Tahini Dip with Tomato
Although I grew up in Israel and was familiar with tahini, I never forgot the first time I ate tahini as a dip and not as the sauce that moistens your falafel in pita (and makes it easier to swallow).…
Butternut Squash with Mushrooms & Walnuts
Not much is happening these days. The highlight of the previous week was our visit to Underwood Family Farms, in Moorpark CA. When my boys were little we used to go there often. They used to love picking the vegetables…
Iranian-Inspired Eggplant Mezze
Eggplant lovers, jump to the recipe. Eggplant haters, bear with me for a second. I have a story that might help you see eggplants in a different light. As a child, they were always around. My family loved them, but…
potatoes & Sauerkraut Stew
I started to have a blast in the kitchen when I felt comfortable improvising and cooking without recipes. Now don’t get me wrong, I love being tucked in bed with a good cookbook or discovering a great recipe online but…
Lentils cooked with Eggplant & Tomatoes
I googled the history of lentils and learned a few interesting facts about them.
Turkish-Style Chickpea Salad
I always associate the word Turkish with food, good food – even when someone brings up Turkish prisons, Turkish Coffee or the Bride from Istanbul. Unfortunately, I’ve never been to Turkey yet but it’s on the top of my list.…
“Cured” Golden Beets (Gravlax)
The other day I was curious (not sure what to do with myself and a bunch of golden beets) to see what would happen if I treated the golden beets as if they were salmon. Why? Because they both have…
Smoky Eggplant Dip
My favorite meals are those vibrant dinners which are assembled from a bunch of dips, sides and small plates instead of ordinary main dish-side-and-salad dinner. We eat like that everyday but it never gets boring because they are colorful and…
Paprika & Chili Oil
I don’t know whose idea it was to infuse oil with spices but it’s brilliant! We always had a jar of oil infused with paprikas in the fridge. All the Moroccan families did have one ready to use in the…
Sunflower Seeds Brittle
Before the pandemic I used to make it on a weekly basis to put in my boys’ lunch bags. It’s gluten-free, grain-free, vegan and refined sugar free and delicious and crunchy. I filmed and edited the video for We Are…
Perfect Roasted Cabbage With Tahini & Tomato Puree
In my family and Homeland we have a lot of respect for vegetables. They get more attention than meat. You’ll never hear my mother rave about a steak or sausages. But she’ll always describe to you the perfect green beans…
Nokedli (Hungarian Dumplings)
My husband is ¾ Hungarian and ¼ Polish. His mother didn’t cook Hungarian food but his grandmother, Shula, did. She was a good cook and excellent baker, if you didn’t bite into a coin that accidentally got into the batter.…
Turkish Style Flatbreads
They should teach in elementary school how to make basic bread. All humans should know how to create this godly attribute. Even French people and lawyers. The process of mixing flour, yeast (or sourdough starter), salt and water into a…
Blood Orange Waldorf Salad
My older sister and I always exchange recipes. She also spends many hours in the kitchen. Like me and the rest of my family. She gave me the recipe for this salad. I didn’t have a pineapple so I used…
Chickpea & Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
When I was a kid my mother made this chickpea soup once a week during the winter. It doesn’t snow in the Negev, the desert of Israel but it is freaking cold. I always say that the winter in New…
7 Plant-Based Mains For Cold Days
Here are our most favorite, plant-based main-dishes for puffy-coat weather or semi cold swather weather. They’ll keep you warm, cozy and nourished. Except for the slow-roasted eggplant, the rest of the dishes are kid friendly (well, my kids and their…
Smoky Eggplant & tomato Mezze
My friend brought this mezze over for Shabbat dinner (Friday night). Her Kurdish-Iraqi grandmother used to make it. It’s teenager friendly. My 13 year-old son, who’s an adventurous eater but eggplant hater, loved it. You can serve with other mezzes…
Wintery Fruit Salad With Rosemary
I remember the day and place my husband and I discovered the combination of fruits and rosemary. It was in 2010 when we moved to Los Angeles from Israel, at Sage vegan bistro in Silver Lake. It was a revelation.…
Sfenj with Cardamom
Sfenj (or “Sfenj”) are Moroccan yeasted donuts which my family and I eat on Hanukkah. They’re similar to beignets but better. Better because they’re fluffy and addictive like their sisters but don’t contain butter, milk and eggs. They have mercy…
5 Easy Thanksgiving Vegan & GF Sides
Every year for Thanksgiving, I let my American friends to be in charge of the holiday traditional’s dishes while I’m in charge of cooking a few vegetable sides and plant-based mains. The recipes below aren’t fussy or fancy but they’re…