Winter Treats

Are you looking for items to enhance a winter menu? You might want to try some of these recipes. They have been featured at Kiddush, MESH, and Shabbat across America. So they’ve been thoroughly taste- tested.

febrecipe1Carrot Hot Dogs
Beryl Hiller constantly finds creative, economical dishes to enhance our Kiddush lunches – don’t you miss them? The following dish might sound a little odd, but it was a hit at a recent Kiddush and perfect for anyone including vegetarians and vegans. That cook-out in the middle of winter might be just the thing to get rid of the winter blahs.

Ingredients
8 carrots, peeled and cut into hotdog sized pieces
¼ cup vegetable broth
¼ cup apple cider
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
½ teaspoon garlic powder or clove of minced fresh garlic
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (oven method only)

Mustard, relish, sauerkraut, ketchup

Directions
Whisk marinade ingredients and set aside
Stove top method:
a. bring carrots to a boil; simmer for 10-15 minutes until just fork tender.
b. Drain and put in cold water until cool.
c. Put carrots in a plastic bag, pour in marinade, and refrigerate.
Oven method
a. Preheat oven to 425.
b. Put carrots in roasting pan.
c. Toss with olive oil
d. Pour marinade over carrots, cover with foil, and let stand 30 minutes.
e. Roast covered for 30 minutes.
f. Remove foil and roast an additional 20 minutes until fork tender.
Serve in hotdog rolls with condiments.

NOTE: The oven method will result in a browned carrot.

feb reipes2American Goulash AKA American Chop Suey (serves 6 generously)
As I’ve mentioned before, my mother was not known as a good cook but somehow she managed to put nutritious, tasty food on the table every night of the week in those days before take out and eating out were part of a family’s life. This dish is fast, kid friendly and inexpensive- perfect for feeding a family of five on a budget, as we were. There is little Chinese about the dish which was a New England standard. In other parts of the country it’s known as American Goulash. For the origins of the dish, try this link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_chop_suey

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef or a mix of beef with ground chicken or ground turkey
1 pound elbow or similar sized macaroni (twists are nice)
2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup water
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook paste until just al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large pot or skillet, cook meat over medium-high heat until browned, using a spoon to break it down into smaller pieces. You don’t want meatballs.
3. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened, 5-6 minutes. Drain of excess fat.
4. Pour in pasta, water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, basil and stir together.
5. Lower heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until pasta is tender, sauce has reduced and water has evaporated. The pasta will absorb a lot of the liquid.
6. Remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.

NOTE: This could be made with a meat substitute or even firm tofu, then top with cheese and baked until cheese melts.
Green peppers or peas can also be added to make a vegetable rich dish.

febreipes3Secretly Vegan Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes about 2 dozen cookies)
How about cookies for dessert? These cookies may be vegan but you’ll hardly know the difference. Just be sure not to overbake them. And let the kids help shape the cookies. A cookie scoop helps make uniform cookies.

Ingredients
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 ¼ cups dark chocolate chips (60 % cocoa content or higher)
½ cup (100 grams) sugar
½ cup (110 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon canola, grapeseed or other neutral oil
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water
Coarse grained sea salt or flaky sea salt like Maldon for garnish

Directions
1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add chocolate chips to the flour mixture and toss to coat.
2. In a separate large bowl, whisk the sugars briskly with canola oil and water until smooth and incorporated, about 2 minutes. (use fresh, soft brown sugar to prevent lumps in the batter)
3. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined and no flour is visible. Do not overmix.
4. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
5. Preheat oven to 350. Line two rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from refrigerator and use a cookie scoop or a spoon to make 2 inch mounds. Freezing the balls of dough for ten minutes before baking will help the cookies keep their shape while baking.
6. Sprinkle the balls of dough with coarse-grained sea salt and bake for 12-13 minutes or until the edges are just golden. DO NOT OVERBAKE.
7. Let cool completely before serving.

NOTE If the brown sugar has hardened, put a piece of bread or slice of apple in the container. In a few hours, the sugar will soften. You can also buy terracotta bears (and other shapes) that, when soaked in water and put into container, keep the sugar soft for several weeks.

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