Nina Safar
MINI ROASTED TOMATO & SPINACH QUICHE:
I enjoy cereal and oatmeal for breakfast but sometimes the usual morning grub gets boring. I don’t always have time to prepare an omelet and I don’t like grabbing breakfast bars on the go. I find that the bars are never as satisfying as a home-cooked meal and always leave me hungry by 11:00 am. This recipe is great since it’s easy and can be prepared in advance. You freeze it and simply reheat it on your way out the door.
Ingredients:
4 eggs
8 egg whites
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 cups chopped spinach, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup low fat shredded cheese, cheddar or mozzarella
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté onions until golden. Add garlic and spinach and cook on low flame until heated through. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the spinach mixture to the bowl and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the cheese and mix together. Spray two 6 cup capacity cupcake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the muffin pans. Cook for about 20 – 25 minutes or until slightly brown on top.
~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar
CATEGORIES: English Food Choices Kosher Recipes Self made
RED PEPPER & FETA CHEESE OMELET:
When I am not running late, this is the dish with which I like to start off my day. There is nothing as satisfying as a light and fluffy omelet filled with sweet red pepper and salty feta cheese. I am obsessed with cilantro and the flavor works wonderfully with the pepper and cheese. Serve the omelet with sliced avocado or create the ultimate breakfast burrito by serving it in a wrap with some salsa and guacamole.
Ingredients:
1 egg
2 egg whites
A small bunch of cilantro
1 red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons crumbled Feta cheese
Directions:
Whisk the eggs in a bowl, then pour them in a frying pan. Once the eggs have become slightly firm, add the feta cheese, cilantro, and red pepper going down one side. Once the eggs are firm, flip over in half, forming a half moon. Allow it to cook for an additional minute or so before removing from flame. As mentioned above, I often serve this in wraps with salsa and sliced avocado and it’s fantastically simple and flavorful!
~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar
CATEGORIES: English Food Choices Kosher Recipes
{PASSOVER BROWNIES} THE ULTIMATE CHEESECAKE BROWNIE:
My mom’s got the best brownies on the block. It’s one of the reasons I don’t dread Pesach, I know there will be something delicious to nosh on. My sister Rivky has taken my holiday favorite and created something even more decadent with it. This cheesecake brownie is so amazing, you will want to make it all year round!
Ingredients for Brownie Batter:
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of potato starch
1/2 cup of cocoa (use Hershey’s cocoa for the best taste!)
Ingredients for Cheesecake Batter:
3 8oz. containers of whipped cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
4 eggs
1 8oz. container of sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Prepare the brownie batter and pour into a 9×13 pan. Then combine the cheesecake ingredients in a mixing bowl and layer on top of the brownie batter. Bake uncovered on 350′ for about an hour. When you remove the pan from the oven the cheesecake will not be completely firm but will harden outside the oven. (These are also great served as cupcakes. Bake them in cupcake pans on 350′ for 15-20 minutes.)
~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar
CATEGORIES: English Food Choices Kosher Recipes Self made
{PASSOVER SCHNITZEL} CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN:
It’s quick and tasty recipes like this that get me in the kitchen! This recipe is easy, yet super flavorful. If you are looking for the perfect crunchy fried chicken, then you have found it right here.
Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 eggs
Potato Starch
Salt, pepper & paprika to season with
Directions:
Beat the eggs in a bowl. Put potato starch in a large shallow dish to dip the chicken in. Season the potato starch with spices. Bread the chicken in the potato starch, then dip in the egg batter and once more bread in the potato starch. Fry until crispy and golden.
~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar
{PASSOVER BLINTZES} THICK & CREAMY CHEESE BLINTZES:
These blintzes are made up of light and fluffy crepes with a thick filling of cheese that make them delicious and impossible to stop at just one.
Ingredients for Crepe Batter:
18 eggs
3 cups of water
3 cups of potato starch
Ingredients for Cheese Batter:
4 containers of cottage cheese
3 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
Directions:
Mix the Crepe batter ingredients together. Pour 1/3 cup of batter into a frying pan and cook the crepe until solid. Then flip it out of the frying pan onto a plate. Once you have cooked all the crepes, mix together the cheese batter ingredients in a large bowl. Fill the center with some of the cheese mixture, and fold over the sides to form a blintze. Repeat until all blintzes are formed. Heat up a frying pan and cook the blintzes. Serve with jam or sour cream.
~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar
CATEGORIES: English Food Choices Kosher Recipes Social Culture
BERRY PIE WITH CRUMBLE TOPPING:
This is the easiest pie and everyone always LOVES it.
Ingredients:
Pie Crust (I use a deep dish frozen pie crust.)
Berries (fill it with your choice of berries, I use blueberries and raspberries. My sister likes to pair up strawberries with peaches. You can use frozen or fresh depending on season…and price!)
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 stick of margarine
Directions:
Cook the pie crust for about 10 minutes on 350′. Then remove from oven and allow to cool off. Place the berries in the pie crust. Combine the sugar, flour and maragarine in a bowl. Crumble it together with ur hands then sprinkle on top of the filling. Bake on 350′ for about 30 min or until crust looks golden. You can serve this with ice cream and it’s seriously the best thing ever.
~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar
Purim is over, but you can still enjoy these savory treats: Savory Hamantaschen + Chocolate Raspberry Hamantash!
I adore Purim. Any holiday that encourages dressing up, eating large amounts of candy and drinking alcohol gets a thumbs up from me. I don’t like to eat Hamantaschen though. The three cornered pastry is a holiday treat and is traditionally filled with poppy seeds and various jams. Devouring it is symbolic of overcoming evil.(more on that HERE) I do like to engage in all the festivities and since I run a food blog, I felt it was necessary for me to bake some. I like chocolate and savory foods, so I came up with the following three versions that were in the spirit of the holiday but tastier than the usual selection.
1. Bleeding Hamantaschen: These chocolate and raspberry filled pastries were decadent but due to the raspberry juices leaking out during the baking process, they resembled bleeding hearts. Which works for me since my fam and I are dressing up as pirates this Purim. They may look messy but they taste divine!
2. Mediterranean Hamantaschen: Caramelized onions, tomato, basil and goat cheese make these the perfect appetizer to serve this holiday. I had to resist eating all of them long enough to take the photo!
3. Taco Hamantaschen: These came about by accident, as I had leftover taco meat and spinach from dinner and decided to use them along with some ravioli dough that I had in the freezer. The dough gets nice and crispy in the oven which makes these taste like real tacos!
Back in Brooklyn for Shabs! Nothing like the smell of freshly baked Zucchini Muffins to fight vacation withdrawal. Happy Shabs xxo
When this dish was served at a Shabbat meal several months ago, I was hesitant to have a taste since Zucchini was one of the ingredients. If it had been a kugel, then I would not have given it a second thought, but Zucchini cake? After my husband rolled his eyes I realized I was being childish and gave it a try. After that first bite, I had 2 slices!
This recipe can be served as muffins, as a side dish in a loaf pan or for dessert in a bundt pan! It is fluffy and moist with a hint of cinnamon.
MINI FRENCH TOAST:
Growing up, Sunday mornings meant waking up to pancakes or french toast. Sometimes I miss the wake up call of a sugary sweet breakfast waiting for me as I roll out of bed. Since I am now the “mama” in My house, I can’t just walk into the kitchen and grab a plate. I have to actually whip up the weekend treat first before digging in. Today was one of those mornings were the craving was greater than my fear of doing the dishes so I made these mini french toasts. This recipe can be used with regular challah or challah rolls. I had leftover rolls from shabs so I went with the mini version! My son was thrilled to dip his french toast into the syrup and my husband who doesn’t usually like sweet breakfasts, noshed on a few as well.
Ingredients:
2 challah rolls, sliced into 1 inch thick slices
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
Combine the milk, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Dip the challah slices into the batter and fry in a heated greased frying pan. I use pam but you could also use butter, margarine or some oil to heat the pan. After several minutes flip to the other side and cook until slightly browned. Serve with confectionary on top and syrup on the side.
~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar of “Kosher in the Kitch”
PUMPKIN MUNCHKIN PIES: These Pumpkin Munchkin Pies are adorable and can be baked low fat. A delicious dessert that is also diet friendly? Dig in now!
I think Pumpkin pie is underrated. It’s a healthy dessert chock full of vitamin A, Potassium and fiber. But at the same time it’s a slice of delicious, cinnamon, creamy goodness. My Bubby I share a love for pumpkin pie. I wanted to try and create a healthier low cholesterol version so both me and my bubby could enjoy the treat without her having to worry about the high cholesterol or sugar content that most pies have. Thus was born the pumpkin munchkin pie! Sometimes my bubby and I eat them for breakfast with a cup of coffee and schmooze a little while we nosh. I don’t think it should only be relegated solely to Thanksgiving. The bright orange pie always has a place in my fridge. When this dessert is made with egg beaters and no calorie sweetener, the pies are almost- dare I say it? Guilt free indulgences! The no calorie sweetener that I use most often is Truvia. It’s made using the stevia plant, it’s pareve and it has no aftertaste. I just discovered the stuff not too long ago at my local supermarket, and I find that the pleasantly sweet flavor is so close to sugar that I can’t even tell the difference and neither can anyone else who tries my pumpkin muchkin pies. I included a low fat version using egg beaters and no cal sweetener for those counting calories and for those who feel “there ain’t nothin like the real thing” go for the eggs and sugar version! Either way you bake it, Bon Appetite’!
