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Creative Leftovers – Using Leftover Soup

Jan 20th, 2011
by Leah.
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Soups are a winter lunchtime staple at our house. Unfortunately, my kids lose their enthusiasm for just about any soup on day 2, so I have to figure out what to do with leftover soup. A fast Google search produced many results on how to make soup out of leftovers (that’s a no-brainer), but pitifully few ideas of ways to use leftover soup.

Here are some things that I do to give leftover soup new appearances:

1. Mash some of the vegetables with a stick blender and add new seasoning. It will look like a different soup.

2. Remove the vegetables, mash, mix with flour and eggs and fry as croquettes.  Stuff into a pita with humus and tahini for a falafel alternative.

3. Remove the vegetables and use in a stir-fry. Freeze the broth to use in a sauce.

4. Use the solids for a casserole. (HT to @mominisrael)

Here’s an ad-hoc recipe for a 15-minute meal out of leftover vegetable soup:

Tuna Couscous Sauce

leftover vegetable soup

1-2 cans tomato sauce

water

2 cans tuna

1/2 tbsp paprika

1 tsp salt

Simmer together for 15 minutes and serve over couscous.


 

Quick and easy homemade pickles

Nov 6th, 2010
by Leah.
1 comment
pickles Quick and easy homemade pickles

Homemade pickles

The homemade pickles served at my grandfather’s house are part and parcel of warm childhood memories for me. I’ve never tasted anything like that ever since, so when my mom called the other day telling me she had pickled cucumbers and tomatoes based on her recollection of  grandmother’s recipe, my first instinct was to grab a pencil and jot down the recipe.

Turns out making pickles is a snap. It took me all of twenty minutes to pickle two jars of mixed tomatoes and cucumbers (my jars were too narrow for tomatoes alone). The kids got involved by washing the vegetables and picking leaves from the cherry tree in our yard.

Now, the first thing they do upon entering the kitchen in the morning is to check out the color of the cucumbers in the canning jars. Are they still fresh-green or pickle-green? They will have to wait a week to taste the flavor. Making pickles turned out to be a great exercise in delaying gratification.

And now for the recipes:

Pickled Cucumbers

Pickled Tomatoes


 

Pomegranate Art

Nov 4th, 2010
by Leah.
1 comment

Hannah over at the Cooking Manager posted  a great video on how to cut a pomegranate. It came right in time. Although we had a bunch of pomegranates sitting around in our fruit bowl, I was too intimidated by the looming mess to actually cut them. As always, Hannah saved the day with her video.

Lest you think pomegranates are there for eating only, think again. When presented with a bowl of pomegranate seeds after arriving from school, my 8-year-old had this bright idea:

pomegranate Pomegranate Art

Pomegranate art - a fun afternooon project

With the long winter afternoons just around the corner, pomegranate art could be a fun afternoon activity for your kids.


 

School Lunches – What in the World do You Pack in that Box?

Aug 26th, 2010
by Leah.
2 comments

Hadassah over at In the Pink has raised a poignant question that haunts many a parent – what can I pack in the lunch box that will keep the kids happy, satiated, and healthy, without getting bored.

Here are a few ideas I have used to feed my kids at school:

  1. Make several dozen shnitzels and/or Salisbury stakes and freeze them. You can then defrost one or two the night before and send them either in a sandwich (with catchup, mayo, hummus, mustard and vegetables) or in a container with some salad, left-over pasta, and so on. Be sure to pack the food into an insulated lunch box with an ice pack, so that it doesn’t spoil.

  2. This idea works especially well if your kids have a microwave in their school. Two years ago, all parents in our daughter’s class chipped in 10 shekels and the girls got a microwave for their classroom. Obviously, this is something you have to run by the school’s officials.

  3. Invest in a small thermos that will keep the food hot until lunchtime. You can then heat any leftovers from yesterday’s dinner and send them right along for lunch.

  4. Try alternative sandwich spreads: date spread, humus, tahini, halva, or date “chocolate”. You can find these and other recipes here.

  5. Make a deal with the kids – a couple of years ago when we decided to switch to whole-wheat bread only, we made a deal. The kids eat their whole wheat sandwiches and get white rolls and chocolate milk on Rosh Chodesh. It works most of the time. You’d have to find a formula that works for your kids, but the idea is the same.

  6. If your kids are old enough, put them in charge of lunches. I have found kids as young as 3rd grade to be quite capable of packing food for themselves and their siblings. You would need to set some ground rules, such a what can go in and what stays out, and provide some on-the-job training the first couple of weeks. Afterward, you can stay out of it and prevent any power struggles that frequently surround food issues in the family.

So, how do you keep your kids fed in school?


 

Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza – Gourmet Videos

Jun 16th, 2010
by Leah.
6 comments

What images does “humanitarian crisis” conjure in your mind? For me, it’s the stories of the siege of Leningrad during WWII, which some of my family members experienced first-hand.

Leningrad siege 253x300 Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Gourmet Videos

The face of a humanitarian crisis

The Hamas and its supporters (especially in the media) would like us to believe that something of the sorts is happening in Gaza. Then, last week, the Israeli Government Press Office spoiled the show by sarcastically inviting the foreign press corps in Gaza to visit the Roots Club and get a first-hand glimpse of the humanitarian situation in the strip.

The owners of Roots have reportedly invested over US 1 million into the site, which leaves us with two options: either they are stark-stupid, throwing money to the wind or there is no shortage of clients for this posh establishment.

Lest you think this ritzy restaurant is one-of-a-kind place for the rich and famous (as Palestinians have been claiming since the publication), think again. Just in case you should ever  find yourself in Gaza with nothing to eat, here is a sampling of YouTube videos from Gaza restaurants in a variety of price ranges (use Google Translate to verify Arabic captions). Note that all videos are from 2008 and on (well into the Israeli blockade of the strip).

Lighthouse Restaurant – Gaza

Pay attention to the fountain and the manicured lawns (in view of the severe water crisis in Gaza).

Key West Restaurant – Gaza

If you’d like something simpler, this Gaza-style Kentucky Fried Chicken should suit your fancy. (I do hope the Hamas doesn’t burn them down for identifying with enemy values).

Almat’haf Museum and Restaurant

Man doesn’t live on bread alone. At Almat’haf Museum and Cultural House cultural experiences and fine dining go hand in hand. Note the planned construction of a boutique hotel, which seems to be unhampered by the alleged Israeli embargo on building materials.

Falafel – Gaza Style

Finally, no Gaza dining guide would be complete without some first-class falafel with an assortment of pickled vegetables.

Wow, that looks appetizing!

Cold Soup on a Hot Day

May 27th, 2010
by Leah.
6 comments

With the heat wave upon us, and many more expected in the coming months, the idea of hot kitchens and heavy meals doesn’t resonate with family chefs and their “clients.”

That’s where these nutritious, delicious, and super-easy recipes come in. There is nothing like a bowl of nourishing yet refreshing cold soup to please your family on a hot day.

Serve these with some whole wheat or rye bread and a plate of fresh fruit for dessert and you’ve got a complete meal in less than 20 minutes.

Okroshka

The word “okroshka” comes from the Russian word for a crumb. The soup is made of finely chopped vegetables combine with a liquid, either kvass (a fermented bread drink) or kefir (buttermilk).  Kvass is available at most Russian food stores, but you can also use more familiar ingredients, such as diluted plain yogurt.

Borscht

Borscht is a familiar comfort soup to any person with even the faintest of Eastern European roots. Borscht comes in both hot and cold varieties. Here is my mother’s signature recipe of the cold summer borscht. It is infinitely better than anything you can buy in a jar.

Gazpacho

Unlike the above recipes, gazpacho originated in Spain. Although I started making it only a few years ago, it is immensely popular with my kids. Talk about a melting pot.

More on cholent cloth bags

Dec 20th, 2009
by Leah.
1 comment

Following my post about cholent, I have received inquiries about buying muslin bags in Israel.

From my experience, these sakiyot lebishul mebad are available  at most health food stores. You can also order them online, for example here and here.

As to care, I have found the dishwasher to be the best way to clean the bags (just be sure to wash off whatever food has gotten stuck to them under running water before placing them in the machine).

Bon appetit!

‘Tis the Season to Eat Cholent

Dec 2nd, 2009
by Leah.
2 comments

Winter is here and with it the annual cholent season. While the long months of the Israeli summer make the very thought of a heavy meat meal (and an extra heat source) unthinkable, cholent is the perfect winter comfort food.

For anyone unfamiliar with this masterpiece of Jewish inventiveness, cholent (chamin in Hebrew) is a stew eaten on Shabbat afternoon after being left to simmer on low heat since Friday. Almost every Jewish community in the world has its version of this dish. Natives of communities as diverse as Jerusalem’s Nachlaot or London’s East End, have fond childhood memories of carrying home the steaming pot of cholent from the local baker’s oven every Shabbat morning.

At our house, cholent usually consists of beans, meats, potatoes and grains, such as wheat, barley, brown rice, or buckwheat. The best way to cook the grains is by separating them from the rest of the stew. Although most people I know use cellulose cooking bags for this, I don’t particularly savour the idea of cooking my food in plastic. However, I found the perfect solution while translating a Bukharian cookbook a couple of years. The author suggested cooking the grains in   drawstring muslin bags ‘Tis the Season to Eat Cholent and that is exactly what I’ve been doing with great results.

Cholent can be cooked either in a crock pot or in a regular pot placed on top of a hot plate or a blech (a sheet of tin placed over a small burner or a pilot light). Make sure the pot is boiling before turning the heat down Friday afternoon.

Here is our favourite cholent recipe with several variations on the theme.

What in the World do I Feed my Kids? (Part I)

Nov 19th, 2009
by Leah.
11 comments

The other day, I took my one-year-old to a pediatric dietitian.  Over the last several months, her weight hasn’t been keeping up with her height, so the pediatrician thought it wise to get some nutritional guidance.

I got plenty of guidance at that visit, but how do I apply it? The dietitian thought I should:

  • wean the baby off breastfeeding and feed her plenty of formula
  • feed her every 4 hours (no snacks of any kind in between – not even fruit)
  • stay away from whole grains and opt for refined flours instead.

I left the office contemplating which one of the suggestions was the most bizarre.  On the face of it, the advice goes against everything we seem to know about nutrition. Whole grains are more nutritious than white, breast milk is preferable to formula, and many small meals better than three  square ones.

The last point really took me by surprise, but from conversations with several other people, including a registered dietitian, it seems that the extra fiber in whole grains interferes with absorption of certain minerals and causes babies to feel full faster, preventing them from eating more calories.

But as much as I didn’t welcome the idea of setting up a separate pantry for the little one, it was the first suggestion that left me clueless. Unlike our other four kids, this one has a host of allergies, including… milk, making milk-based formula a non-option. And as long as the jury is out on the safety of soy, I have no intention of pumping her with a quart of soy-based formula each day.

So now what do I do? Any ideas?

Turkey neck bean soup

Oct 29th, 2009
by Leah.
2 comments

As we woke up to gray skies and chilly air this morning, I decided to treat my kids to turkey neck soup – their favorite. Turkey is an excellent source of iron, but my family is not very fond of it. The only part of turkey everyone loves is the neck

If you are looking for a substantial and satisfying yet economical meal to warm your family’s bodies and hearts this winter, this recipe will fit the bill.

Turkey neck bean soup

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