Passover Breakfast!

Matzo Brei (fried matzo) is one of those dishes that you grow up eating if you celebrate Passover. My great grandmother made it, my grandparents made it, my parents made it...my friends parents made it...Now, I make it. To me, it's a variation of a common favorite breakfast food, French toast. And in some ways, it's like scrambled eggs, too!

It's a quick and easy way to eat something...but does it taste like anything? Well, the way I make it, it does taste like something and you can have two ways. So the only question I have for you is, savory or sweet?

Base Fried Matzo recipe (Make sure you buy Kosher for Passover ingredients!)

1/3 cup of water

1 egg white

2 eggs

4 sheets of matzo

1 tablespoon butter

Break matzo up into pieces.

Boil water.

Pour water of matzo pieces in a bowl. Drain matzo with a strainer immediately (who wants soggy matzo, ick ick ick).

Heat butter in a fry pan.

Beat eggs and special ingredients (*see special ingredients section!)

Pour mix onto matzo.

Pour matzo into bubbling hot fry pan (medium heat would be fab), You want to cook this until golden brown. I like mine broken up style, some people like it frittata style (as in not broken up at all).

Now some special ingredients!

Savory:

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Pinch of paprika, a pinch of cumin

1-2 tbsp chopped tomatoes

1-2 tbsp chopped yellow onion

OR

Handful of chopped smoked salmon

Sweet:

1 tbsp honey, pinch of cinnamon, and a handful of raisins

OR

1 tbsp any flavored preserves

Here are the facts for the base recipe:

Nutrition Facts

Recipe Serves 2 people

Amount per Serving

• Calories 325Calories from Fat 48

% Daily Value *

• Total Fat 5.36g8%
• Saturated Fat 1.73g9%
• Monounsaturated Fat 1.99g
• Polyunsaturated Fat 0.71g
• Trans Fat 0.05g
• Cholesterol 212.97mg71%
• Sodium 97.56mg4%
• Potassium 24.19mg1%
• Total Carbohydrate 0.4g0%
• Dietary Fiber 0g0%
• Protein 7.8g16%

You could serve matzo brei with a poached egg (check it out here- great directions!)

Enjoy!

Chocolate "French" Almond Macaroons

These macaroons are delightful and sweet.

I knew I was making them right when I took them out of the oven. They plumped up just the right amount and had those little wrinkles in them to let the baker know, "Hey, take me out or I'll burn and taste nasty." Seriously.

When I made them I did also make a non Passover friendly version, because, well, it's not Passover quite yet.

Passover friendly version:

You'll need the following ingredients-

1, 7 ounce tube of almond paste

1 cup, plus 1.5 tbsp granulated sugar

2 large egg whites, room temperature

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 375

In a stand mixer (this is VERY handy. Should you decide to do this by hand, know that you will not need to work your arm muscles at the gym anytime soon), mix the almond paste and sugar until combined. I broke the pieces of almond paste up prior to mixing to help speed up the process. This will take about 5-7 minutes.

Next, mix in the cocoa powder until combined.

Here's the trickier part.

• SLOWLY add the egg whites...but what I mean by slowly is you want to add a drizzle of egg white at a time.
• To help you do this, place a spatula as a shield (or to "cut") between the egg white mixture (I used a pyrex that has a spout on it) and the almond paste mixture.
• Mix well after each addition.

Once the mixture looks more wet, take your spatula and scrape the bowl. Add enough egg white to make the mixture consistent enough to squeeze out of a pastry bag.

Cut the tip off the pastry bag. Fold end over to form a cuff, and fill bag with mixture.

On a cookie sheet, that is well sprayed with cooking spray (or, you could be professional like and use parchment paper, but this is not something I keep in my house), place same shaped dollops of mixture on the pan.

Next sprinkle the tops of the unbaked cookies to be with sugar.

Bake 8-9 minutes per batch.

When they are done, they will have crinkles on the top of them and will have spread a little (make sure you space these babies 1 inch a part on the baking sheet).

Take them out, and sandwich two likewise shaped macaroons together. Voila.

Now for the Non Passover friendly version (a filling of fun!)

Peanut Butter Buttercream:

1 stick of Land o Lake Light salted butter

1/2 cup of all natural creamy peanut butter

1 cup of powdered confectioner sugar

In a stand mixer and using the whisk attachment, cream the butter until fluffy. Next, add the peanut butter and cream the two ingredients together. Last, add the powdered sugar on low speed.

Place mix into a pastry bag, cut the tip off bag, cuff the sleeve, and put a touch of this mixture on each macaroon. Place two cookies together, you have Chocolate Peanut Butter Macaroons!

These make about 20 sandwich cookies.

The facts for the Passover friendly fare:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 sandwich cookies

Amount per Serving

Calories 92

Calories from Fat 17.6

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 1.95g

3%

Saturated Fat 0.13g

0%

Cholesterol 0mg

0%

Sodium 5.5mg

0%

Total Carbohydrate 17.76g

5%

Dietary Fiber 0.8g

3%

Sugars 15.56g

Protein 1.4g

2%

For the Chocolate Peanut Butter Macaroons:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 sandwich cookie

Amount per Serving

Calories 143

Calories from Fat 69.8

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 7.75g

11%

Saturated Fat 2.33g

11%

Cholesterol 8mg

2%

Sodium 67.5mg

2%

Total Carbohydrate 15.6g

5%

Dietary Fiber 0.8g

3%

Sugars 12g

Protein 2.8g

5%

Passover (Skinny) Friendly Dishes

It's March.

The month of March means a few things to me.

It means it's almost spring.

It means Mr and Mrs Not Your Bubbe's Kitchen's anniversary is arriving (and this particular year, Aruba is oh so so soon!!).

It means Mr and Mrs Not Your Bubbe's Kitchen's birthdays are coming up (I am 4 lovely days younger than him, what can I say, I dig older men).

Lastly, what does the month of March mean?

It means Passover is near.

So the next few posts, I will post some Passover friendly dishes (with some modifications for non-Passover meals on some).

Some dishes to look forward to:

• Chocolate "French Style" Almond Macaroons
• Burgers en Latke (a la Mr. Not Your Bubbe's Kitchen)
• Poached Egg & Matzoh Brei
• Eggplant Salad

Of course, some of my other recipes on the blog can most definitely be made Passover Friendly (just make sure the ingredients you buy are Kosher for Passover!):

• Check out the Chicken Soup & Tzimmes here!
• Brisket, here!

Check back often, lovies!

Hmmm, Homemade Hearty Hummus

I've never made hummus before but I read in my Hadassah cookbook that Hummus is a traditional food made for Purim (and here I thought Purim was about Esther and Hamentaschen!), and with Purim this weekend, I decided to give it a shot.

Much to my surprise, it is probably one of the most easy & simple to make things around. You'll be done making it within 10 minutes, I promise you that!

Happy Purim!

Ingredients:

1 can of 16 ounce chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed, liquid reserved.

3 garlic cloves

2-3 tbsp of flat parsley

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, separated

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tbsp sesame tahini

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

What you need:

A food processor, pita chips or another crunchy cracker, grape tomatoes, and sliced carrots.

How you do it:

In the food processor, place the garlic, salt, pepper, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and garbanzo beans. Process til smooth. Add the sesame tahini, lemon juice, remainder of olive oil, and process until smooth. If you need to, use a little of the liquid reserve from the beans to thin the hummus. Next, place the parsley in the food processor, and blend.

And...your done. See, that was easy. And it's good, too!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/8 cup

Amount per Serving

Calories 97

Calories from Fat 73.2

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 8.13g

12%

Saturated Fat 1.19g

5%

Cholesterol 0mg

0%

Sodium 75.77mg

3%

Total Carbohydrate 5.39g

1%

Dietary Fiber 1.27g

5%

Sugars 0g

Protein 1.61g

3%

Chicken Parmesan with Eggplant...Quinoa ?

A go to meal in our household is Chicken Parm (or, Chicken Pahm if your from our area). We usually serve it with a side of Barilla plus pasta, maybe a tomato basil or spicy red pepper sauce, usually some light mozz on the chicken, pan fried. Tasty as it may, it can get boring. We also haven't been tying in as many veggies as we should when we make this dinner. So the other night, I decided to change it up.

Recently, I've discovered a really good for your grain, Quinoa. This is pronounced Keen-wah. It's fun to say, isn't it? Well, a normal great substitute for rice, I figured, why not try pasta. And like a grain I cook often, cous cous, which I usually add various vegetables in the mix, I decided, I am going to toss some veggies in this mix, also.

So, here's a Panko Crusted Chicken Mozzarella Parmesan with an Eggplant Quinoa Lasagna (There's a mouthful!).

Mangia my little Bubbellah's!

Whatcha need for the Chicken Pahm?

1. 4 thin sliced chicken breasts, about 4 ounces each
2. 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
3. 1 serving egg beaters
4. 1/4 cup (maybe less) all purpose flour, and yes, you can use whole wheat, instead
5. 2 tbsp grated parmesan/romano blend by kraft (not the fresh kind)
6. 1/4 tsp garlic powder
7. 1/4 tsp kosher salt
8. 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
9. eye ball about a 1/2 tsp of dried oregano, basil and parsley- If you have fresh, use about a tsp of each.
10. 1/2 cup part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
11. 1/2 cup tomato and basil sauce (such as Classico or Bertolli brands)
12. 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Line your flour/egg/panko like this.

Step 1- season chicken w/ salt and pepper. Step 2- season the panko with the garlic powder, oregano, basil, and parsley and 1 tbsp of parmesan cheese.

Dredge chicken in flour, then egg beater, then panko mix. They should like the ones above.

Heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in pan. Place chickens on top.

Cook about 5-7 minutes. Before you flip the bird(s), lay on the other 1/2 tbsp of oil.

Now, add the sauce, about 1/8 cup on each chicken breast. Then add the remaining 1 tbsp of parmesan cheese (sprinkle it amongst friends), and 1/8 cup of mozzarella on each chicken piece. Throw the cover on top of the pan for 2-3 minutes and voila, chicken parm. Serves 4.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 chicken breast

Amount per Serving

Calories 289

Calories from Fat 87.9

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 9.77g

15%

Saturated Fat 3.68g

18%

Cholesterol 87.15mg

29%

Sodium 574.05mg

23%

Total Carbohydrate 15.75g

5%

Dietary Fiber 1g

4%

Sugars 3.25g

Protein 34.5g

69%

Now, for the Quin-what?

1. 1 cup of organic Quinoa
2. 1 1/4 cups of water
3. 3 cups of peeled, diced eggplant
4. 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
5. 1 tomato, chopped
6. 2 garlic cloves, sliced
7. 4 tbsp part skim ricotta cheese
8. 1.5 tbsp parmesan/romano grated cheese
9. 1/4 cup part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
10. 1 cup tomato and basil pasta sauce

Cook the Quinoa according to package directions (typically, boil, add, cover for 12 minutes... ensure it doesn't burn, you know).

Mix all the cheeses together.

Take 13x9 pan, layer on a coat of cooking spray.

Spoon 1/2 of the quinoa in the pan- make a thin layer with it.

Sprinkle in 1/2 of your eggplant pieces, then your onions, tomato, and garlic slices.

Drizzle 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce on top of veggies.

Then, take about 1/3 of the cheese mix, and dollop it on top of the sauce in a sporadic way.

Layer the rest of the quinoa on top of the cheese.

Repeat process.

Bake in 400 degree oven for about 40-45 minutes. Serves 6 (great left overs!)

Tada!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 serving

Amount per Serving

Calories 221

Calories from Fat 49.1

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 5.45g

8%

Saturated Fat 1.63g

8%

Cholesterol 7.5mg

2%

Sodium 254.5mg

10%

Total Carbohydrate 36.54g

12%

Dietary Fiber 6.59g

26%

Sugars 10.98g

Protein 9.63g

19%