Latkes

Yum! What better way to celebrate Hanukkah than to sit around the table with your family eating hot, fresh latkes, as you enjoy the Hanukkah lights!
Here's a yummy and wholesome latke recipe. The beans make these so filling , that it's almost a complete meal on its own. I've served it with soup and alongside pink applesauce, and we couldn't move afterwards.
2 cups cooked navy beans (soaked overnight, drained, rinsed, and cooked for 2 hrs) 1 medium onion, diced
3 eggs
1/2 small butternut squash
1 1/2 cups almond flour
salt & pepper to taste
Coconut Oil for frying

1. Saute' onion in 1 Tbls coconut oil until translucent.
2. Cut the squash lengthwise, and remove seeds. Do not peel squash.
3. Place squash skin side up onto a lined baking sheet. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes. It's done when the squash releases some water.
4. Peel squash and place in a medium bowl. Add onions and the rest of the ingredients.
5. Blend batter with immersion blender until smooth.
6. In a large skillet, heat coconut oil.
7. Use your hands to form batter into 3 inch patties.
8. Fry patties on each side over medium heat until golden brown and crispy.
9.Remove latkes from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.
10. Repeat Steps 7-9 till batter is used up.

Please note: these latkes are fragile, and the flipping may be challanging. To solve this, you may try one of the following suggestions:
1. Use breadcrumbs in the place of almond flour. For breadcrumbs, take some almond melba toasts and grind in food processor.
2. Add mayo to the batter and bake the patties in the oven.

For other yummy SCD latke recipes, try Butternut Squash Latkes, and Cauliflower Zucchini Latkes.

Coming Next: Since it's traditional to eat dairy on Hanukkah, we'll be doing a Dairy Quiche Recipe. You'll need dripped yogurt for this recipe, so get your yogurt dripping : )

HAVE A SUPER DUPER HANUKKAH!

Recipes for the Bar Mitzvah Platter

Okay CJ, Chana, and everyone else out there... I should've known better than to present an amazingly appetizing platter and not give any sources for recipes. Pictured above is the lucky 4 year old SCD girl, enjoying her dessert at her brother's Bar Mitzvah: a SCD Strawberry Shortcake!

Okay, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Most of the recipes are from the "SCD with Taste & Tradition" cookbook. The good news is that since the new edition will be taking quite a while, we have reprinted our original cookbook, and it is now available by clicking here.

Strawberry Shortcake: The cake layer is on page 3, called jelly roll. The Strawberry Cream is on the bottom of page 14. The adjustments are to double the strawberries, and once it's done place frosting in the freezer, and mix vigorously every 10 minutes (5-6 times).

Now, back to the platter, we have quite a few Cutout Cookies there, some filled with jam, and others have a ribbon. The recipe can be found on page 6, for "Festive Jam Cookies". The jam she used is the DW Cherry Jam.

For the Cream Cakes: the cake layer is on page 3, called jelly roll. The cream is on the bottom of page 12, she used both the vanilla and the coffee version.

Now, for the "Rum Balls" and the black balls used for the Bar Mitzvah hats, the yummy recipe is as follows:

1/2 cup pecan pieces

1 cup dates, pitted

1/2 cup honey

dash of cinnamon

almond flour to thicken batter

Shredded coconut for last step

1. Blend the first four ingredients in a food processor.

2. Add enough almond flour so that it should look like a dough. Form balls, and roll in shredded coconut.

3. Store in the refrigerator.

That's pretty much it. I hope you enjoy these yummy sweets!

Hanukkah is in the air! Stay tuned for yummy Hanukkah recipes coming soon!!

Muffins You'll Go Bananas Over!

Add some delicious cocoa butter to Elaine's traditional banana muffin recipe, and what do you get? YUMMY YUMMY STUFF : )

2-1/2 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
Dash of salt
4 eggs
2 small very ripe bananas , mashed
7 Tbls melted cocoa butter
1/2 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Place paper liners in 12 muffin cups.

2. Combine first 3 ingredient in large bowl.

3. Combine rest of ingredients in separate bowl.

4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.

5. Put into muffin tins and bake at 375 until muffins spring back when pressed.

Once again, thank you Lise Baur for this yummy recipe - I can't get enough of them : )

WOW! THESE ARE SCD - FOR REAL!

In honor of her son's Bar Mitzvah, a devoted mom presented this tray of SCD goodies to her 4 year old daughter. Her daughter was beyond thrilled, and couldn't care less about the lavish sweet table loaded with illegal sweets. She'll remember this bar mitzva and her yummy sweets for a very long time!

It's so inspiring that SCD could be enjoyed on all levels!

Homemade Mayo 1-2-3

The most difficult step in mayonnaise making is the part where you need to stand over the counter and drip the oil drip-by-drip. Here's my tip: take a 7 oz. or 9 oz. plastic cup, and make a tiny hole on the bottom with a sharp knife. Place the cup over the food processor spout and fill it with oil. You can then walk away, only to return to refill the cup with more oil.

Since mayo uses raw eggs, I use organic eggs only. I also opt for a healthy oil like olive, safflower, or sunflower over corn, canola, and cottenseed. Why not do it right when going through the bother of making your own mayo...

Mayonnaise will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. For those of you who are sick and tired of making fresh mayo every three weeks, click here for an amazing find on how to extend the shelf life.

Here's my recipe for mayo:
4 organic eggs
1 tspn salt
4 Tblsp vinegar
4 cups olive oil

1. In the bowl of your food processor, using the knife attachment, blend eggs and salt for three minutes.
2. Add vinegar and blend for a few seconds.
3. Add oil, drip-by-drip.
4. Place mayo in a 2-quart glass jar.
4. Store in the fridge for up to three weeks.

Apple Crisp

Here’s an apple crisp recipe just in time for the holidays...
This recipe is soooo good even non-scd’ers are unsuspectingly liking it!!!

Filling :
6 medium cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced thickly (I use the wagon wheel cutter)
1/4 cup butter, cut into small squares
1/4 honey (use a little more if you like it sweet)

1.Generously butter a 8X10 baking dish

2. Arrange apples in baking dish.

3. Dot apples with butter and drizzle honey over apples.

Topping:
2 cups almond flour
1 cup unsweetened dried coconut
1 TBSP cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup pecan halves, broken into large pieces
1/4 cup honey

1.Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Mix almond flour, coconut, and cinnamon together. Add butter and work until you have small meal. Add pecans, mix. Add honey... It will be rather gooey at this point.

3. Drop in globs on top of apples then carefully spread to somewhat cover the apples (I like to leave a few apples peaking through).

4. Bake for 15 minutes then decrease temperature to 350F.

5.Bake for about 40 more minutes on 350F (It is done when you see the apple juices bubbling up). Watch carefully so not to burn crust.

6. Let set about 15-20 minutes before serving. (Still warm but not tongue burning hot :o)
7. Serve warm with sweetened SCD yogurt or frozen SCD yogurt for an extra yummy treat!!!

Variation... Add 1/2 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped and increase honey to 1/2 cup honey (or more if you like it sweeter) to filling... Mmmmg good...

Eat in good health..
This recipe is from my dear friend and fabulous SCD cook, Lise Baur - thank you Lise!

What's for Dessert?

Winter is hitting us full force here in NY. I enjoy cuddling up with hot tea and SCD sweets after a long day. When I finish a heavy meal, however, I still crave that ice cold sorbet to wash down my food.

Here's my winner recipe:

1 cup orange juice

1 cup apple cider

1 cup Digestive Wellness black cherry syrup

3 cups water

1. Combine all ingredients and place in an 8X10 pan.

2. Place in freezer, and freeze for 24 hours.

3. Remove from freezer and cut into large chunks.

4. Blend ice chunks in food processor.

5. Place in individual ice cups and freeze immediately.

6. Refresh & Enjoy : )

My Ultimate Comfort Food

I love to warm up with piping hot butternut squash soup. The sweet taste, and velvety texture just warms me through and through!

Here's some general guidelines:

For the base: use a generous amount of sauteed onions and garlic.

For the veggies: 1/3 of the veggies should be butternut squash. The rest should be a combination of orange, green, and white veggies. For orange, use carrots. For green, always use zucchini, and you have an option of adding celery, acorn, or kombucha squash. For white, I like to use one of the following root vegetables: parsley root, celery root, or rutabaga.

Fill your pot with large vegetable chunks. Add water to cover veggies, plus another two inches above veggies. Add salt and pepper, and cook until the veggies are soft. Blend with an immersion blender. Optional: Add a package of frozen peas, and boil for another 20 minutes.

I always make a huge pot at a time, and freeze it in individual containers for later use.

Stay Warm : )

It's Me Time!

I was in the mood of trying something really good for dinner - a change of pace to the usual chicken-fish-meat dishes. I wanted to treat myself, and treat myself I did to a yummy SCD Shepherd's Pie!

Here's my recipe:

Chicken Layer

2 lbs. ground chicken

1 large onion, diced
2 Tbls. oil
2 zucchini
2 Tbls. homemade mayo

salt & pepper to taste

1. Saute' onion in oil until translucent.

2. Peel and shred zucchini.

3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Squash Layer

1 large butternut squash

1 large onion, diced

2 Tbls. oil

4 Tbls. homemade mayo

salt & pepper to taste

1. Saute' onion in oil until translucent.

2. Cut the squash lengthwise, and remove seeds. Do not peel squash.

3. Place squash skin side up onto a lined baking sheet. Bake at 375F for approx. one hour. It's done when the squash will discharge some water.

4. Peel squash, place in a medium bowl, and mash well. Add onions and the rest of the ingredients, and mix well.

Assembly: Divide chicken and squash mixtures into two equal parts. In a 9X13 pan, layer chicken, squash, chicken, and top with squash mixture. Bake at 350F, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours.

Enjoy in good health : )