Monday, August 26, 2013

A great summer side dish: Cold zucchini salad and Surviving the Chagim!

I realize that I have not given you any really good, cold, summer side dishes, so here is my new favorite:  Cold Zucchini Salad! 

I had the pleasure of tasting and then learning how to prepare this dish at the hands of its ‘father’, the up and coming young chef: Shlomo Weinglass.  Shlomo is the chef at Morgens Café in Jerusalem.  We were fortunate enough to taste all of Shlomo’s yummy food when we recently spent a wonderful Shabbat at his parent’s home in Nokdim. Every dish was scrumptious and, well finger-licking, but as is many things in life, not always beneficial to a diet.  This cold salad, however, is both delicious and points-friendly!

Shlomo has kindly given me permission to include his recipe in my blog.

By the way, we also had a great meal at Morgens Café – a great milchicks restaurant in my favorite part of Jerusalem - Emek Refaim.  Wonderful!

Back to the salad: This a great summer salad and with Rosh Ha’Shana just around the corner (gulp!), this is an appealing salad to serve for Chag!  This cold salad is fast and easy to prepare – what more could you ask for?

Shlomo’s Cold Zucchini Salad


Ingredients:

·        Zucchini, sliced on the diagonal (for more information and explanations on how to cut vegetables, including the French names for each of these cutting techniques, see below *)
·        Onion
·        Fresh mushrooms
·        Balsamic vinegar/soy sauce
·        Lemon juice
·        2-3 cloves of garlic (or more)
·        Kosher salt
·        Parsley
·        Pepper
·        Olive oil (for taste only)
·        Grilling pan with grooves
·        PAM

What to do:

·        I use the greenest, longest and most firm zucchinis I can find.  Four large zucchinis made enough salad for about six two-tablespoon portions.
·        Slice the zucchini on a diagonal.  Slices should be thin, but not paper thin.  Do not peel the zucchini – first of all because there is never a need to do this and secondly, the peel helps keep the vegetable “together” during cooking.
·        During the cooking process, you cannot leave this dish unattended, it needs to be watched at all times!  I recommend you prepare this dish either before you cook other dishes or once you have finished cooking all your other dishes.  You can definitely prepare this dish a day in advance, it will only improve the taste!
·        Cut all the zucchini before you begin to cook.
·        Put your grilling pan with the grooves on the stove and turn the burner on high.  I use my middle, largest burner, so I get a good even heat throughout the pan.  Spritz with PAM.  I recommend you use the olive oil flavored PAM for this dish.
·        Once the pan is HOT, add a single layer of zucchini.  The zucchini should not overlap – each piece should be exposed to the groves of the pan. You should hear the sizzle!
·        Once the vegetable starts to turn a bit translucent/golden around the edges, turn over one piece to see if that side is browned by the groove marks.  If it is, turn over the entire batch. 
As the pan gets hotter, cooking time with quicken.  But be careful – you do not want to overcook these slices!  You can turn the slices over a third time if you need to.
If the pan gets too dry the slices will burn, so spritz the pan every so often.
A slice is considered done when it is golden brown, browned by the grooves and a bit translucent. Never soggy or overdone.
·        Once all the slices are done, remove them to a large metal bowl. 
·        Next begin to prepare all the rest of the ingredients to add to the bowl.
·        Thinly slice onions and mushrooms and add to the bowl. One medium to large onion and a half to three-quarters of a container of fresh mushrooms should be sufficient for this dish.  You can increase or decrease these amounts depending on how much you love/loathe onions and mushrooms.  Actually if you loathe mushrooms, this is not a dish for you, sorry dear!
·        Peel two to three cloves of garlic and either chop finely or put through a garlic press. I love garlic, so I add about five or six fat cloves.  I also like to see the garlic pieces in my salad.  Add the garlic to the bowl.
·        Finely chop parsley and add to the bowl.
·        Add about a cap and a half (about a tablespoon and a half) of lemon juice.  Yes, I used bottled lemon juice, but it was a great brand!
·        Add about a tablespoon and a half of balsamic vinegar.  I also added about half a tablespoon of soy sauce.
·        Add in freshly ground pepper.  I omitted the salt, since I added soy sauce to the dish. 
·        Add about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Again, I omitted the olive oil and added a spritz or two of PAM olive oil.
·        Mix well, but gently.  Transfer to a plastic container with a lid and put in the fridge. 
·        Shake this dish in the plastic container before serving.  This dish tastes great right away and will taste even better the next day!

Portion size:
Two tablespoons is one serving.

How to store:
Always store in a closed plastic container in the fridge. 

Be’Tay a’Von!

* How to cut vegetables: Follow these links to learn how to cut vegetables:

Surviving the Chagim!
Well, they are finally here, almost here: the CHAGIM.  Big as life and lasting F-O-R-E-V-E-R!  I do not have to tell you that this year, Rosh Ha’Shana is THREE DAYS LONG!
 
As far as I am concerned it is four days long: lasting from Erev Chag on Wednesday all the way through to Motzei Shabbat.  Then we have Yom Kippur on a Shabbat – which is psychologically insane for me – it’s something about fasting on Shabbat that does me in.  Then Succot – oh, I don’t even want to think about that.  So let’s just start with one chag at a time.

How can we survive Rosh Ha’Shana?  Eating tuna sandwiches and carrot sticks for four days comes to mind.  But let’s get real. We have six meals to survive.  You can plan to eat just a “little” of each of the goodies during each of those meals.  If that works for you – more power to you.  I prefer to work on the “one on-one off” method – that is I will eat one traditional meal and enjoy it (almost to the fullest) and then at the next meal I will eat better, more points-friendly choices and in the correct proportions. 

I have to say that in the past, during Rosh Ha’Shana in our house, honey was considered a beverage.  I kid you not.  So this year, alongside the traditional favorites: gefilte fish, honey with apple, challah with honey, honey with honey, heavy meats and kugels; I will also make skinless chicken and light salads. One good old fashioned-heavy meal then one lighter meal.  And somehow we will get through this chag – just in time for the next one!


Shana Tova and Chag Sameach!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Chicken in Parchment Paper and Good Snacking Choices

It’s been a crazy few weeks and I have not published a recipe in almost three weeks – shame on me!  

Here’s a great recipe that can be dressed up for a “special” Shabbat or Chag meal, plated and presented to each guest or served anytime you want to “do something different with your chicken"! The colors of the vegetables and the tenderness of the chicken make it a special treat!


Yochi's Chicken in Parchment Packages

Ingredients:

·                        Chicken quarter, skinless and halved. One quarter chicken per diner.
·                        Vegetables, thickly sliced:
o   Onions
o   Carrots
o   Peppers
o   Onions (red or white)
o   Zucchini
o   Mushrooms
·                        Spices:
o   Garlic (freshly chopped or minced)
o   Paprika
o   Freshly ground pepper
o   Freshly chopped parsley/dill and/or basil
·                        Parchment paper – one piece per portion
·                        PAM spray
·                        Optional: Balsamic vinegar or wine

What to do:
·     Remove the skin from the chicken quarter.  You can cut the leg from the thigh if you wish, to shorten the baking time (by a bit).  You can make this dish with chicken breasts or the top quarter of the chicken and get the same wonderful results.
Each parchment package will contain a quarter chicken and several slices of each vegetable.
·     Slice the vegetables into roughly the same size and shape.  I like thickly sliced vegetables, so that the cooked vegetables are still a bit crunchy and not too soft and wilted.
·     I do not recommend using eggplant, spinach, or even cauliflower; as I believe these vegetables can be too bitter for this delicately spiced dish.
·     Take out enough parchment paper sheets to match the number of diners.
·     Prepare a baking tray that is long and wide enough to comfortably fit the number of parchment paper packages you will make.  If your tray is not big enough, cook these portions in two or more batches. 
Cover the baking tray, so it does not get dirty and also to make your clean-up quick and easy.  I always cover my baking tray witha layer of tin foil and then on top of that I place parchment paper.  This double-protects the trays and I can re-use the tin foil to cover my dish later on.
·     On a clean surface, set up all your ingredients: parchment paper, chicken, vegetables and spices.
·     Place a quarter chicken in the middle of the parchment paper, pile an equal amount of vegetables on each piece of chicken. These piles should not be too high or it may tear the paper or not allow the chicken to cook properly.

·     Sprinkle with spices, PAM and Balsamic vinegar or wine (optional).
·     Fold the paper over the chicken and vegetables:
o   First fold the left and right-hand sides.
o   Then fold the bottom half up and then the top half down over the bottom half. 
I used to tie string around the packages – but there is no need to!  If you close the packages and place then correctly, they will bake just fine without the string. 
·     Simply and carefully place the chicken packages on the prepared baking tray with the FOLD SIDE DOWN.

·     Bake in a preheated oven to 180°C for about 45-55 minutes.  Baking time may vary according to oven 
·     How do you check if the chicken packages are done? You can carefully open a package and then insert a fork into the chicken at its thickest point.  If the juices that flow from the chicken are CLEAR, then the chicken is done.  If they are pink, the chicken still needs to be cooked a bit longer. 
I have a very hot oven, so many times I will cook chicken or meat for a bit less time than is called for and I then let the chicken or meat sit in the closed oven for another half an hour or so.  The converse is also true, if I am afraid of burning or drying something out – I will take it out of the oven immediately – since it will continue to cook in the oven even when it is turned off.
Portion size:
One wrapped chicken quarter and vegetables is one portion size.

How to store:
In the fridge, like any other perishable.

Be’Tay a’Von!

 

Good Snacking Choices
You know that we always talk about good and bad choices.  In life, as in eating, there are good and bad choices.  Sometimes there are only bad choices and really bad choices.  Sometimes the choices are obvious; sometimes there are only subtle differences between the choices.
Snacking
So let's talk about snacking.  You may note that I am not using the word “nosh”, which in my book is always ends badly.  Noshing has no good value.  Let's cut the word from our vocabulary and use the word “snack”. 
Let's think and calculate snacks as PART OF THE MEAL – yes, you heard it here first (!), treat snacking as part of your meal.  This part of the meal is eaten and enjoyed a few hours after the meal, but I really believe that by taking the negativity out of the concept and out of the word, we will do ourselves a world of good.
Good Snacks
Do I really have to list 'good' snacks?  Yes!
·        fruits
·        vegetables
·        a portion of high fiber cereal
·        a no-bread sandwich  (I’ll talk about that later in this article)
So choose your poison: sweet?  salty?  chewy?  crispy?
The key to success is to work within the confines of your craving.  Don't wait for your next meal, give yourself a small amount now, relax and go from there.
Several good tips:
Fruit and vegetables
Always keep on-hand snacks that are cut, peeled and ready-to-eat, like fruits and vegetables.
If fruits and vegetables are as easy and accessible as snacks (packaged and ready to eat) - you will eat them!  Do I have to tell you to NOT BUY any junk foods - I hope so - I hope we are way past this point.
Keep on hand foods you like.  Don't keep carrots and celery, if you detest them (I don’t know why you would, but that is for another time).
Chocolate and Energy Bars
I have mixed feelings about keeping “special treat” foods in the house, such as chocolate.  To paraphrase a line from that famous movie – “if you bring it home, you shall eat it”. 
Want to treat yourself, then work for it!  Walk down and up the stairs, walk to the store and then buy chocolate or ice cream.  Don't have a store close enough to walk to?  I guess then G-D did not want you to have the chocolate or ice cream in the first place!
Have an energy bar.  When I have an energy bar, I make eating this snack into a coffee break.  I’ll eat the energy bar with a coffee or with ice cold water or seltzer.  I sit down and enjoy it, somewhere other than my computer or work area!  I give myself 10-15 minutes to enjoy it.  I drink more water and then go about my business.  I make the snack WORTHWHILE.
Back to vegetables and fruits!
Cut and peel vegetables, such as carrots, celery, peppers and cucumbers, into easy-to-eat bites or long sticks.  Cut only enough for one day - these vegetables will not be as crisp and appealing the next day.
Cut fruits, such as apples, pears, melon, watermelon and peaches, into quarters or squares.  Grapes are great - perhaps a bit heavy on points - but lovely ice cold.
High Fiber Cereal
A small plastic cup (or two) of a good fiber cereal- is incredibly filling.  It is great for any time you have a hankering for “something”.  Usually this cereal is pareve as well, which is a plus!
Popcorn
Did someone mention popcorn?  If they didn't they should have.  Popcorn popped in an air popper is a GREAT snack. Personally, this is my favorite winter snack.   Did you say that without the oil it is tasteless?  Nonsense (and get used to it!)!  Just for the record: microwaved popcorn should be considered a sin against humanity!
Breadless Sandwiches
So breadless sandwiches?  They are a snap to make: prepare tuna or egg (whites-only is even better) salad with a bit of low calorie mayo and spices.  You can cut up pickles or just about any vegetable and mix into the salad.  Then fill lettuce or spinach leaves with the salad - roll up and eat - yum!!! 
By the way, filled spinach leaves, along with a good salad and a bit of brown rice is an excellent meal all by itself!
So snack - think of it as the desert part of your meal - eaten a bit late.  Already had desert?  Don't confuse the issue!  Enjoy and get over it! There is going to be another meal in a few hours!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Great Apple Cake and Stomach Muscles and Where are they exactly?

This is a simple, but delicious apple cake that can be made with grated apple or with chopped pieces of apple.  The aroma of cinnamon is just intoxicating and is a luscious, pre-shabbas aroma I CANNOT resist!

 

Ingredients:
·        1 cup whole wheat flour
·        1 teaspoon baking soda
·        1 teaspoon baking powder
·        1 teaspoon salt
·        1 1/2 cups sugar substitute
·        3-4 teaspoons of cinnamon
·        200 grams applesauce
·        1 1/2 cups water
·        4-5 apples – either grated or chopped into pieces
·        3-4 teaspoons of vanilla extract
·        1 whole egg
·        4 egg whites
·        PAM spray

What to do:
·        Sift the flour and then add all the dry ingredients.
·        I love cinnamon, so I add A LOT!  You can add as much or as little as you like.
·        Add the applesauce.  I have found applesauce in small 113 gram plastic containers, sold in packs of four.  These lovelies give you a bit more applesauce than called for in this recipe, but it is worth it.  Also, I only open up the amount I need.  I used to buy a large glass jar of applesauce, thinking it was a better-value for the money, but once it was opened, I needed to use it in a very timely fashion or it went bad.  With these little “cups”, I use what I need and store the rest – unopened – in the pantry.
·        Add water and vanilla.
·        Apples: You can prepare the apples either grated or peeled and chopped into pieces.  These days, I enjoy tasting actual pieces of the apple, instead of just a hint of the apple taste grated in the mixture.  The choice is yours and as always, I recommend you try both methods and go for what makes you happy.
·        Make sure all ingredients are mixed very well before you add the egg.  The whole wheat flour tends to easily stick to the bottom of the bowl.
·        Next add the whole egg.
·        In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until they are stiff (usually you will quadruple the original volume of the egg whites) and then gently fold them into the mix.  I add a bit of the sugar into the eggs as they whip.  This step is key to creating a light textured cake.
·        Spray a round Bundt cake pan with PAM.
·        Pour the mixture into the cake pan.  The cake should fill the pan until almost the very top.
·        Bake in a preheated oven to 180°C for about 40 minutes.  Baking time may vary according to oven, baking pan thickness and season, so check the cake after about 30 minutes of baking.  The top should be golden brown.  Cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
·        I do not invert the cake and remove it from the pan, but rather cut slices as needed.

Portion size:
I cut 8-10 slices from my Bundt pan for a very points-friendly dessert.

How to store:
Always store these cakes in the fridge. 

Be’Tay a’Von!

Stomach Muscles and Where are they exactly?

 

Yup, it was inevitable that I would bring up stomach muscles.  Or perhaps I should say, it was inevitable that I would ask: Where are they exactly?  So let’s talk plainly.  They are there – somewhere.  You may not have been on “speaking terms” with those darlings for a while, but I promise they have not moved and left no forwarding address.  They are simply waiting for you to find them – again.

 

I hate to use the term “core muscles” or “core” when discussing your stomach muscles.  I recently watched an exercise video where the instructor used the word “core” some fifty-five times during the twenty minute video and after hearing her use the word about ten times in the first five minutes, I already wanted to strangle her. 

 

So here I am going to say simply: lay flat (and comfortably) on your back on a mat and breathe in and out deeply.  Inhale deepy through your nose. Each time you exhale (through your mouth), try to push out as much air from your lungs as possible (obviously, you should try to fill your lungs to capacity on the inhale).  As you breathe deeply in and out, lay your hands on your abdomen and feel your muscles.  Get a feeling for where they are located.  No, I am not kidding.  Just work with me here, ok?

 

Now, how can you work these muscles without working them or doing any kind of archaeological expeditions to find them?  Simple, sort of: Every time you need to sit down in a chair, get up from a chair, walk up a flight of stairs or walk down a flight of stairs – do not hold on to the banister or arm of the chair.  As you do these activities, concentrate on what parts of your abdomen/lower part of your body is moving during these movements. 

 

I have noticed that the less I depended, leaned and supported myself on a banister or arm of a chair, the more I felt in control of the up/down movement and I got a better sense of where my muscles were.  This is not a quick process, these actions are not meant to take the place of true abdominal exercises.  They are simply meant as a method of (1) understanding how you move and (2) where the muscles are so you can begin to move them.

 

The next baby step in this process is to begin to get into the habit of pulling in your stomach muscles for a count of three, then five, then ten, while you doing any simple activity: sitting in front of the computer, waiting for the red light to change, waiting in line at the supermarket, doctor’s office and the like.  Breathe regularly while you hold in your muscles.  There is no gain in holding your breath while you do this exercise.  I recommend not looking at your stomach/muscles while you do it – look ahead, with your back held straight and not rigid and your head well aligned with your back. 

 

Don’t think of it as exercise, think of it as something to do while you wait for your water to boil, the sales rep to answer the phone, the checkout girl to ring up your groceries, heck, while you decide what to order at a restaurant.


Get this exercise into your routine and repeat it 10, 15 times throughout your day and you will see a difference!