Simple Lima Bean & Celeriac Dip
The first time I had celeriac “hummus” was in Habasta, an exquisite restaurant in Tel Aviv. I was surprised by the intense earthy flavor of the celery root. It blew my mind. I remember thinking out loud, I have to…
Sautéed Beet Leaves With Eggs
Throwing away the beet tops is like tossing a gorgeous strand of human hair instead of donating it. What a weird analogy. It’s a shame not to cook those flavorful Swiss chard-like leaves. Particularly when organic and intact. They are…
Roasted Pumpkin & Candied Pecans
I don’t know how comfortable you are about including non-traditional dishes, like this one, in your Thanksgiving feast. If you are open to it, then you must try this one. It requires only four ingredients and take about 30 minutes…
Butternut Squash, Mushrooms & Walnuts With Tahini
Not much is happening these days. The highlight of last week was a visit to Underwood Family Farms. When Leo and Alex were small we used to go there often. They loved it back then and apparently they still do…
Quick & Simple Eggplant Dip
When I was a kid, my mother cooked eggplants at least twice a week. I didn’t mind the eggplant cooked with meat and tomatoes, but I found the baba ganoush disgusting. I couldn’t even look at it. My love affair…
Chickpea With Caramelized Onion
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.…
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…
Spicy Oil Infused with Paprika
Who was the genius that came up with the idea to infuse oil with spices? Every culture has their oil infusion. My mother always have a jar of oil infused with sweet paprika and hot paprika ready to use in…
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…
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…
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…
Sweet Potatoes, Tahini & Tomato
As much as I love desserts and sweets, for some reason I am not a big fan of sweet potatoes on their own. They’re too intense for me. I love them only when their sweetness is balanced with acidic and…
Epic Baba Ganoush
According to Wikipedia, Baba Ganoush is a Levantine dish. According to me, it’s Shabbat at my mother’s. She has been making it every Friday for Shabbat dinner since I was a kid. Some people make their baba G with tahini…
Indian Style Okra & Zucchini
Even as a recipe developer I sometimes don’t know what to make for dinner. When nothing comes to mind I start rinsing and peeling the vegetables I have in hand. And while doing so something interesting happens. I start cooking…
Indian Style Yellow beans
We, my immediate and extended family and I, live on side dishes. Instead of making a main dish with a side dish, we make two or three vegetables dishes with a condiment on the side or a bunch of mezzes…
Moroccan-Style Carrot With Harissa
Carrot isn’t the most exciting vegetable, right? But when you steam it lightly, to soften it just slightly, then mix it with homemade harissa (or store bought) and lemon juice it becomes the sultan of the garden. So make a…
Eggplant, Shallot & Scallion Stew
I know that many of you don’t like eggplants, but you know how I always say, “you must try it again and again until your palate is hooked.” Especially when the eggplants are roasted in a Dutch oven for an…
Roasted Eggplant, cauliflower, Zucchini & pumpkin Over Couscous
In the hot summer days, when I can’t eat anything but vegetables, I like to roast any vegetables I have in hand and serve them with some sort of a grain, such as rice or couscous, cilantro parsley or dill,…
Schug, Herb & Garlic Spicy Sauce
When you have some 1 or more fresh or wrinkly jalapeños that you’re not sure what to do with, make this yemenite chimichurri. It would last for a month and you can use it during the week on avocado or…
Smoky Bell Peppers
The aroma of burnt peppers always reminds me of home, my mother’s house in the Negev, the desert of Israel. Every Friday noon my mother burns, directly on the flames, green hot peppers for Matbucha, spicy cooked tomato salad and…