Sweetheart Salad (Shared Recipe)

Thanks Trina Kaye!

FRESH & EASY KOSHER COOKING: ORDINARY INGREDIENTS, EXTRAORDINARY MEALS
By Leah Schapira
November 2011
Hardcover/336 pages
$34.99

Fresh & Easy Kosher Cooking: Ordinary Ingredients Extraordinary Meals
Delicious Recipes for Everyone to Enjoy

International food writer Leah Schapira cooks up simple and delicious mealtime solutions for every kitchen.

A recipe doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious, nor exclusive to certain kitchens. Such is the mantra of Leah Schapira, co-founder of the popular culinary website, www.CookKosher.com, and author of the new book, Fresh & Easy Kosher Cooking: Ordinary Ingredients, Extraordinary Meals (Artscroll; November 2011). Inspiring everyone from traditional kosher cooks to everyday working women and moms, Leah shows how to use simple, fresh ingredients to create time-sensitive, tasty meals for all to enjoy.

A busy wife and mother, Leah extends her recipes to a wide audience of people who don’t have much time to cook. She includes useful tips, minimal ingredients, and easy-to-follow steps. The book is organized into delicious chapters with sections containing time-saving tips such as menus, freezer-friendly meals and an index of food pairings for weeknight recipes. Her seasonal menus encourage home cooks to take advantage of market-fresh, simple ingredients for even easier recipe planning.

“Food preparation shouldn’t be a point of tension,” Leah says. “This cookbook is all about easy, uncomplicated recipes for every day or for any occasion. I like to use ingredients from my pantry, adding new twists and improving on techniques.”

Leah’s collection of culinary favorites transcends all food-lovers’ kitchens, non-Jewish and non-kosher alike. While certainly easing the challenges of strict kosher cooking, Leah’s recipes also provide options for even the pickiest of eaters. “You certainly don’t have to keep kosher to benefit from Fresh & Easy Kosher Cooking,” she says. “But if you do happen to be a kosher cook, you’ll find a great deal of help — even relief — from all of the resources I provide in the book.”

Recipes are divided into chapters covering Soups, Salads, Dips & Sauces, Sides, Brunch & Lunch, Main Dishes, Traditional, and, of course, Desserts. There is something for everyone in Fresh & Easy Kosher Cooking. Some of Leah’s tempting recipes include:

Carrot and Cilantro Soup
Mediterranean Tomato Salad
Roasted Mushroom and Pepper Salad
Chimichurri Skewered Steak
Citrus Sea Bass
Sweet Potato Fries
Sriracha Thai Noodles
Eggplant and Tomato Fettuccini
Basil Chicken Wraps
Overnight Potato Kugel
Lazy Man’s Cholent
Kreplach
No-Mixer Brownies
Square Donuts
Watermelon Sorbet

All recipes are indicated as meat, dairy, or parve; those with dairy food sensitivities will appreciate the abundance of non-dairy parve recipes, particularly the desserts.

Fresh & Easy Kosher Cooking addresses a need for different, helpful, and great-tasting recipes. In a world of expensive dining and elaborate meals, Leah keeps it simple by combining fresh ingredients and classic flavors. The result: familiar and satisfying food that everyone can enjoy.

“It is my hope that this cookbook will keep cooking from turning into a chore. If we are going to cook, we might as well enjoy it! Have fun with these recipes, get creative, add some spice to your everyday meals and let the cooking begin!”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leah’s early history with food was anything but sanguine. She describes her childhood as that of the classically finicky eater. When Leah was eight years old, her creative mother invited her fussy daughter into the kitchen to discover for herself what she liked to eat. It worked. Soon Leah was whipping up tasty dishes the whole family enjoyed. Fast forward to age 21; newly-married, Leah co-edited a community fundraising cookbook which has sold over 12,000 copies and is now in its third printing. A self-taught cook and seasoned traveler, Leah Schapira has been the food editor for two popular international Jewish weekly magazines and shares her love of cooking through articles; the culinary website she co-founded, www.CookKosher.com (a user-driven recipe exchange); through cooking demos and classes; and now through her latest creation — Fresh & Easy Kosher Cooking. She resides in New Jersey with her husband and children.

SWEETHEART SALAD
Recipe from FRESH & EASY KOSHER COOKING: Ordinary Ingredients, Extraordinary Meals
By Leah Schapira/November 2011
www.artscroll.com/freshandeasy
Makes 4-5 Servings
A slightly tart dressing complements the sweet ingredients in this salad. It’s named after my sweetheart sister-in-law who shared this recipe with me.

Salad
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup pineapple, fresh, cubed
¼ cup dried apricots, chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup roasted almonds
1 green apple

Dressing
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp oil
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

1 In a large bowl, combine lettuce, pineapple, apricots, cranberries, and almonds.
2 Combine dressing ingredients.
3 Right before serving, core and slice the apple, with peel on, add to salad, and toss with dressing.

Read more at Celebr-eat-y By Sarah Lee