Month: April 2024

Moroccan Beet Greens – Selka

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

Due to the unprovoked, criminal and seemingly endless brutal war of annihilation against Israeli and Palestinian civilians by Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis and against the Ukrainians by Vladimir Putin and the worsening humanitarian crisis, please consider helping by following the links below. There are a number of reputable aid agencies from which to choose. Many of these agencies will also help victims suffering the devastating effects of natural disasters. This list is not exhaustive but is a good place to start.

I first tasted Moroccan Beet Greens – Selka in Israel back in the 1970’s. It was heavy like immediately. And yet, I’ve only actually made them a few times, whereas I make Barba or Moroccan Beet Salad every week for Shabbat. Unfortunately, where I shop (and I usually go back and forth between 4 stores) either the greens are missing entirely from the whole fresh beets or they are so wilted that they are only good for compost.

However, when my husband stopped at the market on our way back from one of our long walks, I was excited to see fresh, beautiful beet greens attached to the beets that I wanted to buy for roasting. Like other greens – Swiss Chard, Spinach, Collards, Kale – they are best sautéed in a little oil and with lots of garlic.

Moroccan Beet Greens kick things up just a notch, as you will find with most Moroccan food. I like my greens just ever so slightly crunchy and on the tart side. However, if you prefer a softer green, just sauté them a bit longer.

Do these greens make the most beautiful presentation? Probably not. However, they are delicious and are higher in iron than spinach, while also being rich in Vitamins C and K, anti-oxidants, magnesium and potassium.

So if you are fortunate enough to shop where beet greens are fresh, buy them and make this delightful and easy salad. Just a quick note: beets are grown in sandy soil, so wash the greens very well and spin them dry.

Moroccan Beet Greens – Selka

Yield: About 2 cups of salad (Can be doubled)

Recipe

Ingredients

1 large bunch of fresh beet greens, washed very well, dried and cut into about 3″ pieces (A salad spinner is great for drying, if you have one.)

1 to 2 Tablespoons EVOO, Avocado or other neutral oil

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon Aleppo or freshly cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground sumac

lemon wedges

Directions

Mix the cumin, paprika, salt, sumac and pepper together in a small dish

Heat oil in a large sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the garlic and watching carefully, sauté just until it barely begins to brown.

Add half of the beet greens and half of the spice mixture and mix through with the garlic. Then add the remainder of the greens and spice mixture. Cover the pan tightly and simmer for about 10 minutes, giving it a stir through once. If the pan seems dry add a tablespoon of water. However, if your pan lid is tightly fitting, you most likely will not need this.

After stirring everything through, re-cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes more. Again giving it a stir about halfway through. Check if the stems are a desired softness.

Place in a serving dish and garnish with lemon wedges which can be squeezed over the top just before serving.

Tofu Butter “Chicken” with Spinach

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Due to the unprovoked, criminal and seemingly endless brutal war of annihilation against Israeli and Palestinian civilians by Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis and against the Ukrainians by Vladimir Putin and the worsening humanitarian crisis, please consider helping by following the links below. There are a number of reputable aid agencies from which to choose. Many of these agencies will also help victims suffering the devastating effects of natural disasters. This list is not exhaustive but is a good place to start.

Pesach begins in just a few days. So very soon we will be eating only foods that are kosher for Passover. But tonight, I craved some Indian-style food. I went to one of my favorite vegan blogs, Pick Up Limes, to look for a recipe that would stave off my craving and didn’t require a trip to the grocery store. The Tofu Butter “Chicken” with Spinach, with a few tweaks by me is the VERY delicious result.

Tofu Butter “Chicken” with Spinach does use quite a lot of spices, but since I use most of them quite frequently either for Middle Eastern cooking or South Asian, I had everything on hand. Wherever – and whenever – possible, I like to grind my own spices. The whole spices keep better than store-bought ground and the flavor is soooooooooo much better. With an inexpensive coffee grinder, this adds only a couple of minutes to my prep time. However, you do you and there is no judgment if you use pre-ground spices and spice mixes.

I say that this recipe is Indian-style. I am not Indian and I make no claims that this is absolutely authentic. However, I do claim that it is super delicious and will be at least Indian adjacent.

In fact, the sauce is so delicious, that even if you don’t like tofu, you could use the sauce with real chicken or vegan “chicken” chunks.

One of the beauties of home cooking over ordering in is that you are in control – to say nothing of how much money it saves. So if you don’t love a lot of heat or if you crave a LOT of heat, you get to prepare things exactly as you like it.

One Indian food blogger that I have recently started watching talks to Westerners with “Baby Mouth.” Well my husband and I have graduated a bit past that, but let’s just say we have “Toddler Mouth” when it comes to spicy food. So this recipe has some heat but won’t blow your head off. The spices in the sauce just sing. It’s more Aida than Parsley Sage Rosemary and Time!

We ate this Tofu Butter “Chicken” with Spinach over Basmati rice and with naan. While spinach is not traditional in Butter Chicken, I added it both for its color and nutrients. You can, of course, leave it out. It would be lovely to eat this alongside a nice IPA but this close to Passover I don’t have any beer in the house.

But as my husband and I age, I am even more determined that as much as possible, I will make what goes in our mouths be as healthy to us and the planet – without sacrificing flavor or our great pleasure in eating. And yes, we eat dessert all the time. Often, like tonight, our dessert is melon with mango and some good dark chocolate. I am no killjoy when it comes to food. We also often have a glass of wine with dinner. And yes, I love a great cake or cookie as well as ice cream!

So I hope that you will give this Tofu Butter “Chicken” a try.

Recipe

Yield: 4 servings with rice or naan (or both!)

Ingredients

Tofu

16 oz. (450 g) extra or super firm tofu, dried and cut into 1 cm cubes 

½ cup (120 mL) unsweetened vegan yogurt 

2 tsp (3 g) garam masala

1 tsp (2 g) ground cumin

1 tsp (2 g) ground coriander

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 pinch salt

Sauce

¼ cup (32 g) raw cashews

1 Tablespoons (15 mL) neutral vegetable oil (I like avocado for its high smoke point and health properties)

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

1 jalapeño or Serrano pepper, seeds removed, minced

2 tsp (4 g) freshly grated ginger

1½ Tablespoons (8 g) garam masala

1½ Tablespoons (8 g) ground coriander

1½ Tablespoons (9 g) ground cumin

1 tsp (6 g) salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper (I prefer Rajasthan chili)

1⅔ cups (400 g) canned diced tomatoes

¼ cup (66 g) tomato paste

½ Tablespoons (7 mL) agave syrup (I didn’t have any on hand so used maple syrup)

1⅔ cups (399 mL) canned full-fat coconut milk 

2 large handfuls of baby spinach, coarsely chopped

Directions

Soak the raw cashews in boiling water to soften. Set aside for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).

In a bowl, combine the tofu, yogurt, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and salt.

Transfer the tofu to a lined baking tray and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. Keep an eye on it to prevent burning.

To a large pot on medium-high heat, sauté the oil, garlic, onion, jalapeño, and ginger for 5 minutes. Add splashes of water as needed to deglaze the pan.

Add in the garam masala, coriander, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper and cook for 1 more minute, stirring throughout to toast the spices.

Then add the drained cashews, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, agave syrup, and coconut milk.

Blend everything using an immersion blender or transfer to a standing blender to blend until smooth. Let simmer on low, and cover with a lid for about 20 minutes. Then add the spinach, if using. Re-cover the pot and cook for 5 more minutes.

Once the tofu is golden, remove it from the oven and add it to the pot. Give it a gentle stir.

Serve with naan or rice or both. Enjoy!

    Storage

    Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    Chocolate Orange Vegan Passover Cake

    ~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 4 Comments

    Due to the unprovoked, criminal and seemingly endless brutal war of annihilation against Israeli and Palestinian civilians by Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis and against the Ukrainians by Vladimir Putin and the worsening humanitarian crisis, please consider helping by following the links below. There are a number of reputable aid agencies from which to choose. Many of these agencies will also help victims suffering the devastating effects of natural disasters. This list is not exhaustive but is a good place to start.

    It’s almost Passover. In the past, I hosted Seders for friends and family, but most everyone has moved away. So this year, it will be just me and my husband at home and a shared Seder hosted by someone else.

    Pesach has always been my favorite holiday on the Jewish calendar. I never tire of reading the dramatic narrative of the Maggid that tells the story of how the Jewish People were freed from slavery. And then there is the Seder itself. Who doesn’t love a holiday that is centered around sharing food, telling stories and singing songs with friends and loved ones? Dayenu!

    But because this Pesach we are simply two at home, there are only so many desserts that we can consume. (I will link below to some wonderful Passover desserts that I encourage you to try rather than simply eating store-bought from a can.) However, when I came across this dessert, I needed to try it. And, of course, I needed to make it my own with a few tweaks. If, however, you are not a fan of orange and chocolate, just leave out the orange zest and liqueur.

    While Chocolate Orange Vegan Passover Cake is clearly vegan, it’s good enough to serve to non-vegans. Unless fudgy dark chocolate that melts in your mouth doesn’t appeal to you. Wait, what? How is that even possible?

    When it comes time to serve the cake, you can go as simple as dusting the top with confectioner’s sugar or you can be as utterly decadent as adding non-dairy ice cream or whipped cream. That is between you and you!

    Depending on your level of observance, you will either buy all of your ingredients labeled Kosher L’Pesach or will use what you have on hand. That’s between you and your rabbi.

    For other Passover Dessert ideas:

    Lemon Ricotta Almond Cake for Passover

    Death by Chocolate Vegan Passover Cake

    Passover Sephardic Wine Cookies

    Chocolate Chip Vegan Meringue Buttons for Passover

    Passover Almond Coconut Macaroons

    Passover Florentine Cookies

    Passover Orange Ginger Spice Cookies

    Iraqi Almond Cardamom Cookies

    Tarte Citron Mama (Just replace the 1 Tablespoon of flour with Matzah Cake Meal.)

    Recipe

    Yield: About 10 to 12 servings (It’s rich.)

    Ingredients

    3 ounces unsweetened vegan dark chocolate bars, broken into smallish pieces (Go for the highest percentage of cocoa solids that you can find. This one is 50% – I would have preferred 70% but it worked fine and it was what I had available.)

    ⅓ cup coconut oil

    1 (15-ounce) can unseasoned pumpkin puree

    ¾ cup almond flour (I like to use the “super fine” blanched almond flour for a somewhat lighter finished cake.)

    ¾ cup pure maple syrup

    ½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process or natural cocoa powder

    ½ cup packed light brown sugar

    1 tablespoon instant espresso granules

    1 Tablespoon Orange Liqueur such as Sabra

    Grated zest of one medium orange (preferably navel)

    2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    ¼ teaspoon salt

    1 tablespoon Kosher for Passover confectioners’ sugar*

    Possible Garnishes

    1 ¼ cups fresh blueberries (Optional)

    1 ¼ cups fresh raspberries (Optional)

    Chocolate covered orange slices or strips (Optional)

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper; lightly coat bottom and sides of pan with cooking spray. Place the pan on a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. [NOTE: If you are using a springform pan with its own built-in tray, like mine, it is unnecessary to place another pan underneath.]
    2. Combine chopped chocolate and coconut oil in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. (This can also be done in the microwave. Start at 30 seconds and then give it a stir. If the chocolate isn’t all melted add another 10 seconds, then stir. Do this until you have a smooth, glossy chocolate.) You must watch this. If the chocolate seizes up, you will need to start over.
    3. Meanwhile, whisk pumpkin, almond flour, maple syrup, cocoa, brown sugar, espresso granules, vanilla, orange zest, liqueur and salt together in a medium bowl until well combined.
    4. Whisk the melted chocolate mixture into the pumpkin mixture until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan; smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until a crust has formed on the top and sides, about 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the pan sides and let the cake cool completely, about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate until firm, 8 hours or overnight. [NOTE: The cake can be made one day ahead. If you will be doing that, leave the cake rim on the pan until you are ready to serve.]
    5. To serve, lightly dust the top of the cake with confectioners’ sugar and serve with berries. (Use a sharp knife dipped into hot water to slice this dense, chocolaty cake right out of the refrigerator. Carefully wipe the knife with a wet paper towel between slices to get clean, crisp-looking slices.)

    To Make your own Kosher for Passover Confectioner’s Sugar

    Combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 tablespoon potato starch in a food processor and process until very finely ground and powdery. Store leftovers in a dry container in the pantry.