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As we are approaching Lag Baomer, many of us are stocking up on hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken wings, and buns. We are getting countless invitations to BBQs and parties. This year, as I was finalizing my Lag Baomer plans, I started to think about why BBQs and bonfires seem to symbolize this beautiful holiday.

Lag Baomer, literally the 33rd of the counting of the omer, is a day of tremendous celebration. We mourn during Sefirat Haomer (the days between Passover and Shavuot), because of the plague that claimed the lives of 12,000 pairs of students of Rabbi Akiva. We celebrate because on Lag Baomer, the plague finally ended! So why the bonfires and BBQs? After the plague ended, Rabbi Akiva was able to rebuild, this time with only 5 students, among them the great Torah scholar Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who also passed away during this time, revealed many secrets of the Torah through his study of Kaballah. He brought enormous light into the world through his studies and teaching. Because he passed away on Lag Baomer, the custom of lighting fires and cooking over an open flame symbolizes the powerful light of the Torah.

We all know the basics a BBQ must have. Hamburgers, hot dogs, ketchup, mustard, and buns. I thought it would be fun to explore the possibilities of creating a hot dog toppings BAR. I had a “trial” Lag Baomer BBQ with my family this week to test out my toppings, and I am excited to share with you what I came up with.

Start with regular grilled hot dogs or drive everyone wild with Hot Dogs Stuffed with Vegan Cheese.  Get nice buns or even better, make your own and then lay out all these toppings for everyone to build their favorite.   Here are my recommended toppings, the ones that are orange are linked to their recipe.

Ketchup
Mustard
Relish
Mayonnaise
Cranberry horseradish sauce
Sweet relish
Banana peppers
Fried corned beef
Avocado salad
Spicy Cubanelle and Tomatillo Topping
Mango Salsa
Pareve sour cream
Homemade Crock Pot Chili

My favorite hot dog was topped with my chili, fried corned beef, mango salsa and pareve sour cream!

What is your favorite?

You all know I was away for Pesach, in Tiberias with Eddie’s Kosher Travel.  Well this Pesach hotel was exactly what I imagine a kosher cruise to be like.  (Since I’ve never been I can’t say for sure, only what I’ve heard.)  We were totally and completely surrounded by great food all day, every day. I haven’t made an appointment with my scale since I returned and really should just excuse myself now and go on a liquid diet. But alas, since that is neither practical nor the healthiest of solutions, I am lightening up my food over the next few weeks so I can actually eat together with my family with these four light recipes for Summer.

Pictured above is a delicious and bright Tropical Slaw.  Beautiful and incredible on its own, this tropical slaw is also superb on fish or chicken.

Chilled Cucumber Melon Soup

This fat-free Chilled Cucumber Melon Summer Soup is my new obsession. Play around with the flavors and colors by making two batches and swapping the honeydew for cantaloupe in the second.

Tabouli Feta Salad

A sprinkle of crumbled feta adds a creamy twist to this Middle Eastern Tabouli Feta Salad and will help fill you up.

Every time my mom-in-law goes on a “diet” (nasty little 4 letter word!) she stocks up on bulgur to make tabouli salad. So I followed suit; keeping up the family traditions is important to me.

Low Fat Cheesecake

A light bright bite of this classic remake for Low Fat Cheesecake will make you feel like you haven’t sacrificed a thing.

I favor sugar substitutes like Truvia or Splenda when I am looking to cut calories. If you prefer agave, another sweetener, or even sugar—use them to taste in these recipes.

Click here for more Salad Recipes for Summer.

As seen in Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Magazine (Summer 2012) – Subscribe Now.

Judita Wignall’s latest cookbook is Raw & Simple.  With a goal of providing easy and tasty recipes that feed the body and spirit without hours of prep, Raw & Simple is a wonderful introduction to the world of raw vegan food.  Rarely does a cookbook come out that really changes the way I think or the way I cook.  Sure, I might learn some new recipes and be introduced to new flavors, but Raw & Simple is a whole new way of cooking or really not cooking and it is better and easier than I thought.

Hazelnut Chocolate Chia Pudding (Breakfast or Dessert)

Now, I am not saying I am changing everything and going raw, but as Judita points out “anybody can benefit from the healthy lifestyle that raw eating provides.”  You don’t have to go all in, Judita says, “I’m not a 100% raw foodist. I eat cooked foods as well, though usually with some raw food added.”  She is obviously more “in it “than me, but I do plan to add many of these new recipes to my flexitarian lifestyle.

Raw foods have been popping up everywhere from chocolates (I saw a few at the Chocolate Show touting their higher antioxidant levels) to food trucks (I saw outside the vegetarian festival).  I really love hot food especially in the winter and I could not imagine living without it.  Judita explains, “there are techniques that can give you that cooked feeling like using a dehydrator at low temperatures (around 115 degrees), or warming dishes on the stove top at very low heat. I also use a lot of warming spices in my dishes like cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, and ginger and drink warm herbal teas during the cold months.”

I was a bit worried about needing a fancy blender and a food dehydrator, but this book of raw food recipes doesn’t require either.  There are many interesting recipes for every flavor and meal and I truly enjoyed all of the ones I tried.  I recently asked Judita a few questions about the road to raw:

What do you think is the biggest benefit? 

The biggest benefit for me is how much more energy I have. I used to be a coffee addict, because my old diet (Atkins Diet) was just too heavy. Eating raw doesn’t make me sleepy after meals. Instead, I feel light, energized and more productive.

How would you suggest convincing a naysayer to give it a try? 

Try eating one raw meal a day for a week and see how you feel. Sometimes just having a smoothie for breakfast or a big salad for lunch can make you feel more energized and improve your digestion. Also, try some raw desserts. I call my fudge brownies (from my first book Going Raw) the “gateway drug to raw foods.” Because they’re so good, people are more open to trying other raw recipes.

If you had to pick one recipe for a novice to experiment with what would it be? 

Zucchini Noodles from Raw & Simple are really fun, because they take on the flavor of whatever sauce you make. I have two classic, flavorful sauces, marinara and pesto, that taste wonderful and give you the satisfaction of eating an Italian pasta dish without the carb coma.

Creamy Kale Salad with Capers and Hazelnuts

What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to try going raw? 

Get some raw recipe books and start playing in the kitchen. Having good recipes in your repertoire will help you stick to the diet better. Also, transition slowly. Going 100% overnight can be a shock to your system, especially if you’re not used to that much fiber! You can avoid headaches and withdrawals from processed food if you transition slowly, as well.

Cauliflower Couscous

Thanks to Judita for sharing three recipes from her book so you can all see what I am talking about.  Don’t miss this Cauliflower Couscous, it’s absolutely delicious!

Kale Salad with Avocado, Hazelnuts and Capers

Raw Cauliflower Couscsous

Hazelnut Chocolate Chia Pudding

**Giveaway**

Win your own copy of this book and learn to not cook your food. Especially great ideas for Saturday lunches this Summer.

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It is a challenge to commit to one thing, honestly, as I there are quite a few dishes that come to mind when thinking about ‘the best thing I ever ate’.  To narrow it down, I contemplate which food truly makes my mouth water, has some nostalgic value, and is something unique that can easily be made by the home cook.

As a teenager, Dougie’s restaurant (the original location on the upper West Side of Manhattan) truly transformed the way I thought about food. Kosher in the 90’s was just starting to go gourmet and I had never before experienced the flavors of southwestern, American grill. I remember those Sunday afternoons, waiting on a line of at least an hour with my friends or family to taste juicy buffalo wings, crispy fries and the most coveted item on the menu: THE RIBS.

The Ribs was a completely new experience for me. A real interactive dish that was pleasing on all fronts. I knew the ribs were coming before the waiter placed them in front of me. The smell of perfectly grilled meat and the unique sweet and tangy sauce wafted across the restaurant. The exterior was crunchy, the meat tender and the special blend of spices and sauce touched on the sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami the REAL secret to addictive cant-stop-eating food.

The idea of making ribs at home always seemed intimidating and I never really bothered, until I found a rack of ribs or rib bones as it is sometimes called on sale at my local butcher. I brought it home, used my all-purpose barbecue rub and decided to cook it in a no fail method of cooking meat: low and slow. Starting with room temperature meat (a crucial step in cooking meat right, room temperature meat means evenly cooked meat), I rubbed the spice rub onto the meat, placed the meat in a 9×13 dish, covered it tightly with aluminum foil and let it cook on 300 degrees for about three hours. I took the meat out of the oven, turned the oven onto broil, brushed some Gold’s barbecue sauce (my sauce of choice as it is a perfect balance of vinegar and sweet tomato and doesn’t have any fake smoke flavor) and placed it under the broiler.

The results were fantastic and this dish has become my go-to dish for a special occasion. It has also been used to impress people with my culinary skills (if only they would know how easy it was) and is a special treat I make for Sunday barbecues during the summer months. The meat is fall off the bone tender and placing it under the broiler for five minutes allows the meat to achieve a crusty, charred exterior. When you bite into the ribs, your taste buds explode with the awesome flavors and textures of the ribs.

As I write this, I myself am starting to crave some of these ribs. As we are finishing up the Shavuot issue of the magazine (subscribe today), I force myself to remain focused on making sure our mainly dairy edition (which has quite a few dishes that could very easily go under this category) is perfect for all our readers and will reward myself with some ribs once this issue is all wrapped up.

Here is my recipe for the best Ribs I ever ate.

Amid the many low rise office buildings on the busy street in West Los Angeles sat the small wooden house, the last remaining structure of its kind on this street, and the final evidence of a simpler time gone by.  The house had a few small tables situated outside its doors, and inside its living and dining rooms had been cleared to accommodate small and medium size tables, seating a total of about 30 people.  The house maintained the charm of its original wood floors and peeling pastel paint, but the door to its kitchen had been updated with a swinging one that had a window in its center, a nod I’m sure to the modernized kitchen within.

This was the setting of my long-ago favorite restaurant, Chez Helene, closed for a couple of decades now but still very alive in my memory.  I was introduced to this gem, specializing in French country cuisine, when I was in college and I frequented as often as my budget allowed.  I always ordered my same favorite dishes, which were presented efficiently and warmly by young servers in crisp white aprons, often boasting French accents themselves.

It was here that I was introduced to a simple and wonderfully delicious dessert called the “Chomeur,” which I had never heard of before and have never seen on another menu since.  Available in raspberry or caramel (I always chose caramel), it consisted of a moist, warm caramel cake baked atop a buttery caramel sauce, and was served in its own individual oversized ramekin with a small pitcher of light cream alongside it.  The first time I ordered the chomeur, I was instructed to break open the cake to release its steam and pour enough cream over it to lightly soak it.  The resulting perfect spoonful after addictive spoonful was warm and pudding-like, with the sweetness of the caramel slightly cut by the cream.  It retained enough texture to remind you that you were eating cake and was as moist as you desired by how much cream you added.  It was truly simple comfort-food perfection and one of the best non-chocolate desserts I have ever had.

Here is my version of Caramel Chomeur – enjoy the recipe.  What is the best dessert you ever ate?

Asking a chef what the best thing they ever ate is complicated. It is like asking a kid to pick only 1 piece of candy! Or a make-up artist which color lipstick they like best, or a designer which fabric they favor most etc…

You get the idea. There have been so many bests. That is why I chose this job. I am surrounded by my favorite things all day long. It is like hanging out with all your friends-how can I pick just one?

(So, yeah, thanks JOY OF KOSHER for making me choose.)

When you are a chef, it is dangerous because when you get a craving for a dish, you can just jump in the kitchen and make it, perfectly, every time!

If I see a picture in a magazine or on TV, I can go make it. In my world, it gets even more exciting because my husband is also a chef and we can both go in the kitchen and pull together a world-class meal and then devour it! We are both, each other’s, personal chefs.

I have had many amazing meals and flavors. It is hard to choose.  So, today, I am going to go with a dish that I have asked my husband to make before Passover and he was crabby and wouldn’t do as he was busy and we were in Passover mode. Finally he relented and I am getting the dish this weekend. Whoo-hoo!

Sometimes, the simple things are best and this is my best, for today!

I love MILLE CREPE or CREPE CAKE.

Layers and layers of tender, vanilla scented crepes with luscious vanilla pastry cream alternating with raspberry preserves. It is like a comfort dish that my dad used to make when I was a kid. He would take pancakes and schmear them with jelly and roll them into little tubes and serve them to me for breakfast or whenever I was craving them. It was our special dish and I loved them.

The grownup version is relatively easy to make though time consuming. The cake is beautiful and a crowd pleaser. Enjoy!

Here is my recipe for Mille Crepe.

The answer to this question is quite simple, without any hesitation of a doubt: ’A  Biltong Bagel’. (Jerky bagel).   Nothing makes me happier than my husband’s famous shredded biltong, piled high on a bagel.  No tomato, no cucumbers, no condiments just meat ‘n bread!   And, what a meal it is.

However, not everybody is as meshugga as me so I’m going to share another favourite that comes a very close second.   BBQ flame grilled pepper steak.  If a race was on between the two,  the mouthwatering steak, grilled to personal perfection with a baked potato I may just pip the biltong bagel at the post in colder weather!

The reason why this happens to be my favourite meal is that  it’s very rare that we have Prime Rib Steaks.  It’s that same old story, the shoemaker goes without shoes…….Almost like forbidden fruit!  So, when we finally get steaks we treasure them, love them, cherish them and finally cook them to perfection – who know’s when we’ll get them again!!

Ask your butcher to vacuum pack the steaks individually.
Place them in your fridge (not freezer) for about 10 days – this is called wet ageing.  After about 8 – 10 days or when ready to cook, remove from vacuum bag and wash meat well.   Place steaks into large ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the meat.

Click here for the full recipe to make my favorite Pepper Steak.

I’m not really one for playing favorites.  Not with my kids or my friends and definitely not with food.  I just can’t pick one thing that is really the best.  So this wasn’t an easy task, but I do remember the best cup of coffee I ever had.  It’s amazing how roasted beans and hot water can be life changing, but the combination made Howard Schultz a billionaire and changed the way most of us start (or get through) our day.  But this post isn’t about Starbucks.  It’s about a cup of coffee I enjoyed a while back at an upscale restaurant in NYC.

It was the first time I really fell in love with a cup of coffee.  It’s been a challenge ever since to recreate that moment and I have become an insufferable coffee snob.  Usually great coffee doesn’t need any additional flavor, or even milk or sugar.  I called the restaurant for their recipe as a surprise for my husband and they graciously shared their secret blend, including the source for their coffee beans and it was one of the best presents I ever gave my husband for his birthday.  It really is the perfect give for any coffee lover, just mix it all in, place in a jar and tie a note around it.

All you need is really, really good quality coffee, like an Ethiopian Yrgacheffe, that is light to medium roasted so you can enjoy the floral and citrus notes in the varietal rather than the overpowering qualities of darker, espresso roasts.  You will also need some high quality cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods.  Here is my recipe adapted from the restaurant’s version:

Spiced Ethiopian Coffee Blend

I rarely boast, but I must say there are some things I do well.  Like really well. I am possibly one of the best procrastinators you will ever have the pleasure of meeting.  I know if it came to a vote, I would be elected Queen of Procrastination in a landslide.  I could teach lessons in it, in fact I should, and I know I am rambling — but it’s all part of the plan… You think I’m rambling, but I’m actually procrastinating.

I have just received from my publisher the 455-page copy edited manuscript of my new Joy of Kosher cookbook, coming out this fall.  My editor Cassie sent it with a note that went something like “YOOHOO” –or was it WOOHOO? – “review this and get back to me – this is so exciting.”

And I wrote her back something like, “Really?  Is this what you find ‘exciting’?” I want to cry, stand on my head for a day, do anything but review this – I don’t find this fun – editing a book for eight months and still finding mistakes and having to refer to notes I can no longer find or read.  So instead of reviewing the ms (editor talk for manuscript) for the 50-jilllionth time, I’m writing this post.

But I’m in a combative mood. Our link-up theme is “the best thing I ever ate,” but since I’m feeling salty, or sour, or whatever you wanna call it – I’m not gonna play by the rules.  See, as a foodie I refuse to call out the “best thing” I ever ate – it’s like asking a mother to choose between her children.  Can’t do it; love all food too much to play favorites.  Truth is I can’t even pick a favorite movie or favorite season or favorite style of décor.  My favorite color is black (and white, and red, and royal blue and cream and off white – depends on the day).  And now you see I’m procrastinating, not just on my manuscript but also on picking my “Best Thing I Ever Ate.”

My best thing is whatever I’m in the mood for. I often self-diagnose myself as NEEDING chocolate NOW.  While I have been using Chocolate Avocado Mousse to get me through the drudgery of this ms (2 large very ripe avocados, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, pinch of kosher salt, dash of pure vanilla extract and Truvia, honey or agave to taste whipped in the food processor until smooth and creamy and refrigerated for at least 1 hour), my new favorite thing is my Sushi Salad.  I have been making it almost every Shabbos for the past few months and the entire family is hooked.

In Israel, I can’t find mock crab for the sushi (can’t find it ‘cause it ain’t here) so I got this great idea from my neighbor Miri: sub in smoked salmon, which I chop and toss and love.

Here is the link to the official “California Roll” Salad.  And here I will list my latest tweaks.

-I sub in chopped smoked salmon for the cubed imitation crab (as already noted in my ramblings above)

-In place of radishes I add thinly sliced scallion, green part only

-I combine 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1 TBS canola oil, 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 tsp kosher salt and cook on the stovetop or in the microwave until the sugar dissolves and allow it to cool.  Then I toss it with the hot cooked rice.  When you pour this in to the rice it will seem very wet. Keep stirring and the rice will dry as it cools.

-I then toss with 1 to 2 sheets of chopped Nori.  I actually use kitchen scissors  to cut 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces.

-Then just before serving I toss the rice the veg and fish and sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds.

-Serve at room temperature (this is KEY) with soy sauce on the side.

-Once tossed it will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Sorry not to have played exactly by the link up rules, but cut me some slack, I’m going through 455 pages and can’t think past what I am craving at this moment.  On second or third thought …As I go through that manuscript, it’s plain that the best, and worst, thing I ever ate was my own words.

What’s the best thing you ever ate?  Share in the comments and post the recipe for all of us to enjoy here.

Food has the power to transport you to another time and place…

One bite of something can lead me to my grandparents’ warm little kitchen, with my feet dangling from the chair, waiting patiently for magic on a plate. A bite of something else can take me to the streets of Yerushalayim, with its heady aromas of Middle Eastern cookery.

I often write about my grandparents because I was so close to them, because I loved them, because I still want to pick up the phone and call them. They played such a big role in my life, shaping my impressions of the warmth of family meals, the pleasurable sense of entering a home where there’s always good food simmering on the stove and the meaning of love and survival.

As I walk the streets of my new home in Israel — walk my kids to school in the morning — I think about the upcoming Yom Haatzmaut, with the flags flying from every school, every car, every rooftop. My child is asked to wear blue and white tomorrow to gan. And I think of my grandparents too.

They always dreamt of living here.  As Holocaust survivors, (two in Auschwitz) their lives include stories that flood my imagination: My grandmother used to speak of being selected by the infamous Dr. Mengele on not one but three separate occasions  – and then running back to the “living” line when no one was looking, risking being shot to death on the spot.  My grandfather was captured and held as a prisoner of war by the Russians for eight years, after the concentration camps were liberated.  He served in a Russian forced labor camp alongside his Nazi captors. And he told how the Nazis were dropping like flies because they were not conditioned, as he had become, to the lack of food and intensity of work.

As Yom Haatzmaut approaches, and we prepare to celebrate Jewish freedom and independence, I can’t help but link all these thoughts in my head. How this country was largely built by survivors of wars, oppression, and persecution. How the events that led up to the declaration of the State of Israel riveted and united every Jew in the world. I can’t help but think about my grandparents, and how they would have loved to be here with me, right now. How they would take pride in my little ones prattling away in Hebrew at a pace I am still able to follow, but not for long.

We’re going to a family pot luck BBQ to celebrate Yom Haatzmaut.  I’m bringing beer and my California Avocado Salad.  Listen, this is a country of immigrants, so it’s legit to add our own flavor, literally, to the festivities.

But should you want something more bonafide “Israeli” in honor of the upcoming day, I’ll share some of my favorite Israeli recipes with you.

What’s your favorite Israeli food?

It’s Not Your Grandfather’s Salami Anymore

For most diners, there’s nothing new about charcuterie, but for kosher eaters in the United States, there is suddenly a whole new world. A revolution in artisanal meats was a logical extension of the explosion of interest in expanded kosher possibilities that brought us Camembert,
Gruyere, and sushi.

What is charcuterie?

It is a French word for preserved meats and meat products, or a butcher shop that makes it. Pronounce it shar-koo-tur-ee. Think of salami, hot dogs, beef jerky, and chopped liver, but super delicious. Kosher butchers in France, Germany, and South Africa have been making kosher charcuterie, sausages, and dried meats, well, forever. In fact, the practice of drying, curing, and smoking meats was a necessity in times before refrigeration.  It could be argued that the Israelites were among the first to document the pairing of meat, smoke, and salt.

Exodus: Chapter 29 describes the feast and burnt offerings following Moses’ descent from Har Sinai, and Leviticus 2:13 details the commandments of offering salt with the sacrifices. In fact, salt was so important that there was a Chamber of Salt in the courtyard of the Temple (Ezra 7:20).

Unlike the more familiar deli options of salami, pastrami, and corned beef which are cooked, charcuterie is air-dried and cured in a cool, enclosed environment with circulating air which causes the meat to dry out while enzymatic magic occurs, concentrating the flavors.
The Prime Grill restaurant in New York features a charcuterie platter on its menu, and its recently opened gourmet market, Prime Butcher Baker on the Upper East Side features an eye-popping (and, to be fair, wallet-busting) assortment of kosher delicacies including sauscison, beef bacon, pepperoni, lamb prosciutto, and pâtés of duck, veal, and beef. With prices up to $100 a pound, this adventurous home cook wondered if any of this could be reproduced at home.

We secured a session with the charming and young Executive Chef of The Prime Grill, David Kolotkin, a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, for a lesson in making bresaola which is air-dried beef, the perfect first project for a home chef to attempt. Made from a single piece of beef, there is little chance that spoilage can occur, apart from the normal white coating that develops on the outside of the bresaola during the drying process. This is called “bloom” and will be cut off before eating.

Unlike in sausage making, no nitrites are required for this recipe. What you will need is a place to hang the meat for the five weeks necessary for the process. A small refrigerator, such as the kind that students use in a dorm room, is the perfect solution. Add in a small battery operated fan for air circulation, and you are all set. A thermometer will come in handy also, as the temperature needs to be around 37 degrees Fahrenheit.

Get the complete recipe to make your own Bresaola from Chef David of Prime Grill here.

Serving ideas

A wooden board arrayed with cured sausages, meats, and pâtés is perfect for a picnic or any warm weather entertaining. A great assortment is
key, so try to procure a selection that includes a variety of different choices. Slices of a crusty French baguette, a few different mustards, the
tiny French pickles called cornichons, and olives are classic, but you can be creative and add hot pepper jelly, marinated artichoke hearts, hummus, and a small bunch of champagne grapes.

Prepare the charcuterie board in advance if you like, and keep it refrigerated until about half an hour before serving, and allow it to come
to room temperature for optimum taste and texture.

Don’t forget a great bottle of wine.

French ones like the Bordeaux from Chateau Le Petit Chaban and Chateau d’Arveyres, or the Côtes du Rhône from Domaine des 3 Cellier Chateauneuf du Pape will hit it out of the ballpark.

Not sure you want to make try making your own, but you want to give some of these delicacies ad try, here is our shopping guide for Kosher Charcuterie for local and nationwide stores. 

As seen in Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Magazine (Bitayavon – Summer 2012) – Get more articles like this delivered to your door when you Subscribe Now.

Spring is officially here and the warm weather is finally coming out to greet us. The birds are chirping, the sound of lawn mowers is filling the neighborhood and the picnic baskets are coming out of hiding. I’ll take any opportunity to eat in my backyard with my family when the sun is shining and it’s always a fun challenge to come up with new recipes to enjoy outdoors. I like recipes I can prepare in advance so there’s no stress as we sit down to eat. I also love side dishes that we can eat cold or room temperature so there are a few items at the table that didn’t come off the barbecue. A little variety is the spice of life, right?!?

Lamb Bacon

This recipe for asparagus wrapped in lamb bacon is so beyond simple, only takes a few minutes to prepare and tastes absolutely delicious right out of the fridge! The fresh asparagus, salty lamb bacon and sweet brown sugar come together for the perfect side dish or snack that you will definitely want to eat at your next picnic. I suggest making extra because you might want to eat them all as soon as they come out of the oven.

Uncooked Lamb Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Get my recipe for Lamb Bacon Wrapped Asparagus.

I purchased the lamb bacon at Pomegranate in Brooklyn, NY. You can also order lamb bacon online from KOL Foods. If you know where else lamb bacon can be purchased, in store and online, please let me know in the comments below!

When I think about celebrating Yom Haatzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, my thoughts naturally turn to Israeli food. Yom Haatzmaut is a day of celebration and barbecues across Israel, and just thinking about all the delicious spiced grilled meats and veggies stuffed into fresh pita with hummus and other salatim makes me hungry. I want the flavors of Israel to be front and center in any Yom Haatzmaut menu I create and I try to have an Israeli meal from beginning to end.

One of quintessential flavors of Israel that I like to include is the refreshing combination of lemon and spearmint, called limonana (a combination of the Hebrew words for lemon and mint).  The combination of lemon and mint is the perfect way to cool off on a hot Israeli day and limonana abounds in Israeli supermarkets both in the form of drinks and other frozen treats.

Frozen Slushy Limonana Drink

My favorite way to enjoy limonana is the frozen slushy drink served in many Israeli cafes. When I am in Israel it is my go to treat to cool off on a hot summer day. When I return home from a visit to Israel I always crave frozen limonanas. This recipe makes it easy to enjoy this refreshing treat at home. All it takes is a blender and a few simple ingredients and you can be sipping a frosty limonana in your own kitchen or backyard. Yom Haatzmaut is a day of barbecues and nothing will cool you off quite as much while standing by the grill as this Israeli treat.

Limonana Bars

While traditionally the flavors of limonana are usually used in beverages or frozen treats I wanted to use the same flavors to make something a bit more unique to serve for dessert on Yom Haatzmaut. These bars take the combination of lemon and spearmint and turn them into the perfect minty lemon bars. With a crisp shortbread crust topped with a sweet and tangy lemon mint filling, these bars are refreshing and deliciously satisfying. The flavor of the bars is quite intense so I highly recommend cutting them into small squares.

Whether enjoying these limonana treats on Yom Haatzmaut or any other day they are sure to be a hit with all who try them.

Slushy Limonana Drink

Limonana Bars

The food world is finally catching on to what Steve Gold has been saying for years. Horseradish is a superfood. In addition to its incredible earthy and sweet flavor, horseradish is full of health benefits ranging from cancer prevention (horseradish has ten times more cancer-fighting compounds than broccoli!), to respiratory and headache relief. Horseradish has been used for medicinal purposes for years, yet the research on horseradish has become more established and well-known in recent years, while the Gold family has been touting the benefits of horseradish since 1932. Horseradish is creeping up in produce sections throughout the USA, as the demand for horseradish is increasing and will continue to increase in the coming years.

Steve Gold’s grandparents started the horseradish business during the depression as a way to make some money in hard times. Everything was done at home, including the paste/glue used to stick the labels onto the bottles. Gold’s has remained a family business, in fact, probably one of the only businesses that is now going into the fourth generation,  and is still producing the same recipe as the original. They are producing substantially more than their grandparents had in the 1930’s and have the advantage of 21^st century machinery, yet their success lies in maintaining the high-quality standards and using farm-fresh, high-quality ingredients.

On a visit to the factory, I witnessed first-hand why Gold’s is so successful and what they do and why we use their products in our test kitchens. The factory is spotless; the entire tour has a fresh and clean feel. While waiting for Steve, I noticed an impressive amount of articles and awards hanging at the entrance of the factory. I was curious which one Steve valued the most and so I asked him what his greatest award and accomplishment was.  Steve responded, “Getting letters from customers that say they enjoyed our products.” This highlights why they are successful. At the end of the day, Steve’s utmost concern is the customer’s satisfaction.

The greatest challenge is figuring out the right balance when sending out the products. The horseradish is a perishable item and has no preservatives. This makes it a fresh and high-quality product. But the downside is that if left on the shelf for too long, it can go bad and that is Steve’s worst nightmare. In fact, Gold’s uses glass containers versus plastic to ensure a fresher, better-tasting product. This is what inspired Gold’s to branch out into shelf-stable condiments and sauces such as a variety of mustards, cocktail sauce, borscht and the most awesome barbecue sauce. All the recipes are tested and retested until perfected at the Gold’s factory. In fact, Gold’s is now in the process of developing a teriyaki sauce. The challenge lies in creating a teriyaki sauce with all kosher for Passover ingredients.

Steve took us (myself and Jamie, and Chana Blumes, the photographer) on a tour of the factory floor and it was a truly fascinating tour. Pallets of horseradish and beets line the warehouse.  Special machines clean the horseradish and beets and there are red floods of water on the warehouse floor. There is a special room in which the horseradish and beets are ground up. Anyone working in the ‘horseradish room’ is given a gas mask (the same one given to Israelis during wartime) for protection against the strong fumes of the horseradish. Chana courageously went into the room, sans gas mask, to shoot the horseradish and came out in tears.

As we were witnessing the beet horseradish being bottled, we noticed Melissa, Steve’s daughter standing on the line, placing jars in boxes. “One of the workers needed a break, so Melissa is taking his place,” explained Steve. Talk about work ethic! Steve told us how Melissa works from 5 a.m. until closing, and that everyone who works at Gold’s is ready to do whatever it takes to make it a success. This also got us talking about the workers and it was so inspiring to hear their attitude towards their workers. Workers are given health benefits, sick days and there is a general attitude of care and empathy for their employees.

On our tour, we met the mashgiach, the kashrut supervisor, who gushed about the cleanliness of the Gold’s factory. “The pipes are cleaned every night and the attention to detail makes my job really easy,” says the mashgiach. “We once had to throw out thousands of dollars worth of products due to kashrut concerns, and the Golds did it all with grace and complete honesty.” High-quality products, good work ethic and a respect for customers and workers are what make this company so unique.

Steve Gold’s top uses for horseradish:

• Scrambled eggs
• Tuna salad
• A tablespoon in chicken soup
• Salad dressings
• Mashed potatoes

What would you use horseradish for? Let us know in the comments below to win $50 worth of Gold’s Products (way more than horseradish). Find more at HealthyHorseradish.com

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As seen the Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Spring 2013 Issue with the following recipes:

• Horseradish-crusted rib roast
• Grate some over beef-cheek gnocchi
• Mix into salad dressings for an extra kick

Order your copy and Subscribe Now.

This blog post is all about reinventing Israeli cuisine in honor of Jamie making Aliyah. With Yom Ha’atzmeut around the corner, I don’t think there’s a better time to introduce it! When you think about Israeli foods, I think that there is nothing more Israeli then falafel.

Falafel is the quintessential example of Israel itself, not just its cuisine. Its flavors are loud, obnoxious, and loved by all; this dessert rendition is the same. You have the rich fried chocolate falafel balls paired with the fresh and sweet fruit salad and perfectly balanced with the salty parmesan tuile.

I think one of the reasons that falafel is so popular with Israelis, and around the world, is because it’s an entire meal tucked into a pita. A single falafel has a bit of everything you should be eating daily: vegetables, protein, carb; and, of course, the taste of deep fried deliciousness.

As vegetarian – veganism continues to be on the rise, so is falafel. I think the best example of this is Maoz Falafel which started out in Amsterdam by two Israelis but has slowly spread all over the globe.

There are two recipes for the original falafel ball, a Yemenite one made strictly with chickpeas or the Egyptian one made from fava beans. I would say that this recipe might have an American tinge to it; not only is it a dessert but it’s a dessert that involves frying chocolate.

Unlike the much loved classic which is street food, this is definitely a more refined show stopper for when guests are coming over. The recipe isn’t overly complicated especially because you can freeze the falafel balls in advance before frying them at the last minute. This dish will surely wow friends with its taste and the fact that you use both Hebrew and French (tuile means tile or when cooking, a thin crispy dough) while introducing this dish.

Like the original falafel the chocolate falafel balls are best served immediately after they are fried. Like any falafel enthusiast knows there is a legitimate danger of burning your tongue when you excitedly eat them right off the frying pan!

Chocolate Falafel with Fruit Salad and a Parmesan Cheese Tuile is the perfect thing to serve this Yom Ha’azmeut to get a taste of today’s Israel; which is constantly reinventing itself and challenging our views on everything sabra from falafel to kibbutzim.