Cashew e pepe
I have serious writer’s block. My brain slams the door in my face every time I sit down to write, just like our nasty upstairs neighbor. I knocked on her door and begged her to ask her little girls to…
Beet soup with vegetable dumplings
A shower thought: If there’s a Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, a Herring Festival in Denmark, a Pizzafest in Naples, and a Dumpling Festival in Hong Kong, then there should definitely be a Kubbeh Festival in Jerusalem.
Rosti with Zucchini & Golden Beets
We’re moving! Again? Where to? I can’t tell you yet. You’ll have to wait for my next post. But I’ll give you a hint… It’s a small island in Spain. But before we settle down, we will do some traveling,…
Black bean kibbeh
Honestly, I don’t know what to call this dish. I think Kibbeh is the most appropriate name for it other then experimenting with black beans – I was trying to make veggie burger but I over-processed the beans and added a large egg, which made the mixture too mushy to…
Veggie burgers with melted tahini
The first time I had a burger was in the beginning of nineties, in Israel. It was soon after I moved in with my twin friends. David, their New Yorker dad/excellent cook made them for lunch. The first time I had a veggie burger was in 2000 at a…
Vegan Thai Coconut Soup
Since we moved here five years ago and rediscovered Vietnamese, we have been neglecting Thai cuisine. Actually this isn’t the only reason. As much as I love Thai food, most it is cooked with a lot of sugar. Sugar is unhealthy for most people but especially for…
Mushroom & Lentil Soup
I adapted this recipe from Green Kitchen Stories blog. Their recipe call for Chanterelle mushrooms but (a) I didn’t have any and (b) the price here for one pound (half a kilo) chanterelles is $42. I’m sure it tastes divine but the the humble…
vegetable tagine with chermoula sauce
Chermoula is a marinade that North Africans use in their cooking. It is usually used to flavor fish or seafood, but it can be used with legume and vegetables. Very healthy. It’s strange, for someone who grew up in a Moroccan home, I…
Chickpeas & Amaranth Tagine
There’s a traditional Moroccan fish recipe that my mother, and the rest of the Moroccan Jews around the world make every Friday for Shabbat dinner. I’ve never met anyone who grew up in a Moroccan home who doesn’t get nostalgic about…
Rice bowl with swiss chard & barberries
Before I say anything about this rice bowl/salad, I want to get something out of my system. Hi, my name is Shelly and I am addicted to TED talks. It started after I turned forty a few months ago. I didn’t mind turning…
Paris & Penne with cashew cream and Butternut Squash
It’s been a long time… Two days ago I arrived back from a marvelous week in Paris. It was a trip that my mother, older sister and I have been dreaming to do together for years. (Aunt Shuli tagged along.) For my…
Butternut Squash Soup With Asian Flavors
When we lived in New York and Los Angeles we always had access to excellent authentic Asian food but when we lived in Tel Aviv and Mallorca it was available but not as good (except for one Chinese restaurant in…
Flat bread with eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes (Sabich)
Sabich is an Israeli street food, pita stuffed with potatoes, eggplant, hard-boiled egg, salads and tahini sauce. The first thing I want to eat when I land in my holy land. I wanted to create a version that will appeal…
Quinoa, Beet & Hazelnut Salad
I’m handing the stage to my dear mother-in-law, who introduced me to this beautiful grain fourteen years ago. Thank you, Estee! I appreciate your help. I love every word you wrote. An on-going, exasperating controversy about Quinoa is how to say it. Most…
Shakshuka
My cousin Diane is married to Avi, who is from Jerusalem and is an excellent cook. Avi makes the best shakshuka. Last month, when we were visiting in Israel, we stayed with them and he made shakshuka for breakfast. I already published a quick recipe…
Middle Eastern Pizza
My mother makes the best pizza. She is not even Italian. Her pizza has Middle Eastern flavors. Instead of using tomato sauce she uses fresh sliced tomatoes (the beefy kind, such as Roma). After she covers the dough with tomatoes and mozzarella, she…
Hummus
Asli means “authentic” in Arabic. Somehow I always forget how much I love hummus and how easy it is to make. Unlike in Israel, here in Los Angeles it’s hard to find good hummus. There are rumors that there are bunch of decent humus places…
potato & sweet potato frittata
El-machamer is the Jewish Moroccan (Sephardic) version of Tortilla Española or frittata. My mother’s recipe doesn’t really have sweet potatoes or spinach, but then she never makes this dish for a main course like I often do.
Black Bean Soup + Green Basmati Rice
I just finished a delicious and nutritious lunch that I couldn’t wait to share with you. But before I do I would like to thank you for supporting my blog. It feels good getting your feedback, so please continue to…
White Bean & Tomato Soup
All the women in my family make this soup and we all make it slightly different. For example my grandmother used to make this soup with a beef shank, which makes it more like a stew; My aunts Shuli and Sara add to…