Recipe Category Archives: 30 Minutes or Less

Mushroom Eggplant Shakshuka Recipe

Adapted from Levana Cooks using Mushroom Medley Levana Nourishments

Eggplant Shakshuka?

Yes, you heard that right! I was on a kick for all things Israeli the whole past week, so it is no wonder that all the dishes I developed recently were Israeli or Israeli-inspired.

The starting point for Shakshuka is always the classic mother Shakshuka Recipe. Although my basic recipe includes many variations on the all-tomato one, this eggplant shakshuka variation came out so fantastic I thought I would give it pride of place in a post all by itself. Every ingredient is a star in its own right: portobello, eggplant, tomatoes, cheddar or other cheese including dairy free. Even no cheese at all would still make a great dish.

You can play with this recipe!

Go ahead and get your inspiration from the basic shakshuka above, and get an exciting variation every time. It all depends on what seems inviting at shopping time.

Make Eggplant Shakshuka the utilitarian way

Don’t divide the recipe, even if you are just two people eating. Rather, pour your eggs only over the vegetable section that will get eaten, and save the rest for the next shakshuka meal. It will freeze very well, but if you intend to use it in the next couple days, simple store it in the refrigerator.

Bingo: Get two meals with the labor of one!

The second time around, pour the vegetable mixture in a smaller skillet, and crack your eggs right on top, cooking the mixture just long enough to get the eggs cooked but still nice and runny.

Remember, you always want runny gooey eggs!

Getting the eggs harder will result in an uninspired and uninspiring dish. When it comes to eggplant shakshuka, and any shakshuka for that matter, gooey is the operative word! It always means the eggs go in at the end of cooking.

Don’t obsess about the perfect Saute!

Remember you will covering the skillet with a lid, so the vegetable mixture will soften and come together nicely.

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Hot Cereal Recipe. All Variations

Adapted from Levana Cooks, using Mixed Berry Levana Nourishments

hot cereal

Hot cereal is for all of us to enjoy!

My idea of breakfast for Champions! Recently my very pregnant daughter Bella mentioned that her ob-gyn recommended she include more fiber and more vegetable protein in her diet. Always tinkering with the whole gamut of grains, I welcomed the opportunity to experiment, this time setting as my goal, making a hot cereal breakfast that would be at once quick, delicious and nutritious.

I started right in my own kitchen, where I found everything I need, and then some. If my daughter’s enthusiasm and that of everyone who tasted and reported feeling full of positive energy, then I conclude I am onto something great!  Needless to add, this included the children as well. I just love the idea of adding a great number of nutrients, fiber and protein, in minutes and for pennies, without the “help” of those dreaded protein bars loaded with soy and whey protein isolates. You will find as I did that this treat would be suitable as part of lunch or dinner on days where you don’t feel like cooking.

Always the perfect place to start, I opened the doors to my pantry and checked out its contents. Dozens and dozens of glass jars, full of every grain imaginable, and neatly labeled (more about this at the bottom of this post). I was on my way!

My hot cereal combination is just my own personal taste.

You can certainly adjust it to your own preferences. You don’t need to mix so many grains, even one or two is enough. I only mixed them to be sure I get the most benefit from them, not only nutritionally, but for flavor. This amount will last you months, so you will spend those few minutes mixing only once in about six months.

Even though I am not a future mom (I am a perennial mom!), and even though I am not running in any marathon, I immensely enjoy the delicious taste, and the welcome energizing feeling it gives me with: Let me know how yours comes out, and how you feel on a day you eat it: I am getting ready to mix another batch soon!

 

A word on storing grains:

I found out at my own expense, from a long-ago Hitchkock-style invasion of moths which came from an old carton drum box of rolled oats and left me and everyone in my house terrified for days, that moths wholeheartedly share our love for grains, sugar, nuts, raisins and so on, as they easily eat away at the porous paper, plastic or cardboard containers.  Hence my obsessive-compulsive habit of storing everything in glass jars! I hope I pass it on to you: good-bye moths, good-bye rancidity!

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Natural Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Adapted from Levana Cooks, using Cocoa Coffee Levana Nourishments

chocolate frosting

Chocolate Frosting: Who doesn’t love it?

I have very recently perfected my Natural Chocolate frosting when I developed My Almond Apricot Chocolate Chip Torte, showcasing Chana Shusterman’s new and delicious brand California Gourmet Vegan Chocolate Chips. In addition to being suitable for Passover, it gets us health-minded bakers right up to the Holy Grail: An all-natural chocolate frosting, easy, dairy-free, gluten-free, low maintenance and above all fantastic.

I know you will think I lost it when I share my chocolate frosting secret, something I have been experimenting with for quite some time:

My Chocolate Frosting secret: Potato Flakes.

All-Natural 100% pure potato flakes. Ingredients: Dehydrated Potatoes. Period. Making dessert with potato flakes, hello? I know what you’re thinking: I’m a crazy old hippie. But here’s the thing: It’s funky, but IT WORKS!

I remembered the wonderful tricks we used during the photo shoots for my cookbooks.

My son in law, talented photographer Meir Pliskin, and Hannah Kaminsky, no less talented food stylist and Vegan  Cookbook Author.  Potato flakes were our best friend: All we needed to do with a recalcitrant food composition was mix equal parts potato flakes and boiling water, and mix thoroughly with a fork until the mixture got smooth, fluffy and creamy.  Pretty soon the mixture would get totally stiff, would mix with anything we  wanted to fold in (spinach for green,  tomato  paste for red and so on), and obediently hold its shape, and look perfect at photo shoot  time. I could pretend it was a fish or a vegetable or a meat terrine.

Recently I decided to see if my potato flake photo racket would work in scenarios where the mixture would in fact get eaten. I observed it was totally bland and therefore totally unobtrusive, more to the point, it had a totally undetectable flavor, and absorbed any flavor it was paired with, even while it held its shape beautifully. In short, my potato flake mixture became my blank canvass, waiting to be painted on. I tried a dozen combinations with ingredient amounts, and my last try was a triumph: a delicious and glossy chocolate frosting that contains nothing but the best, and won’t drive you crazy at decorating time or at serving time.

This chocolate frosting is just the beginning

I will take my discovery places and try using potato flakes with many other exciting combos (frostings, fillings, with chocolate, fruit, nuts etc…). I am delighted with my results, and so is everyone big and small I gave a taste to (my granddaughter licked her chops).

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Chopped Salad with Tehina Zaatar Recipe

Adapted from Levana Cooks, using Garden Vegetable Levana Nourishments

chopped salad with tehina zaatar

My favorite Chopped Salad is based on the classic Israeli Salad

I enrich with lots of good herbs, and dress it with a terrific Tehina Zaatar Dressing. More chopping than I like to do, but the good news is, my chopped salad can be easily elevated to main course status.

This chopped salad recipe is quite elastic, but here are some pointers if you are trying to make it in advance:

Do not use any fragile salad greens (romaine, Boston lettuce) until serving time. Add the tomatoes and avocados just before serving.
As long as the pre-made salad does not include salad greens, avocados or tomatoes, it is perfectly all right to make it and even dress it a few hours before serving.

Chopped salad as main course?

Here’s your chance to throw in whatever interesting leftovers you might have handy. Throw in a choice of:
Small dice Feta or Haloumi cheese (in this case no added salt) for a dairy salad
Cooked (good quality canned OK) chickpeas
Sliced seared tuna slices, or canned tuna or sardines
Diced cooked chicken or smoked chicken
Sliced seared steak

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Basil Honey Dressing for Salads, Chicken, Fish

Adapted from Levana Cooks, using Mushroom Medley Levana Nourishments

honey dressing

Use this Basil Honey Dressing not just on salads, but in chicken and fish dishes too: It is that good!

Thank you Liz Rueven at www.kosherlikeme.com for including my Basil Honey Dressing Recipe in your beautiful story about Marina’s great new artisanal Honey Line.

You will love the vibrant basil color and flavor in this dressing. The pair of basil and honey just can’t be beat. I like to make this dressing in the summer, when basil is plentiful, and use it in salad greens that include tomatoes, fennel or olives.

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