Tag: vegetarian

Israeli Stuffed Hasselback Eggplant .

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Don’t be scared off by how elegant this dish looks, it’s actually quite easy to make

Ingredients:
1 medium sized eggplant
1 tbsp zaatar (I used from @all_shuk_up – it’s fabulous and not sponsored)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp smoky paprika
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
Drizzle of lemon juice .
Stuffing:
1/4 cup babaganoush
1/2 cup chickpeas
1/4 cup each sliced olives and chopped cooked beets
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Garnish:
Tahini (I used @mightysesamecosqueezable tahini thanks to @kosherdotcom )
Zaatar
Additional parsley
Humus (omit for passover)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Slice eggplant almost all the way through into 1/4” slices (you can place chopsticks on either side of the eggplant to avoid cutting all the way through). Mix together zaatar, oil, paprika, salt and pepper. Brush scantly onto eggplant, on all slices.
Bake on greased baking sheet for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare stuffing, by mixing all ingredients together.
When ready to serve, carefully place eggplant on serving dish. Separate each eggplant slice and fill each opening with some of the stuffing.
Spread some humus on platter. Drizzle with tahini, sprinkle with zaatar and parsley. .
The eggplant can be cooked and the rest of the dish can be assembled at a later time.
You can add shawarma chicken or a sautéed meat blend to the plate, to make a more substantial meal.
For Passover, omit the humus and serve with babaganoush instead.

Zaatar Rainbow Carrots

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Ingredients:
2 lbs rainbow carrots, peeled, washed and dried well 
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
1 tbsp silan (date syrup, you can use maple syrup or honey alternatively)
1 tsp dijon mustard 
1 tbsp zaatar
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
1 tsp sea salt 
Freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. 
Mix together all ingredients and coat on carrots. 
Spread on baking sheet (I lined with parchment but probably best to use non stick cooking spray for improved caramelization). Roast for about 45 minutes, turning halfway through, until all carrots are soft and a fork can easily go through. 

Quick and easy halva pecan babka (2 ways)

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I rarely make yeast doughs and love any hacks to make desserts that are quick and easy, but look elegant! I tried both methods and they worked well. The texture of the dough was obviously different, but both results were delicious.

Instructions:
1 whole challah dough or 1 pizza dough, defrosted (~20 oz)
1.5 cups crumbled halva
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp silan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll out dough thinly to form a large rectangle. (It is much easier to roll out the pizza dough, the challah dough is much more challenging)
Mix together halva, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and pecans. .
Thank you to @naomi_tgis for teaching me how to do this. Spread over rectangle. Roll up so it’s long and thin (as opposed to short and thick). Slice down the middle to form 2 even skinnier ropes and twist them together.
Brush exposed dough with silan.
Bake for about 30 minutes.

I preferred challah dough but the pizza dough was much easier to work with.

Smoky Smashed Potatoes

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Ingredients:
~ 40-50 baby potatoes (sorry I forgot to weigh)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (omit for passover)
1 tbsp smoky paprika
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary 
1 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper 
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil .

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. 
Place potatoes in a large pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil and let potatoes boil until they pierce easily with a fork, approximately 20 minutes. Drain. 
Mix together all the spices and oil. 
Place potatoes on greased baking sheet. Smash each potato to flatten – I used the bottom of a strong glass. Pour oil mixture over potatoes and gently spread mixture all over potatoes. 
Bake for about 20 minutes, flip and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes, until nice and crisp! 

Tu bishevat cookies (that kind of taste like hamentaschen but you can eat them anytime)

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Ingredients:
3 eggs 
1 cup coconut oil, melted 
1 tsp vanilla 
1 cup sugar
3 cups flour 
2 1/2 tsp baking powder 
Pinch of salt 
2 cups assorted dried fruit (I used a mix of apricots, prunes, dates, figs and dried blueberries)
1 cup mixed pecans and almonds 
1 tsp cinnamon
Zest and juice of 1 orange .

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. 
Mix together eggs, oil, vanilla, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. 
In a food processor, mix dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon and orange zest and juice. 
Separate dough in half. Roll out each half into equal sizes rectangles on floured parchment. Place 1 parchment rectangle onto baking sheet. Spread dried fruit mixture onto 1 dough rectangle and flip other dough rectangle on top. Peel off top parchment. 
Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and slice. 
Sprinkle with icing sugar (use a sifter if you have one).

Ramen Bowls

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Ingredients:
4 eggs (room temperature) – optional
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger
1 tsp sesame oil 
1 carton vegetable broth (you can also use chicken broth)
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms (I used shiitake)
1 3-inch piece of lemongrass 
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp miso paste
Squirt of sriracha hot sauce (to taste)
1 head bokchoy, washed and chopped
1/2 cup grated carrots 
1/4 cup purple cabbage 
1/2 cup edamame beans 
2 packages ramen, packets discarded .

Directions:
Start by making your soft boiled eggs – you can use the following method or whatever works for you. Bring water to a boil and gently add your eggs. Let boil for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and put under cold water. .
Heat sesame oil over medium heat in a pot and sauté ginger and garlic for a few minutes. Pour in broth and add mushrooms, lemongrass, soy sauce, miso and sriracha. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. (Make sure miso is mixed in before proceeding). Add in bokchoy, carrots, purple cabbage, edamame and ramen. Continue to cook until ramen noodles are soft. 
Serve soup topped with 1 halved soft boiled egg. 

Vegetarian Gyros

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These probably taste nothing like the real deal but I have no idea and it was definitely gyros inspired. .
1-8oz package of tempeh (unflavored), sliced in 1/4” slices 
2 tbsp greek seasoning blend (see previous post)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
Naan rounds 
Tomatoes 
Cucumber 
Kalamata olives 
Spinach .
Sauce:
Tzaziki Greek yogurt (Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic) mixed with lemon juice and a sprinkle of Greek seasoning .
Mix together oil and Greek seasoning, coat tempeh. Allow to marinate for about an hour if possible. 
Grill tempeh on both sides until a nice crust forms. 
In the meantime, warm naan.
Spread sauce on naan. Top with spinach, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, kalamata olives and tempeh. .
Enjoy! .

Smoky Potato Wedges

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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

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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

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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