January 2024 recipes by various Community Shabbat participants
Our January Shabbat was a beautiful gathering of folks. What a joy to celebrate the trees with food and drink! As always, much gratitude to the Rabbis and organizers for putting together such a meaningful evening, and thank you to everyone who contributed to our meal. - Raelene C.
The recipes gathered this month are as follows:
Tu B'Shevat Fudge brought by: Sara S.
The recipe is adapted from Date-Chocolate Fudge by Aviva Romm
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Medjool dates
1/2 cup Cocoa powder (I substituted 1 oz melted baking/bitter chocolate for about 3 Tbs of cocoa, leaving 5 Tbs of cocoa)
1/4 cup Tahini (sesame butter)
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Honey, date syrup, or maple syrup to taste (optional)
Instructions:
Pit and chop dates, put into saucepan with a little water.
Heat/simmer until dates are a bit softer, then drain if needed.
Put in the food processor. Blend for a few seconds so they're mush.
If using baking chocolate, melt it in a Tbs or so of the leftover date water, on very low. Stir so it doesn't burn.
Add cocoa, (melted chocolate), tahini, and vanilla, (other sweeteners) to the food processor. Blend until smooth.
Line a 5" x 5" pan with foil or parchment paper and put mixture into it.
Refrigerate for at least an hour. Cut into squares and enjoy!
note: It is best to keep refrigerated until eaten
Kale Salad, brought by Mara H.
(sooooo yummy…a wonderful balance of flavors and textures! - RC)
Ingredients:
Olive oil
Vinegar
Kale leaves
Salt and Pepper
Persimmon
Tomato
Blueberries
Instructions:
Mix together olive oil and your favorite vinegar, and pour over kale leaves. Add a little salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Refrigerate for a few hours.
Add cut up persimmon, tomato, etc.
Sprinkle chopped walnuts (or nut of choice) over the salad.
Vegan challah rolls, brought by Cheryl C.
(these were so perfect, with just a touch of sweetness, that I wanted to sneak some home in my purse! - RC)
I used this recipe. The tweaks are that I made several rolls instead of one challah. When you're making several rolls, the cooking time is less; check it after 20 minutes. It usually takes Vegan challah rolls about 25 min, but it all depends on each person's oven.
Other tips and tweaks:
-Sift the flour, both the chickpea flour and the wheat flour.
-The recipe says to use all-purpose flour. That works great, but I find bread flour works even better. I used bread flour tonight.
-You can swap in whole wheat for some of the all-purpose or bread flour but don't swap more than 1/3.
-You don't need a bread-making machine. Kneading by hand works fine.
-The one major change we made is that instead of just using soy milk to brush the loaf, we use a mixture of half vegan milk and half maple syrup. I almost always use oat milk, which is what I used tonight.
-Try not to let the glaze drip onto the baking tray or wet the bottom of the challah; if you do, the sugar from the maple syrup burns and you end up with charred bottoms.
Ginger-Orange Broccoli and Noodles, brought by Suzanne B.
(This dish was a showstopper! - RC)
Servings:
Tested size: 2-3 servings
These glazed, gingery noodles are heavy on the veggies and peppered with lightly blackened cashews. Homemade stir-fries can turn out bland, but this one is a lesson in bright, bold flavor. Fresh orange juice, ginger, soy sauce, and miso bring together tangy, savory, and spicy all at once.
Want to add meat? Saute cubed chicken until it’s golden brown, then stir in before serving.
Make Ahead: The dish can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. You can eat the stored noodles cold, at room temperature, or reheat them on the stove top.
Ingredients:
4 oz dried stir-fry noodles of your choice (we used thick stir-fry rice noodles)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from 2 large oranges)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp sriracha
1 Tbsp dark miso
1 Tbsp pure sesame oil (may substitute a neutral oil such as grapeseed or canola)
1/2 large, sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/2 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 large broccoli crowns (1 1/2), cut into bite-size florets
1/2 cup roasted, unsalted whole cashews
2 pinches kosher salt
1/4 cup water
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
One-inch piece peeled fresh ginger root, minced or grated (about 1/2 teaspoon)
Instructions:
Cook the noodles as directed on the package, then drain. (The rice noodles we prefer require just a few minutes in a bowl with boiling water, so “cook” here is a loose term.)
Meanwhile, let’s get that flavor going. Whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, cornstarch, Sriracha, and miso in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup.
When you’re ready to do some cooking, add the oil to a large skillet or sauté pan over high heat.
Add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until it starts to brown.
Add the red and yellow bell peppers, broccoli, cashews, and salt.
Stir-fry for 5 minutes, or until the thickest broccoli stems are tender and the cashews are slightly blackened.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the water, stirring until it evaporates.
Add the garlic and ginger, then stir-fry for 1 minute. Turn off the heat.
Add the soy sauce mixture, stirring until it thickens into a beautiful, glossy sauce.
Add the drained noodles and stir gently until everything is evenly coated. Serve warm.
Passover Apple Kugel brought by Tari N.
(The perfect dish for Tu B'Shvat! - RC)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup - Streit's Passover Cake Meal
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water
4 large cooking apples (such as golden delicious or fuji)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
4 eggs (at room temperature)
1/4 cup oil
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a baking pan. (approx. 3 qt. or 9"x13").
Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/4" thick slices. Toss apples gently with 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Combine cake meal, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
Separate eggs. Mix yolks, water, and oil until frothy.
Add the dry combined ingredients and sliced apples.
Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into the apple mixture.
Pour into baking pan. Bake for one hour.
Remove from oven and allow to stand 10 minutes before serving. Store in a cool dry place.
(This recipe is on the box of Streits Passover Meal)
Grilled Pineapple brought by Raelene's Family
(I learned too late that pineapples don’t actually grow on trees - RC)
This was somewhat experimental. We usually just put pineapple on the grill or in a grill pan on the stove and cook until the pineapple slices are tender. This time we added a bit of brown sugar to get a little more caramelization.
Lay the slices on a grill pan, sprinkle with a bit of the brown sugar, flip, and add sugar to the other side.
Cook until the sugar dissolves and the pineapple reaches the desired golden color and is tender throughout. Bonus points if you can get those cute little grill marks.
If I missed your recipe, please let me know and I can include it in the February recipe roundup.
With love,
Raelene