One of my favorite summer sports (to me its a sport) is shopping at local farmer’s markets when all the produce is so fresh and vibrant! The variety of colorful, delicious, and unique summertime produce is incredible! I highly recommend incorporating as many of the summertime fruits into your meals and menus while they are so good. Enjoy these summery recipes.

Arugula Salad with Grilled Chicken & Peaches

Mango Asian Slaw

Serves 6-8

This salad is the perfect flavor combination. I love the sweet peaches mixed with the tangy dressing and crunchy arugula and nuts. This salad is great with leftover roasted or grilled chicken too.

• 2-3 peaches (you can use pineapple here if you do not have
peaches), sliced in 2-inch slices
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 5 chicken breast halves, chicken cutlets, thin cut
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• juice of half a lemon
• 5 cups washed baby arugula
• ½ cup of chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1 red onion sliced

Dressing:

• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Slice the peaches in about 2 inch slices and toss with canola oil. In a separate dish, season chicken breast with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and lemon juice.

Heat outdoor or indoor grill to about 375°F. Grill peaches for about 2 minutes each side, until grill marks appear, and peaches are softened but not mushy. Set aside.

Next grill the chicken about 3-4 minutes each side, until cooked through. Slice the chicken in strips or cubes and set aside.

For the dressing: Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper.

To assemble the salad: On a platter spread arugula, layer with grilled chicken, peaches, sliced onion and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top. Dress and serve.

Serves 6 – 8

This is one of my favorite salads. Its colorful, delicious, light and best of all super easy to make. It can also be made a few hours in advance since the cabbage takes longer to soften.

• 1 bag (12 ounce) shredded purple cabbage
• 1 bag (12 ounce) shredded carrots
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 avocado, cut up in ½ inch dice
• 1 mango, cut up in cubes or thinly sliced

Dressing:

• ¼ cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup of soy sauce
• ½ cup of sesame oil
• ⅛-¼ teaspoon sriracha (depending on how spicy you prefer)

In a large bowl mix both bags of shredded cabbage and carrot. Add in chopped scallions, cubed avocado and mango.

For the dressing: Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and sriracha.

Dress the salad and mix to combine.

Succos is coming, check out this extensive recipe index for inspiration, hundreds of recipes here.

Roasted Garlic, Tomato, and Balsamic Brick Roast
Super Easy Slow Cooked Drunken Lamb with Dried Fruit and Pomegranate Seeds
Maple Mustard Chicken
Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
Lotus Butter Rice Krispie Treats

More recipes: succos index.

New Yom Tov Recipes coming each week! This week….3 recipes:
Sweet and Savory Honey Coated Chicken
Smoked Salmon Dip
Challah Cinnamon Apple Bread Pudding

Thank you Ohr Esther for a great event in Great Neck. Wonderful group of ladies including my new friend Limor who runs an instagram baking account check her out at BakedByLim on instagram.

Today with so many gluten allergies, celiac, and gluten sensitivities its good to know your gluten products. Here’s a handy guide to help.

Gluten-Free
Almond/Nut, Amaranth, Buckwheat, Corn, Millet, Oat, Quinoa, Rice, Sorghum, Tapioca/Cassava, Teff

Low-Gluten
Barley, Rye, Spelt

Gluten ingredients
Bran, Bulgur, Durum, Emmer, Farro, Freekeh, Graham, Kamut, Semolin, Triticale, Wheat

Stock Your Freezer with Elizabeth Kurtz

Email me to reserve your day! I cook in your kitchen.
ekurtz@gourmetkoshercooking.com

These recipes freeze well. Serving and defrosting instructions provided.

Soups
Sweet and Savory Butternut Squash Soup
Rich Roasted Pepper Soup
Mexican Meatball Soup – chicken meatballs
Potato Leek Soup with Marsala Mushrooms
Cauliflower Mushroom Soup
Cabbage and Flanken Soup
Zucchini Soup with Fresh Dill
Carrot Ginger Soup

Meats
Traditional Stuffed Cabbage – takes time but makes 2 large 9 x 13 trays, enough for two meals
Italian Veal Stew
Savory Traditional Brisket
Moroccan Lamb Stew
Coffee Braised Brisket
Pulled Beef with Barbeque Sauce
Balsamic and Tomato Seasoned Minute Roasts – thin cut sliced meat

Chicken
Chicken Francese – lemon chicken breasts
Chicken Marsala – white or dark meat boneless
Balsamic Chicken with Onions and Mushrooms – white or dark meat boneless
Roasted Garlic and Herb Marinated Chicken – either marinated and freshly prepared after defrosted or finished and frozen
Sheet Pan Chicken with Garlic, Mushrooms and Parsley Chimichurri – dark meat, boneless

Salad Dressings
Sweet and Creamy Dressing – nice for spinach salad, coleslaw, iceberg lettuce
Balsamic Vinaigrette – traditional,great with romaine, arugula, Italian salad blend
Lemon Vinaigrette – great on kale
Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette – great on everything
Sweet Orange Vinaigrette – great on citrus and avocado salad
Basil Vinaigrette – great on romaine, arugula, olives, cucumbers, tomato salad
Red wine Vinaigrette – great on kale, spinach, or romaine

Dips
Olive dip
Roasted Eggplant and Tomato
Roasted Mixed Vegetable Dip
Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

Thank you Simi! Great bridal shower with you and your friends! Hope you all enjoy the new recipes.

Thank you Hillel Community for 2 great events! And congratulations on a wonderful campaign to get healthy with your families. These recipes are sure to be a great way to start.

Thank you Young Israel of Lawrence for the fun and delicious time at our 30 minute meals class. We made 3 great dishes, each in under 30 minutes! Email me to schedule a class ekurtz@gourmetkoshercooking.com

Hanukah is just around the corner, are you ready for latkes, applesauce, menus, and lots of doughnuts? We are! Check out all the great menu ideas and new recipes coming each week.

I’m serving this Beef Crostini with Horseradish Cream Sauce at my Hanukah party. Its make-ahead friendly and a great appetizer to have for people while they wait for fresh latkes to fry.

Hanukah Index

2 New Thanksgiving Recipes to add to your Turkey Day or anyday repertoire
Fall Spice Cake
Sweet Potato and Cranberry Casserole

Full Thanksgiving Index, Turkeys, Sides, Breads, Soups, Pies, Stuffing, Cranberry sauce, it’s all here!

Wines? Serving or Gifting? Lots of ideas here.

Roast like a pro, Thanksgiving and Turkey prep tips, here
Why a kosher bird? Everyone should eat the juiciest and best bird, here’s why….

After you’ve gone through the trouble of washing and checking a batch of fresh herbs, or paying the extra expense for the checked herbs, proper storage is a must. I store my greens between layers of dry and damp paper towels, which will keep them fresh longer.

– Arrange a layer of dry paper towels in the bottom of a lidded container. This prevents moisture from pooling and causing spoilage.

– Trim, wash, check, and THOROUGHLY dry herbs. Pick through them to remove any discolored or wilted leaves (they leach onto the fresh ones).
– Place them in the container, making sure to give them a little breathing room (btw, this is my issue with the prepared, checked fresh herbs…they are smashed into an airtight container with no room to breathe, and thus become spoiled quickly)
– Wet a sheet of paper towel and wring it out completely, then drape it over the herbs. Close the lid to seal and refrigerate.

Thank you to the Long Island Great Challah Bake 2018! It was fun making challah with 1500 women and exceptionally delicious too.

By Beth Ricanati, MD

October brings a lot of Jewish holidays, changing of the seasons, and national Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Most of us know someone with breast cancer, or who had the disease, or maybe who even beat the disease. It’s relentless…and seemingly everywhere. With breast cancer rates at roughly 1 in 8 by the time we’re 80, that’s a lot of breast cancer.

And as overwhelming as that may seem, I am still encouraged. Yes, encouraged: after all, scientific research has demonstrated that about one-third of the expected cancer deaths this year will be lifestyle related, meaning that they are related to a lack of physical activity, obesity and poor nutrition.

Bingo. Sometimes it’s as simple as opting for a different choice and you can perhaps affect the outcome of this devastating diagnosis. What is it about food and breast cancer? Certain foods actually can turn on or off different genes in our body, genes that may either increase our cancer risk or genes that can fight cancer. What you eat can affect your genes. This field of research is called epigenetics.

So whether you steam it (so easy, currently a favorite at our house) or roast it (especially good with a little olive oil and sea salt), or puree it for soup (use broth if you want a vegan option, or try with yogurt), try to add broccoli into your diet once a week…you might just be decreasing your risk of cancer while you eat something delicious! In addition, be sure to include a variety of foods that reduce inflammation to further reduce your risk. In addition to broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables (i.e. brussel sprouts and cauliflower), include antioxidant, gene-changing and cancer-fighting foods such as oranges and other citrus fruits high in vitamin C, omega-rich foods such as salmon, antioxidant-rich berries and herbs and spices such as curry, ginger and garlic.

For more information on healthy living and support before, during and after a breast cancer diagnosis, I want to introduce you to Sharsheret, the national Jewish breast and ovarian cancer organization. Check out their website for great information and to order a free survivorship kit that includes an amazing healthy living cookbook and other resources.

Enjoy this broccoli recipe featured in Sharsheret’s survivorship kit from One Bite at a Time: Nourishing Recipes for Cancer Survivors and Their Friends, by Rebecca Katz.

Szechwan Broccoli

While not as healthy as broccoli, Sharsheret’s annual Thanksgiving Pies for Prevention Bake Sale is looking for bakers! By baking and selling baked goods this Thanksgiving, you are joining volunteers nationwide raising critical ovarian cancer awareness and funds to support Sharsheret’s Ovarian Cancer Program. You can register to become a Pies for Prevention baker here.

Beth Ricanati, MD, has built her career bringing wellness into everyday life. She trained and worked at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City and at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.  She now resides in Santa Monica, California. Follow her on Instagram at @housecallsforwellness, and on her website at www.housecallsforwellness.com

Holiday season is in full swing, Succos recipes and freezing tips, Pre-fast menus and recipes and fasting tips!
It’s a week of reflection, improvement, and pre-Succos preparation. Get cooking! Full Succos index here, SOOO many ideas, and don’t forget to
mix in any favorites from the general index too, there are literally over 8000 recipes to choose from.

Yom Kippur pre-fast ideas , both before and after the fast
My best fasting tips and a great prefast menu
One more menu, Pre-fast recipe ideas

Yes, some foods like vegetables, fish and select chicken dishes are best prepared fresh. But many holiday items can be prepared and stored in
the refrigerator for up to two weeks, like dips, salad dressings, and marinades. And roasts, soups, saucy chickens and veal, some desserts, cookies, and challahs can be prepared, fully cooled, wrapped properly in plastic or foil, but always air-tight and then frozen. The trick is to defrost them slowly so that no condensation is created (this is what gives frozen chicken that rubbery wet taste). In order to defrost items without condensation, think and plan ahead. Defrost frozen items in the refrigerator, which takes at least but about 24 hours, then bring them to
room temperature before reheating. Do not defrost on the countertop, the temperature drops too low from the freezer and lots of water molecules form and melt into the food, making it wet and just not quite the same.

Thank you JWRP NYC for a great pre-Rosh Hashannah cooking class.

Holiday cooking is abuzz! My freezer is filling up with soups, roasts and challah varietals as I prep for the first set of the three day Yom Tov season 🙂
Make sure to search the full index for choices old and new! Hundreds of recipes in every catagory to make your Yom Tov delicious.
A few new recipes to try to spice up your already tried and true menus….more coming, check back weekly for more great ideas.

Rosh Hashanah Quinoa
Endive Salad with Apple Dressing and Roasted Nut Crumble
Asian Maple Glazed Turkey
Apple Pound Cake with Caramel Glaze
Carrot Ginger Soup With Creamy Apple Chutney (coming soon)
Spinach Salad With Roasted Beets, Persimmons, and Sweet Poppy Seed Dressing (coming soon)
Pomegranate Brisket with Three Onion Jam (coming soon)
Wine Baked Apples (coming soon)