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This week we read about the Spies exploration of the land in Parsha Shelach.  They return with the bountiful fruits of the Holy Land – grapes, pomegranate and figs.  I will resist the temptation to share a menu featuring these items (since I did that last year) and tackle a more complex (from a menu planning perspective) episode in this week’s parsha, the issue of a man gathering sticks on Shabbat.  The punishment is severe and the lesson to be drawn is that any work must be completed before Shabbos begins.  So let me make it easy for you, with a menu featuring a delightful recipe that isn’t much “work” at all (20 minutes prep time) and will “stick” with you for a while, Lamb Kebabs on Cinnamon Sticks with Chutney.

Lamb Kebabs on Cinnamon Sticks with Date and Mango Chutney

Oven-Fried-Zucchini-Sticks

Grilled Turkey Drumsticks

Classic Corn on the Cob

Rainbow Ices

In Behaalotecha, unable to bring the Passover offering at the appointed time, some Jews who had been ritually unclean and therefore prohibited from making a sacrifice on the appointed day, asked Moses for another opportunity to participate in the ancient ritual.  Moses, in characteristic humility, asked Hashem for help resolving this question and remarkably, those who were excluded from the sacrificial rite were granted a second chance to celebrate Passover.  While I would not want to provoke a rebellion by suggesting another seder, I am going to suggest a recipe for Matzo Ball soup (Manischewitz Cook-Off Winning recipe) that is perfectly acceptable for Passover or any day you want to remember the miraculous Exodus from Egypt and the sacrifices of our ancestors.

Mod Matzo Ball Soup

Kishka Stuffed Chicken

Wild Rice with Dried Apricots & Pistachios

Rosemary Roasted Cauliflower

Mango Melon Pops

In this week’s parsha, we encounter the laws of the nazir, an individual who voluntarily foresakes wine, grapes or any products distilled from grapes, lets his or her hair grow long, and avoids contact with a dead body.  Today, we have many ways of expressing piety without abstinence.  This parsha is also a reminder that grapes have the potential to sanctify or to debase.  We look to this week’s menu with the spirit of elevation, incorporating the grape (in various forms) throughout each course of our Shabbat menu.

Spicy Chicken and Grape Lettuce Cups

Brisket in Wine Sauce

Couscous With Carrots, Walnuts, and Raisins

Wilted Spinach with Crispy Garlic

Red Grape Cake with Olive Oil

This week’s parsha includes the census of the Children of Israel as they continue their wanderings in the desert.  Against the sweltering heat of the sun, battered by the dust storms and harsh elements,  I can’t help but wonder how they managed the difficulty of the journey and the uncertainty about when (and even if) they would see the Promised Land.  As our own weather turns toward summer, I like to spend Shabbat outdoors as much as possible, but it’s nice to come back home when the day is done.  This week, I’m thinking of a Shabbat menu that also travels well — whether it’s outside to a deck, balcony, picnic table or a great lawn.

Roasted Beet Salad with Cumin and Cilantro

Grilled Salmon over Lentil Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette

Green Beans with Walnut and Green Olive Tapenade

Margarita Cupcakes