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Easy Peasy Sesame Noodles

  • Spaghetti type noodles of your choice
  • Soy sauce or tamari
  • Garlic powder
  • Ginger powder
  • Sesame oil
  • Sesame seeds
  • Vegetable oil (optional)
  • Honey (optional)
  • Scallions, chopped in rounds (optional)

Cook noodles according to package instructions. Rinse with cold water and drain off excess. Put cooked noodles in a large bowl. Douse generously with soy sauce or tamari. Sprinkle with garlic and ginger powder. Add sesame oil, to taste - a little goes a long way. Toss to coat and mix-in ingredients. Sprinkle sesame seeds and toss again to coat. Add optional vegetable oil for a richer flavor, honey for a sweeter flavor and/or a bit of citrus for a more fresh flavor: fresh lemon, lime and/or orange. After tossing sprinkle with more sesame seeds and/or scallions & serve.

This week's recipe comes from a very talented woman. Not only is Amy Kanarek (full disclosure: she's the wife of Barry Kanarek, director of Federation's Life & Legacy and Adult Education), a talented designer of artisan jewelry, but she's also a talented chef. According to Barry, this dish is a mainstay of Shabbat dinners. When she fails to make it, there's a revolt in the house.

Enjoy this special dish.

From Tamara Duker's cookbook, The Bloated Belly Whisperer. 

Chocolate Banana Mousse

 6 servings

  • 3/4 cup nonfat milk or dairy-free alternative, such as almond milk
  • 5oz dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 ripe bananas, peeled, cut into large pieces
  • 1 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt

Rinse out a small saucepan with cold water and drain. Add the milk and heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Remove from the heat and immediately add chocolate, sugar, vanilla, salt. Stir until the chocolate melts. Cool to lukewarm.

Puree the bananas in a food processor. Add the chocolate sauce and blend in. Measure the yogurt into a medium bowl. Gradually stir in the chocolate-banana mixture to the yogurt. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if desired. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate to serve cold. Will keep for 5 days in refrigerator. Note: for more of a "milk chocolate" flavor, use 2 cups of greek yogurt instead of one. This will yield 8-10 servings.

 

Congregation Sons of Israel W. Nyack
Cookbook
Old Traditions, New Traditions

Shashlik

From Beth Harris

  • 1 lb boneless lamb or beef with a small amount of fat
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
Mix everything together in a glass or enamel bowl. Marinate, covered in refrigerator. or cool place or at least one day. (May be marinated up to one week) Drain off the marinade, put on skewers (5-6 pieces per skewer) and grill over hot coals. Grill 15-20 minutes. Serve warm in pita with a salad and tahini sauce.

Okay, so we all probably overdid it with cheesecake and blintzes and cream-cheese swirled brownies. Not to worry. We have an after-holiday palate cleanser for you, a wonderful quinoa salad from Orangetown Jewish Center's Rabbi Paula Mack Drill. Enjoy! 

 

These days, many have taken up cooking--and baking--all over again. Many of us are looking for new and different recipes to try...because we're tired of making the same old things. Do you have a favorite recipe to share with us? Please send it on to us at info@jewishrockland.org.

Curried Quinoa Salad

  • ½ C water
  • ¼ C uncooked quinoa
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • ½ C shredded carrots
  • ½ C craisins
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 1 C canned chickpeas, drained
Bring water to a boil. Add Quinoa and curry. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
Mix all other ingredients. Serve mixture either on top of quinoa or stirred all together.
Okay, so we all probably overdid it with cheesecake and blintzes and cream-cheese swirled brownies. Not to worry. We have an after-holiday palate cleanser for you, a wonderful quinoa salad from Orangetown Jewish Center's Rabbi Paula Mack Drill. Enjoy! 
 
These days, many have taken up cooking--and baking--all over again. Many of us are looking for new and different recipes to try...because we're tired of making the same old things. Do you have a favorite recipe to share with us? Please send it on to us at info@jewishrockland.org. 

Low Carb Cheesecake

  • 21/2 (8oz) pkgs. Cream cheese
  • ¾ Splenda or other sugar substitute
  • 1 T. vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 ½ T flour
  • 3 T. sour cream
Soften cream cheese in microwave for 30 seconds. Mix all ingredients with a whisk. Pour into muffin tins (12) or pie pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 300.

Gloria’s Cheese Cake

  • 9 inch graham cracker pie crust
  • 3 (8-oz) pkgs. Cream cheese
  • 11/4 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Bake pie crust for 10 minutes at 350 and cool. Mix sugar and cheese gradually adding remaining ingredients one at a time. Bake in springform pan for 1 hour at 350. Turn oven off and let stand 1 hour in closed oven. Open door and let stand in open oven for ¼ hour. Cool and refrigerate or freeze.

GLUTEN FREE CHALLAH RECIPE
Provided by Laurie Siegel

Mix together in a small bowl: 1/2C warm water, 1 tsp honey, 1 package rapid rise yeast.
Cover and let sit for bubbles to form, about 15-20 minutes.
In separate bowl- mixer with the dough hook it easiest- combine: 2 eggs room temperature, ½ C warm water, ½ C canola oil, ¼ C sugar, 2 tsps salt, 2 C gluten free flower, ½ tsp xanthum gum.
When mixed well, slowly add 2 more cups of flour (may be less). Add yeast mix, folding it in so it doesn’t splash all over. Mix until sticky but formed.
Grease a bowl with 1 tsp oil, place dough in bowl, and turn it so the whole blob of dough has oil on it. Place it in oven on proof – 100 degrees, or proof in warm place with towel on top. It will rise, but not like regular dough. Let rise for 2-4 hours.
Keep dough in bowl, punch it down with your fist. Turn it around, let it rise for at least an additional hour. Leave it in the same bowl for this second rise.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it gently for 3-5 minutes. The longer, the better, but no more than 7 minutes.
Divide dough into how many challot you want to make- one, 3, 4, or just rolls. I usually make 3-4 challot per recipe and freeze the rest after baking.
Set oven to 400 degrees. Put parchment paper on cookie sheets. Take your divided dough and braid it- 3, 4, or 6 ‘snake-like’ coils. The easiest way to shape the coils is to start in the middle and roll it between your two hands. I use a plastic scraper to cut the dough before braiding.
Once everything is braided, take an egg yolk (again, the egg needs to be at room temp), add 1 tsp water, mix it and glaze the challah with it. Use a pastry brush.
Place challah in 400 oven for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven down and continue to bake it at 350 for another 12-15 minutes. It depends on how many you make as to the time it needs to bake. I switch positions in the oven when turning it down and put the cookie sheets on different shelves. If you make four 6 inch challot, it takes about 18-25 minutes. Challah should come out browned but not burnt on the bottom. Freezes well in zip lock bag.

CHALLAH

Dissolve 1 pkg yeast into 3 Tbsps of warm water with 1 tsp sugar or honey. Cover, let sit to rise
in a warm place
In large bowl or electric mixer with dough paddle combine:
½ C sugar
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp salt
1 C really hot water
Add these together, wait for water to cool
Then add 1 egg, yeast mixture and 31/2 to 33/4 C flour. Mix til it all blends together
Transfer all dough to a greased bowl
Proof- let rise- for 2-3 hours in a proofing oven (100 degrees F) or cover
Flour a counter and place dough onto floured spot. Punch down, then knead for 3-5 minutes
Divide dough into two pieces for 2 challot
Divide each part into 3-4- or 6 for your braids. Let it rise one more hour braided
Place an egg yolk into a cup, add 1 tsp water and coat loaves in egg wash
Bake in 350 degree F oven on parchment paper for 30-40 minutes until golden brown