Sloppy Sams Recipe

I've mentioned "Sloppy Sams" (a.k.a vegan sloppy joes) numerous times on this blog, but I've never actually devoted a post to the recipe for them!

I originally got my inspiration for Sloppy Sams from Recipes for a Small Planet, one of the first vegetarian cookbooks I'd ever owned. (In case you didn't know, I was a vegetarian for about 12 yrs - from 1993-2005, and when I started out I had NO idea what vegetarians ate. I just ate dairy. But after a while, I knew I had to expand. That's when Recipes for a Small Planet and The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest entered my life - and changed it forever!)

Over time, I've adapted the old sloppy sams recipe to fit my family's preferences better.

Here's my recipe:

Sloppy Sams

olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1-2 celery stalks, diced
1 small summer squash, diced or shredded (this can be omitted or replaced with any vegetable you like)
1-2 red/orange/yellow peppers, diced or chopped coarsely
4 cloves garlic
500g red lentils, sorted and rinsed
4 (or so) cups water
300g tomato paste
1/8 cup maple syrup or sugar, or more or less, depends how sweet you want it!
apple cider vinegar, to taste
pinch of cinnamon
salt, pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and vegetables, stirring occasionally. Add garlic after a few minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, till everything just begins to brown. Add water to pot, then add lentils. Stir well, and raise the heat. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for 10 min or so (until the lentils soften). Add water as needed. When the lentils are soft and the mixture is still liquidy, add tomato paste, maple syrup/sugar, vinegar, and seasonings. Mix well. Simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Serve warm on rolls or in pitot.

This recipe is really versatile, you can leave out or replace vegetables with others you prefer. You can add shredded carrots and omit the summer squash. You can leave out the peppers if you don't like them... the possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

Update: I started eating the leftovers, cold, as a dip with crackers or tortilla chips, and it's a big hit!

Let me know if you decide to make my Sloppy Sams for your family!

Shabbat Menu

Oh my, it's Thursday night and I have not spent more than 3 seconds thinking about Shabbat food!

I'm out of potatoes and kishuim and bananas and I haven't baked challot.



I have a bunch of basics here so I should be able to pull it together...

(Just took a big break in the middle of writing this blog to check what I've got in the house!)
Since I have 2 butternut squashes and granny smith apples galore, I'm going to have to make Butternut Squash and Apple soup, which thankfully can be served cold (garnished with fresh basil might work!) because someone just told me it's supposed to be VERY hot here over Shabbat (leaning against running the A/C, though. I haven't decided. Will you be running yours?)...

So here's the plan:

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Honey Teriyaki Chicken Wings (Friday night)
Baked Shnitzel for lunch
Brown Rice
Snap Peas (got some fresh ones this week!)
Roasted Cauliflower (I've had one in the fridge that if I do not use NOW will be no good)
Salad - lettuce, roasted orange peppers, craisins and cucumbers
Tomato-Basil salad


Baking: Apple Cake with cinnamon crumb topping (for seudah shlishit treat), chocolate chip cake, gingerbread cookies, and whole wheat and oat bran challot.

What are you making for Shabbat?

10 shekel deal

Do you have a baby in diapers?

My youngest is LONG out of diapers, but when she was little, she reacted to diapers. she'd get these terrible red, angry, broken skin, awful rashes anywhere the diaper touched.

I finally discovered eco-friendly diapers (I used Seventh Generation diapers, which are readily available in the US and Canada, but here in Israel would need to be ordered from overseas), and they were a lifesaver. (No, I did not cloth diaper, I just could not manage at that stage in my life)

So there are now a few brands of eco-friendly diapers making inroads in the disposable diaper market in Israel, and right now you can get a sample pack for a nominal charge of 10 shekels (which more or less covers the shipping to your home!).

Click here for the deal.

Free museums and attractions for Yom Ha'Atzmaut 2014

This coming Tuesdy, May 6, 2014, is Yom Ha'Atzmaut (celebrated), and this year, in honor of 66 yrs of the State of Israel, more than 66 attractions around the country will be open to the public at no charge. These are sponsored by Misrad HaTarbut V'HaSport and the Mo'etza L'Shimur Atarey Moreshet.

--- Retrieved from http://www.kosherfrugal.com/2012/04/free-museums-and-attractions.html ---

Check it out and find a place you've never gone to, and go have fun! In past years we've gone to museums that were free on Yom Haatzmaut, and they was almost completely empty. I think Israelis prefer their mangal in the park and sitting in traffic. I prefer free admission!

I'm sure there are other places that are offering free programs or free admission.
Please add information for other places in the comments, or send a note to ester@kosherfrugal.com and I'll add it in! Thank you.

I have tried, wherever possible, to link to websites in English. There were some museums/historical sites that only had Hebrew websites, though. My apologies in advance.

Have a wonderful Yom Ha'atzmaut. May it bring us closer to the Geulah Sh'laymah! 

So, let me know where you'll be going! Just leave a comment below this post.

Be sure to find me on Facebook and stay up to date about great Israeli free and frugal living ideas!

 Tel Aviv and the Center

Independence Hall -03-5106426,  03-5173942 
The Israeli Museum at the Rabin Center - with advance reservations only.*4585
Ben-Gurion House - 03-5221010
The Jabotinsky Museum - open 8 am - 4 pm. 03-5287320
The Joseph Bau House - 054-4301499
Rokach House - for more info: 03-5168042 or email  info@rokach-house.co.il
IDF Historical Collection Museum - (Toldot Tzahal) -03-5172913 , 03-5161346
The Hagana Museum -  03-560862
The Lechi Museum - guided tours at 10:30, 12:00. 1:30. 3:00. Trivia contest at 1 pm. Reservations required. For more info: 03-6820288 or email lehi_museum@mod.gov.il
The Etzel 1948 Museum - open 8:30am - 4pm. 03-5177180 , 03-5172044
The Nachum Gutman Museum of Art - 03-5161970
The Hosmasa Museum - Holon -  03-5050425
The Mikveh Israel Visitors Center - with advance reservations.  03-5030489
The Rishon L'Tzion Museum - open 10 am - 3 pm. 03-9598862,  03-9598890
The Eran Shamir Moshava Museum in Mazkeret Batya. Open 10 am - 4 pm. 08-9349525
Ayalon Institute, Rechovot. Open 9 am - 4 pm. Last guided tour at 3 pm. 08-9406552
The Minkov Orchard Center - open 10 am - 4 pm, with advance reservations. 08-9469197 

Jerusalem Area

The Old Yishuv Court Museum, 10 am - 3 pm. Guided tours available 02-6276319, 052-4002478
Ammunition Hill Memorial Site - 02-5829392/3, ext 115,
The Yellin House - in Motza -  052-4257345
The Gush Etzion Visitors' Center - in Kfar Etzion. 02-9935160
The Tower of David Museum - 02-626533
The Underground Prisoners Museum in Jerusalem - interactive programs 11 am - 4 pm, open from 9 am - 6pm. For more info:   02-6233166 

The Shai Agnon House - open 9 am - 4 pm -02-6716498
The Bank of Israel Visitor's Center - with advance reservations 02-6552828,0 2-6552520, 02-6552718
Alone on the Walls of Jerusalem - open 9 am - 5 pm - for more info: 02-6265906
Menachem Begin Heritage Center - free tours, fee for the movie. 02-5652020 02-5652011
Yad LaShiryon at Latrun - for more info: 08-9784321 

 
The North and Northern Coast

The Sliqim at  Kfar Giladi - Guided Tours every hour from 9 am - 3 pm. 052-2512915
HaShomer House Museum - Kfar Giladi. open 8 am - 4 pm.  04-6941565
Tel Hai Courtyard - 10 am - 2 pm -  04-6951333 

HaReut Museum - 04-6432810  open 9am-4pm

The Birya Fortress - open 9 am - 4 pm. 04-6922433
The Restored Pioneer Village at Rosh Pinah, open 10 am - 2 pm. 04-6936913

Beit HaMeiri, Tsfat 04-6921939 
The Kinneret Courtyard - guided tours at 10, 12, and 2.  04-6709117
Naharayim Experience in Gesher. Guided tours at 12:30 and 1:30. Open 9 am - 4 pm.  04-6752685
The Palmach Cave - guided tours on the hour between 9 and 5.  04-9898946 ,052-4471109
The Pioneer Settlers Museum - Kibbutz Yifat. Open 11 am - 4 pm. 04-6548974  
The Historic Nahalal Police Station - guided tours every hour from 10 am to 1 pm.  04-6415073 The Nahalal "Sliq" - guided tours every hour from 9 am to 3 pm.  052-3347194

The Jezreel Valley Train Museum - Kfar Yehoshua. 04-9534226  

The Chaim Shturman House - at Kibbutz Ein Harud.  04-6486337 |  04-6486328
The Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum in Haifa - 04-8536249
The Tower and Stockade Museum at Hanita.  04-9859677 

The Treasures in the Walls Museum, Akko. Open 10 am - 4 pm.  04-9911004

The Haifa City Museum. 04-9115888  

The Herman Struk Museum 04-6359962 
The National Maritime Museum. 04-853662  

The Fisher House, Kiryat Ata. Open 11 am - 6 pm.  04-8440207

The Museum of the First Aliyah in Zichron. Open 10 am - 4 pm. 04-6294777     
Clandestine Immigration Boat Tour, Atlit. For more info and reservations: 04-9841980
The Goara Museum of the Hagana. 04-9597402
The Underground Prisoners Museum, Akko.  04-9911375 
The Chanah Senesh House, Kibbutz Sdot Yam.  04-6364366   052-8795366   
The Gdudim House Museum. Open 9 am - 4 pm. 09-8822212  
The Khan Museum, Hadera. Open 9 am - 3 pm.  04-6322330 , 04-6324562

 
South:

Yad LaIsha HaLochemet in Nitzanim - guided tours 9 am - 1 pm. 08-6727895
The Open Museum in Negba -  050-55605540 

Maoz across from Gaza in Kibbutz Saad 052-3726644
From Holocaust to Revival Museum in Yad Mordechai - 08-6720599 , 052-3923104
The Water and Security Museum in Nir Am - 050-5709042
Mitzpe Gvulot - Kibbutz Gvulot - 054-7919000
Ben Gurion's Desert Home (Sde Boker) - open 10 am to 4 pm. Last admission at 3 pm 08-6560469
The Joe Alon Center for Bedouin Culture at Kibbutz Lahav 08-9913322
The Museum Revivim Museum named for Yosef Weitz. 10 am - 2 pm  08-6562570 \ 08-656263
Metzudat Yoav, The Givati Museum  08-6611316 

B'erot BaNegev Visitors' Center - Kibbutz Alumim 08-9937300


Other FREE attractions and activities:
 

MadaTech in Haifa

The Open Museum in Omer

The Open Museum in Tefen

The Open Museum in Tel-Hai

Yad Moredechai "Chavaya Metuka" 08-672055

Ramat HaNadiv in Zichron
The Israel Museum, free admission. Herod Exhibition will cost 20 shekels 

Future Train, with advance reservations. (Reader Aliza says registration is closed for this event, as it is full to capacity)

Neve Tzuf Forest - family celebration, 10 am - 4 pm - 02-9977101
The Pinat Chai in Katzrin (always free) has some special activities for families 
The Lavi Forest (Lower Galilee) has activities from 10:30-4
 

Shabbat!

I had cooking overload on Pesach, so today I am trying to make a super simple Shabbat menu.

Here's the plan:

I have an abundance of peppers!

Homemade Challot
Soup of some sort (thinking of roasted peppers and red lentil soup?)
Oven-fried chicken
Brown Rice
Pan fried tofu for the vegetarian
Roasted Kishuim
Garlicky Roasted Potatoes
Salad - lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, pickles, olives - whatever I can find!
Black Bean Cholent (even though it's hot)
For dessert, we'll have chocolate chip cookies and fresh peaches

Suedah Shlishit will be random sandwich fixings and more salad and an apple crisp

If I work quickly in the late afternoon, I can get most of this food into the oven at the same time an hour before Shabbat and all will be fresh and ready for meal tonight...

What's your Shabbat plan? I'd love to hear!

 

More Post-Pesach Wrap-Up

Things I learned about Pesach shopping:

I bought too much potato starch and shredded coconut and chocolate and chocolate chips.
See, I had visions of making TONS of baking experiments and turning my kitchen into Pesach Pastry Central, BUT two things got in my way - life, and a lack of flaxseed. I did not check enough flaxseeds to fuel all my eggless baking experiments!

So for next year, I plan to check a whole lot more flaxseed. And perhaps buy a little less chocolate and potato starch and coconut. Or not.

And next year, I'm going to kasher the little kitchen long before the big kitchen, and get pesach baking and cooking underway very early! 

I'm just warning you now.
Or asking you to remind me to change my little kitchen over a week after Purim...
:-)

Getting back on track after Pesach

I hope you all enjoyed your Pesach! Ours was a whirlwind of guests - friends and family - and activity. It was great!
Now that the Pesach stuff in my house is packed away, I figured it's time to do a Post-Pesach get back on track "exercise".

I'm going to try to figure out if there is anything we learned about our food consumption from Pesach - either about foods we can live easily without, or foods we can easily substitute with homemade versions...

So I've decided to focus on Ketchup this morning.

My kids love ketchup. My husband does too. I eat it with a few random foods.

I almost always buy ketchup on sale, but this Pesach I went back to an old practice of mine, and I made my own ketchup! And you know, everyone loved the homemade version, as they used to. But sometimes they like the squeeze bottle convenience, as do I, but right now, I think I have to toss that "convenience" thing out the window!

And it's easy (if you take the shortcut and use prepared tomato paste), and costs a lot less than buying processed ketchup.

I know, Ketchup is just a drop in the bucket, but I'd love to hear what kinds of things you find you can live without or make yourself!

This is what's left of our Pesach ketchup. The container started out FULL.

Homemade Ketchup:

Tomato paste ( a can of 28 Bx - cost me about 4 shekels for 560?g)
sugar or honey (just a little)
vinegar (maybe 1/4 cup? I use either apple cider or balsamic)
salt, pepper, onion powder (when I'm out of that, I use a pinch of granulated garlic)
water as needed

I just guess and mix it all together till it tastes right and add water till I get the consistency we like best. Next time I make some, I'll measure it out!

Of course, you can make it with fresh tomatoes and onions and cook it for many hours, but I'm being realistic here - I don't usually have time for that. Plus this way, I don't have dirty pots. I just mix it together in a container I can store in the fridge. Only thing to wash is a spoon!

Pesach Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

We are being a little cookie crazy here in my house.

The cookies keep flying and after Pesach we can reduce our sugar intake again, I hope!

Anyhow, my latest is chocolate chocolate chip cookies...

Here's what you do:

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies for Pesach

2 T. ground flaxseed + 1/2 cup almost boiling water ( or 2 eggs)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup oil 
1 1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup cake meal (finely ground matzah meal)
1 cup potato starch
1 cup ground coconut or ground nuts
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 bag chocolate chips

Mix flaxseed with hot water and let stand 10 min OR beat the eggs.
Add vanilla, oil, and sugar and mix very well.
Add dry ingredients and then stir well
Fold in chocolate chips
With wet hands, form balls and FLATTEN them into cookie shape, and place on lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 min (12 if you use eggs instead of flaxseed)
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Allow to cool fully before serving
THEN - enjoy!
Perfect with coffee...

If you try these, please let me know what you think! Thanks!

Pesach Chocolate Chip Cookies

We needed cookies BIG time.

See, my cousin came over and she said "it's not worth it to eat Pesachdik cookies, just go straight for the chocolate so you're not disappointed".

Well, that was a challenge. I said, "just wait 20 minutes and then tell me if it's really not worth it..."

And this is what I made:
Preheat oven to 175 C
Line a cookie sheet with parchment/baking paper

2 T. ground flaxseed + 1/2 c. hot water OR 2 eggs
1/4 c. oil
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 - 2 c. sugar (yes, that's a lot. you can cut back if you like)
1 cup "cake meal" (finely ground matzah meal)
1 cup potato starch
1 cup ground coconut
1/2 cup ground nuts
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
chocolate chips (I splurged and used almost a whole bag)

Mix flaxseed and water and let stand 10 min, or beat the eggs together.
Add oil, vanilla and sugar, and mix really well
Add dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon. 
Fold in chocolate chips

Form cookies and place on cookie sheet, and bake for 8-10 min if you've made them with flaxseed. You'll need a few more minutes if you make them with eggs, I assume 12-14 minutes... (I wet my hands so the dough wouldn't stick to my fingers)

Makes about 3.5 dozen cookies

before baking

ready to eat!

Let cool for a few minutes before serving

Enjoy!





Everyone here loved these cookies! Please tell me what you think of them!

Mislabeled Cookies!

This recall is SUPER important for people who are allergic to peanuts.

Packages of Peanut Cookies for Pesach were mislabeled as Coconut Cookies for Pesach.

The product in question is produced by "Tvuot Bar Mazon" and the affected product are their "Chagigat Ha'Aviv Peanut Cookies" in 400g containers, with an expiration date of 21.09.2014. Some are mislabeled as "Chagigat Ha'Aviv Coconut Cookies."

If you've purchased a package of these cookies, thinking they are coconut cookies, they may in fact be peanut cookies.

The product is being recalled, but consumers who have purchased these cookies can return them to the store where purchased for a refund, and can call 03-906-8621 with any questions.

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