I first came upon this recipe from Melissa Benishay on Instagram . It is simple , delicious and nutritious. I make it my way which means I pretty much follow her recipe but add chicken, chopped bacon (sometimes), feta, scallions and cucumbers. I also will add chopped up jalapeños for a spicy kick and avocado would be perfect as well. You can make this completely vegan of course but I just like to zuzh it up a bit. Add whatever you like and make it your way. Enjoy!

The ingredients are interesting and you may need to buy a few of these items. For the dressing

Lemons — which give it the fresh taste and the acid it requires

Olive Oil– for the good Fat

Rice Vinegar– a bit of sweet flavor and tang

Shallot– for the sweeter onion flavor

Garlic– because it’s garlic– need I say more

Basil–for that pesto like consistency and flavor

Spinach– for extra nutrients and a lot of green color and don’t tell my hub

Nutritional Yeast– I know I know why???? Because it adds cheesy like consistency and B12 vitamins –it’s kind of like powdered cheese and full of flavor but vegan and has now become a shelf staple in my house for vegan cheese sauces, vegan dips, soups, scrambles, stews and you get the drill.It’s super nutritious and full of protein, B Vitamins, and anti-oxidents.

Walnuts– a nutty base

Salt– to pull it all together and highlight all the layers of flavors and way to bland with no salt

*you’ll need a blender for this one

You can make the dressing ahead like I do in the morning or the day before and it will keep in the fridge for 2-3 maybe 4 days.

Salad Dressing Ingredients:

juice of 2 lemons

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar

2 largish cloves of garlic

1 smallish shallot

1/3 cup chives

1/4 cup walnuts, cashews, or nut of your choice — I always have chopped walnuts so that’s my nut of choice

1 cup fresh torn Basil Leaves

1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast– I got mine at Trader Joes but you can get this in almost any supermarket

1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

For the Salad:

I like 1 head ofIceberg Lettuce chopped up and finely diced or you can use a head of green cabbage

3-4 mini cucumbers finely diced–optional see above paragraph on ingredients

1/4 cup chives, finely diced — also optional I used green onions/scallions tonight — use what you have even red onion diced is fine

1 bundle green onions / scallions

Directions:

Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl once they’re chopped up

Add all liquid dressing ingredients to a blender give it a whirl, and then add dry dressing ingredients and blend until smooth.

Yummmmmmmm and Thank You to Melissa Benishay or Baked by Melissa as most of you know

I made this salad the other night and it came together so beautifully and it was very very tasty if I do say so myself. I made it with grilled chicken and bacon but if you want to keep it vegetarian you can . You can also serve chicken and bacon on the side if you’d like. It’s a yummy chopped up salad with lots of tasty items that I love together. The lemon vinaigrette dressing has a bit of kick but you can easily leave out the crushed red pepper. I used fresh butter lettuce but any lettuce will do .

Enjoy!

*this served 4

Salad Ingredients:

8 slices bacon — I used microwave bacon and cooked for 3 minutes and cooled it off and crumbled it. Of course you can use any type of bacon or omit — up to you

app. 1 pint blueberries

1/2 cup crumbled Feta or Goat Cheese — I hate blue cheese but if you love it use that

1 handful small cut up basil leaves

app. 4 cups farmers market lettuce or any lettuce you like — I used a soft butter lettuce this time–I tore it into small pieces

3 corn on the cobs kernels removed — leave it raw — it’s sweet and delicious

1-2 avocados — depending on the size of your avocados — I used 2 small ones

Grilled Chicken:

I used about 4 chicken breasts — small ones and brushed some olive oil and salt and pepper and a little dried oregano and grilled them on the grill for a few minutes on each side till done and set aside with aluminum till ready to serve salad and then cut up chicken into small pieces.

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing:

I made salad dressing in my mini food processor– Perfect and easy if no mini chopper just mince garlic by hand and whisk all ingredients together adding olive oil in last slowly.

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup Champagne Vinegar

3 Tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt — more to taste — didn’t need it

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Using the mini food processor I started with the garlic and put all other ingredients and added the olive at the end slowly.

Taste for salt and pepper but it was fine by me.

• 1/2 teaspoon or more or less crushed red pepper flakes –we like kick and so did our guests so you may or may not want to use this which is fine

In a large salad bowl add in lettuce, chicken , blueberries, cheese, basil leaves, crumbled bacon, avocado and corn. Drizzle with the vinaigrette or serve salad and let your guests dress their own — up to you. Once salad is dressed serve immediately. I

This recipe has got to be one of my husband’s absolute favorites and with good reason. He likes Chicken Parm a lot and that’s what I mostly make but every once in a while I will get veal cutlets and make this delicious meal and kick it back “old school” style. It’s classic comfort food for sure all gooey and delicious.

Firstly you’ll want to get your veal cutlets from a butcher and make sure they’re ready for frying. In NYC there are a lot of butchers and specialty stores to choose from so while I’m in town I make them. They also are rather pricy so saying all that you can also make this recipe with chicken. Veal is low in fat and high in protein and makes a great veal parmigiana. There are many variations but I am sort of a purist and like it with tomato sauce and cheese. Baked to perfection!

Last night this is what I did and served along side spaghetti.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Veal Slices ( Cutlets) pounded thin if you go to butcher tell them what you’re using them for

1 cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs– you may need a little more

4 Tablespoons of Grated Parmesan / Romano cheese and more for sprinkling cutlets

Olive Oil for frying

pasta of your choice but I like spaghetti with it

1 egg with a splash of milk

Spaghetti Sauce — whatever kind you have — obviously home made is great but I like Raos a lot and when I don’t have any homemade on hand that’s my go-to. The marinara one is perfect as is the Arabiata if you like it a little more spicy — app. 12 ounces of sauce for veal and spaghetti. If using a jar buy the 24 oz. and then you’ll have enough sauce for both veal and spaghetti. Use as much or as little as you like.

1/2 lb . mozzarella cheese , shredded

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Set up a breading station using 2 bowls. One bowl with egg and splash of milk beaten, and then one bowl with bread crumbs mixed with grated parmesan cheese (app. 3 Tablespoons of cheese and use the rest to sprinkle on cutlets)

I pat dry the veal cutlets before dipping into the egg and milk

Dip in the egg and then dip in the bread crumbs. Coat the veal completely. I place on a small cookie sheet and put in the refrigerator till I am ready to fry them . I find this holds bread crumbs in place best but obviously if you’re short on time just go right to the frying. I only put them in for about 1/2 hour but you can leave them in longer if you’d like .

I use a large skillet and add a good coating of oil to bottom of pan — enough to cover bottom of pan and enough for each cutlet to fry up — maybe 1/4″ to 1/2″ of oil. You do not submerge the cutlets in the oil just enough to fry them up. Pre heat the oil so it’s very hot when you add veal. Flame on pan should be medium-high depending on your stove top.

Pan fry both sides — I turn over gently to make sure they’re golden brown and then turn them . Do not over fry because they still need to bake in the oven. (see pics) you want them to be golden brown

Drain the fried cutlets on some paper towels blotting the tops for excess oil.

I spray a baking dish with cooking spray and add enough sauce to cover bottom of the baking dish and don’t be skimpy with it, you’ll probably use about 8 oz. of the sauce. I sprinkle with a little grated parmesan and then add shredded mozzarella to top .

Place in hot oven and I cooked covered (aluminum foil) for first 10 minutes , then 5 minutes uncovered and then put oven to broil for another 3-5 minutes till cheese gets a bit brown and bubbly. All ovens vary but this is what worked best for me to get that beautiful finish. You must keep an eye on it when under broiler . Mine was ready in about 3 minutes.

I cooked up some spaghetti added a little sauce to it and plated the veal and the spaghetti and dinner was served.

This was a delicious twist on chicken meatballs. The meatballs were so amazingly moist and tasty and I served over Jasmine Rice and it was just perfect. The original recipe is from Bon Appetit and I took a few liberties with it. We like spicy food so I used some Sriracha along with the ketchup — you can make this as spicy as you like or not spicy at all depending on how much or how little Sriracha you use or use none at all. If you’re in the mood for something a little different this one’s for you. We just love meatballs and we’ll eat them any which way. Have fun with this one. And you all know that my husband absolutely still refuses to eat broccoli so it was his loss because it was delicious.

*a little note I use my mini chopper to chop ginger and garlic and I use it for onions as well . It gets it finely minced. If you don’t have one of these mini choppers I highly recommend it’s use to get garlic, ginger and onions and other vegetables finely grated when recipe calls for that.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: Sauce

2/3 cup Ketchup — I decreased the ketchup and added about 1/3 Sriracha – and it was very spicy but we like very spicy . So please either keep it 2/3 of ketchup for totally not spicy or decrease a little ketchup and add a little Sriracha.

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tbsp. Water

2 Tbsp. Honey

4 tsp. Soy Sauce

1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 garlic clove — finely grated — see note above about finely grating

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients: Meatballs and Broccoli

app. 1 lb. of Broccoli — you just want florets so if you’re starting with a head of broccoli you’ll have to trim and cut etc. I just bought a 1 lb. package of broccoli florets available in most grocery stores these days. ( not frozen)

2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil divided — 1 for broccoli and 1 for Meatballs

2 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt divided — 1 1/2 for Broccoli and 1 for Meatballs

* a pinch of Crushed red Pepper which is also optional

1 lb. ground chicken– I try to use 85/15 chicken the 90/10 tends to be very dry and really the best is ground dark meat if you can find it

1 large egg beaten to blend

4 scallions , thinly sliced

2 garlic cloved, finely grated

1 ” small piece of ginger , finely grated

1/3 cup Panko ( Japanese Breadcrumbs)

1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil — I use regular Sesame Oil but you can use Toasted as well

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Rice for Serving any kind you like , I used Jasmine this time but any kind will do

Directions:

Mix ketchup, Sriracha ( if you’re using) , Worcestershire Sauce, water, honey, soy sauce, grated ginger, and pepper in a small saucepan. I measured out about 1/4 cup mixture into a small bowl for glazing meatballs, later. Bring remaining mixture to a simmer over medium high heat stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary, let sauce thicken , about 5 minutes. Transfer sauce to a small bowl or leave in pan and remove from heat.

Meatball and Broccoli Assembly:

Place a rack in upper third of the oven; pre-heat to 450 degrees. I sprayed a sheet pan with cooking spray and lined it with aluminum foil. In a separate bowl I tossed florets with 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil, 1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt, and a few pinches of crushed red pepper ( optional) I brushed the sheet pan with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of Vegetable Oil and then placed broccoli florets on the edges of the baking sheet to create space for my meatballs.

Mix chicken, egg, scallions, garlic, ginger, panko, sesame oil, pepper , 1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt, and 4 Tbsp. Water in a medium bowl and mixed all ingredients together till just combined — don’t overmix

Using wet hands form into 12 meatballs — Probably 2 inches apiece though I didn’t measure but I got 12 beautiful sized meatballs. Arrange on baking sheet; brush with some of the reserved glaze ( 1/4 cup) ( see photo) Bake until meatballs are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven; heat broiler. Brush meatballs again with glazing mixture; broil until broccoli is charred and meatballs are browned in spots, app. 5 minutes but keep an eye on them. At the end of 5 minutes if you’re meatballs look ready but your broccoli isn’t charred enough, remove meatballs and continue to broil broccoli till it’s charred enough.

Spoon meatballs and broccoli over rice in a bowl. Drizzle with sauce and there you go!

Passover starts on Friday , April 15th and ends on Saturday April 23 this year. So I guess it’s about that time that we should start thinking about what we’re going to make for the Seders. Every year people ask me about freezing some of my recipes. I can’t really speak to freezing everything because I haven’t done so. I will try and note recipes that I’ve frozen and add to recipes. Everyone asks me about freezing the Peach Farfel and while I haven’t I know some of you have , I don’t see why you can’t freeze it. I would only cook it 1/2 way through and when it cools down and is more solid I would wrap it well and freeze. I would wrap with plastic and aluminum. If you have an extra freezer and can keep it in the baking dish even better.

I will start to post the tried and true recipes that mean so much to me and my family and I know have become a part of your Passover traditions. If you have a great Passover recipe please email to me I would love to check it out.

Happy Cooking from my kitchen to yours.

Happy Passover.

So delicious and so perfect. I used thin chicken breasts to start , if you’re using thicker ones you’ll have to monitor the timing of them a bit more and you should just use a meat thermometer to do so. This really couldn’t be easier and it was super tasty and is a cheese lovers delight. It’s lightened up from traditional breaded and fried chicken parm.

Prep and ingredients are super easy .

This recipe is for 4.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 – 2 pounds of thin chicken breasts

1 egg

3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 tbsp. garlic powder

1/2 tbsp. onion powder

1 Tablespoon Italian Seasonings — It comes in one jar and is available in most spice sections in supermarkets —

pinch kosher salt

1/4 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper

and because we like a little extra kick I add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes

3/4 -1 cup Jarred Marinara or if you have home made that’s good too . I prefer Raos Arabiata or Marinara

Shredded Mozzarella — probably 1/2 cup to 1 cup depending on how much cheese you like — I like a good sprinkle of cheese — see pics.

A little olive oil for drizzle in pan before cooking

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees

I used a large baking dish and sprayed with cooking spray and drizzled a bit of olive oil to bottom of pan — just a little

Beat egg in a wide enough bowl for dipping chicken

In a second wide bowl combine the parm cheese and spices and mix

Dip each piece of chicken in the egg and then the cheese, coating both sides. Place in prepared baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes — since cutlets are thin this should be fine because you’ll be cooking more with sauce and cheese. If thicker cutlets you may need a bit more time.

Top each piece with sauce and shredded mozzarella. ( you can spread a little sauce in between chicken as well . I served over spaghetti and needed a little more sauce so this was enough. If you want you can heat up extra sauce in a small saucepan for spaghetti. Bake for another 10-20 minutes till chicken is 160 degrees when checked with meat thermometer and cheese is melted and bubbly. I like my cheese just slightly browned so you can turn to broil for a minute or so depending on your broiler but be careful you don’t want to burn the whole thing.

I served over pasta and had enough sauce for us.

That’s it folks — enjoy!

Bone in Chicken Thighs work beautifully here as they cook up rather quickly and are very tasty . I browned them first and gave them a nice crust and then they get braised in a beautiful tomato sauce with coconut milk and amazing spices. It’s stew like in consistency and I served over rice. Any rice will do . I added some red peppers and it was enough of a meal on it’s own with the rice. Bread would be lovely if you’d like to soak up the remaining sauce . A nice green salad would work well here as well.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 – 2 lbs. bone-in , skin-on chicken thighs, at room temperature

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons grapeseed or Canola Oil — I used Grapeseed

1 medium red onion thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves minced

1 2 “piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Curry Powder — I use Spicy Curry Powder use whatever you like

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1/2 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes– I left them whole

1 Red Bell Pepper– cut into thin strips

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with their juices

1/2 (13 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk — save the rest of can if you feel the sauce needs more– I didn’t use it

1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

*handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro — totally optional

Directions:

Pat chicken thighs dry and I placed on a baking sheet and sprinkled kosher salt and coarse black pepper all over

In a deep 12 inch pot or pan — I used my cast iron Le Creuset –perfect. add the 2 Tablespoons Grapeseed Oil till oil gets hot enough to add chicken ( medium-high heat) I use tongs and place the chicken skin side down, let them brown up nicely without disturbing them for about 5 minutes using the tongs you can look at them and make sure they’re lightly golden not burning. Flip and brown the other side for about 5 more minutes . If too hot you can lower the heat. When finished transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Turn heat to medium-low add the onion and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, curry, cumin, cinnamon and red pepper flakes, cook for a minute or so then add in the red pepper strips and cook down for a few minutes till peppers are softened.

Add the can of tomatoes with their juices , the tomato paste, fresh tomatoes ( I left them whole), and the coconut milk , stir until combined and scrape up all the brown bits that may have formed on bottom of the pan. Nestle the chicken back into the skillet ( do not submerge the chicken) Simmer uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has had a chance to thicken slightly ( if too thick add a little more coconut milk) Taste the sauce for Salt and Pepper. Cook anywhere from 30 – 40 minutes more. If you have a meat thermometer you can test for chicken doneness (165 degrees) I probably cooked for 40 minutes. Then if not crispy enough put whole pot under broiler in the oven for a few minutes but be careful not to burn the chicken.

I divided rice into bowls and plated chicken and sauce on top , Sprinkled a little cilantro and we thoroughly enjoyed this very flavorful dish.

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While our daughter was out here visiting I had the opportunity to flex my Vegetarian Muscle a bit. I made the Jennifer Aniston Salad and Allison Roman’s Chickpea Stew. I had the stew at our daughter’s house and found it so delicious and figured it was perfect to make for her while she was out here since she’s a vegetarian not a vegan . I made a few changes to the original recipe so if you’d like to see it google the original recipe as this is my version. It’s really more of a soup than a stew and again depending on how thick you like it .

It’s always good to have some meat-less meals even if you’re not a vegetarian. And I am a chickpea lover so this was right up my alley.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Olive Oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 2″ piece of Ginger , finely chopped — I love fresh ginger but if no fresh ginger use powdered ginger –use 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger for every 1 Tablespoon of Fresh — so probably 1/4 teaspoon would be right

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes — now I love spicy so if you don’t you can omit

2 15 oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 15 oz. cans full-fat coconut milk, be sure to avoid low-fat coconut milk, coconut milk meant for drinking or cream of coconut. They are all very different and would not be suitable for this recipe and yes I know this is a lot of coconut milk but I think it’s the right flavor and consistency in this recipe .

2 cups vegetable stock , and you may need some more so hang on to the rest of the container

1 bunch spinach, kale, collard greens, or swiss chard, stems removed and torn into bite size pieces. I used baby spinach and I like it the best because it breaks down very quickly and is easy to use.

toasted pita, lavash or other flatbread, like Naan would be delicious served alongside

Directions:

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with a little kosher salt and some coarsely ground black pepper, cook and stir occasionally until onion becomes translucent and starts to brown a bit around the edges but not burn. About 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and the chickpeas, I sprinkled a little salt and pepper here as well. Cook, stirring frequently so the chickpeas sizzle and fry up a bit in the spices and oil, they’ll start to break down and get a little browned up as they crisp, another 10 minutes or so. Remove about 1 cup of chickpeas and set aside.

Using a wooden spoon or a masher crush the remaining chickpeas slightly which will release their starchy insides and help to thicken the stew. Add the coconut milk and stock, taste for salt and pepper.

Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally , until stew has thickened, probably 1/2 hour . If after 1/2 hour stew is not thick enough continue cooking. If you need more broth add it here as well. The desired consistency is sort of a personal thing so however you like it will be just fine.

I then added the greens and the remaining whole chickpeas , my spinach broke down pretty rapidly , taste for salt and pepper . Add as much or as little greens as you’d like.

Divide among bowls and if you’d like to top with some fresh mint and I served alongside yogurt ( or sourcream) and toasted pita if using bread.