Hazelnut-Dijon Crusted Salmon

I found the original recipe from the Gatherings cookbook (definitely a must-buy) - I used hazelnuts instead of pecans and olive oil instead of margarine, and changed some of the measurements. 

That photo above was taken tonight when I made this dish for my family. As you can see, I served the salmon with a side salad and my own dill sauce (just mayo + fresh dill).



Ingredients
6 medium Salmon fillets, no skin
4 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
3 tablespoons Honey
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup Hazelnuts, ground (or substitute pecans, crushed)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place salmon fillets in a foil-lined baking pan.

In a small bowl, combine Dijon mustard, honey and olive oil. Pour mixture on salmon and marinate for 30 minutes.

In a second bowl, combine nuts, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper. Sprinkle this mixture on top of glazed salmon, covering the fish completely.

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Delicious, Dairy, and Greek (sort of)

Spanakopita is a Greek pastry made of phyllo dough that is filled with spinach, feta cheese, and onions and baked until puffy and golden brown. It is somewhat similar to a bureka. I recently came upon a food blog post in which the blogger describes his efforts to create an open faced version of this treat, sort of a cross between spanakopita and pizza. He named it, of course, spanakopizza. He used layers of phyllo dough in place of pizza dough, and even rolled up some phyllo sheets to form a rimmed crust around the pizza. The phyllo is topped with spinach, feta, onions, red peppers, dill, and mozzarella and baked like a pizza. The end result looks absolutely delicious.
While the blog itself is not kosher, all of the ingredients in this particular recipe are kosher. Clear, step by step instructions are provided, along with beautiful pictures that will make your mouth water: http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/02/spanakopizza/#more-11458
Enjoy!

the BEST hershey's chocolate cake ever!!!

This isn't my recipe at all. The only thing I added was the chocolate liqueur to the icing. But I made this cake this past Shabbos and it was honestly the best cake I've ever made. (and one of the easiest!!!)



Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.


"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup Cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk or soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon chocolate liqueur

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla and liqueur. About 2 cups frosting.

caesar salad made easy

My first-ever attempt at Caesar Salad was a success! The idea of using raw eggs and anchovies always turned me off... but then I discovered this recipe that calls for neither! 

You can make this salad either Milchig or Pareve (it is absolutely divine served with grilled chicken breast).

For the croutons - you can buy those ready-made, but I love making my own and adding them to the salad when they're hot out of the oven. Just dice up some 'old' bread and toss with garlic powder, parsley, salt and pepper, and a dash of olive oil. Spread out your croutons on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes, until golden and crispy.

(Side note: This recipe calls for Worcestershire Sauce... the brand I used does contain fish, but if you're concerned about mixing fish with dairy/meat, there are many other brands that are strictly 'veggie')

Ingredients

1 cup Light Mayonnaise

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 tbsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp Milk (or Soy milk)

2 heads Romaine Lettuce Hearts, diced

1 cup Croutons

Directions

In a large salad bowl, mix first 8 ingredients until well-blended. Add more milk if dressing is too thick. 

Add Lettuce and Croutons and toss.

Top with additional grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Foodiscovery

Welcome to Foodiscovery! :)

Food.
I LOVE food! I love to eat it. I love to cook it. It allows me to be creative and to do acts of kindness. It makes me and others happy. It is the most basic need of every creature and is one of the biggest pleasures in the world. But like almost anything, it must be handled well or it can cause problems. It can be used as a comfort, even when you’re not really hungry. Improper eating can cause sickness. Extra weight can lead to obesity, which can lead to diseases such as diabetes. Food is thus a neutral entity, and it is up to each of us to use it in good ways. I hope that readers will be able to learn from my blog to use food in good ways and to avoid using it in bad ways. I seek to inform and inspire as well as to entertain.

I welcome you, my fellow food lovers, to Foodiscovery – and invite you to join me on my journey. http://foodiscoveryblog.blogspot.com/

Thank you, Maidel, for inviting me to post to your blog! :) So far, Foodiscovery has the following five posts:


http://foodiscoveryblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/just-banana.html

Monday, February 1, 2010

Just a Banana?

Today's the day: I've gotta make three sales or this job isn't worth it for me. Why bother? Because you never know what can happen if you just keep trying! I'll go check out those big apartment buildings down the street....


http://foodiscoveryblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/im-loving-my-new-job-its-my-second-day.html

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Surprise On-the-Job Lunch

I'm loving my new job! It's my second day doing door-to-door sales for Culligan drinking water systems ( http://www.culligan.com/ ) in my own territory -- I was training in other peoples' territories last week -- and while I haven't made any sales yet in Teaneck or elsewhere, I've sure learned a lot! The more "doors" (businesses such as stores, salons, or doctors' offices) I see, the more confident I become. I think I'll do just another block or two of Cedar Lane and then stop to eat my usual Luna nutrition bar ( http://www.lunabar.com/ ) and drink my Naked juice ( http://nakedjuice.com/ ) for lunch....


http://foodiscoveryblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/our-first-date-without-baby.html

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Our First "Date" Without the Baby

A new spark of romance kindles within me as my husband and I walk hand-in-hand around Inwood, the Manhattan neighborhood we call home. Strange as it is for us to be just a couple again for a bit, at the same time I feel free skipping along the sidewalk excitedly and joking with my Sweety-Pie....


http://foodiscoveryblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/warm-your-belly.html

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Warm Your Belly

The howling winter wind bites at my face like an angry dog as I trudge through the icy white mounds on the ground. My whole body is frozen solid. Just one more block until I'm home, I tell myself. Finally I push open the door to my apartment building, and when I pass through the portal between the merciless open air and the secure shelter, my skin begins to thaw....


http://foodiscoveryblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/our-quest-begins.html

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Our Quest Begins...

…at my late-childhood home in Cincinnati, Ohio.


December 2002.

I’m in 12th grade this year. Sometimes I can’t wait to get out of here, but now is one time I love being at home with my parents and five cats. The Jewish holiday Chanukah starts this evening. Festive music emanates from the living room as I dash up and down the basement stares to gather decorations that are stored there. While helping my parents put them up, I sing and dance joyously with the music. I search through drawers to find the dreidles, special spinning tops that are used for a game that is customarily played on Chanukah. I look forward to playing it again with my parents this year. Even the cats are excited, what with all the new toys for them that have appeared....