Split Pea Soup

December 19, 2011 by Jessica | Leave a comment

I never realized how much I like split pea soup. And not just because it’s the easiest soup to make. Ever. Seriously. The. Easiest. Soup. Ever. Chopped onions optional. I really don’t even think I need to give you a recipe for this, because once you’ll read it, you’ll probably say, “That’s it?!” But when you make it, you might want to eat this soup a few times a week. Or not, but if you’re like me you’ll like the deliciousness paired with the yumminess, you’ll probably make it pretty often. Or, if you’re not like me and have endless time to cook dinner, you can try this soup anyway. Unless you don’t like soup. But who doesn’t like soup? Continue reading …

Lentil and Brown Rice Burgers

December 5, 2011 by Jessica | 3 Comments

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. Continue reading …

Another Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

October 9, 2011 by Jessica | Leave a comment

I love butternut squash soup! I love any butternut squash, actually. But the best way to eat it is definitely in soup.

Last year, we posted a recipe from Jamie Oliver. And while that sage-infused oil soup was amazing, and definitely a go-to recipe for me, I definitely have to change it up a little bit. Eating as much butternut squash soup as I do makes me need to experiment with different flavors and interesting ingredients. This is actually the first butternut squash soup recipe I have ever made, and it was years ago when I was still in high school. Continue reading …

Grilled Baby Bok Choy

October 6, 2011 by Jessica | Leave a comment

That’s right, I’m still grilling. Okay, fine, so I made this on my cast iron grill pan. But it still turned out awesome. It required more cooking time than the outdoor grill and set off my smoke detector more than once. I used all the ingredients from the original recipe but changed the quantities a lot. It’s also the type of recipe that you really don’t have to measure. Just wing it. Continue reading …

Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

September 12, 2011 by Jessica | 4 Comments

I love sandwiches! When Stephanie and I were put in charge of making lunch for our mom and her friends, we decided that these sandwiches were perfect with just a few side salads. And after Jeff won the Next Food Network Star, of course I had to follow his lead and make a sandwich into a meal, because why not? I bought some fancy bread at the supermarket and delicious fresh summer veggies, then added some creamy goat cheese – it truly was everything you need in a meal. Continue reading …

Pesto Roasted Tomatoes

September 4, 2011 by Jessica | Leave a comment

Your side dish can’t get easier than this. If you have pesto in your freezer (either store-bought or homemade will do?), then you can prep this dish in about five minutes. Have basil growing like a weed in your garden? Then it might take a bit longer to make, but it’s still pretty simple, and always a big hit. Continue reading …

Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burgers

August 25, 2011 by Stephanie | 9 Comments

Even though we aren’t vegetarians, we’re no strangers to veggie burgers. Our freezers are usually stocked with Chik Patties and other MorningStar Farms delights, but those have some problems; they’re filled with preservatives and they’re dairy! Our veggie burgers are pareve and consist only of natural, fresh ingredients. Try adding corn, hot pepper or any other flavor variety to make them your own and you’ll never buy a frozen veggie burger again.

Old-Fashioned Banana Cake

June 17, 2011 by Jessica | 4 Comments

The problem with making desserts for Shabbat is that we can’t take pictures of the final project…I mean, you can see the cake and how it looked right out of the oven, but you can’t see it sliced and on a plate, which is too bad because this cake was pretty. Okay, the pan is a little bit messy, but at least my counter is clean! Oh, and the other problem is that you have to make the desserts pareve. Which means no cream cheese frosting! Those who dare to eat pareve whipped topping dolloped some on top of their cake. I ate it plain and it was amazing just the way it was. Continue reading …

Egg Barley with Meatballs

April 4, 2011 by Jessica | Leave a comment

If you’ve never been to the Second Avenue Deli, you should go. Right now*. The food is amazing. Though many say it’s not the same as it used to be, it’s still worth a trip.

We used to go to the one on Second Avenue and Tenth Street all the time. When they closed, the first thing I did was buy the 2nd Ave Deli cookbook. I then bookmarked about half the recipes in the book, and actually made quite a few of them. When the new restaurant opened on 33rd and 3rd, I kind of forgot about my cookbook, and got my health salad fix at the deli. Continue reading …

Meatless Mondays: Best Brussels Sprouts

March 28, 2011 by Stephanie | 10 Comments

When it comes to Brussels sprouts, I was always a roaster – I loved the small bits of leaves that peeled off and crisped up while baking. I even used to tear off as many leaves as possible, making addictive “Brussels sprouts chips.” I thought this was the only way to prepare them, and it was definitely the only way I ever did. That is, until Rayna showed me this recipe. She said she doesn’t like Brussels sprouts unless they’re prepared like this, so I had to try them. The name says it all; they really are the best Brussels sprouts! I know a lot of people who don’t like Brussels sprouts, do you? Feed them these and they’ll be converted.