People often call mandel bread “Jewish biscotti”, but there is no comparison. Unlike biscotti– the tall, thin, dry cookies, often dunked in chocolate and displayed on the check-out counter at Starbucks, mandel bread are golden brown on the outside, moist in the center, dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar, dense but not heavy or rich in the least, and packed full with chopped walnuts and raisins (or chocolate chips). It’s the perfect cookie– hot out of the oven or straight from the freezer. My mom may just have to open our own mandel bread shop!

Mom’s Mandel Bread Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Crisco vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
33/4 cup flour
2 Tsp. baking powder
1/2 Tsp. salt
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins, or chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat over 350 degrees. Blend oil, sugar, vanilla, and beaten eggs in large bowl with wooden spoon.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Continue to mix with wooden spoon.
3. Add nuts and raisins (can substitute chocolate chips for the raisins).
4. Stir with wooden spoon until well mixed.
5. Form 3 loaves on large cookie sheet (use parchment paper to prevent burning).
6. Bake 30 minutes, take out and cool for a couple of minutes.
7. Slice loaves into one inch wide pieces.
8. Turn slices on side and sprinkle with cinnamon.
9. Bake another 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

In an effort to snack more healthily at work (especially at 4:30 pm, when I’m craving something sweet and crunchy) I decided to create a batch of sweet and spicy roasted chickpeas, using a flavorful combination of agave nectar, cayenne, and garam masala. The chickpeas taste like a cross between honey roasted peanuts and wasabi peas, and they are just as crunchy and addictive. Feel free to shake in your favorite spices, or even try out different legumes. Enjoy this healthy snack with summer cocktails, too!

Sweet and Spicy Oven Roasted Chickpeas Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1 15 ounce can chickpeas
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
nonstick cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven 400°F and spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Pour the chickpeas into a colander, then drain and rinse very well. Pat dry with a hand towel.
3. In a bowl, toss the chickpeas with the agave and all of the spices, then spread them out on the greased baking sheet.
4. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Tip: Turn and stir around with a spatula every few minutes so they don’t burn on one side.
5. Take out and let cool. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Tired of the traditional fruit salad, try dressing it up with a chilled lychee puree. Lychees are a delicious sweet summer fruit and perfect for jazzing up an unlucky batch of tart berries. Enjoy!

Three Berry Fruit Salad with Lychee Puree Recipe
serves 4 – 6

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups strawberries, cut in half
2 cups blueberries
1 cup blackberries
1/2 cup lychees, peeled, discard the seeds
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons mango sorbet
1 lime, juiced

DIRECTIONS:
1. Chill a few glasses in the refrigerator or freezer.
2. In a large bowl, combine the berries.
3. Puree the lychees with the honey, sorbet, and lime juice in a blender until smooth.
(Tip: If you want to make more of a syrup, you can juice the lychees and just use the liquid from the fruit, or you can use some of the juice from canned lychees.)
4. Fill the chilled glasses with the berries and add the lychee puree just before serving.

If you are sick of the typical work-event vegetarian sandwich made with slimy, grilled vegetables, a slice of cheese (if you are lucky), and stale focaccia, check out my sister’s vegetarian Vietnamese sandwich. It is a sandwich slathered with a rich avocado spread on one side, melted Queso Blanco on the other, piled high with slices of juicy mango and layers of bright green spinach, and topped off with a generous amount of balsamic vinaigrette. Toasting the crusty ciabatta bread under the broiler gives the sandwich a great crunch. Enjoy!

Shosh’s Veggie Vietnamese Sandwich

INGREDIENTS:
2 slices ciabatta bread, sliced
Queso Blanco cheese
sliced mango
baby spinach
avocado
juice of one lime
balsamic vinaigrette
sliced tomato, optional
chopped cilantro or basil, optional

DIRECTIONS:
1. Slice the ciabatta bread in half lengthwise. If you want to fit more veggies in the sandwich, I recommend tearing out some of the bread in the center.
2. Scoop out the avocado flesh and mash with some salt, pepper and lime juice.
3. Spread the avocado on the top half of ciabatta. Place a few slices of Queso Blanco on the bottom half of ciabatta. Toast or broil until cheese melts.
4. Place the spinach, mango, and tomato over the melted cheese. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette, salt and pepper to taste, and chopped cilantro. Slice the sandwich in half, and serve.

During my college study abroad program in Australia, I somehow convinced my parents to let me go to Thailand for spring break. My friend Becky and I spent a few weeks backpacking in Chang Mai and a few unpleasant days in Bangkok. We spent most nights shopping in the outdoor markets and eating the cheap and oh so good street food– sticky rice and mango, and, of course, Pad Thai. Since it doesn’t look like I’m going back to Thailand anytime soon, I decided to take my love for Thai fried noodles and create a lighter version with baked tofu and vermicelli. My version is also folded into an omelet, rather than pan fried with scrambled egg. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Pad Thai Omelet
2-3 servings

INGREDIENTS:
4 ounces dried bean threads or rice noodles
2 large eggs and 1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 package extra firm tofu
1/2 cup scallions, diced
11/2 cups snap peas
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons dry roasted peanuts, lightly salted
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
juice of one lime, reserve a lime wedge for garnish
1 teaspoon sesame oil or peanut oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and ground black pepper
freshly ground chili peppers, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Drain the tofu, pat dry, and cut into bite size pieces. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and toss the pieces of tofu with sea salt, ground black pepper, and one tablespoon of soy sauce. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the tofu from oven and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, soak the bean threads in water for about 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse them off and drain. Set aside. (Note: After the bean threads have soaked use scissors to cut them so they are easier to move around in the pan)
4. Heat the olive oil and sesame oil in a wok or large pan until hot. Add the garlic and scallions and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until golden. Then, add the snap peas, baked tofu, bean threads, juice of one lime, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and honey. Stir around for about 2 – 3 minutes.
5. Heat a separate pan over medium heat, spray with nonstick cooking spray and add the eggs. Move the pan around until the egg has fully set and formed a thin pancake.
6. Use tongs to transfer half of the stir-fry mixture to the middle of the pancake. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and fold the pancake over to form an omelet.
7. Prepare a second omelet and serving immediately with the ground chile peppers and lime wedges for garnish.

This weekend, I decided to get a head start on summer with some outdoor grilling! The scrumptious, summer kick-off dinner included grilled salmon, fruit salsa, and a side of grilled asparagus with roasted garlic and Parmesan cheese.

Grilled Asparagus Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound asparagus spears, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup almonds
1 head of garlic
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the grill to medium high heat.
2. Place the asparagus spears in a large Ziploc bag with the oil.
3. Use a coffee bean grinder or food processor and grind the almonds until fine. Mix the ground almonds with the grated Parmesan and salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the mixture into the bag and mix the asparagus around until well coated.
4. Wrap the garlic in foil and place in a 400 degree oven for about 40 – 45 minutes. When the garlic is soft, remove from the oven, peel the shell off and finely chop the roasted garlic.
5. Arrange the asparagus spears on a layer of foil. Scatter the roasted garlic over the asparagus and grill for about 10 minutes or until the spears are tender and the garlic is light brown and crispy.

Grilled Salmon Recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound of salmon, in one piece, skin-on (leaving the skin on allows you to cook it longer without burning the fish, and slides right off on the grill with a spatula)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
about 1/2 cup fat-free Italian dressing
1 tablespoon spicy mustard
2 tablespoons honey
canola oil, for brushing grill

DIRECTIONS:
1. Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
2. Place the salmon, skin side down, in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the Italian dressing, mustard and honey. Pour this marinade over the fish and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours or until you are ready to grill the fish.
3. Place the salmon on the hot grill, skin side down and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is cooked through to your liking.
4. Remove the fish from the grill and serve immediately over a fruit salsa, recipe below.

Fruit Salsa Recipe:
2 fresh apricots, diced
1/2 cup strawberries, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
a few tablespoons cilantro, parsley, or basil (use your favorite herb here)
1/2 cup spinach, chop the leaves in half and then chiffonade
1/4 toasted black sesame seeds
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, reduce to a glaze
sea salt and ground black pepper

Even if you don’t eat meat, you can enjoy the rich taste of Tuscan food at Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto, a new Italian deli and restaurant on Amsterdam and 73rd Street. While their deli counter is packed full with cured meats, you will also find a wide selection of Italian cheeses, artisanal pastas, marinated anchovies, simple salads, and vegetarian soups. My recommendations for a cool spring afternoon: Caponata, a sweet and savory eggplant relish, toasted Tuscan bread with chick pea puree, and a bowl of hearty minestrone. The staff is friendly and the prices are reasonable– the tiny space will warm you right up!

Since Rita’s arrival in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, I no longer have to travel to the Jersey Shore to get delicious Italian ice. My first Rita’s experience was their tangerine flavored ice paired with their decadent vanilla custard. The combination tasted exactly like an orange creamsicle! My version is just as refreshing and creamy, but it’s better for you with all of the vitamin C from fresh citrus fruit. I recommend using mandarin oranges for this recipe because they are very sweet, juicy and they have few pits.  Enjoy this colorful and luscious treat right at home!

Orange Creamsicle Refresher
Serves 4 – 6

INGREDIENTS:
11/2 cups fat free half-and-half
5 sweet mandarins, fresh
1 12-ounce bottle of no pulp, low sugar orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 14-ounce can of low fat whipped cream

DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel the mandarin oranges. Separate and freeze the orange segments.
2. Pour the bottle of orange juice into a bowl and freeze until slushy.
3. In a blender, combine the half-and-half, honey, frozen mandarin segments, and orange slush. Blend for about 1 to 2 minutes, until thoroughly combined. (Tip for the honey: When measuring the honey, dip the spoon in hot water first. It makes it easier to get all the honey into the blender)
4. Turn your ice cream maker on and pour the mixture into the freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 12 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness preferred. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, just put the blended mixture in the freezer.
5. Transfer to tall, chilled glasses. Layer in the orange ice and whipped cream.
Tip for softer creamsicles: Before freezing in the ice cream machine or freezer, try mixing in 1 tablespoon of plain vodka.

There is really nothing unhealthy about the typical New York slice– it’s just tomato sauce, cheese, bread and some olive oil. But, if you like seeing the words “natural” on your pizza box, Cafe Viva on Broadway and 97th Street is a great pizza joint to check out.

The menu boasts a variety of whole-wheat, gluten-free, and organic pizzas and pastas. They will also custom build slices with vegan cheese and a variety of fresh ingredients. The best of the bunch is the Zen, made with an herbed spelt crust, basil pesto, ricotta cheese, caramelized onions, sundried tomatoes, and roasted garlic.

The spelt grain adds a pleasant, mild flavor to the dough and creates a super crunchy crust. Second to the Zen, is the Carozza, the perfect trio of spinach, mozzarella and kalamata olives. As with the Zen, the slightly sweet spelt crust complements the savory toppings.

I have a huge collection of recipes from cookbooks, magazine clippings, and food Web sites. And, I just received more than 50 new recipes from family and friends at my wedding shower. Each guest wrote out their favorite recipe on a recipe card, everything from a “best chocolate cake” recipe to “my favorite hummus” recipe. Lucky for me, I got storage solutions for both piles, a beautiful recipe box with dividers, pictured above, and a stain-proof vinyl binder that keeps full-page clippings and print-outs, pictured below. Stay tuned for my Mama Martha’s recipe card for Italian Zucchini!