Sweet Potato and Roasted Banana Mash

This may sound kind of weird but it's wonderfully sweet, healthy, creamy, and a fantastic side dish for something like a maple glazed chicken breast. Furthermore, it's pretty easy to make and gets all of its sweetness from the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes and roasted bananas.

4 medium sweet potatoes
2 ripe bananas
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup almond milk or soy milk
1 tablespoon margarine

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice your bananas in half lengthwise and sprinkle the cinnamon over it. Roast until the bananas are soft (it really depends on the size of the banana but it shouldn't take more than a few minutes). Remove the bananas from the oven and puree in a food processor and place in a large bowl.

Now for cooking the sweet potatoes, it depends on your preferred method. I microwaved mine but you can do it in the oven if you like. Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, let them cool and then process them as well. Once they are pureed, add the milk and margarine to the warm puree and puree again just to incorporate the milk and margarine. Then stir the sweet potato puree with the banana puree and serve.

Homemade Pasta

So if you have a pasta machine, this is a pretty easy thing to accomplish and it absolutely tastes better than dried pasta from a box. It is definitely more labor intensive than opening a box so if you're not going to have time to do it right, go with the boxed stuff because it's better than poorly made pasta.

Here's a wonderful rule of thumb for pasta making that I learned from Jamie Oliver. For every 100 grams of flour use 1 egg. To make enough pasta for a few people to have reasonably small portions, you could make dough with 100 g of flour and 1 egg. However if you're making a large dish or you just want to make a decent amount of pasta for 4-6 people, I'd double it. Also, if you make too much you can always hang the fresh pasta until it dries and then store it.

100 grams of flour
1 egg
dash salt

Here's the classic way to make pasta. Place the flour in a large mound (if you want to be really authentic, throw the flour mound directly on your counter top but you can certainly do this in a bowl). Make a well in the top and pour in the egg. Carefully whisk up the egg being certain that you don't get the flour everywhere and then once the egg is scrambled, slowly begin incorporating the flour until you have a cohesive dough.

Then, flour a board or your counter and pour out the dough. Now to be quite honest, you have to knead the hell out of this. You will have to knead this for at least 15 minutes by hand (No shortcuts). You'll know when this is done because miraculously, it will be a smooth and elastic dough.

Brush the dough with olive oil and then wrap in plastic wrap for at least a half hour (but I usually do an hour so I have time to clean up and sit for a few minutes).

Then when you're ready to roll this dough out, break it into sections and then re-wrap the remainder until you're ready to use it. Follow the instructions for your pasta machine and remember that when you cook this stuff, it cooks REALLY fast. Like in 2 minutes so watch it.

Shakshuka

Shakshuka is one of my favorite Israeli dishes. I can still distinctly remember eating this wonderful dish on the roof of a Jerusalem apartment looking out toward the West Bank on a hot spring day. This is a really easy recipe to make and yet it's fun for dinner parties and is a nice and healthy filling dish. I served this in individual souffle ramekins but you can easily serve this in a baking dish or cast iron skillet.

This recipe serves 4 so alter it based on the number of people you want to serve

2 cups tomato sauce (homemade is absolutely best but you can use store bought)
4 eggs
Fresh thyme and parsley for garnish

Preheat your oven to 350.

If you're using the souffle ramekins, pour 1/2 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of each ramekin and then carefully crack an egg over each being very careful not to pop the yolk because then this will just be messy. If you like runny yolk (which is really how this should be eaten because it adds a wonderful richness to the dish), bake for about 20 minutes. Start checking around 15 minutes because essentially, once the egg white has set and there is no longer any liquid whites, you're done. If you are like my girlfriend and do not like runny eggs, you'll need to cook this closer to a half hour until the yolk is fully set.

Garnish with fresh chopped herbs and serve immediately, just beware of the dish because it's really hot.

*If you're using a baking dish or cast iron pan to make this, simply place the tomato sauce in the bottom and crack the eggs around the pan.

Fall Vegetable Stew

This is a fantastic recipe for a few reasons. First of all, it's extremely healthy and yet warm and satisfying making it a wonderful cold weather dinner. Also, you can substitute different vegetables if you don't like what's in this recipe and customize a stew to perfectly please yourself and your guests. This recipe serves 4 at 300 calories a serving.

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup sliced leak
3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup water
3/4 cup dark beer
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
3 chopped jalapenos (seeds and all. You can remove this if you're not a spicy food fan).
1/2 cup chopped parsnip
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup uncooked pearl barley
1/4 teaspoon dry thyme
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons cream sherry (more or less depending on your taste. I personally think sherry adds a wonderful richness to soup)
1/2 cup dried lentils
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil on medium high heat. When the oil's warm, sautee the leaks for about 2 minutes. Then add the water, beer, and chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Once it's boiling, add the celery, carrots, parsnips, dill, barley, thyme, bay leaves, and sherry and return to a boil. Then cover and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Then stir in the lentils and cover and cook for 30 minutes. At the end of the 30 minutes, throw away the bay leaves.

Now this part is great because it's an extremely healthy way to thicken a soup. Remove 1 1/2 cups of soup and put it in your food processor. Make sure you remove the plug on top to let the steam out but put a towel over it unless you want to redecorate the walls in your kitchen. Once it's pureed, return it back to the soup. Bring it back to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Then, you're ready to eat.

Addictive Gingerbread Cookies

My one problem with these cookies is that is quite dangerous to keep them around the house (they will be eaten frequently)! Also, they're equally fun to decorate and they make your house smell like gingerbread, which is never a bad thing.

1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup best life margarine (dairy free)
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour + additional 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon preferably grated (but can use ground) nutmeg

Start by melting your 1/2 cup of margarine. Once it's melted, pour in the sugar and molasses and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is no longer grainy. Then take it off the heat and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients (except for the additional 1/4 cup of flour) and whisk. Then make a well in the middle and pour in the cooled molasses and butter mixture. Stir until incorporated and then add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and stir until the batter is thick and completely mixed. Then knead the dough a few times to make it smooth and then wrap in plastic wrap and let chill, preferably for at least several hours to overnight.

When you're ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 and take out the dough and cut off 1/2 to roll out on a floured surface while keeping the rest of the dough covered and refrigerated. Make sure your rolling pin is floured and your surface is floured and then roll out the dough to about 1/4". Then cut out your shapes and place on a baking sheet (**NOTES - You really need to use a rimless baking sheet for these and I used a very large baking sheet so if you're using a smaller one, roll out the 1/3 of the dough instead of 1/2).

Bake for 8-10 minutes until just firm. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes and then remove them to a cooling rack. Repeat these steps and continue making your cookies. This recipe should bake about 2 dozen 3" gingerbread men.

For the icing - you need:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons almond milk
a few drops of your desired flavor (vanilla, almond, or my favorite - PEAR)

Combine the above ingredients until smooth and glaze those cookies. For pear extract, I'm sure someone sells it but it's pretty easy to make for yourself. Just peel a few pears and chop them roughly. Heat them in a heavy bottom sauce pan until they are mushy and swimming in pear liquid. Then strain the pears and put the liquid back in the sauce pan. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook until it reduces to a thick syrup. Let it cool and put it in a bottle and you have a pear extract to put in this glaze.

Raspberry Souffle

Souffles have quickly become a staple for desserts at my house. They are light, smooth, and yet sweet and filling. The trick with this souffle is to remember to completely cool the raspberry mixture before you mix it with your egg whites because if it's still hot, it will deflate your whites which will give you a nice baked raspberry soup. Also, to make the folding of the egg whites easier, thoroughly whisking in 1/3 of the whipped egg whites to the raspberry mixture lightens it making it easier to fold the remaining whipped egg whites.

This recipe serves 6
10 ounces raspberries
1/2 cup sugar + extra for greasing the ramekins
5 egg whites
1 teaspoon corn starch
Best life margarine for greasing the ramekins

First, take the butter and rub it thoroughly throughout the ramekin so that every part of each ramekin is covered. Then pour in a scoop of sugar in the ramekin an turn to coat everything and then pour out the loose sugar into the next ramekin and continue to coat them with sugar. Then refrigerate them so that they can chill while you prepare the rest of the mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350. Put the raspberries in a heavy bottom sauce pan and cook on medium with 1/4 cup of the sugar until the fruit is completely soft and macerated (about 4-6 minutes). Strain the mixture so that you are left with the liquid and discard the seeds/chunky raspberries left in the strainer (or eat them if you're like me). Then, mix the corn starch with a teaspoon of water and pour it in to the raspberry mixture and whisk to combine. Then set aside to cool.

In a clean bowl (if it's not clean, the whites will not whip), whip the egg whites on high until they are soft peaks. Then pour in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and whip until stiff peaks. Take 1/3 of the whites and whisk them thoroughly into the cooled raspberry mixture. Then carefully fold the rest of the egg whites into the raspberry mix.

Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins, place the ramekins on a baking sheet, and place in the oven for 12-15 minutes until it has puffed up and is lightly golden on top. Remove from the oven and eat immediately because as the folks at Cooks Illustrated say, "Souffles wait for no one!".

Noodle Kugel

I have never met a kugel I don't like. The noodles, cream cheese, raisins, and cinnamon are the hallmarks for the most incredible Jewish comfort food. That being said, not only is it difficult to make dairy free, but it is also a caloric nightmare. In my opinion, this version is just as good as the traditional versions but it is incredibly slimmed down.

1 tablespoon bestlife margarine
12 ounces egg noodles
2 cups silk live yogurt
2 cups tofutti cream cheese
2 eggs
2 additional egg yolks (and if you're making souffle for dessert, those remaining whites come in handy)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 cup raisins

For the topping:
1/2 cup corn flakes
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 and coat a 9"x13"x2" baking pan with baking spray. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and cook the egg noodles for about 6 minutes because you want them a little al dente. When they're finished, strain them, rinse them, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Set aside to cool.

Put the silk live plain yogurt and cream cheese in a mixing bowl with a paddle and mix on medium high until smooth and combined. Then mix in the eggs, sugar, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest and mix to combine. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the raisins. Then pour in the noodles to the bowl and stir to combine and pour the entire mixture into the greased pan.

Then, crush up the corn flakes and mix them with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour the mixture evenly on top of the kugel. (**If you wanted to prepare this ahead of time, you should do everything but put the topping on and refrigerate for up to a day). When you're ready to cook, put the kugel in the oven for about 35-40 minutes until the top is golden.

Enjoy!