Category Archives: Jewish Traditional foods

It’s more than just deli!

Cauliflower Not-Potato Kugel

There’s nothing like a great potato kugel on Shabbat for the Jewish soul. But wait – what’s that?!? It’s the closest I’ve ever tasted a cauliflower get to potato kugel! And the best part – it’s EASY! Just use the green giant microwaveable cauliflower rice for your rice in this recipe. Takes a while to bake, but hardly any time to put together.

8 cups riced cauliflower (I typically use frozen, but you can also use fresh)
1/2 c oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 c water (I usually put a drop more)
5 eggs
2 t onion powder
2t salt
1 t pepper

Mix all, pour in 9 by 13 pan (or 2 square pans), bake on 450 for one hour and then lower to 350 for another hour.

*I halved the recipe and baked it in a square pan. I used green giant frozen cauliflower, made as per package directions. I used 3 eggs (because I didn’t halve the egg 😂)

I paired it with chicken on the bone made with Walden farms BBQ sauce and it was amazing !

Count this as your vegetable per 1/2 cup, some healthy fat, and if you’re really strict a fraction of your lean (for the egg).

Delicata Squash Casserole

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Really easy and so delicious! Delicata squash is a sweet squash that is on-plan!

Ingredients per serving:

1/2 c Delicata Squash or other on-plan low carb squash, such as kabocha or sweet dumpling

1 tbsp. Walden Farms Apple Butter per 1/2 cup squash

1/8 c.  Eggbeaters

Cinnamon on top

Directions: you can cook the squash by either zapping it in the microwave until mushy inside, or by baking in the oven until the skin looks browned on the outside. Slice it in half, remove the seeds, then scoop out the pulp. Measure the pulp out. Per 1/2 cup of mashed squash, add: 1/8 c egg beaters and 1 tbsp. Walden Farms apple butter. Mash everything together and sprinkle some cinnamon on top (optional).

To make each serving more portion-controlled, bake them each in mini-ramekins.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until golden brown on top. How long really depends on the size of your dish. Be sure to check after 30 minutes to see where you are at. A large pan can take up to 1.5 hours.

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This version was sweet dumpling squash without cinnamon. Mmmmm….

 

Per serving: one green, one condiment, and the egg beaters is negligible and need not be counted per one serving.

**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Coach Gin’s I Can’t Believe it’s not Potato Kugel

Coach Gin’s I Can’t Believe it’s not Potato Kugel

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The inspiration for this recipe was when three clients in the same week  confessed to me that they just COULDN’T resist the potato kugel that they were exposed to sometime that day. I thought to myself, this is an epidemic. A crisis. It MUST be addressed!

After many experiments and focus groups with eager friends and my very picky husband, I am proud to present to you the “I Can’t Believe it’s not Potato Kugel.” This was made with simplicity in mind, so I encourage you to dig in and get cooking!

Each serving is one green, 1/2 ounce protein, 1.75 condiments

For a full-sized kugel in a round 8 inch pan (Serves 10), I used:

4 1/2 cups turnip
1/2 cup scallions
1 1/4 c egg beaters
5 teaspoons beef consommé

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Shred turnips in a food processor. I like a large shred. Soak turnips in bowl with enough water to cover them with 3 packets of Splenda for 45 mins. The Splenda is necessary to remove the slight sharp bitterness that the turnips naturally have.

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Chop 1/2 cup scallions (approximately 3 stalks). Drain the turnips from the Splenda water and add the scallions, egg beaters, and beef consommé powder to the turnips. Pour into a metal pan that is sprayed with Pam.

Bake on lowest rack in the oven for 2 hours or more, until it looks nice and brown and crusty. Mine took 2 hours at 350 degrees on the bottom rack and it could have stood to be in there longer to get even darker.

My husband prefers the crispy crunchiness of the kugel from the sides on the pan, so we prefer to make this as muffin cups at home. An additional benefit to muffin cups are that it’s perfect portion control and it takes about 15 minutes quicker to cook them to get nice and golden brown. Use lots of Pam to prevent sticking.

Each portion contains:

  • 1/2 c soaked and drained turnips with some scallions to top off the 1/2 cup (it puffs up in the oven and then will shrink again after cooked a while)
  • 1/8 c egg beaters
  • 1/2 tsp. beef consomme powder

You can use these proportions to make any size kugel that fits your favorite pan.

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It tastes even better with some protein, so I can’t wait to see who makes this into a yapchick (add in some beef for a full lean and green)! Please let me know if you were daring enough to try this recipe in a crockpot!

**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Homemade Healthy Babaganush

Homemade Healthy Babaganush

One Serving – makes one 1/2 cup all for YOU!

One green, and either 2.5 condiments or one healthy fat (your choice!)

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Take 2 Asian eggplants. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until wrinkly, about 20 mins.

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Cut in half, use spoon to scoop out the mushy insides.

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The insides measure 1/2 cup. (1 green)

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Put into food processor. Place 1 tsp minced garlic (one condiment), 1 tsp lemon juice (.5 condiment), and 1 tablespoon Walden Farms tangy mayonnaise (one condiment) —

OR 1.5 tbsp light mayo (1 healthy fat). Salt & pepper to taste.

Swirl it just enough to make it mushy and uniform and there you have it – 1/2 cup serving of deliciousness.

I created this recipe because I just LOVE babaganush and didn’t understand why it had to be so fattening when bought in a container. I just love to dip my chicken into this. I also love making mini cauliflower wraps or spaghetti squash wraps and eating my chicken with the babaganush inside them like soft tacos.  Mmmmm!

**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Kitchen Tested Cholent

Grain Free Cholent created by Melinda Strauss, Kitchen Tested

Cleverly incorporates in cauliflower rice for that imitation-barley texture.

You can make side-by-side cholent pots: one for your family, one plan compliant for you.  This way, you can measure the ingredients to ensure you are eating the right portion sizes.

I love using peeled turnips in lieu of the potatoes here.

I add Montreal steak seasoning into my cholent.

Other options: pop an egg in there for extra protein. Let it cook overnight in the pot.

Make the Kishke recipe as a kugel in a casserole dish, then scoop out 1/2 cup servings and place in the bottom of the bowl before serving. Leave out the kabocha inside the cholent. Heaven! Tastes really really really close to the real thing!

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A match made in healthy heaven… cholent and kishke all on plan!

**I have collected this recipe as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Coach Gin’s “Any Vegetable” Quiche

Coach Gin’s “Any Vegetable” Quiche

This is something my guests just gobble up – it’s divine! Very light tasting. And so easy!

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This was made with a bag of chopped, frozen broccoli and yellow American cheese

Full Lean & Green with the cheese
Makes 2 (large!) servings

Per serving
1 Leaner protein
3 vegetables
1 1/4 condiments
1 fat

20 oz bag (defrosted) of any on plan vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, works with sautéed mushrooms + leeks too)
2 tbsp low fat mayo
2 1/2 tsp chicken consommé powder
3/4 cup egg beaters
1 cup low fat plain cottage cheese
4 ounces low fat cheese (white or yellow American cheese, shredded low fat mexcian blend, any hard cheese you’d like!)

**If you omit the cheese, it’s just a delicious non-dairy casserole.

Defrost your vegetables in the microwave by zapping for about 7 minutes. Mix all. Tear the American cheese into little pieces and mix in. Spray pan with pam. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 1.5 hours. I used an 8×8 pan for this and it fit perfectly.

**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Kabocha “Kishke” (faux stuffed derma)

Low fat Low Carb Kishke (faux stuffed derma)
Yeah, I got that… Nutrition Support approved!

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Every ethnic cuisine has some greasy, unhealthy delicacy that people just go nuts for. This is an amazing plan makeover of the food that was created by one of my clients in response to a joke someone made about making this food plan approved. It CAN be done!

Servings: 8 generous, thick slices

1 tbsp smart balance margarine
4 cups kabocha squash peeled
1 leek (sautéed with Pam)
1/4 cup egg beaters
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp to 1 tbsp cayenne pepper (or less – to taste – sprinkle on top)

Cook and mash kabocha squash and mix all ingredients except cayenne. You can use a food processor to smooth it all together as well.

Roll into log in parchment paper and cook at 375 for 35 mins. Cool to room temperature and freeze until it is hard about 3 hrs. Slice into 8 equal slices, sprinkle with cayenne, and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

This recipe yields 8 servings, per serving: 1 ½ Green | ¼ Healthy Fat | 3 Condiments (using the full 1 tbsp cayenne – she has a heavy hand!)

**Additional serving suggestions: roll it up inside chicken cutlets to make spirals, stuff it under the skin of chicken breast on the bone, bake the slices and spread a bit of Walden Farms BBQ sauce on top).

An alternative recipe is to add 6 tbsp ground up French’s fried onion to the loaf, which adds 2 healthy fats to the whole loaf (with 8 servings so 1/4 healthy fat per serving). Of course it was delicious! ***The status of French’s Fried Onions was hesitatingly confirmed by Nutrition Support as 3 tbsp = one healthy fat.

***Since I am MUCH lazier than my client, I made the whole recipe and just baked it like a casserole or kugel in the oven at 350 until it was done. I scooped out 1/2 cup servings of it and placed it in the bottom of a bowl, and then added in some plan-approved cholent on a cold winter’s day. Really hit the spot!

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**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.