with whatever vegetables and toppings I have on hand. I had leftover cauliflower, eggplant and chickpeas from last night’s dinner (see my previous post) and it was a perfect topping. .
I take a prepared naan bread and warm it, spread humus on and top with some or all of the following:
Roasted eggplant
Roasted cauliflower 
Chickpeas (roasted or not)
Olives 
Grated carrots 
Pickled turnips 
Hard boiled egg
Purple cabbage 
Roasted peppers 
Tomatoes 
Cucumbers 
I garnished with zaatar, tahini and fresh mint

Sheet Pan Shawarma Tofu

Ingredients:
1 block firm tofu
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dry with a towel
1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets, washed and dried well
1 small eggplant, cubed
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 tbsp Shawarma seasoning, divided
1/2 tsp Sea salt
1 tbsp Zaatar
1 tbsp Cornstarch .

Directions:
Cut tofu into 1/2-3/4” cubes. Place on clean kitchen towel, fold towel over to cover top as well. Top with heavy cutting board and let sit for 30 minutes to squeeze out liquid.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Mix together cornstarch, 2 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp shawarma seasoning. Coat tofu with this mixture. Spread on half greased baking pan – tofu pieces should be spread and not overlapping.
Mix together remaining oil, shawarma seasoning, zaatar and sea salt. Coat eggplant, chickpeas and cauliflower. Spread some on remaining part of baking pan and the rest on a second baking.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until crisp. I left the tofu on the upper rack.
Serve over a bed of humus, as pictured. Garnish with zaatar, tahini and fresh parsley.
Alternatively, serve in a pita or laffa with your choice of traditional shawarma toppings. .
Thanks to @sylviafallas for sharing her shawarma eggplant, inspiring me to add 🍆 to this yummy mixture.

(Veggie) Hot Dog, Broccoli and cheese quesadilla


This versatile meal can be made with so many different fillings – use peppers, cauliflower, lentils, grated carrots, tofu cubes etc etc etc. .
2 veggie dogs, sliced (I slice in half first so it’s not a choking hazard)
1 cup small broccoli florets 
1 sweet potato, chopped into small cubes
1-2 tbsp taco seasoning 
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
4 tortillas (can use GF)
Grated mozzarella and/or cheddar cheese 
Chickpeas .
Preheat oven to 400°F
Place hot dogs, broccoli and sweet potato on greased baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and taco seasoning. 
Bake for 20 minutes. 
Spoon some mixture, cheese and chickpeas into half of tortilla, fold over and pan fry until lightly browned and then flip. Cut into triangles. 
Enjoy with salsa or sour cream.