VEGAN POKE BOWLS

in ,

Do you guys ever have those days where you just need a reset? I'm talking about a did-I-really-drink-that-much-beer-and-then-drunk-eat-late-night-pizza-with-my-friends night followed by a concession stand dilemma between M&Ms and Butterfinger bites where your brother tells you to "just get both." By Monday, my body was screaming for something healthy to fuel me for my work outs (I'm looking at you, row class), nourish me past the 2 o'clock slump (keep me away from those vending machines!!) and just get back on the wagon. 

Read More

BEET HUMMUS + CRUDITÉ BOARD

in , ,

My junior year in Tel Aviv was the first time I had a kitchen of my own. Apart from the summer spent in an absorption center in Ashdod while volunteering on ambulances (whose kitchen consisted of a sad hot plate, a sad counter and a sad toaster oven), that was the first time I had a space to cook for myself. And what did I do to inaugurate this life's milestone?

Ate nothing but hummus and cucumbers on toast.

Read More

PEANUT BUTTER + WHITE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

in

Back in college, most members of the Michigan Jewish community committed themselves to the boxed Duncan Hines brownie mix. For one thing, it didn't have any dairy ingredients (suspicious, I know), so if you kept kosher, you could get away with having both your Shabbat dinner chicken and your sweet tooth. But, I'm pretty sure those boxed mixes were laced with something kind of addictive artificial chemicals because we made our way through a tin brownies in the matter of a few hours, especially if said brownies were undercooked. It was a dangerous addiction I knew I had to put an end to.

College is never a time of food connoisseurship for anyone, naturally. I think most people spend their college years shuffling in and out of the kitchen, trying not to burn their popcorn and avoiding the dishes piling up in the sink. After three years of the above, I finally discovered my love for baking senior year. Once I realized a boxed brownie mix wouldn't cut it, I started experimenting with other non-dairy dessert options for my more religious friends. But the truth was, there was nothing like a real, dairy-filled dessert - especially one swirled with stuff.

Read More

CATS OF THE WEEK: SMALL FRY AND POUTINE

in

Welcome to Cat of the Week! This week we are joined by two adorable gray fluffs named after two delicious snacks, Small Fry and Poutine! These so-called taters live with their mama, Hannah, and Mochi, the albino hedgehog. They were rescued by the Kitten Lady (who you should definitely check out if you don't know her, the work she does with rescuing kittens is unbelievable and magical). You can follow their adventures on Instagram @smallfryandpoutine.

Read More

SIMPLE LEMON LINGUINE

in

Sometimes I like to cook lavish meals for friends - I'll spend hours in the kitchen making multiple courses with ingredients I definitely spent too much money on. I'll experiment with flavors and try new things, and feel like a total mad kitchen scientist.

Other times, I truly cannot be bothered.

Sometimes Shabbat dinner ends up being sushi or pizza delivered by very nice Seamless people. Other times, we pull an Olivia Pope and eat popcorn and have a bottle of wine each. These meals are eaten in leggings, sweatpants and amorphous sweaters. It is actually frowned upon to show up to a meal like this wearing pants with a button or zipper.

Read More

CRUNCHY NOODLE SLAW + HONEY VINAIGRETTE

in ,

I really hate mayo. Like, I just hate it so much. Actually, most squidgy, gelatinous, off-white substances freak me out. If I had a nickel for every time I heard "that's what she said" after a statement like this, I wouldn't be rich because inflation is REAL, but I would have a pretty hefty chunk of change.

What would I do with said hefty chunk of change? I'm not sure, but I can tell you what I wouldn't do: BUY MAYO.

I just don't get it. Why ruin a perfectly delicious sandwich with a slathering of this sad, strange substance? My freshman year of college some friends and I did a late-night Jimmy John's delivery when we were all totally sober and my veggie delight sandwich had been smeared with mayo by mistake. Veggie delight my ass. I gave it to a friend who ate it gleefully, while I slumped on the couch and rued the day mayo was ever created.

Read More

SHAKSHUKA

in , ,

The year before I moved to Tel Aviv, I spent a summer volunteering as a first-responder with Magen David Adom, the Israeli ambulance service. You might envision me delivering babies and reattaching limbs, but legally first-responders were allowed to take blood pressure and pulse and that's about. I did get to check the blood sugar of a man who had taken 8 Valium, though. My ambulance driver was pretty rebellious.

Read More

KHAO NOM KOK (LAO COCONUT CAKES)

in , , ,

This recipe is whole-heartedly dedicated to my favorite dairy free/gluten free lady, my cousin, Miki. She spent 17 days of her 3 month adventure in South East Asia with me exploring northern Vietnam, Laos and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Easily, one of my favorite parts of the world, I was doubly as excited about Southeast Asia because Miki could eat practically everything there. Rice noodles, coconut milk - these dairy and gluten alternatives were perfect! We ate so many bowls of pho I lost count, and guzzled what can only be considered the world's best smoothies, but the treat that really took the cake (coconut cake, that is) was the Khao Nom Kok. 

Read More

VEGAN RAINBOW COBB SALAD

in ,

I don't like bacon. There, I said it. I'm often approached by outraged and baffled friends and strangers who can't believe I don't like bacon. Usually, this is followed by the accusation that I'm a religious Jew, as if that somehow explains it. 

The truth is, I simply don't like the taste. It's no secret that I'm the meat-eater of this blog duo, but when it comes to smoky meat, specifically pork, I didn't grow up eating it and therefore don't like the way it tastes. Sorry, folks. 

This faux bacon, though, is on another level. 

 

Read More