Gefen Slideshow

It’s time to celebrate that special woman in your life. You know — the one who gave birth to you, knew just how to apply Band-aids and get-well kisses; put up with your teenage pouting and didn’t even snicker when you wobbled around in your first high heels.

So if you want to give her a day to remember, make a super buffet brunch in her honor! Make it big and festive, boisterous and fun, full of people celebrating your wonderful mom.

May 8th is coming up fast, so you need prepare now. Send out the invites or make those phone calls today, while you’re thinking of it. Next, it’s time to plan your menu. (That’s where I come in.)

And since spring is full bloom, let the beautiful colors and fragrances of fresh flowers abound at your table too. Let’s give Mom a dazzling and delicious day that says “We love you!”Baby Spinach and Portobello Mushroom Salad

Fabulous Fish Buffet
• Leek and Baby Spinach Soup
• Wonton Chips with Edamame Dip
• Cold Smoked Fish Salad
• Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Bruschetta
• Baby Spinach and Portobello Mushroom Salad
• California Avocado Salad
• Long Grain and Wild Rice Salad
• Avocado and Seared Tuna Steak Salad
• Fish Fusilli
• Spinach and Feta Fish Bites

Asian Carrot with Ginger Carrot Dressing

Vegetarian Buffet
• Mango Strawberry Soup
• Papaya Guacamole
• Eggplant and Tomato Crostini
• Potato and Goat Cheese Triangles
• Roasted Asparagus Salad with Citrus Dressing
• Asian Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
• Winter Citrus Salad
• Party Pinwheel Finger Sandwiches
• Spring Pasta Primavera

Pavlovas with Lemon Curd Whipped Cream

Dessert Buffet
• Home-made Chocolate Fondue – with fresh fruit to dip,
• Low Fat Lemon Cheesecake
• Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
• Pavlovas with Lemon Curd Whipped Cream
• Molasses Spiced Bundt Cake

Molasses Spice Bundt Cake

Drink Station
• Limoncello
• Cherry Smash
• Wild Blueberry Daiquiri

Picture me and my mom baking brownies together in her cozy kitchen. I am about five years old, with long pigtails, smiling ecstatically as I smear frosting over the brownies, my clothes and my face. Mom is wearing her favorite baking apron – the one with the little pictures of mixing spoons and bowls — and beaming at her little pastry chef. She’s proud to pass on the secret family recipe for perfect brownies to a daughter who will treasure it.

Got that firmly in your mind? Good. It’s the only way you’ll see such a picture because it doesn’t exist and that sweet little scene never happened. That’s because my mother (who is a fantastic mom in just about every way) is kitchen-phobic to the point that she tried to build our house without That Room. She settled for placing it off to the side of the house by the garage so she would never have to walk through it. And she succeeded in passing on her aversion to all things culinary (except take-out food) to Yours Truly. Neither of us was likely to win a Domestic Diva of the Year award.

That was then. So life takes funny turns and I wind up not only learning to cook and bake to feed my family, I turn it into a full time occupation, well you know…

So while I can’t share my mother’s tips for the fluffiest soufflé or the softest brisket, I can share her undying encouragement for anything I decided to take on – basketball, my bachelor’s degree or baking. I am now married just over 7 years and she does not miss a beat when it comes to complimenting my new recipes, or even commenting on the perfect piece of fish or lightest slice of challah. I have to hand it to her. For a mother who never pictured her educated, mega-career oriented, 21st century daughter as a Yiddishe balabusta, it’s a wonder that she’s so enthusiastic about my choices and achievements. But she is – and she is truly proud. She tells everyone I am “the best cook,” and she says it with buoyancy that proclaims that I’ve reached the pinnacle of her aspirations for me.

My mother never gave me any priceless heirloom recipes. But she instilled confidence and gave me unconditional support and love and positive reinforcement at every turn. And that is more valuable than kitchen tips; I can learn those from anyone. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

GIVEAWAY!!!!! In honor of Mother’s Day we have an awesome giveaway for you! But you have to be quick – contest is over in 24 hours!! You can win a gift basket (for yourself or to send to your mom) of delicious gourmet goodies from Kosher Care Packages – including 1 lb. of custom ground French Roast coffee, 6 assorted Exceptional Brownies, over 1 lb. of dried fruits and nuts and 1/2 lb of milk chocolate pansies. This gift basket contains dairy and pareve items which are certified by one of the following: OU, OK, OU-D, Kof K-D. This gift basket is worth $80.00!

In order to enter leave your answer to the following question in the comments – What’s your fondest childhood reminiscence of your mother? Only one entry per person, ONE winner will be picked at random from qualifying comments. Contest is open to US residents only. Contest closes Wednesday May 4th 2011 at 9am. Good Luck!!
***GIVEAWAY EXTENDED 12 HOURS – CONTEST CLOSES Wednesday May 4th 2011 at 9 PM***

I usually tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and this time I did not disappoint. I stayed true to my promise and 99% of what I made for the 8-day kitchen yuntif known as Passover were not actually Pesach recipes. Of course they were K for P, but they didn’t require any major Passoverish ingredient tweaks. These recipes were developed with Pesach in mind and they were featured in the Pesach issue of my new magazine, Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller. But you can bet they’ll be staples in my year round repertoire ‘cuz they were super easy and got the most oohs and ahhs. Ok, real gourmet chefs don’t keep a tally of how many people flipped over this or that dish, but I really need to know. The winners on my menu get to come back and try for eternal stardom. This year, they are… drum roll, please…

• Salmon Croquettes with Tropical Fruit Salsa
You can make this even easier by skipping the fresh salmon and using good quality canned salmon.

• Zucchini and Red Bell Pepper Saute
Shamelessly simple and super beautiful, it is pleasing to the eye and to the palate. Audience applause told me that the zucchini actually tasted better when prepped this way.

• Pomegranate Braised Brisket
So tender and so sweet, this piece of meat just melts in your mouth, not in your hand!

If you didn’t get a chance to try these on Pesach, try them now and let me know if you will be working these into your everyday life. I really hope so. I love when we all agree on things.

We got through Passover and now if you are anything like me the fifth question you are posing is; how do I consume as much flour, yeast, wheat and grains in one normal meal?  Can I have a pizza topped with pasta or a slice of cake adorned with a big chocolate chip cookie?  The answer is yes, but I think we can devise a more palatable way to refuel and bounce back from the matzo coma we are all experiencing.

How does, crispy fried chicken with a golden crust and juicy tender meat sound?

Why not pair that with a fabulous (pareve) risotto featuring porcini mushrooms melding into the creamy Arborio rice.

And later on enjoy a juicy blueberry tart, with a home baked buttery crust and plump tart blueberries oozing with purple goodness.  The recipes represent some of my favorites from my first two cookbooks; Recipes Remembered: A Celebration of Survival (May 1,2011) and The Kosher Carnivore (St. Martin’s Press, fall 2011).  They are relatively easy to prepare and are sure to bring you back to carbohydrate nirvana.

Enjoy!

Sometimes I get bored with everything I eat. It’s like writer’s block. I’m at a loss to think of anything I want to make, serve or even taste for dinner.

Yes, yes, roast chicken is always delicious. Or a nice thick grilled steak in the summer, when the snow has finally melted off the outdoor barbecue. Or an experiment of sorts mixing fresh thyme and Harissa for a marinade for sautéed turkey cutlets. All delicious. Just not electrifying my taste buds at the moment.

That’s when I think: “Vegetarian!” “Salads!”

When the weather turns warm I turn to salads. Not little no-calorie lettuce-y salads though. I mean substantial, filling ones that even my meat-eating husband will be happy with. Like with whole grains.

My husband was resistant at first, but he’s a good sport and will at least try anything I cook. He’s now a fan.

My kids and their families are thrilled. This is the young generation’s way to eat now. Less meat, more whole grains and veggies.

One terrific thing about grains salads is that these days you can find an enormous variety of unprocessed whole grains locally in the supermarket or health food stores. Not just brown rice and couscous (which I realize is not actually a grain but pasta) but items like Farro, so fabulously chewy and toasty tasting, and Quinoa, the world-wonder of protein. And Bulgur Wheat, the old standby of the Middle East part. And Spelt. And Millet.

I could go on.

Suffice it to say that I cook all of them. You just follow the directions on the package. The rest, as the great sage Hillel said, “is commentary.”

That means you don’t need a lot of actual recipes to make grain salads. After cooking the grains you start by adding raw, cooked, canned or even thawed frozen veggies. I use whatever I have: tomatoes, peas, black beans, carrot, cucumber and so on.

After that it’s all about enhancements. If I want some crunch I mix in nuts or water chestnuts (or jicama, kohlrabi and so on) and I usually like to add one of the onions: scallions, red onion, Vidalias.

Depending on the other ingredients I occasionally include dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, chopped dates) to temper the grains with a little sweet sensation. Or I add deli stuff like olives, marinated artichoke hearts or sun dried tomatoes if I have them in the fridge.

Grain salads are perfect for using up what you have.

When we have grain salads as a whole meal, I often add cheese (feta, goat, blue) to give it a tangy taste and also some protein. Or hard cooked eggs.

From time to time I’ll include leftover meat. You don’t need much. Just what’s left of yesterday’s dinner.

Anything goes, really.

Whatever I decide to include, I mix it all up, drizzle homemade vinaigrette on top and call it dinner.

Most of the time I make a couple of salads that work together, flavorwise. But sometimes I serve a salad with eggs (like a cool frittata) or a vegetable dish or even cut up tomatoes or avocadoes.

The fact is, this is sort of a universal side dish or main course.

Not bad huh?

I should add that if you go to the bother of cooking whole grains for salad, make your own vinaigrette. It’s easy. Just mix olive oil or vegetable oil with a good, tangy wine vinegar or lemon juice. Add a small amount of orange juice if you like. Or orange peel, for that matter (I find that orange flavor is particularly good with dried fruit plus grains). I always have fresh herbs in my house and sprinkle one or more into the salad (each salad gets a different one) to give it all some variety. And sometimes I enhance the flavor with a little bit of mustard or Harissa. Like grain salad, vinaigrette is among the most flexible recipes ever. I could write an entire blog about it. But I’ll leave that for another day. Meantime, here are recipes for grain salads that we love at our house.

Wheatberry Salad with Black Beans, Bell Pepper and Avocado

Quinoa Salad with Kiwi and Mango

Farro Salad with Feta Cheese, Tomatoes, Olives and Dill

In this week’s parsha, we learn the famous adage, “Love your neighbor as yourself”.  For me, the way I show my love is through the food I cook.  So this week I will make a feast of love for my friends, but I will take a page from Jamie’s play book and only make recipes with a quick preparation time, after all I just spent a week “showing my love” for Pesach.  I deserve a break, too.   Have a relaxing, loving Shabbos.

Smoke Trout Crackers with Lemon Dill Mayonnaise

Grilled Chicken Tenders with Cilantro Pesto

Baby French String Beans with Slivered Almonds

Champagne Sweetened Lentils

One Bowl Amazing Chocolate Cake

Roberta Kalechofsky, Ph.D is a writer, speaker, and animal rights activist, focusing on the promotion of vegetarianism within the Jewish community.  She has written several books including The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook and The Vegetarian Shabbat Cookbook.  Roberta lives, writes, publishes, and cooks in Massachusetts.

1              How did you wander into vegetarian cooking?

How I became a vegetarian:  in 1985 or 86, Richard Schwartz sent me a copy of his book, “Judaism and Vegetarianism” for publication.  At the time I ate kosher meat, and was shocked at his description of factory farming and the idea that factory farmed meat was kosher.  I found this hard to believe, having been raised, like most Jews, to believe that kosher meat was merciful.  There’s nothing merciful about the factory farming method.  It’s brutal.  I called my butcher and read him two paragraphs from Schwartz’ book and asked him where our meat came from.  His answer changed my life. “Mrs. Kalechofsky,” he said, “all meat for the commercial meat market, kosher or not, comes from the same place.  We just killed the animal differently.”  I read the paragraphs to my husband and told him what our butcher had said and then told him, “We’re not going to eat meat anymore.”  He was a little surprised at first, but followed me into this adventure twenty-five years ago ahd has had no regrets.

2              All of your recipes are vegan (no dairy, no eggs, no meat)  What do you think is the biggest misconception about vegan food?

The biggest misconception about vegan food is that you can’t get enough protein.  There are many sources of protein—beans, nuts, quinoa, lentils, green vegetables—and all of them healthier sources than meat.

3              What do you say to those who believe you have to have fish and meat on Shabbat?

The idea that you have to have meat on Shabbat was over-ruled after the fall of the Temple, when the sacrificial system came to an end.  It was then accepted that wine—or any source of pleasure at the table–was acceptable.  The point of the Shabbat is that you should have “joy,”—that joy does not have to come from meat, and for vegetarians it  does not.

4              How do you make your holiday and Shabbat meals special without meat?

We make the Shabbat special without meat by cooking excellent food–like one of our cholents or vegetable pies or vegetable loafs—dishes I might not have the time to make on a weekday.  We do what most Jewish households do on the Shabbat—we light candles, we have challah, we have a very good meal which we eat leisurely.  A meal is made special not by meat, but by the Shabbat atmosphere.  During Biblical times Jews rarely at meat at any time.   Fish and beets were most often eaten on the Shabbat.

5              What advice would you give someone considering going vegetarian or vegan?

Someone who is considering going vegetarian or vegan should definitely read  two or three of the excellent cookbooks available on vegetarian/vegan cooking and discover how varied and pleasurable vegetarian food is.  Don’t start by making the most difficult dishes, and certainly consider the taste of the other members of your family. The vegetarian cuisine is like any cuisine you have to learn about. Choose two or three nights a week for a vegetarian meal (make the Shabbat one of them) Within a few months everything will be familiar to you, and you will be eating vegetarian food ’round the clock.   There are considerable taste adventures to be had in vegetarian cooking, herbs and spices that will titillate your palate.  Once you have become familiar with vegetarian cooking–from making interesting rice and kasha dishes–to half a dozen ways of cooking beets or broccoli or asparagus, then discover the health qualities and the overwhelming impact on global warming that reducing the consumption meat has—and notice that I put enjoyment before health and environment—I am a glutton for good food.

6              Who is your cooking inspiration?

There have been many vegetarian “cooking inspirations” in my life.  Early on, it was Molly Kazan, but her cookbooks are heavy on eggs and cream. When I consult them today, I “convert” them.   As I became vegan, Robbie Schiff, my co-author for “The Vegetarian Shabbat Cookbook” has been an inspiration because she is so knowledgeable about vegan food.  It’s also a pleasure to shop with her–again because she knows so much about spices, etc.   I also learned a great deal from Rosa Rasiel, my co-author of “The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook.”  She was not a vegetarian at the time- but the most  knowledgeable person I knew about cooking at that time and how to put a cookbook together.  Trained as an editor, she taught me how to write a cookbook.  (I am a ficton writer by experience.)

7              What has been your most memorable cooking experience?

My most memorable cooking experience was probably the five summer days I spent cooking dishes for “The Vegetarian Shabbat Cookbook” with Robbie.  It was a marathon.  The heat was about 95 degrees—and I do not have air conditioning.  We set up fans in my (small) kitchen, and cooked nine to five every day—and then went out for dinner.  Yes, it can be done.  Have everything on hand and think about the steps you will have to make.  Have your shopping list ready—last minute sprints to the market are fatiguing.

8              What is your favorite ingredient and why?

My favorite ingredient is tofu—really!  Unfortunately, most people don’t know what to do with it.  It is amazingly versatile.  You can make pies, loaves, burgers, eggless “tuna” and eggless “chopped eggs.”  Unless you’re allergic to tofu or soy beans–you can make almost anything from tofu.  After tofu, I like lentils—such an inexpensive and wonderful substitute for meat.

9              What is your earliest memory of cooking?

My earliest memory of “real” cooking was making a meal for company soon after I was married.  One of my dishes was stuffed baked potatoes.  For some reason the potatoes refused to bake well enough to scoop them out.   I finally cut them open, tried to cook them in a saucepan,  turning my kitchen into a haze of starch.  Finally I  mashed them half cooked,  with piles of butter and milk to soften them—and served them.  My guests looked puzzled.

10        What do you miss most since you went “meatless”?

I missed tuna and chopped eggs for years—they were always among my favorite dishes.  I think I  never really cared for meat–but ate it because everyone else did, and didn’t realize how much I disliked meat until I stopped eating it. Most of us are “socialized” into eating meat and I certainly was.

CONTEST ALERT: ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A COPY OF THE VEGETARIAN SHABBAT COOKBOOK AND BRING MORE VEGETABLES TO YOUR TABLE.  COMMENT BELOW ON HOW YOU HAVE TRIED TO INCLUDE MORE VEGETABLES IN YOUR LIFE. [Contest open to US Residents only. Two winners will be picked at random on Wednesday May 4, 2011 at 9am.]

Here are a few recipes to try your hand at vegan cooking:

Fettuccini with Mock Alfredo Sauce

Jim Feldman’s First Eggless Challah

Broccoli Kugel

Are you a Jamie Geller fan? Do you have her cookbooks?

In order to help you be more organized in your kitchen there is now a user-friendly Recipe Guide listing all the recipes in both Quick & Kosher cookbooks, organized by course, with all Passover recipes clearly indicated.

• Contains more than 350 recipes, from both cookbooks
• More than 140 Passover recipes, clearly marked
• Color coded for quick navigating – Meat, Dairy, Fish, Pareve indicated

Now, these great cookbooks just got even better!

Click here to get your free download of Quick and Kosher Recipe Guide today!!

Mint is so much more than just a garnish for desserts. In spring and summer, mint is my  herb of choice when I am looking for bright flavors.  Try mint with meat, fish and vegetable dishes.

Mint or Mentha is a genus of 25 species of plants with hundreds of varieties in each species.  Basil and thyme are well known members of the mint family with common culinary uses. What we traditionally call mint is a less well known herb but one of my favorites.

Mint is a hardy annual plant that is fast growing and can take over a garden if not kept in check. I grow several different types of mint in pots outdoors.

Mint’s Uses

The essential oil from mint is used commonly in everything from toothpaste and mouthwash to candies, liqueurs and some pharmaceuticals.

Mint is a well known digestive and is commonly made into tea to treat stomach aches and chest pain. Mint tea is also a strong diuretic. Mint is an environmentally-friendly insecticide. Plant some mint near doorways or keep some in a window box and the natural mint oil will drive ants and mosquitoes away.

Cooking with Mint

Mint is often seen as a garnish on dessert plates-though rarely have I ever seen anyone actually eat it! Outside the United States, mint is used in meat, fish and vegetable dishes. Commonly found in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, mint is essential for flavoring main dishes and desserts. The flavor of cooked mint is similar to thyme but slightly more aromatic. For me, mint is my go-to spring and summer herb of choice when I am looking for bright flavors.

Recipes:

Slow Roasted Salmon with Mint Pesto

Minted Brown Rice Pilaf

Mojito

Ready to get minty fresh? What are you favorite uses for mint? Please leave me a comment and let me know.

Maybe I’ve seen An Inconvenient Truth a few too many times, but over the past couple of years, I’ve tried more and more to go (and grow) local. I feel like I’m doing a little something to help the planet, it hasn’t hurt my wallet as much as I feared, and it just tastes better.

We’ve been frequenting the neighborhood Farmer’s Market for much of our produce and I’ve even gotten to know some of the people who grow some of the food we eat. I’ve found that our cherry tomatoes taste a lot more like cherries than the tasteless red circles that sit in cruel, soft plastic cages at the supermarket. Our fingerling potatoes and yams still smell of the earth and the yolks in our cage-free, farm-raised eggs are so bright you need to bring sunglasses to breakfast.

We’ve befriended the local beekeeper who is going to be the source of our honey this coming Rosh Hashanah, and although we are partial to the bear-shaped plastic squeeze bottle that served us well last year, we are hoping for a sweeter new year and Ken promised to have his bees working overtime for us.

We’re not alone, others are getting in on the localvore movement. A small balcony off of a mid-rise apartment in the Bronx is not exactly the place you would expect to find a flourishing garden, but Tal has created an urban oasis with eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, and a variety of herbs.    “It is more work,” says Tal, “but i do it with my kids who love to water and talk to the plants.  Caring for the plants has become an activity for us to do everyday and the children love seeing the plants grow and flower and then produce the veggies.”

When he is not busy attending to the spiritual needs of his congregation in Margate, Florida, Ravpp is busy picking, pruning and planting in his backyard. “When my kids all left for college I had a void in my nurturing,” said Ravpp, “so instead of raising kids I raised veggies.  Also, for stress reduction, getting up and worrying about my zucchini as the first thought of the day meant I was in a good place.”

My advice is to start small, you don’t have to rip out your backyard to start enjoying the fruits (and vegetables) of your labors. I’ve had good luck growing basil, mint and rosemary right on my back patio. These are low maintenance herbs and great to have around the kitchen.

There are also some great new products for budding green thumbs who have to put dinner on the table and get the kids bathed and to bed. With AeroGarden 6 with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit you can cultivate lettuce, cherry tomatoes, herbs, chili peppers, edible flowers, and more in an energy-efficient, organic-based environment right in the kitchen.

Ever since I started growing my own herbs, the jars of spices I had been accumulating over the years seem to stare at me with mounting frustration, as if to say, “why don’t you use me anymore?” Using rosemary, basil, parsley, thyme, mint, sage, and chives grown in my little herb garden, my dishes taste more alive. The fragrant aromatics fill our kitchen and the last time I made a pasta with a pesto sauce with fresh-picked basil, I think I heard the word “wow” come out of my three-year old’s mouth – an expression usually reserved for French fries and chicken nuggets.
Whether you decide to grow your own or just make an extra effort to select fruits and vegetables from local sources, you will connect more closely to what you eat and gain a deeper appreciation for the people who bring your food from farm to table.

Whether you’re planting window boxes or an outdoor kitchen garden now is the perfect time to get started on the summer growing season.

Eating locally is a hot topic in food circles these days. Restaurant chefs have long known that to serve the freshest ingredients, you need to choose items that are grown or raised nearby. Many chefs have entered into partnerships with local farmers to ensure steady supplies. But you don’t have to be a chef or a farmer to grow your own. In honor of Earth Day and the start of the spring growing season, I spoke with Heather, our “Green Gal” about kitchen gardens.

What’s the best way to get started with a kitchen garden, Heather?

It all depends on how much space you have. If you’re in an apartment or townhouse and don’t have a lot of outside space, an indoor herb garden maybe the perfect choice. You don’t really need much space at all and with a little soil, water and sunlight, you’ll have delicious, fresh herbs. The best thing about an indoor herb garden is that you can grow it year round. Herb plants are readily available at grocery stores and garden centers. You can also find seeds for less commonly available herbs on the net. My favorites are chives, thyme and oregano, but you can also grow things like basil, arugula or other greens, which are perfect for salads. It is really amazing what you can grow in your window or a balcony.

For those that have a little more outside space, consider a square-foot garden.

How does a square-foot garden work? How do you plant one?

Well, just like the name implies, square-foot gardens use very little space. The concept was popularized by Mel Bartholomew. It uses intense planting of compatible types of herbs and vegetables close together in a 4×4-foot open-bottomed box divided into 16 one-foot squares. You need less soil, less water and the close proximity of complementary plant species help with weed and insect control. Depending on the size, you can grow between 1 and 16 plants per square. That means that a 4×4 box could yield an entire season’s worth of food. The best part is you can place your box in a garden, on a deck or on a raised table.

Even if you don’t have the space, there are community gardens across the US where you can get some space for your green thumb. The American Community Garden Association maintains a garden finder to look up the community garden nearest to your location.

Awesome! What about timing? It’s still pretty cold in a lot of the country.

If you’re planning to plant this season, now is the right time to get seeds started indoors. That way, your plants will be ready to be transferred outside when it warms up. Edible flowers, greens and bulbs like green onions and garlic can all be started now. Use soil mixed with peat and vermiculite, a sunny spot, good humidity, and take plants out for a couple of hours each day to acclimatize them before moving them outside permanently. This is called “hardening off.”

Thanks, Heather. Enjoy your gardens everyone and let us know what you planted by leaving us your comments.

Selected Resources:

American Community Garden Association

Montreal Botanical Garden Green Pages

NY Botanical Garden Home Gardening Online

Square Foot Gardening FAQs

Square Foot Gardening Foundation