Quick & Kosher

For a crunchy, nutty, slightly sweet simanim side dish try my Wild Rice with Carrots and Beets recipe.  Beets are a siman for “removing our enemies” and carrots for “increasing our merits.” I added rice and raisins just ‘cause I like ’em and pecans for crunch.  Some people have the custom not to eat any nuts on Rosh Hashanah and even through Simchat Torah.  We personally refrain only from walnuts so in our kitchen pecans are fair game!  Thankfully! But obviously follow your custom and keep or remove the pecans from the recipe as you see fit.  Rabbi Lawrence explains the nut custom here.

What’s your favorite Rosh Hashanah siman and why?  It could be your fave because of its taste, or because you gravitate to its symbolic meaning.

More wild rice recipes:

Three Onion Wild Rice

Barley and Wild Rice Pilaf with Pomegranate

Long Grain and Wild Rice Salad

Wild Rice Pancakes

Let’s not go completely nuts with sweeter-than-sweet foods on Rosh Hashanah. While we customarily don’t eat foods that are downright tart or bitter at this time of the year, I still feel the need to break the sweet symphony.  Leeks and spinach will do just that. Eating the siman of leeks symbolizes our heartfelt prayer that the Almighty will decimate our nation’s enemies (and I can think of a few.)  So here’s to my Spicy Sautéed Leeks and Spinach side dish.

The downside of both these veggies is the bugs. Bugs aren’t kosher. So you have to be very careful when it comes to checking them properly for infestation. (The OU published a guide entitled, “The OU Guide to Checking Fruits, Vegetables and Berries.” The book may be obtained on the OU Press website, www.ou.org/oupress/category/1676, or by contacting the OU Kosher Consumer Hotline at 212- 613-8241.)  Also, as fabulous as leeks are, they’re pretty gritty when you bring them home from the store. Give ’em, a good soak and rinse.

I’m lucky because my local kosher supermarket carries bags of insect-free baby spinach. If you don’t have that option and you lack the zitsfleish (as my grandmother would say, meaning patience) to check your baby spinach leaves, I have a twist on this recipe for you. Follow the instructions, sautéing and softening the leeks for about 25 minutes in olive oil.  Then add garlic and red pepper flakes.  Add wine and a bag of defrosted checked spinach (I use the Bodek brand – just make sure it’s been completely thawed and squeezed dry) and mix until just combined.  Place this filling in a prepared sheet of defrosted puff pastry dough and roll it up like a deli- or jelly-roll. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds, then bake it uncovered at 350° for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until slightly browned and flaking. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

A few more spinach and/or leek recipes for you.

Spinach Mushroom Kugel

Wilted Spinach with Crispy Garlic

Pareve Potato Leek Quiche

Leek & Mushroom Chicken with Spaghetti Squash

Dates are super-duper uber sweet. Kinda over the top.  So when we walk through our simanim seder on Rosh Hashanah, everyone in my family takes about as much date as they do fish head. Nobody can manage more than a nibble, except for my Momma.

But let’s not sell dates short. They’re one of the Seven Species of Israel and a powerful siman. Besides, they’re good for you, with lots of potassium and, um, iron, and stuff. If you know how to use dates, they can be delish on chicken too. Take a look at this special Rosh Hashanah Date Glazed Roast Chicken I developed and tested for you today.

So what you want to do here is soak about 10-12 dates in enough warm water to cover them completely for about 20 minutes.  Then you can easily peel off the skins.  While you’re doing that, don’t forget to get rid of those pits too.  Next,  in a food processor or blender combine your peeled and pitted dates with orange juice, fresh garlic, fresh or dried thyme (remember dried is more potent, so use no more than 2 or 2½  teaspoons max of the dried stuff) olive oil, red wine vinegar, cinnamon and cumin until smooth.

Then toss your chicken pieces in the glaze and bake until golden brown.I like to flip these pieces halfway through so they’ll cook and brown more evenly.  Then broil them on “high” for just a few minutes at the end – the broiling will give you that perfect crisp skin.

Great taste and great presentation. And you got everybody to eat dates. How good is that?

What’s your favorite Rosh Hashanah sweet chicken recipe?

Here are a few more of my favorite chicken recipes that would be perfect on Rosh Hashanah:

Honey Chicken

Roast Chicken with Chestnuts and Orange Yam Mash

Speedy Coq Au Vin

Apricot Chicken

Cranberry Chicken

Honey is the obvious go-to Rosh Hashanah condiment.  Who am I to buck tradition?  I work honey into my dressings, chicken glazes and desserts.  It goes on our challah, our apples and now… our brisket.

Worried about overkill? Listen, using honey in all these ways is fine if you use it in the right amounts and combine it with other ingredients to counter-balance it’s sweetness. Trust me, nobody will think you’re a one-flavor cook.

This Garlic Honey Brisket pops with the flavors of honey, mustard, GARLIC (double that garlic, if you’re like me), some citrus notes (from orange and lemon juices), a touch of thyme, plus a tiny bit more heat from red chili flakes.

That’s one thing you can say about brisket – almost any flavor combo works, and I’ve heard some of the craziest. (You should see the peanut butter & jelly version. No – maybe you shouldn’t.)  The trick is cooking it just right.  That begins with a good sear on both sides and then making sure it’s in the oven long enough. That’s what makes it soft and tender.  Ideally (like when you’ve got loads of time), you want to place it in the fridge overnight before slicing, rewarming and serving.  That’s the best way to get a tender brisket to slice nice and neatly.

Oh, for the love of brisket – do share your secrets, techniques and flavor combos: the floor is yours.

For more brisket recipe ideas click here.

It’s tough being creative year after year with holiday cooking. Every year I try to draw inspiration from the season and the holiday customs. And just when I come up with a fresh new idea, I realize I already did that, 5 years ago.

My personal custom on Rosh Hashanah is to make a simanim-inspired menu. The goal is to get the whole mind-body-soul-food connection thing to click in my stomach and then in my brain.  Sure, there are loads of simanim to work with – but the challenge is to use them in unexpected ways.  (And don’t tell me to do apple pie and a honey cake. I’ve gotta do those anyway, or hubby will pout.) I know y’all want a little something special.  Is that true?  Tell me now – so I can stop torturing myself if I don’t need to.

Anyhoo, here goes my creative use of all those farm fresh apples this Rosh Hashanah: Apple and Parsnip Soup.

Don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. This one has no added sugar, with just a hint of sweetness from the apples. It’s similar in flavor and texture to a deliciously thick, savory, earthy, root vegetable soup.  You can use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth if you want to make it pareve; and you can thin it out to a consistency of your liking by adding more broth and blending it longer.  Finish it off with a drizzle of honey or olive oil and garnish with a few thin raw Granny Smith apple slices for a fresh, crisp, crunch.

What’s your creative idea for a simanim-inspired soup recipe?  Try to work with these popular simanim:  leeks, gourds, spinach, apples, honey, beets, dates, carrots, pomegranates. You get extra points if you use thepiece de resistance — a fish or lamb’s head!

Some things in life just inspire me – like fish. No really.  There are so many species of fish with different flavors, textures and colors: I look at ’em the way an artist views the paints on his palette. That piece of fish lying there is a raw material (literally!) just waiting to be turned into something fantastique.

So Rosh Hashanah is coming up and I start getting serious about the stuff in my life that matters: my family, my friends, my aspirations – my holiday menu. Okay, so maybe your Yuntif menu is not at the top of your prayer list. It’s not at the top of mine either, but it’s there alright.  I think of the food that I serve as a way of honoring these special days, and of giving my family and guests the good-in-your-gut feeling that helps them appreciate all the fab things G-d has given them.

And I come up with…Gefilte Fish for my first course

Screech! That’s the sound of the breaks on my menu motor.

So it’s not going to win prizes for novelty. But honestly, I have to work with a husband who can’t stand fish except for canned tuna and jarred gefilte: the “hotdog” of the fish world.   He’ll tolerate frozen gefilte loaves if I do something remarkable with ’em.

Hey, who am I to judge?As pristine and posh as I like to think my palate is, my all-time fave food is mac and cheese out of a box. So hubby has his culinary crutches, I have mine.  This is the time of year to forgive.

This RH we’ll compromise with Gefite Fish Cakes that can be made with either a completely defrosted 20-22oz. frozen loaf or a 24 oz. jar of gefilte (sans jelly– which of course I love and he hates), broken up with a fork.

Join me on this one, folks, because you’re gonna love this recipe, along with your not-so-crazy-about-fish loved ones. It’s a special Quick & Kosher Rosh Hashanah rendition of the classic gefilte fish,mixing in diced red onion, red pepper, celery, s&p, some mayo (for both flavor and binding) along with an egg (for more of a binder) and crushed matzah (not matzah meal). Fry these babies up and serve ‘em with a lemony mayo horseradish sauce and the new year starts to look a whole lot brighter.

I think next year I’ll try gefilte in a puff pastry (one of hubby’s other fave foods) so he can fall in love with me all over again.

**Giveaway**

Win a Rosh Hashanah gift basket valueda t $65 from Kosher Care Packages. Just answer this question in the comments below,

What do you cook for someone you love that goes against your better instincts and creative kitchen ideals – but you do it ’cuz you know they love it?

One winner will be chosen by online randomizer from qualified entries only. Must be US resident of at least 18 years of age. Contest ends Thursday September 22snd 2011 at 9 am EST.

K is for Kugels. Kugels, kugels, kugels.

And we would not be a kosher site worth our weight in kosher salt if we didn’t try to bring you the absolute most comprehensive listing of kosher kugel recipes known to man, woman and child.

Broccoli Kugel

It all started a few months ago when I did a JoyofKosher.com search for kugels and wasn’t happy with the number of results. T (Tamar), H (Hadassah) and I looked at each other and were like “we must do our part to bring the beauty and range of kosher kugels the public.” Quite a noble undertaking if you ask me.

Roasted Garlic Kugel

Thus began our mission, helped along by you, our wonderful JoK-ers, who gleefully entered our kugel competition and helped build up our kosher kugel database to 62 recipes and growing. How very cool.

Spinach Noodle Kugel

I also felt it my duty to add some of the traditional kugel recipes to round out our repertoire. So I called my step-mother-in-law – the family appointed and anointed kugel queen – for some of her famous recipes.  Together she and I bring you some of the time-honored favorites from our family:

• Broccoli Kugel
• Spinach Mushroom Kugel
• Spinach Noodle Kugel
• Sweet Noodle Kugel
• Butternut Squash Kugel
• Salt and Pepper Noodle Kugel
• Salt and Pepper Kugel with Roasted Garlic
• Potato Kugel
• Cran Apple Crunch Kugel

Cran-Apple Crunch Kugel

But don’t you worry because T’s also got you covered with a bunch of healthy exotic nouveau fusion style “kugels” like Bite Size Zucchini Kugel, Spaghetti Squasheroles with Curry and Soba Noodle Kugel.

Thank you all for taking the kugel call as seriously as you did. Did you check out our two finalists’ recipes? The contest closed this morning, and I am so thrilled to announce that Bitzenkif’s Layered Mushroom Kugel is the winner after a final tally of votes!! Bitzenkif wins a $500 shopping spree at the Kosher.com Butcher Shop and both finalists will receive a 1-year subscription to the Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller magazine.

We have another cooking contest coming up! Chicken Recipe Contest.

Ok – so these are the 5-ingredient recipe rules: Salt, pepper, olive oil, canola oil, water and cooking spray don’t count. I expect you to have these essentials on hand. I won’t assume the same for toasted sesame oil (although you really should have this essential in your cupboard also, but I will forgive you if you don’t).

Western Breakfast Scramble

I toyed around with doing 5 ingredient recipes for the next book but then thought the wiser… it felt just a bit too limiting and too gimmicky. Do you agree?

Potato and Cheddar Frittata

But I decided I could flex my 5-ingredient creativity here on the blog and in the mag and maybe see if you guys have any great 5-ingredient recipes of your own to share. Do you? So, nu, do tell!

Short Rib Sliders

Here are my 5 ingredient BL&D (breakfast, lunch and dinner) ideas plus a soup for good measure (you know I LOVE soup).
• Western Breakfast Scramble
• Potato and Cheddar Frittata
• Chicken Ratatouille
• Short Rib Sliders
• Creamy Mushroom Soup

A 5-ingredient recipe is very doable and feels the opposite of overwhelming. And these days with the kiddies about to enter a 3 week break between camp and school, while I still have to work full time, I need some very non-overwhelming dinner ideas, things that are fun, things that the kids will eat, things that seem like a treat but really were a cinch to make — hence my 5-ingredient recipes.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

PS. Tonight I am making waffles for dinner – Sunday’s JoK recipe of the day Oatmeal Pecan Waffles (I was too rushed this past Sunday) with a side of eggs – sometimes we all need a special treat, even if camp hasn’t officially ended yet.

So I may have mentioned this 1 or 100 times but the kids have off for three weeks, THREE weeks, between camp and school. That’s a lot time to occupy, not easy when you are working full-time. So I have to think of fun things to do – and I am not at all creative on the fun front – that don’t require me taking extended periods of time off.

California Roll Salad

So one thing that came to mind… picnics. I can try to figure out a way to take long lunches once or twice a week and we can either picnic in the backyard or at the park down the street.

Now, so proud am I for this creative-for-Jamie idea, I start to plan the menu. And then in typical Jamie fashion I get carried away and plan a few Quick & Kosher 15-minute prep recipes that are perfect meals on the go. Great for days at the water park, travel or backyard picnics.

Turkey Sandwich

I tried to think of things that travel well and that can be dressed up for the adult diners but adored by the younger diners in the crowd. So enjoy for when you’re on the road, on the go, or really just interested in a fun and fancy lunch anytime.

Tropical Chicken Burrito

Here are my newest picnic creations:

• “California Roll” Salad
• Turkey Sandwich with Pickled Red Onions
• Tropical Chicken Burritos
• Roasted Pepper Panzanella

I am sure you will also enjoy:

Creamy Avocado and White Bean Wrap
Tuna Apple Tortilla Wraps
Roast Beef Sandwiches with White Bean Salad
Panzanella – Peasant Style Tuscan Bread Salad
Summer Corn Salad

What’s your favorite picnic meal?

Introducing the first video of our new series: Quick and Kosher “in the Raw”. In this new series you will learn how to make Jamie’s challah dough, how to braid it, how to form a crown challah, how to make onion pockets and garlic knots, cinnamon buns…. The list goes on! Look out for a new video every Monday!

Pull up a chair – and watch how easy it is to make challah – you’ll be a pro at it in no time!

Jamie’s Challah recipe can be found here. More information on separating the dough – “Hafrashat Challah” can be found here.

I love soup.

I really love soup.

Really, really, really.

There I said it. And am not at all embarrassed by the fact that hot soup on a hot day is appetizing to me. My grandfather (may he rest in peace) ate it to cool off on a hot day, smack in the middle of the day. Chicken soup, in 95 degree weather, on a Tuesday afternoon…yes! So he ate it, we ate it and we loved it.

But alas I know I am not with the masses on this one.

So summer soups are supposed to be cool and lighter yet filling at the same time (gosh talk about pressure).

I didn’t want to do the traditional tomato gazpacho or the played out fruit soups that everyone has a million and one recipes for. So I was inspired by an old issue of English Chef Jamie Oliver’s mag (great name, great chef, great personality). All the prices are in pounds, all the measurements in metrics and there are a ton of features on shellfish and some form of pig in every other recipe it seems… but the picture of his chilled pea and mint soup just spoke to me so I went for it.

Cucumber Gazpacho

And then I went on this green kick. So I bring to you Jamie Geller’s (nothing like talkin’ about yourself in the 3rd person, but I feel the need to clarify this ain’t Jamie Oliver’s recipe) savory, summer, quick, kosher and cool Cucumber Gazpacho and Chilled Pea and Mint Soup.

***GIVEAWAY!!***Do you want a chance to win 2 lbs of KOL foods Bratwurst? (For more information click here). All you need to do is to answer this question “What’s your fave summer soup? It’s ok if it’s fruit soup. I do wanna know!” in the comments below for a chance to qualify. Contest ends August 31 2011 at 9 am EST. Contest open to East Coast US Residents only, over 18 years of age. Winner will be picked by online randomizer from qualified entries.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.

Nothing juicy about this confession.

Just an honest answer to a common question.

People come up to me and say, “Seen your posts, your books, your videos…” Then with a little wink, “…So what do you actually cook most of the time?”

So I’ll fess up. I go through stages and have my faves, stuff that I love to cook, stuff that I have ready Shabbos after Shabbos, no matter who comes a knockin’ on my door. I don’t care if our guest is the six-year-old from down the block or the Prime Minister of Israel – here’s what they’ll get at my house these days (in no particular order).

Sesame Cucumber Salad – I originally developed this as a side to the Teriyaki Beef Banh Mi. It’s simple, light, elegant. And now starring on my Shabbos table, solo. I play it up too, showcasing it in a pretty crystal serving dish. The cucumber ribbons garnished with black sesame seeds look divine.

California Avocado Salad – a real staple for eons! The avocado adds both a creaminess and gorgeous green pop of color. But a few Shabbosim ago Hubby searched high and low for me, going to store after store and guess what? Nary a ripe avocado in sight! So I stole a trick out of my neighbor Adina’s bag– in place of avocados she adds shelled edamame (from the freezer section – defrosted of course) for a punch of green color. But the real secret to this salad is the dressing. These “exotic” oils and vinegars are now staples in my pantry: toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar and ume plum vinegar (ume plum is a Japanese fruit). To know them is to love them.

Corn Flake Crusted Chicken – I came up with this for the kiddies, but it’s a total family and guest favorite – and perfect for Shabbos day. Okay, so in my second book, Quick & Kosher Meals in Minutes I say to bake ‘em, but lately I prefer them fried. And yes, I actually crush real corn flakes instead of using the ready-made corn flake crumbs from a canister. A nine-year-old Shabbos guest squealed with delight when she tasted this dish, “Oooh, Mommy, there’s cereal on this chicken – YAY!” Every grown-up at the table was thinking the same thing. Takes a kid to say it.

Mini Blueberry Lemon Tarts – no oven! And so cute – light, refreshing, slightly (and I mean slightly, not over the top sugary) sweet. Everyone asks for this recipe, and then they can’t believe how simple it is. Thank you, G-d, for creating mini tart shells!

Family Heirloom Chulent – Hubby’s specialty and it even made the New York Times. (Yet they gave me credit for the recipe!) We make this every Shabbos, even in the summer. It ain’t Shabbos without it.

Salmon Croquettes with Tropical Fruit Salsa – originally developed for Pesach, this is my year round staple now. The salmon croquettes are actually best served fresh, straight from the fry pan. So I prep them beforehand, keep them in the fridge as raw patties, and then fry them up just before Shabbos for the evening meal. I much prefer them on a yuntif, though, so I can serve them from the pan to the platter. For Shabbos day though I have taken to serving the tropical fruit salsa with my chilled salmon recipe from my first book Quick & Kosher Recipes From The Bride Who Knew Nothing. Chilled salmon fillets are the perfect swap out for Shabbos day meals or for when I’m feeling especially lazy and not in patty mode. My oldest daughter (who is only 6, mind you) was shocked, shocked by this substitution! “Mommy! How can you serve the tropical fruit salsa with chilled salmon? It’s supposed to go with the croquettes!” Never thought I’d have to answer to a kid food critic right in my own kitchen, but there it was.

Green Bean and 3-Onion Sauté– I love this hot or cold. The green beans have the perfect crunch, the onions and garlic are caramelized and sweet. Personally, I prefer to I omit the red pepper flakes and just go with a finish of kosher salt. Perfection on a platter

Sun-dried Tomato Caesar – I whip up a quadruple batch of my dressing and chop an entire jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil so that I have this salad ready to go at a moment’s notice, weekday and Shabbos.

Challah Dough Cinnamon Buns have also been creeping in a bit too much for my waistline, but not too much for my taste buds.

Not a Shabbos passes without fresh challah loaded with everything topping. I even sometimes serve extra “everything topping” for dipping! And here’s a hot tip: try zaatar, kosher salt and olive oil as a dipping treat for your challah.

So these are my recent Shabbos faves — what are yours?

People have actually said to me that they envy how organized and clean my kitchen looks. And they figure that I’m naturally neat and proper, always putting everything in its place.

It’s an illusion, people. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a camera trick – my kitchen really does look that way, most of the time – I have decided to come clean. This will make us both feel a whole lot better.

Let’s go back to my first apartment in Far Rockaway. When I would do a lot of Shabbos entertaining and the dishwasher would be packed to the brim, I would shove all my dirty dishes into the oven. Hey, it got them out of sight, and I could still use the countertops and sink. Deep down, I was probably hoping for some kind of miracle: when we would open that oven door after Shabbos, the dishes would be sparkling clean! (It never happened. I learned that an oven will never, ever transform into a dishwasher.) Anyway, as you’ve probably guessed by now, there was many a Sunday when I would turn on the oven to preheat it and – what’s that funny smell? Ah, the aroma of dirty dishes at 375°!

Well, now I’m all grown up and moved into a house with such a fancy shmancy kitchen that I have a nice-sized dishwasher, extra deep sinks and a section of my countertop where I can stack things and still have the workspace I need throughout Shabbos. No need to use the oven for storage. So in the last 4+ years we have lived in this house, I haven’t indulged in the Sunday morning dirty dish cook-off.

Until now.

Last Shabbos I hosted Yaffa, a person I love and to whom I will be forever indebted (‘cuz she introduced me to Hubby). She came to spend the entire Shabbos with us, along with her hubby and five of her (seven) kids. I really wanted to do it up right and make some special things. Maybe I went a bit overboard and maybe I procrastinated a little — okay a lot – so I was working up to the very last minute.

There I was, just minutes before candle-lighting, with a ton of pots and pans and dirty spatulas and mixing spoons. I don’t want to load up my dishwasher, because I’ll need that for all the dirty Shabbos dishes. Panic sets in. I must get those pots out of sight! Then I remember and thank G-d for the OVEN trick. I hurriedly load all the stuff in the oven, close the door, and voila — a clean kitchen! Just how I like it; no mess, no stress.

So went on with my life.

Two days later I have a house full of people: we are shooting new episodes of my cooking show and I am preheating my oven for the first episode.

I start to look for my spatula for the first dish. I cannot find a single spatula (Hello — I have 3!), and I’m missing other key utensils. Then people start sniffing. Uh, Jamie, what’s that funny smell?

Déjà vu! After 4 years, the meaning of that strange odor comes back to me and I race to the oven. Folks, let me tell you that burning plastic has a tang all its own. I found my spatula — split in half and melting onto the cookie sheet and dripping down my sauté pan and onto my oven grates. I cheerfully announced that ruining a half dozen cooking utensils in one fell swoop is a great reason to stock up on the newest stuff.

And that is how I came to be in the market for new spatulas, and plan to buy myself a whole lot of great new gadgets I may never use. Listen, one cannot question the deep workings of fate. I think I was due for a kitchen upgrade anyway.

***Giveaway***

Enter for a chance to win 1 box of each of 5 flavors of Power of Fruit bars.  All you have to do is tell me in the comments what kitchen gadget I should splurge on while shopping for new spatulas. For more info on this product and contest rules click here.

You must be a US resident aged 18 or over.  Contest Ends Wednesday August 10th 2011 at 9 am EST.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED – WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

It all started about 7 ½ years ago when I met Hubby. As a bachelorette on a perpetual diet, my go-to foods were salad, fruit and yogurt. Bachelor food looks more like a slice (or 2 or 3) of pizza daily — could be for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or all three.

Onion Lovers Pizza

So as a cultured pizza connoisseur, my Hubby-to-be introduced me to pizza shops all over New York: the good, the great, and the fabulous, along with running commentary on the specialties of each. I discovered that a NY pizza shop is so much more than just plain pies. It was almost surrealistic to experience, for the first time in my life, fries and onion rings, fried eggplant, and even salad on a pizza. I pretended especially to go for the salad pizza, but — confession time – I loved loved loved those onions ring pizzas and all the rest!

Mediterranean Hummus Pizza

Plain pizza is so yesterday, I concluded. And since that time, I’ve got to have my slice dressed up, piled with everything, as though it’s going to the pizza party of the year.

Of course, now I make my own. There’s no point to standing in line at the pizza place, when it’s so easy to do it yourself. So, in honor of summer I have developed some amazing pizzas for you that are healthy, quick and oh-so yummy. Some are even fleish! Now you ain’t gonna find those at your local pizzeria, no matter how creative they get.

Plum and Goat Cheese Flatbread

First up, Onion Lovers Pizza – eat this with those you love and serve Listerine for dessert. This one takes the prize for color: the red onions give it a real splash, and combined with shallots, Vidalias and chopped chives, it’s a sure winner.

Individual Moroccan Pizza

Individual Moroccan Meat Pizzas are courtesy of my friend Anita. I love her for lots of good reasons, but I confess that this recipe is one of them. They’re sweet and savory all in one bite.

Here’s a little shocker: Mediterranean Hummus Pizza ! Now, now, don’t make a face; it’s truly a work of art. Combine those peppers, olives, feta, hummus and spices and you’ll feel as though you’re sitting on a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean, a glass of vino in your hand….

It’s hard to outdo the local pizza shops that may have won a few awards for creative combos, but I’ve never seen them put potatoes (that’s not fried) or avocado on a pie – so I thought I should be the first! As you may well know, as I tend to repeat myself like a very very (did I say very?) broken record, but I believe that avocado is one of G-d’s gifts to this world. My goal, before 120, is to try it on everything. Hey, I just saw Martha (as in Stewart) put zucchini ribbons on a Bundt cake, so why not throw avocado on a pizza? Heavenly!

Try this super summer concoction next: Peach and Arugula Pizza. It’s not too sweet — as the arugula has a bit of a bite – but it’s summer perfection in a pie, if I do say so myself.

English Muffin Margherita Pizza

And then for the Quick & Kosher kings and queens out there — my lazy Margherita English Muffins – so simple even the kids can do it. Just split store-bought muffins, sauce ‘em and cheese ‘em and bake ‘em. See – easy as pie! (Sorry ‘bout that, couldn’t resist.)

So while we’re having this easy, peasy pizza party — I have two quick flatbread recipes for you to try too: Plum and Goat Cheese Flatbread which is made on a French baguette. Voila, it’s an entire meal!

Pesto Chicken Flatbread Pizza

And then it’s back to Italy, with my non-dairy Pesto Chicken Flatbread Pizza made on a ciabatta roll (delish in an open-faced pizza sandwich.)

All of these pizzas are ready for your tummy (and other waiting tummies) in 30 minutes or less.

What’s your favorite pizza topping?

Try out some of our other pizza recipes:

• Butternut Squash and Arugula Pizza
• Mexican Pizza
• Polenta Pizza
• Margherita Pizza with Pesto Pasta Salad
• Garlic Mashed Idaho Pizza
• Four Cheese Flatbread with Basil
• Pear and Blue Cheese Flatbread

Do I have a perfect summer salad recipe for you!

Actually, there are two – so take your pick!

With all the salads I’ve created in my career, somehow I never did a wedge salad. Creamy Wedge Salad with Homemade Croutons is posh, fab and so simple, it’s a crime not to try it. The cool thing here is that it’s literally just a wedge; no crazy salad chopping for hours to create this wow dish. That gives you time for the croutons and dressing. I really love homemade croutons, and making these at home saves you a little “bread” (as in cash). Instead of going with a bottled dressing, try this fresh-baked garlic dressing. Yes, I said baked. Believe me, your mouth will water while the garlic is in the oven.

Summer Corn Salad

And just because I Iove corn, here’s my take on Summer Corn Salad. I never get tired of corn, year round, but summer seems the best time for this sunny veggie. Here I go again — adding G-d’s gift of avocado to a dish, but this time it’s got a new flavor profile once you toss in chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) and cilantro.

These salads are perf on their own for a light lunch or a great accompaniment to your backyard barbecue.

What’s your favorite salad ingredient? Let me know in the comments below!

Here are some other simple summer salads:

• Beetroot and Cranberry Salad with Goat Cheese
• Vegetarian Cobb Salad
• Watermelon Summer Salad
• Fig and Blue Cheese Salad with Balsamic Reduction
• Layered Mexican Salad
• Greek Chopped Macaroni Salad
• Potato Salad with Arugula and Tomato
• Grilled Summer Corn Salad