Category Archives: Pareve

Foods made without meat or dairy products, but may contain eggs or fish products.

Fast and Furious Friday Post: Slow-Cooked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

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This deliciously creamy oatmeal was slow-cooked overnight and ready to eat for breakfast the next morning.

It’s Friday, and today’s fast and furious post documents my second entry of slow-cooker shenanigans. Last night, I used my 2-quart crock to make myself a nice oatmeal breakfast. But plain oatmeal is…well, plain. I wanted oatmeal that would serve double duty as both breakfast and a sort of alarm clock, beckoning me out of bed in the morning. The secret to this dual function, of course, is aromatics, so I chose my two favorites: apples and cinnamon. The results? Absolutely delicious, creamy oatmeal, that I even prefer over the stove-top method. (If you absolutely need your oats to be al dente, I’ll admit this probably isn’t for you) Continue reading →

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Slow Cooker Tempeh Jambalaya (That’s JambAllaya to my friends): Shenanigans with my New Toy

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The slow cooker is cooking. Slowly.

Perhaps one of the most frustrating things about this pregnancy is that I feel perfectly fine, most of the time. The issue I’m running into is that, despite my feeling fine, I’m not able to stand up for any great length of time; something very frustrating for somebody who doesn’t stay still much during the day. Thank goodness for large picture windows.

This is one of the main reasons I’m not able to get up and cook much these days, and that’s why there hasn’t been much along the lines of posting lately on the blog (the I Speak Food Facebook page, however, is still full of interesting stuff, so head on over and ‘like’ it for your entertainment). So, I’ve decided to take a slightly different approach and see just how much cooking I could do from bed. Admittedly, the results weren’t so impressive, so I enlisted the help of a slow cooker I found on Amazon. Continue reading →

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Fast and Furious Friday Post: Microwave Kettle Corn

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Not exactly the perfect solution, but a good solution none the less: Kettle Corn from your microwave!

We’ve all been there. Walking around a state or school fair, minding our own business, when all of a sudden, we walk into a cloud of sweet, corny goodness. That would be kettle corn you smell, the crunchy, slightly sweet-salty yumminess that beckons you forth like a diva siren on a rocky shore. Maybe you were even lucky enough to find it kosher and try a taste.

Corn, incidentally, is also a very popular snack in Thailand. Of course, we usually rost or boil it, rather than pop it, but it’s not unusual to see a person walking down the street noshing on a cob of the stuff. Steamed sweet potatoes, too. Yeah, we’re pretty hard up for snacks. Japan, however, seems to be at the root of this kettle corn craze. It’s not like what we find in the United States, exactly, but a popular way to eat popcorn is to sprinkle it with sugar and salt. Continue reading →

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Quick and Easy Mapo Tofu

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This popular dish from Szechuan is spicy and full of flavor.

In just about any culture, there’s food you go out for, and there’s food you go home for. Going out for pot roast in the United States would probably be about as disappointing as making bao or Peking duck at home in Asia. Not to say that it can’t be done, but some things simply aren’t worth the trouble of making at home, while other things are too simple to justify paying a tab and gratuity for.

Mapo Tofu falls into the latter category. Simply put, it’s a prime example of Chinese home cooking: Hot, quick, easy, really tasty and cheap. Mapo tofu, literally translated as “Pockmarked Old Woman Tofu” (let’s not go there now), is a Szechuan dish known for its firey hot sauce. Sound a little different from what you remembered? That’s entirely possible, since there are about as many variations of Mapo Tofu as there are countries in the world. Continue reading →

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Master Recipe: Parve Yellow Cake

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This basic yellow cake recipe can be modified to suit your needs.

For better or for worse, I’ve begun dabbling in some more advanced chemistry…the chemistry which pertains to cakes and pastries. This parve yellow cake is my first attempt, and pleasantly surprised me with a tender crumb, pleasant flavor, and mild sweetness There will probably be subsequent attmepts, but for now, I’m using this one as my springboard. For a good parve AND vegan chocolate cake recipe, check out “Not So Depressing Cake” (http://www.allaya.com/2011/11/07/not-so-depressing-cake/), which never seems to fail me. Continue reading →

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Fast and Furious Friday Post: Challah Monkey Bread

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This delicious pull-apart snack can be made with your very own challah dough! It also occupies your children for about 30 minutes...

Want a way to occupy your children AND end up with a fun Shabbat snack? Monkey bread is the answer! To make it, take a batch of your challah dough, and divide it in half. Divide each half into quarters, and each quarter into quarters – then each of those quarters into yet more quarters. Essentially, you should have 64 bits per half, which your children will have loads of fun balling up. Continue reading →

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Tom Yum Potatoes, Latkes The Thai Way

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These latkes sing with lemongrass, chilis, and kefir lime leaves.

After Rosh Hashanah, when we shoe-horned close to 20 people into our apartment (maybe more), my husband sat me down and had a talk with me. “You know, you’re pregnant…there’s no reason for you to have to work this hard. It’s fine to have a small party. Nobody will think any less of you for it.”

While it’s true I love having people over for the holidays, I need to set the record straight. I was NOT intending on having 20 people over for Rosh Hashanah. I mean, we have a 450 square foot studio apartment. What business do I have cramming 20 people inside? The problem was that, in that particular case, the rule of no shows didn’t apply. Continue reading →

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Pad See Ew, The Kosher Way

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Generally a hodgepodge of treif ingredients, this version of Pad See Ew is completely kosher, and, as pictured here, completely vegetarian.

The problem many people face when adapting a recipe for a kosher home, especially with Thai food, is finding acceptably kosher ingredients. The biggest problem I face, especially with recipes I grew up with, is quantifying the ingredients, as these recipes were never written down! So, when I received a request for a kosher version of Pad See Ew, I had to think for a moment. I haven’t had this dish in ages, mostly because it was never one of my favorites; my mom always overcooked the noodles, and it made them mushy. It was interesting to rediscover this popular noodle dish. Turns out it really is pretty good! :) Continue reading →

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The Case For Chow Mein: An Asian Perspective on Chanukah

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This veggie chow mein incorporates salty, pungent, sweet, bitter and sour tastes. Almost a balanced meal!

It’s pretty common in Eastern cultures to have food rules, some as in depth (and astoundingly similar in some ways) as the laws of kashrut. Many favor a mostly vegetarian diet, as did Rabbi De Sola Pool, while others championed moderation in all foods. Although no longer religious in nature for most people, the way one presents and serves food in Asia remains deeply rooted in custom, and has influenced menus and recipes for centuries. Continue reading →

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Stormy’s New Take on Tortilla Soup

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This non-traditional version of tortilla soup is thickened with lentils and vegetables and flavored with a corn tortilla.

I’m pregnant. Very pregnant. And like many other pregnant women in the world, I’ve simply accepted the fact that my body has effectively been hijacked, and my will is not entirely my own. Although not possible 100% of the time, I’ve decided to at least try and form a cooperative relationship (I am, after all, the Mommy here). Don’t get me wrong, I’m under no illusion; this kid (working title: “Stormageddon, dark lord of all,” or “Stormy” for short) usually calls the shots. I merely impose physical limitations. For instance, I explained to Stormy one day that it simply was not possible for mommy to eat a full pound of carrots in one sitting, and that ranch dressing was not a beverage. He begrudgingly acquiesced. Continue reading →

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