Nigella's Blueberry Pancakes

If there is anything kosher soul, it's the sexy food writer Nigella Lawson (www.nigella.com). What I love about Nigella is how sexy she makes food without even trying..but then again look at her! I am going to be making Nigella's blueberry pancakes for a soul food brunch, I thought you might like the recipe.

Nosh on,
~Shoshi


Ingredients:
For the dry pancake mix
600g plain flour
3 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
40g caster sugar

To make the pancakes (amounts per 150g dry mixture)
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
250ml milk
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla (I added this)

For the blueberry syrup
125ml maple syrup
200g blueberries

1. For the dry pancake mix, place all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Transfer to an airtight container, seal and store until needed.

2. To make the pancakes, add the appropriate quantity of egg, milk and melted butter per 150g of the dry mixture (a filled American cup measure will give you the requisite amount per batch, so you may like to use one and dispense with any weighing). Mix well to form a smooth batter.

3. Heat a flat griddle or non-stick frying pan without adding oil.

4. Spoon drops of 1½-2 tablespoons of the batter onto the hot griddle and when bubbles appear on the surface of the little pancakes, flip them over and cook until golden-brown on both sides. It should take about a minute per side.

5. Meanwhile, for the blueberry syrup, place the maple syrup and blueberries into a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the blueberries have broken down slightly.

6. To serve, pour the blueberry syrup into a jug and take to the breakfast table with the pancakes. If you have any of the syrup left over, you will notice that it sets into a kind of glossy jam. This will keep for a few days.

Arugula and Orange Salad

Arugula is an interesting green and yummy green, yet sometimes people do not know what to do with it.

I made this Arugula and Orange salad for one of my clients and she loved it so much so is having me make it for one of her upcoming soirees. It is a great salad, packed with flavor and can be served up beside all of kosher soul food fixins.

Nosh on,
~Shoshi



Arugula & Orange Salad:
1 large fennel bulb
1 red onion, shaved paper thin
2 cup mandarin orange segments
6 bunches fresh arugula
1 cup walnuts


Vinaigrette:
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Trim off the top off the fennel bulb. Slice the fennel and onion paper thin.

3. To prepare the vinaigrette, combine ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk.

4. Toss the arugula, fennel and onion with vinaigrette, divide among serving plates and top with mandarin orange slices and walnuts

Kalamata Olive Tapenade

If you want to make a quick and easy dish that will be the hit of any dinner party mix up an olive tapenade!

A tapenade is simply a puree’ of assorted ingredients that is used as a spread.
Olives are the most popular ingredient for making tapenade. Since olives come in several tasty varieties from Spanish, Greek, Kalamata, to Sevillano, your options for making olive tapenade are endless.

You can serve your tapenade up with crackers or slices of artisan bread. It makes a great appetizer or hors d’oeuvre.


Here’s fun party idea: have an olive tapenade tasting party with all your friends.



Kalamata Olive Tapenade

1 1/4 C pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed & drained (or olives of your choice)
1 T capers, drained
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 C olive oil
1 T fresh cilantro, chopped


Combine olives, capers and garlic in food processor or blender and chop finely. With the food processor running add lemon juice and olive oil and process until well blended. Transfer tapenade to bowl. Stir in cilantro. Season to taste with a dash of pepper.


Nosh on,
~Shoshi
"Luscious Lifestyle Diva"

Kosher Soul Food on ThisNext

Have you checked out my kosher soul food list on ThisNext.com? If not you are missing it, I am number one for kosher eats. Click on the ThisNext widget on the blog.

Check it out. If there is a product I should know about, talk to me. I am always on the look out for yummy kosher food to spread the word about!

L'chaim,
~Shoshi
"Luscious Lifestyle Diva"

Skinny Bitch: Chicken Salad

I am flipping through a copy of "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Banouin. Skinny Bitch is a New York Times best selling no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous.

I am liking the recipes in the book, talk about kosher soul! Long story short, the recipes in the book are vegetarian/vegan so by default it is kosher. There is a little something for everyone, very creative recipes. Here is a yummy chicken salad recipe from the book. Nosh on..~Shoshi

Chicken Salad

• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon coarse nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tablespoon agave nectar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups chopped or shredded vegan chicken strips or chunks (thawed, if frozen)
• 1/4 cup halved (quartered if large) seedless red grapes (optional)
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 1/4 small red or white onion, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 6 to 8 slices vegan whole-wheat bread


In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, yeast, agave nectar, salt, curry powder and pepper. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, grapes (if using), celery, onion, and parsley. Add the mayonnaise mixture to the chicken mixture, tossing gently.

Spread the chicken salad on 3 or 4 slices of bread, top with remaining 3 or 4 slices, and serve.

Banana Water

Water is essential during the summer months, but if you are like me..you may get bored from time to time with simple H20. If you want to make a quick and refreshing drink, take 2 cups of water and two bananas, throw the bananas and water in a blender..now you have banana water. It's yummy and refreshing. If bananas aren't your thing try other fruits. I just mixed banana and mango. YUM!

This is great to drink in the mornings. It is filling and if you tend to skip breakfast, it's a wonderful way to get something in your tummy til lunch.

Nosh on,
~Shoshi

Eating Organic..things that make you go hmmm!

Are you supporting your local farmer's markets and buying organic food? If not here are ten food reasons why you should. From The Green Guide.


1. Potatoes.
Mashed potatoes are delicious and worth the calories, unless they're laden with pesticides or have been genetically-modified.
When genetically modified, potatoes impair the immune system and shrink the brain, liver and heart.So, mash a clean, real, organic potato and forgo the new-fangled monstrosity.

2. Strawberries. Enjoy them while they are in season from local organic farms or buy frozen organic strawberries from your local whole market.

3. Rice. Domestic rice is splattered with mega-doses of pesticides, and now, the chemicals companies are producing "pharm" rice used to produce and store pharmaceuticals. Buy organic rice where you can find it and store it in an airtight container. It stores very well.

4. Green and Red Bell Peppers. Super sources of Vitamin C, but wrought with pesticides. Buy organic, or, better yet, grow your own. Seeds of Change has a plethora of organic seeds, and pepper plants prove to be a hardy bunch!

5. Got Milk? We hope not, at least, not from conventionally raised cows. Today's commercial brands are loaded with antibiotics and growth hormones. Make sure your milk and other dairy is from organically-fed cows without the extra rBST, rBGH and antibiotics.

6. Corn. Corn is typically not a scale tipper when it comes to pesticide residues. But, take into account that 75- 90% of all domestic corn has been genetically-modified, that the average American eats 11 pounds of it, that most cooking oils include corn oil, and that most everything is sweetened with corn syrup, and suddenly, buying organic corn and corn products, makes more than a little sense. Eat local organic corn in season and freeze some for later, or, leave some kernels to dry, and plant them in the spring.

7. Bananas. This tropical favorite has a short window of ripeness and a very long distance to market (quick, how many local banana farms does your town have?). All of which adds up to a lot of heavy chemical dousing along the way.

8. Green Beans. Over 60 different pesticides are used on green beans. Even beans used in baby food have been found to be contaminated.

9. Peaches. Nothing beats a peach. Until you realize that they often have the highest rates of illegally-applied pesticides. Isn't that just peachy . . .

10. Apples. A decade after the dangers of Alar were exposed, apples are still soaked in pesticides. Put only organic apples in your pie.

Nosh on,
~Shoshi

Strawberry and Cilantro Butter

The summer is flying by, I say this because my nephew started school today. Already!

Before the summer is completely gone, do something fun with summer fruits and veggies. You don't have to just use them for salads, you can turn them into delicious flavored butters to put on all your kosher soul food.


Here are two of my favorite..strawberry and cilantro.

Nosh on,
~Shoshi

Strawberry Butter:

1 lb. (4 sticks) sweet butter, softened
3/4 c. finely chopped fresh strawberries
3-5 tbsp. powdered sugar


Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor with steel knife. Whip until light. Mixture makes approximately 2 1/2 cups of strawberry butter.


Cilantro butter:

1/4 pound softened sweet butter
1/4 cup fresh cut cilantro

Whip cilantro and butter together until smooth and creamy, there it is quick and easy!

Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, and Feta Salad

Yesterday I was at the Farmer's Market in Harlem and I made a kick ass salad. It was so delicious, it could be that all of the veggies were fresh, fresh, fresh..

The ingredients in the salad were:

Cucumbers
Tomato
Red Onion
Feta Cheese
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil

Trust me this is fabulous, make the salad to taste. Since it's summer all of the veggies are in season which makes this even more delicious!

Drop me a text @729669 at my Say Now account. Leave me your comments, recipes, etc.. My food column "Raw Adventures" is back this month in Brown Eyez Magazine, stay tuned for more info..

Nosh on,
Shoshi
www.lusciouslifestylediva.com