GF Noodle Kugel (pareve)

Lately, we've been doing a lot of Shabbat hosting - every week we find ourselves with a houseful of guests! It's really amazing to do this, and reminds us that we have a direct line to the tradition of hosting, passed down from Avraham and Sarah...

I won't lie and say it is simple, though. It's a lot of work to host all the time, so I decided to try to streamline my cooking -- I found I was getting overwhelmed -- even more than before. And I think I've done it! Shabbat prep isn't quite as overwhelming as it used to be (granted, some of this is related to the fact that it's Summer, and Shabbat starts late, but I'm trying to convince myself that it's more than that!)!

One of the things that I have begun to do is make several kugels in multiples (and I do this on Thursday) - so all of our side dishes Friday night and Shabbat morning are actually identical.

Most weeks I make 4-6 kugels, but it's not that much work.

Here's one of my new go-to recipes, because it's so easy, and works for almost everyone's food issues (but not vegans, sorry) and is not expensive at all to make. I also take shortcuts and don't make lots of dirty dishes in the process.

noodle kugel, not yet baked

GF Noodle Kugel (makes 1 large pan or 2 small pans)

1 package of thin rice noodles
5 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 Tablespoon salt
pepper to taste 
(1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar, optional)
(1/4 cup raisins, optional)

Boil a pot of water and cook rice noodles. I tend to undercook them and then turn off the fire to let them finish absorbing the water in the pot.
Allow noodles to cool somewhat (do something else while waiting - it's enough time for me to chop some veggies or check Facebook...).

Then I do the rest of the prep RIGHT IN THE POT so I minimize the dirty dishes I've got piling up in the sink!

Add the rest of the ingredients to the rice noodles, stir with a wooden spoon. When fully mixed, transfer to baking pan(s).
Bake at 200 C for about 1 hr.

That's it! It's so easy, and everyone seems to enjoy it!

Price breakdown: 
Rice noodles - 5-8nis. (Depending where I buy them. Obviously I prefer to get them for 5, but that's not always an option.)
Eggs - just under 5nis
oil - 1nis perhaps
seasonings - minimal, let's round up to 1nis
if you use raisins, add a few shekels to the cost.
(Baking time in the oven -- costs a bit too)
Total: less than 20nis (12 - 15 for basic ingredients)!!

The other kugels I make are usually Potato Kugel, and Vegetable Kugel. All are big hits among kugel eaters. The thing about kugels are they are totally comfort food for many of us...

Then I add random other things to the menu: Usually roasted whole chickens or cut up chickens (spicy or with date honey, depending on my mood) for Friday night, and Cholent and Spicy Chicken Breast for Lunch. And salads, using the abundance of cheap veggies available! If I get enough requests, I'll make soup for Friday night, too, but right now, its so hot I think it's fine to skip it!

For dessert, I have been keeping watermelon on hand, and if there's enough time, I'll bake a couple of cakes.

What are your favorite, EASY crowd-pleasers for Shabbat?

Kugel Recipes for Pesach (passover)

Pesach cooking calls for a bit of extra creativity. And sometimes when it's time to cook, I have nothing left! I mean, exhaustion just takes over. I'm SURE you've been there too.

Oh and I'd just like to note that on Pesach I relax some of my "frugal" guidelines. I spend the month before being very careful and doing pantry challenges, and avoiding extras, so that when the holiday comes along we have enough wiggle room in our budget to buy some nice extras. So yes, we spend more on Pesach than on a typical week. And I'm totally ok with that!

Anyhow, back to cooking: In order to avoid "the rut", I'm gathering our favorite kugel recipes that are kosher for Pesach and posting them here. No, I am not up to cooking yet. As a matter of fact, I won't be cooking until Sunday right before Pesach. But I am planning now - that way I can hope not to overbuy when I shop tomorrow.

So here are the kugel recipes - bookmark this page so we can all find them later!

Carrot Kugel (contains matzah meal, so this is "gebrokts", pareve)

Potato Kugel (gluten-free, non-gebrokts, pareve)

Vegetable Kugel (gluten-free, non-gebrokts, pareve) - I also do this with steamed broccoli or steamed cauliflower. Same idea, different kugel. Always a hit.
(The original version of this works really well for using up veggies from the "sug bet" rack!)

Sweet Potato Kugel (gluten-free, non gebrokts, pareve)

We also love desserts, so watch for a post coming soon about Pesach baking!

Sweet Potato and Carmelized Onion Kugel (GF, Pesach friendly, pareve) Recipe

Here's a really yummy way to use those sweet potatoes! I don't know about you, but I got some sweet potatoes this week for less than 4 shekels/kilo! That means a lot of yummy orange foods on our table. 

While I really love spicy roasted sweet potatoes and even sweet potato muffins, sometimes I find myself relying on the good ol' kugel to coax my family into eating their veggies - somehow the act of turning a vegetable into a kugel makes my children less attuned to their vegetable-ness...

So here's our Pesach friendly, gluten-free, pareve sweet potato kugel recipe!

my sweet potato pile

Sweet Potato and Carmelized Onion Kugel

2 LARGE sweet potatoes, diced and steamed (I use a steamer basket in a pot on the stove)

2 LARGE onions, sliced or diced, cooked in a heavy pan (I used my cast iron pan, my favorite) with olive oil till they begin to carmelize.

4 eggs
1 cup non-dairy "milk", like coconut milk, soymilk, almond milk or whatever you prefer
1/2 cup water mixed with 2 tablespoons of potato starch.
fresh basil (lots) - torn into pieces
salt and pepper to taste


 

First spread the sweet potato out, covering the bottom of the pan. Then, layer the carmelized onions on top of the sweet potatoes.

Mix the eggs, non dairy milk, water and potato starch mixture, and seasonings together. (mix very well)

Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes and onions.

Bake for about 1 hour at 425 F. 
This kugel is best served warm, but it's decent when cold, too.

Enjoy!

Let me know what you think!

Vegetable Kugel - pareve, GF, kosher for Pesach

Here's a Pesach friendly, gluten free vegetable kugel that the whole family loves!
It's a bit of work chopping veggies, but it's worth it!

Vegetable Kugel

a lot of vegetables, peeled and chopped
(use whatever vegetables you like - be as creative as you want! I've used kohlrabi, summer squashes, garlic, red and green peppers, cauliflower, and more)
1 (or more) onion, peeled and chopped
several garlic cloves, chopped coarsely
1-2 tablespoon (approx) olive oil
6 large eggs
1/4 cup potato starch
1.5 cups water
salt, pepper to taste


Place chopped vegetables (including the onion and garlic) in a bowl and toss with olive oil. Spread the veggies out in a single layer on a baking sheet (or 2). Place in hot oven (210 C) and roast till browned. Remove from oven.

Transfer roasted vegetables to a deep casserole dish.

Mix together potato starch and water, add eggs and seasonings, and whisk it all together. Pour egg mixture over vegetables.
Bake in a 200C oven for about 1 hr.

Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy!

I'm making this for the vegetarians at our seder as a main dish.

Vegan (Eggless!) Broccoli Kugel

Ok, it's not the most frugal food in the world, but once in a while we eat broccoli kugel. Especially when I can manage to get broccoli for about 12 shekels/bag!

bought this for 12.90

And we love broccoli kugel, which posed a huge problem when we stopped eating egg based foods, since my old recipe was very egg-y. I adapted it, and came up with this vegan version.

Let me know if you give it a try!

(sorry, no pic of the finished product, I ran out of time, I'll try to get one next time I pull out the broccoli!)



Recipe:

4 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
2.5 cups boiling water
1/2 cup corn starch
1 cup flour
salt, pepper, garlic powder/granulated garlic, parsley flakes to taste
1 bag frozen broccoli (800 g), thawed and ideally chopped

Optional topping:
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Combine flaxseed and water in mixing bowl and allow to cool. mix in dry ingredients.

Arrange broccoli in a large baking pan. Pour batter over broccoli. Sprinkle topping over it, if desired.
Bake in 200C oven for 45 min - hr or until as done as you like it.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Carmelized Onion Kugel

I like sweet potatoes, and the price has come down lately. My family, however, just doesn't enjoy sweet potatoes the way I do. I really don't know why!!

my sweet potato pile

I wanted to come up with a something made with sweet potatoes that the others would enjoy too, and so far 3 of my 4 children are happy with my new kugel.

So I have this pile of sweet potatoes, that I got for a pretty great price (5 shekel/kg), and I decided that now is the time to make a bunch of kugels for the freezer.






Here's the recipe, enough for 1 kugel in a casserole size pan.

2 good size sweet potatoes, diced and steamed (I use a steamer basket in a pot on the stove)

2 good size onions, sliced or diced, cooked in a heavy pan (I used my cast iron pan, my favorite) with olive oil till they begin to carmelize.

2 eggs
2 cups non-dairy "milk" - I use either soymilk or coconut milk
1/4 c. ground flaxseeds

basil (lots), salt, and pepper


First spread the sweet potato out, covering the bottom of the pan. Then, layer the carmelized onions on top of the sweet potatoes.

Mix the eggs, non dairy milk, flaxseed, and seasonings together. (mix very well)

Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes and onions.

Bake for about 1 hour at 425 F.

Let me know what you think!

Getting Ready for Rosh Hashana!

Right now, I'm a little apple-obsessed.

First, I made apple kugel. I make a really simple version: First, thinly slice 6 good-size apples (I used a mix of green and red, and sliced them very thinly in the food processor). I sprinkled lemon juice over the apples, my attempt at stopping the inevitable oxidation. Pile them into a large baking pan. Then I pour the following batter over the top of the apples - 1 c. whole wheat flour, 1/2 c. oil, 1/2 c. sugar, and 3-4 T. ground flaxseed steeped in 1 c. of very hot water.

Bake at 350 F for about 1 hour.

Then I made apple crisp. Four of them. One got eaten tonight, so 3 are in the freezer for use as needed. I still have another 15 or so apples, so I'll probably make something else appley tomorrow. I am torn between more apple crisp and apple bread...

I've only sort of planned my menus. Here's a list of foods I am making, and we'll construct meals out of it. About half of our meals will be pareve or dairy.

Pareve Foods

Honey Challah

apples and honey (we'll offer 3 kinds of apples)

Chinese-style mushroom soup (this is a slightly complicated recipe, but a favorite. Saute white parts of 6-12 scallions, 4 cloves of garlic, and some finely diced ginger in olive oil. when lightly browned, add sliced mushrooms and reduce. Add teriyaki sauce, rice vinegar, and some white wine (if desired) - sorry I just guess the quantities - and simmer for at least 10 min. Add soup stock (I use vegetable stock) and bring to a boil. Then add black pepper and chopped scallion greens to taste.)

Butternut Squash soup (I think I blogged this recipe a few weeks ago)

Potato Kugel

Apple Kugel

Carrot Kugel

Israeli salad, Cut Vegetables

Roasted Ratatouille


Rice

Tofu (marinated in soy sauce, and stir fried)

Chick peas sauteed with other vegetables (peppers, onions, garlic, potatoes, with ground black pepper, salt, cinnamon, and ginger) 

Some sort of red lentil dish

Meat Foods

Pomegranate Chicken

Baked Breaded Chicken (served with a honey/ginger dipping sauce)

Dairy Foods

Broccoli Puff (Broccoli and Cheese Casserole)

Spinach Quiche (with Feta cheese if I remember to get some)

Lasagna


Pasta with Cheese (SOME of my children are picky and won't eat lasagna...)

Phew! I think that's enough!

Oh, Desserts:

Apple Crisp


Honey Cake


Chocolate Chip Squares


Banana Chocolate Chip Cake


Fresh Fruit
 

Shabbat Menu

This week's Shabbat menu is built around the produce I got at Kim'at Chinam for 1 NIS/kilo, and the produce I got at Yesh for 1.99 NIS/kilo. Both really great deals! I just have to learn how to figure out how heavy 3 kg is, as the maximum you can usually get when they have these sales is 3 kg per type. Unfortunately, I lowballed all my purchases, and could have easily come home with twice as much produce for these awesome prices...

When we don't have guests, I try to keep my menus simple - that means fewer courses and fewer dishes, but still plenty of good food to fill everyone up! Since we have no guests this week, here's my plan:

Vegetable-Noodle Soup
Pomegranate Chicken
Pan-Fried Tofu Steaks for my favorite vegetarian (my 12 yr old - yes, a boy!)
Carrot Kugel
Oven Roasted Beets
Oven Roasted Cauliflower
Toasted Barley with Mushrooms
Salad - lettuce, purple cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and avocado
Lentil-Barley Stew (in the crock pot, for lunch)


Some notes about these dishes:

When making a vegetarian vegetable soup, I always sautee all the veggies in extra virgin olive oil, then cook, covered, to reduce, for 10-15 min. before adding any liquid. I don't know, I just think it tastes better this way in the end. I use onions, garlic, celery, tons of carrots, zucchini, and other veggies as the mood hits me. It's a really easy soup.
I also save all the trimmings from vegetables (don't use potato peelings or beet trimmings, though!) in gallon-size zipper-close bag in my freezer. when the bag is full, I simmer the trimmings in water for many hours in my huge stock pot, to make vegetable stock. Just make sure you strain it well when it's done. I then use some for the day's cooking, and freeze the rest in pint-size containers for later use.

Carrot Kugel - I usually make 6 of these at a time, and freeze for later. My 3 year old can't get enough of them, so I serve carrot kugel almost every week. I use a modified muffin recipe, bake in loaf pans, wrap well, and freeze.

Oven-Roasted Veggies - what could be easier!

The toasted barley recipe is new for my family, but I have promised them that we'll be trying out new dishes, in order to find some new favorites (this is what I need that vegetable stock for this week)