Note: I was sent a copy of The Instant Pot Kosher Cookbook, 100 Recipes to Nourish Body and Soul in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
It is most certainly Instant Pot season! Work (at least for me) is busy this time of year, and yet, I crave meals that take a while to cook! Using an Instant Pot saves me a ton of time, so I tend to use it a lot this time of year.
I was recently sent a copy of The Instant Pot Kosher Cookbook by Paula Shoyer, which is filled with so many delicious sounding Kosher-friendly dishes! With The Instant Pot Kosher Cookbook (paid link) (paid link), Shoyer has curated 100 irresistible recipes for every table that even a novice cook can prepare in minutes. It is filled with modern takes on classic Jewish recipes, with all recipes offering options to adapt for special diets and allergies.
As I was paging through, I kept going back to a recipe for Persian Lamb and Herb Stew. I love a good lamb recipe, so I was excited to try this out! I adapted the below recipe ever so slightly from the original in the cookbook.
Smoky Baba Ganoush is one of those appetizers that basically any time I see it on a menu, I feel the need to order it. The eggplant-based appetizer, originating from Lebanon, uses grilled eggplant, tahini, olive oil, and lemon juice to make a smoky dip that is perfect for outdoor eating.
It’s also a great way to use up a bunch of eggplant if you happen to have a few on hand. There are a bunch of recipes out there for oven roasting the eggplant, but there really is no substitute for the flavor added to the dish by grilling.
Ingredients (serves 4 as an appetizer):
2 pounds Italian eggplants (~2-4 eggplants, depending on size)
Have you ever used ground sumac? Ground sumac is made from dried ground berries from the sumac bush, which is native to the Middle East. The flavor is similar to lemons, sour and tangy, but less tart than lemon juice.
I purchased ground sumac a while back patiently waiting for the “right” recipe to cross my path. After receiving eggplant in my most recent Hungry Harvest, I came across this recipe for Sumac Scented Eggplant and Chickpeas, which I knew I had to make!
It really takes me a while to adjust to colder weather. I feel like I’m always freezing! So a warm and hearty meal is a must this time of year, especially a soup or stew.
My husband says he doesn’t like soup, but he honestly just doesn’t like thin broth soups, like traditional chicken noodle soup. So I’m always in search of soup recipes that are thicker based — not necessarily from cream. Pureed vegetable soups have become a favorite in my house!
This recipe from Saveur for Red Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup mentions that it originates from Palestine, but I haven’t been able to find a similar butternut squash and red lentil soup to confirm that. No matter where this recipe originally comes from, the result is a perfect colder weather soup- creamy, filling, with a little bit of heat!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
1 pound peeled, seeded, and chopped butternut squash
salt and pepper, to taste
6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make vegetarian/vegan)
Because I usually have a recipe in mind when I go food shopping, it’s pretty rare that I come home with a rogue ingredient. But recently, while picking up ground beef and sausage for my Meatballs and Tomato Sauce at Primal Supply, I noticed that they had ground lamb, and felt compelled to buy it.
I didn’t exactly have a goal for the ground lamb, but decided to work with ingredients that I know work well with the flavors of lamb: cumin, saffron, mint, and cinnamon.
The result was Spiced Lamb with Saffron Couscous: saffron couscous, topped with flavorful ground lamb, pistachios, feta, dried apricots, and fresh mint!
Ingredients:
Couscous:
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed between your fingers
This past Sunday was crum-my. It rained ALL day. So I was in comfort food mode. Along with making another batch of Lemony Red Lentil Soup, I decided to make a rice pudding recipe in my slow cooker, heavily inspired by Phyllis Good’s Stock the Crock recipe for Coconut Rice Pudding.
My version for Slow Cooker Coconut Rice Pudding uses a different flavor profile, so be sure to check out the original in the cookbook as well as the below. (I made another recipe from this awesome cookbook as well. Go check my post on Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala here.)
Rice Pudding is found in different forms around the world. It is eaten as a breakfast, dessert, or sometimes even dinner. Many countries have a version of rice pudding that is traditionally served for Christmas.
My version adds some of my favorite flavors to one yummy dish: coconut, rose water, cranberries, and pistachios.
Note: I was sent a Labell Board to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
Cutting boards are a staple of any kitchen. They (of course) are used to cut, chop, mince, and dice vegetables, fruits, and protein for meals, but I love to also use them for presentation. There are some cutting boards, like this one from Planches Labell, that need to be shown off!
Labell boards are made from premium Canadian recovered/recycled hardwoods and are produced with the highest production standards. With the new abilities in wood manufacturing Planches Labell has the capacity to take this raw material, otherwise disposed of, and turn it into culinary works of art. Offerings include Rustic Tree-Cut Serving Platters, Paddle Boards, Utility Boards and Butcher Blocks.
To show off this beauty, I decided to make a White Bean-Tahini Dip inspired by a recipe I found on Food Network. This dip is very similar to hummus but uses cannellini beans instead of chickpeas. The added spices of cumin, za’atar, chile powder and garlic powder really amp up the flavor! (Za’atar, specifically the blend I used, is a combination of sumac, thyme, sesame, and salt.)
Ingredients:
Toasted Pita Chips:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons za’atar
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 pitas
2 tablespoons olive oil
White-Bean Tahini Dip:
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained with liquid reserved
Note: This post is sponsored by Moyer Beef. All opinions are mine alone.
It’s definitely still summer weather for the most part, but this past week, we’ve had a bit of a cool down in Philly. Which got me thinking about more fall inspired dishes.
Hashweh, or rice stuffing, is a wonderfully flavorful ground meat and rice dish that is perfect for fall weather (or honestly, any weather, it’s really tasty!)
The dish originates in the Middle East and is typically made with lamb or beef seasoned with spices including allspice and cinnamon, served with rice.
Most recipes also include toasted pine nuts with some also having a sweet dried fruit.
This dish is a nice comfort food option that comes together in roughly 30 minutes. The spice profile makes it really crave worthy!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups white rice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
3 cups chicken broth
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 whole cloves
2 whole cardamom pods, smashed
1 lb ground beef (I used Moyer Beef’s 81% lean ground beef chuck)
Note: This post is sponsored by Moyer Beef. All opinions are mine alone.
This past weekend, we had my parents over for dinner. I had a hankering for Lamb Kofta, which is a dish of ground lamb with spices formed into meatballs and grilled.
My dad isn’t exactly the most adventurous eater, and doesn’t like lamb, so I instead decided to adapt the spices added to kofta into a marinade for beef kebabs. Kofta can be made with any ground meat, but I had some beautiful Moyer Beef’s Rib Kebab meat on hand, so kebabs it is!
Kofta can be made with quite a range of spices, so this recipe is very adaptable. This version uses fresh parsley as well as dried spices to add a different dimension of flavor. I also served it with some tzatziki for dipping.
Ingredients:
Tzatziki (omit to make dairy free):
1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cucumber, seeded, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
the zest of one lemon
the juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Kebab:
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 lbs kebab meat (I used Moyer Beef’s Rib Kebab meat)
Chelo Kebab or Chelow Kebab is a Persian dish made with steamed saffron rice and kebabs. This version parboils the rice which then browns in a large pan, covered with a cloth, and steams with a little bit of butter to deliver a crispy, golden crust.
The lamb kebobs are marinated for hours to lock in flavor. The result is probably one of my favorite dishes I’ve made recently; it’s well worth the morning prep to have an amazing dinner!
Ingredients:
Kebab:
2 onions, very finely chopped (or pureed)
2 garlic cloves, minced (or pureed)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
My goodness the holidays are approaching quickly. What happened to 2016?!
This is the time of year for parties and of course party appetizers. This party appetizer for Pomegranate Glazed Lamb Meatballs is so simple to make, but it is fancy enough to serve at a dinner party.
I found this recipe in New York Times’ cooking section and just had to try it out. Lamb meatballs with a pomegranate molasses glaze? Sign me up!
I served the Pomegranate Glazed Lamb Meatballs with some plain Greek yogurt with mint leaves mixed in, simple but a great complement!
I am still working through my supply of pomegranates; I’m having so much fun finding different ways to use the arils!
This recipe caught my eye immediately during my search for pomegranate recipes. It uses both pomegranate molasses (made from pomegranate juice) and pomegranate arils.
Fesenjan is a Persian stew made with ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, and typically chicken.
And, well, it’s not the prettiest dish I’ve ever made but the flavors are absolutely fantastic!
Shakshuka (or shakshouka) is an Israeli breakfast dish of eggs poached in a chunky tomato sauce with spices. It’s a favorite of mine, and easily works as a “breakfast for dinner” option for a busy weeknight.
This recipe can be easily customized to suit your tastes. My version below, adapted from a Cooking Light recipe, has a bit of a Middle Eastern take to it, but could also be made more Mediterranean by adding in olives and fresh basil.
Shakshuka is awesome on it’s own, but is even better with pita or crusty bread, or spooned over rice to soak up the flavors of the dish.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
1 green bell pepper cut into thin strips
1 yellow or orange bell pepper cut into thin strips
1 red onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 (29 oz can) tomato puree
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
a few drops hot sauce, or to taste
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese (omit to make dairy free)
2 cups prepared white rice (optional)
pita or crusty bread for dipping (optional)
(note: this recipe is gluten free if served with rice rather than bread)
