I’m not sure if it’s just because I have a baby who will be turning one soon or because it’s just a fad, but there’s something about nut milks that I just can’t stop hearing and reading about them wherever I go. Now, nut milk is exactly what it sounds like. A drink made out of nuts. In this case, almonds. It’s not milk in the traditional comes from a mammal who just had a baby way, but it’s a nice dairy-free alternative for baking, drinking, cooking, and definitely marinating meats that you can’t use cow’s milk for (think fried chicken). 

Of course, you can buy this stuff in grocery stores. But it’s so easy to make, why would you? Plus there are no preservatives and you control the flavorings and sweetness when you make it yourself.

I wish I had a Vitamix to make this with. But I don’t. A regular blender works fine, and so does an immersion blender, which is what I used…but it’s not perfect, and I know something more powerful would make a big difference. Also, while you can use cheesecloth to strain the milk at the end, a nut milk bag is better because of the shape and the fact that it’s reusable.

There are many many recipes online for almond milk, all with different ratios of water to almond, and all with different flavors and sweeteners. I decided to do a 4:1 ratio and add just a cinnamon stick. I loved it! I’m going to experiment with different ratios for a creamier milk

Almond Milk

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole raw almonds
• 4 cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick

Directions:

1. Soak almonds, water, and cinnamon stick in a bowl overnight (or for about 8 hours)

2. Discard cinnamon stick

3. Blend water and almonds

4. Strain liquid through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag.

5. Enjoy plain, with cereal, as a pareve milk substitute in your desserts. It lasts for about a week in the fridge.

My friend Paulette sent me this passover cookie recipe, and though I was already baking marshmallow pecan logs, pie, chocolate cake, and macaroons, immediately after reading the recipe, I knew I had to bake these, too. They came out fudgy and airy, and were definitely my favorite pareve dessert at the seder. If you like chocolate, give these a try. They’re simple enough to make, kosher for Passover for everyone involved, and impressive looking, which is the most important part. Plus, they freeze well. Score! I promise these were displayed on a pretty plate – we just did that after the holiday started, so you don’t get a picture. This is how I transported them to my host’s home.

A note on kosher for Passover powdered sugar: it stinks. Because they don’t add corn starch to it, the sugar can stick together at the bottom of the can, so make sure to shake that can before you purchase it and make sure it’s not all dense and stuck at the bottom. I had to scrape the sugar out of the can, which made it hard to use and hard to measure. It also lengthened my prep time on this dessert by a lot. So next time I’m going to shake the can! Also, that makes me think my newly purchased confectioner’s sugar was leftover from LAST Passover, I just hope I’m wrong, because I ate about a dozen of these cookies.

Don’t like walnuts? Make these with pecans, instead. Or peanuts, or cashews, or whichever is your favorite nut. I stuck to the original because a lot of people I know enjoy walnuts in their cookies, but it’s completely up to you.

Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies, adapted from Francois Payard:

Ingredients:

• 2 ¾ cups walnut halves
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, if you can find some that’s kosher for Passover. If not, omit – I did.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Toast the walnut halves for about 9 minutes, until fragrant. Chop when cooled.

3. Lower oven to 320 degrees.

4. In a large bowl, mix the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Add the chopped walnuts, and mix well.

5. Whisk in the egg whites until batter is moistened, making sure not to overnbeat.

6. Spoon tablespoon-sized drops onto greased baking sheets, placing about an inch apart, and bake for 14-16 minutes (mine took 16) until the tops are glossy and slightly cracked.

7. Let cool on a rack.

I made 29 cookies with this recipe, and measured each precisely with a tablespoon.

Okay, so if you don’t eat kitniyot, this recipe is not so kosher for passover, because the lemon curd is thickened with corn starch. But try it with potato starch, that might work, too. Or try the recipe Stephanie used for her lemon macarons, which, by the way, would be a good dessert to make for passover. Or you’ll just have a more runny lemon curd filling. I’m not sure how to handle that. Maybe you can just make this after the holiday.

Lemon Meringue Pie, adapted from Bon Appetit:

To make the crust:

• 1 package Hagadda Baby Fingers
• 5 tablespoons flavorless oil

Directions:

1. Crush the cookies in a zip top bag until the crumbs are like powder – I used a water bottle to do this, and it was quite easy.

2. Pour crackers into a bowl and add oil, one tablespoon at a time, mixing well with your fingers.

3. Squeeze crust together. If it sticks, you know it’s ready. Transfer to tart pan or pie dish.

To made the lemon curd/filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons corn starch (try it with potato starch and let me know how it works)
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (4 1/2 lemons)
• 4 whole eggs
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (3 lemons)

Directions:

1. Whisk sugar and corn starch in medium saucepan until there are no lumps.

2. Gradually whisk in lemon juice

3. Add eggs one at a time, whisking to blend well after each addition.

4. Stir in the lemon zest and then whisk constantly over medium heat until filling thickens and bubbles. This took about 17 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and transfer to crust. Smooth out the top.

To make the meringue:

• 6 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixture, beat egg whites and salt until frothy.

2. Gradually beat in sugar, and continue beating until white and glossy.

3. Spread meringue over warm filling, making sure the meringue reaches the crust at the edges. (Alternatively, you can use your piping bag and pipe dots around the whole pie. make sure to spread a layer at the bottom just to make sure everything is covered, then start piping from the outside in – if you pipe, skip the next step).

4. Using a spatula, form peaks and swirls in the meringue – the more peaks, the more browning!

5. Bake pie for 15 minutes at 375 degrees, until the meringue is golden brown.

6. Cool completely and serve.

I’m always looking for new and interesting quinoa recipes. It gets boring to only put roasted vegetables or canned corn with dressing. So when I found a recipe for quinoa with golden beets and raisins, I knew I wanted to try it out, just tweaked a little bit. First of all, I can never find golden beets in the fruit store or supermarket! So I used the regular red ones. Anyway, I like red ones better anyway. Also, the original recipe called for feta cheese. And I don’t like feta cheese, so I left it out.

I have never eaten raw (not baby) spinach. I’m also not sure it really added much flavor to the dish, though maybe that’s because I cut it so small. It did add great color, though. So I still recommend it.

This makes a great lunch dish. It’s filling, pretty, and really delicious. I squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top right before eating. It makes it a little more refreshing.

Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Beets, adapted from Tyler Florence:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and cooked
• 5 small beets
• A handful of spinach
• 3 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Scrub the beets and roast for 20-30 minutes, until soft.

3. Let the beets cool and peel (the skin should come off easily with the back of a knife

4. Chop into small cubes and add to the cooked quinoa.

5. Remove the stems from the spinach and chop up into tiny pieces. Add to quinoa.

6. Add raisins and mix.

7. Dress quinoa with olive oil and lemon juice. Taste and add salt and pepper, as desired.

8. Serve and enjoy!

Ever wonder why they’re called cupcakes? Well, probably because you bake them in cups!

Seriously. Once I found out that my dairy dishes are oven-proof, I knew I had to make these. I watched Alton make them a few times, and once my Good Eats 3 arrived, it made me want to try it even more. So when Stephanie came over and we made dinner for some friends, we knew his was the perfect dessert to make. Each of us would have a mug, and we would freeze the cupcakes we made in tins. Yum! These came out light, fluffy, and overall delicious, especially with Alton’s buttercream spread on top.

Making this recipe, we were very thankful that I have two Kitchen Aid bowls. Actually, it would have been more convenient to have three. We mixed the batter together in one bowl, then whipped the egg whites in the clean one. Life is easy with a dishwasher and extra equipment.

Now, these didn’t rise as much as Alton’s, but I’m really not sure why. The egg whites were whipped to soft peaks and we measured the ingredients accurately. At first I thought they were ruined, but when I tasted the light and fluffy batter I guessed that maybe my mugs are just giant. And hey, they are pretty big. And the dessert was delicious.

Chiffon Cupcakes, adapted from Alton Brown:

Ingredients:

• 5 1/4 ounces cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 6 ounces sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and set aside. Or, place 12 oven proof coffee mugs on a baking sheet and set aside. Or, what I did, line 1 12-cup muffin tin with liners and prepare 6 coffee mugs on a baking sheet and set aside.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks and 5 ounces of the sugar and mix on high for 2 minutes, until pale ribbons form.

5. Add the water, oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine.

6. Add the dry ingredients and whisk till just combined. Transfer batter to a large bowl (unless you have two mixer bowls) and set aside.

7. In your newly cleaned mixer bowl (or if you have 2 like me, just take it out of the cabinet!), combine the egg whites and cream of tartar and whisk on high until mixture is foamy. Decrease speed to low and add the remaining ounce of sugar. Whisk until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.

8. Add one-third of the egg whites into the batter and whisk until combined. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in gently.

9. Scoop the batter into the prepared tins and mugs.

10. Place muffin tins in middle rack of the oven and mugs on the bottom. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

11. Remove to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

Everybody loves the Chef at Home (aka Magen David) cookbook. It has bright colors, pretty pictures, and no capitals in the titles! Okay, that’s not why they like it. They like the easy to follow recipes and everyday dishes. I’ve made quite a few recipes from there, but haven’t blogged about them (sorry!). So I decided to make something awesome from there on my day off and share it with you. Now I know we’ve posted quite a few veggie burger recipes lately (fine, two. But that’s a lot!), but I like to make healthy dishes that I can freeze and just heat up when I need a quick lunch, dinner or even snack. And I’m trying to stay away from processed foods, so Morningstar items only a last resort.

I kinda made my job harder by actually chopping all the veggies. I chopped everything into TINY pieces. You probably don’t have to make them that small. Or you can use the food processor and pulse them. I just wanted to incorporate all the flavors and to make sure the burgers really stick together. I hate it when veggie burgers fall apart, don’t you?

Lentil and Brown Rice Burgers, adapted from Chef at Home
Makes about 20 burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown lentils
• 1 cup brown rice
• 5 1/2 cups water
• 2 medium onions (I used spanish), finely chopped
• 7 cloves garlic, minced or smashed
• 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms (I used button), chopped
• 4 tablespoons brown bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 whole eggs
• 4 egg whites
• Oil or nonstick spray for the baking tray

Directions:

1. In a pot over medium heat, add the water, rice, and lentils. Cook for 30 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl to cool.

2. Saute the onions and garlic in 4 tablespoons of the oil until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside in medium bowl.

3. Saute the celery and carrots in 2 tablespoons of the oil until softened, about 15 minutes. Set aside with the onions.

4. Saute the mushrooms in the remaining tablespoon of the oil until the water is all absorbed, about 7 minutes. Set aside with the rest of the vegetables.

5. Combine the rice, lentils, and vegetables in the large bowl and mix well.

6. Add the bread crumbs, flour, salt, pepper, and cumin to the mixture. Stir to combine.

7. Add the eggs and egg whites and mix again.

8. Refrigerate the mixture for about 30 minutes, covered.

9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

10. Using a 1/2 cup measure, scoop out mixture and with slightly wet hands, form patties and place them onto a greased baking sheet (if freezing, place them on wax paper).

11. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes, then flip over and bake another 20 minutes, until golden brown.

12. Serve on a bun with your favorite toppings/extras and enjoy!

That’s right, it takes a while to cook, but it’s all unattended cooking time; all you have to do is stir once every 40 minutes or so. I’d imagine that this works well in the slow cooker, too. I’ll have to try that out!

I flavored mine with a vanilla bean, because that’s what I had in my pantry, but next time I think I want to try a cinnamon stick. I also sprinkled it with this sugar-chocolate-coffee bean grinder that I bought at Trader Joe’s. It’s actually a perfect accompaniment, though I bought it as an impulse – I saw the hashkacha and had to have it!

Before cooking, it’s hard to believe that this mixture will turn into a delicious dessert. Also, I waited until everyone tasted and loved this before I told them it was made with brown rice!!

Coconut and Brown Rice Pudding
4 servings. About 2 1⁄2 hours, largely unattended

Ingredients:

• 1⁄3 to 1⁄2 cup long-grain brown rice
• Two 14-ounce cans coconut milk
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• A cinnamon stick, a few cardamom pods, a split vanilla bean, a pinch of saffron, or other flavoring, optional

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 300°F. Put the rice in a food processor and pulse a few times to break the grains up a bit and scratch their hulls; don’t overdo it, or you’ll pulverize them.

2. Put all the ingredients in a 2-quart ovenproof pot or Dutch oven. Stir a couple of times and put the pan in the oven, uncovered. Cook for 45 minutes, then stir. Cook for 45 minutes more, and stir again. At this point the milk will have darkened a bit and should be bubbling, and the rice will have begun to swell.

3. Cook for 30 minutes more. The milk will be even darker, and the pudding will start to look more like rice than milk. It’s almost done. Return the mixture to the oven and check every 10 minutes, stirring gently each time you check.

4. It might (but probably won’t) take as long as 30 minutes more for the pudding to be ready. Just trust your instincts and remove the pudding from the oven when it is still soupy; it will thicken a lot as it cools. (If you overcook the pudding, it will become fairly hard though still quite good to eat.) Remove the whole spices if you used them. Serve the pudding warm, at room temperature, or cold, alone or with your favorite topping.

This post is in honor of the best news ever!

Whenever I buy bananas, some of them start to turn brown before I can eat them. Seriously, they’re green when I bring them home, and when I wake up the next morning they’re already overripe! I usually peel them, cut them into chunks and freeze them for smoothies, but there are other things you can do with frozen bananas; You can dip them in chocolate and coconut or pistachios and eat them for dessert!

Anyone here an Arrested Development fan? If you’re not, then you’re missing out because it’s the best show ever, so go watch it! And when you come back, this recipe will remind you of Arrested Development.

What do you do with overripe bananas?

Ingredients:

• 2 or 3 bananas, sliced (or as many as you have that are going bad)
• 8 oz. chocolate, melted (I used pareve chocolate)
• Dippings of your choice, such as pistachios, coconut, etc.

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler
2. Dip the banana chunks into the chocolate, and then quickly into your topping of choice.
3. Set on a plate and freeze, store in a bag and eat as you please.

“There’s always money in the banana stand!”

Now when we decided to make these roasted tomatoes, we preheated the oven and waited for it to get hot enough. We had planned an entire menu with short cooking times and a variety of dishes based on the fact that our oven would work. Little did we know that because of the extreme heat there would be a brown out! So tomatoes that should have taken about 15 minutes to soften and caramelize took over an hour. Oops. Hey, they still turned out delicious. And we tried them again in ovens that actually worked; they were still a hit!

Pesto Roasted Tomatoes, adapted from Ina Garten:

Ingredients:

• 2 – 2 1/2 pounds large red tomatoes (we used Jersey tomatoes!)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup pesto
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (omit if you’re making this with a pareve meal, like we did)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Core the tomatoes and slice them across/not through the stem into 1/2 inch thick slices.

3. Arrange slices on a baking sheet in a single layer.

4. Drizzle with olive oil.

5. Sprinkle the oregano, salt, and pepper.

6.Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and spread each slice with pesto. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if using.

8. Bake for another 7-10 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft (and if you put cheese, it is slightly browned).

9. Remove from oven and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Sure, this takes a little longer than microwaving a frozen patty, but not much. It probably took 30 minutes from start to finish, counting the 20 minutes baking time. Do what we did and double the recipe so you can freeze some for later!

Spicy Black Bean Burgers from all recipes
Makes 4

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees, and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.
7. Put in bun, top with cheese, lettuce, hummus, roasted peppers or the toppings of your choice, eat and enjoy!