Vegan-boy wants chana masala. Teenage-boy prefers something with Korma sauce. Helicopter-dad doesn’t care. He’ll eat anything. Although he prefers to avoid chickpeas. They make him gussy. Neurotic-mom is up for Indian but not korma. It’s too sweet for her. To…
Vegan boy complains that there’s nothing sweet in the house. He threatens to go to CVS to buy candy. Neurotic mom says “Wait! Don’t go, I’ll make something”. Quickly she melts a bar of Trader’s Joe’s 72% dark chocolate and…
Summer, you’re hot, toasty, sweaty, smelly, exhausting, Yet, I miss you in the winter and welcome you with open arms in the spring. You and this refreshing and light cauliflower dish. This recipe works also with labneh or lemony tahini.
Although I grew up in Israel and was familiar with tahini, the first time I had tahini as a dip, rather than as the sauce that moistens your falafel, was when I moved to New York in 1997. My friend-sister,…
Not much is happening these days, but no complaints. The highlight of this week was a trip to Underwood Family Farms. That and this dish. I was pretty impressed myself, because this is exactly the kind of dish that makes…
I started to have a blast in the kitchen when I felt comfortable improvising and cooking without recipes. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing I love more than a good cookbook. However, I find it liberating to be able…
Here are a few things I learned about the history of lentils with my commentary:
One day, I got curious what would happen if I cured golden beets as if they were salmon. Since the color and the white streaks of of the beet reminded me of salmon. So I coated the beets in kosher…
My favorite meals are those vibrant dinners which are assembled from a bunch of dips, sides and small plates instead of ordinary main dish-side-and-salad dinner. We eat like that everyday but it never gets boring because they are colorful and…
Who was the genius that came up with the idea to infuse oil with spices? Every culture has their oil infusion. My mother always have a jar of oil infused with sweet paprika and hot paprika ready to use in…
Before the pandemic, I used to make this brittle weekly for my boys’ lunch bags. It’s a treat that checks all the boxes: gluten-free, grain-free, vegan, and free from refined sugar, yet deliciously crunchy. I had the pleasure of filming…
In my family and Homeland we have a lot of respect for vegetables. They get more attention than meat. You’ll never hear my mother rave about a steak or sausages. But she’ll always describe to you the perfect green beans…
My older sister who is a great cook and baker gave me the recipe for this salad. She used to make it a lot when we lived in New York. Her recipe is with pineapple but I didn’t have any…
When I was a kid my mother made this chickpea soup once a week during the winter. It doesn’t snow in the Negev, the desert of Israel but it is freaking cold. I always say that the winter in New…
Here are our most favorite, plant-based main-dishes for puffy-coat weather or semi cold swather weather. They’ll keep you warm, cozy and nourished. Except for the slow-roasted eggplant, the rest of the dishes are kid friendly (well, my kids and their…
My friend brought this mezze over for Shabbat dinner (Friday night). Her Kurdish-Iraqi grandmother used to make it. It’s teenager friendly. My 13 year-old son, who’s an adventurous eater but eggplant hater, loved it. You can serve with other mezzes…
I’ll never forget the night my husband and I stumbled upon the mind-blowing combo of fruits and rosemary. It was back in 2010, right after we’d moved to Los Angeles from Israel. We were checking out Sage Vegan Bistro in…
Sfenj (or “Sfenj”) are Moroccan yeasted donuts that we eat in Hanukkah. They’re pretty similar to beignets but better. I should say better for you. Because they’re fluffy and addictive like beignets but contain no butter, milk and eggs. The…
Every year for Thanksgiving, I let my American friends be in charge of the traditional holiday dishes while I’m in charge of cooking a few vegetable sides and plant-based mains. However, if you’re looking for authentic classic American Thanksgiving dishes,…
As much as I love desserts and sweets, for some reason I am not a big fan of sweet potatoes on their own. They’re too intense for me. I love them only when their sweetness is balanced with acidic and…