Jewish Cooking Archives

Top 10 Healthy Breakfasts on Tasty Oasis

February 29, 2016 By Karen

Toasted Oatmeal with Flax and Chia Seeds

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”

“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”

“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.

― A.A. Milne

People always say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but so often it’s tempting to skip it or just grab something boring (and unhealthy) on our way out the door or as we head to work. I’m guilty of it, and almost always regret it as a wasted opportunity. You all know I am a bit obsessed with good food, so to have empty, flavorless calories as my foundation for the day is ultimately disappointing. Over time, I have learned that with a little prep work, I can be stocked with options for quick and easy breakfasts that I can feel good about eating and serving to my family. The photos and links here are my favorite Top 10 Healthy Breakfasts on Tasty Oasis. Some, like the Toasted Oatmeal with Flax and Chia Seeds, the Coconut Maple Granola, the Sesame Date Granola, the Chocolate Pumpkin Nut and Seed Butter and the Applesauce with Vanilla and Cinnamon are all things you can make ahead of time (meaning over your weekend.) The Healthy Green Smoothie with Spinach, Kale and Banana and the Healthy Homemade Chocolate Milk take well under five minutes to throw in the blender so you can drink on the run. And if you’ve got a spare 20 minutes (or less) or planning for a weekend breakfast, Martha Stewart’s Buttermilk Pancakes, Dorie Greenspan’s Maple-Cornmeal Biscuits, and Tasty Oasis’s very own Cardamom Almond Matzo Brei are all worth the extra time. Every one of these recipes is easy, and many of them are refined sugar-free, gluten-free and even vegan.

As always, I would love to hear if you’ve made any of these! Please write a comment, share with your friends on Facebook (the button is right at the top,) or pin this post or the specific recipes to come back to them later. If you hover over any image, the pin icon will appear and make it super simple for you. And if you have any favorite recipes of your own, I am always looking for suggestions. Enjoy!

Healthy Green Smoothie with Spinach, Kale and Banana

Coconut Maple Granola

This Sesame Date Granola is a healthy, hearty way to start your day. Gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and vegan, it is packed with a nutty, slightly sweet flavor that has a hint of spice from cinnamon and ginger. It's so easy to make, and is perfect to grab on the go or present for company.

Sesame Date Granola (Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Vegan, and All Around Healthy)

Doris Greenspan's Maple-Cornmeal Drop BiscuitMaple-Cornmeal Drop Biscuits from Dorie Greenspan are quick and easy to make, and would be perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea, or in your bread basket next time you have company for dinner. | www.tastyoasis.net

Doris Greenspan’s Maple-Cornmeal Drop Biscuits

Martha Stewart’s Buttermilk Pancakes

This Cardamom Almond Matzoh Brei is an extra flavorful version of Passover french toast. In less than ten minutes you have a healthy, easy breakfast that you'll want to eat all year round.| www.tastyoasis.net

Cardamom Almond Matzo Brei

This Chocolate Pumpkin Nut Butter is a quick and healthy way to start your day. Soaking almonds and cashews overnight makes them easy to blend with your favorite seeds, coconut, cocoa and pumpkin, so you can feel good about eating this slightly sweetened boost of protein on your toast in the morning. Refined sugar-free, vegan and gluten-free, it's full of flavor and will even make a Nutella-craving kid happy. | www.tastyoasis.net

Chocolate Pumpkin Nut and Seed Butter (VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE, REFINED SUGAR-FREE)

Cocoa Powder and Ice in the Blender for Chocolate Milk

Healthy Homemade Chocolate Milk (Refined Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free)

Homemade Applesauce with Vanilla and Cinnamon is warm and comforting, and so simple to make. | www.tastyoasis.net

Homemade Applesauce with Vanilla and Cinnamon (Refined Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Cardamom Almond Matzoh Brei

April 6, 2015 By Karen

On Friday night, the first night of Passover, I sat at the kitchen table reading two children’s books to my little guys about the holiday. The stories tell of traditions that have been passed down from one generation to the next, and reflect what my world looked like growing up, but not what it is now. I’m very aware that the families in these books don’t look like my family, and I wonder about the message my own kids take from these illustrations. It’s a conversation I could probably have with my 8 year old at some level, but I haven’t yet. It makes me think about writing a new book.

This is what the cardamom seeds look like from the pod, before they are ground.

Instead, while they nibbled on crumbling pieces of matzoh slathered in salted butter, I read them the story of …

Cooking Club: All Things Israel

October 19, 2014 By Karen

A few weeks ago, I wrote about starting a new cooking club (also known as a supper club,) and gave a step by step guide on how to go about creating your own. If you missed it, you should definitely click on the link and see what the whole cooking club idea is about. The main idea though is that a group of friends gets together once a month to explore new recipes, techniques and ingredients so that we can all expand our repertoires in the kitchen. Our first gathering was in the middle of September, and the theme for the night was Israeli cooking. Having just gone to Israel for the first time this summer (a mix of work and pleasure, and I will be writing more about it soon,) I was eager to recreate the flavors of my trip and wanted an excuse to make something else from one of my new go-to books: “Jerusalem, A Cookbook,” by Yottam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. Ottolenghi and Tamini are partners who come from two different parts of Jerusalem, one from the Jewish western part, and the other from the Muslim east. The foods they share reflect their different cultures and experiences, and their writing makes you eager to taste each dish. Filled with gorgeous photos, the recipes are ones that an average home cook can actually make with resounding success. There’s nothing intimidating about it, with flavor combinations that are creative, yet manageable. Even when there are specialty ingredients mentioned, alternative options are often suggested so that it is practical for everyday cooking. I’ve already shared a riff on their Turkey and Zucchini burgers, but the Tahini Cookie recipe in this book is also one of my favorites. I made it before I even had the book, thanks to a great post on the blog Eating From The Ground Up. Since I was hosting, I chose the theme for the night, but I didn’t expect that everyone would be cooking from the same book. But to my surprise, four of the dishes came out of it!

…

Pumpkin Apple Noodle Kugel

October 13, 2014 By Karen

I know my last post was a bit on the heavy side, so I have decided to go easy on you today. This one is all uplifting, so sit back and relax. First of all, I have some fun news: despite (and who knows, maybe partly because of) the serious nature of what I wrote on Wednesday, people clearly are drawn to all the words in the title Brown Butter Brownies with Dark Chocolate Chunks, because they have gone wild for it on Pinterest! In just five days, almost 350 people have pinned the recipe! As someone who is just starting to learn about Pinterest, I find this kind of amazing. I don’t yet get exactly how the whole thing works, but am thrilled that people see the picture of these brownies and want to remember them. If you’re reading this now, and are one of those people, thank you! Every picture on Tasty Oasis is easily “pinnable,” so if you want to have a visual collection of recipes, pin away! It has boosted the traffic to this blog tremendously in such a short period of time, and even more people have subscribed to get emails about new posts. (Have you? It takes just a minute, and you’ll be notified every time something new comes out. You can click right here to do it now.)

A couple of weeks ago I posted a recipe for Noodle Pudding with Cinnamon and Raisins , also called kugel, which is a traditional side dish served at the Jewish holidays this time of year. Only slightly sweet, it’s a lightened version of an old family favorite, and one that I make year after year. But as luck would have it, later that same day I happened to see an article on Food52 called How to Make Kugel Without a Recipe, by Sarah Jampel. She has a great write-up about all the different ways you can take your kugel, and you should definitely check it out. But in one line she off-handedly mentioned pureed pumpkin, and all of a sudden my wheels started turning. Why had I never considered this before? It’s fall, and pumpkin recipes are everywhere! And then I thought about my other fall love: apples. So I had to rush to the store immediately for more noodles and got started on recipe testing. …

Noodle Kugel with Cinnamon and Raisins

September 21, 2014 By Karen

As a kid, there was always good food in my house: healthy, nourishing, and comforting. But I was never aware of how it came to be. I have vivid memories of grocery shopping with my mom (two overflowing carts to feed our household of six,) but very few of her actually cooking because I didn’t participate in it. She tells me that she spent hours sitting on the kitchen floor pouring over “Gourmet” magazines, looking for recipes when my brothers and I were young, but it doesn’t even sound familiar. I know in theory that she cooked a Shabbat dinner most Friday nights until I was nine, but I can’t tell you what we had at them. For a family that wasn’t very religious, I somehow only remember the special occasion foods she made like brisket and latkes with homemade applesauce at Hanukkah, harroset (an apple, walnut and red wine mix served during the Seder) at Passover, and one of my very favorites: kugel on Rosh Hashana.

For us, kugel meant a slightly sweetened noodle casserole served as a side dish at the holidays. But as I grew older I learned that kugel means different things to different people. Both noodle “pudding” and a savory potato version (that’s basically a casserole approach to latkes, potato pancakes, hash browns, or whatever you want to call them,) come from Eastern Europe and are a traditional part of Ashkenazi Jewish cooking . There’s even a carrot kugel, which we called carrot pudding that looks nothing like pudding at all (at least not in the Bill Cosby Jell-O sort of way,) but more like a bundt cake. It’s hard to believe it’s in the same category because it doesn’t even slightly resemble the kugel I share with you today. (But stick around, because I’ve got a pretty great recipe for that carrot one and hopefully I’ll get to it soon!) If you want to know even more about kugel, there’s a detailed write up about it here.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year, and part of how we celebrate is to eat foods that reflect the wish for sweet beginnings and good things to come in the year ahead. Apples dipped in honey start the night, and honey cake often ends it. But the main meal can incorporate that theme too. Which is why this slightly sweetened noodle pudding is the perfect side dish to serve at the holiday table with brisket or a roasted chicken, or even Spice-Crusted Roasted Salmon. Made with broad egg noodles, it’s a bit creamy, with the warmth of cinnamon and a juicy pop from the golden raisins sprinkled throughout. The top gets nicely browned, so not only is it delicious, it’s pretty to look at….