Baked French Toast Casserole

make-ahead french toast casserole

If there’s any leftover challah on Sunday, we love to make French toast for breakfast. But when a crowd is coming over for brunch, you don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen with a frying pan. That’s where casseroles come in. Make this on Saturday night and sleep in on Sunday before your friends arrive. And don’t forget the mimosas!

I first made this recipe with crumbled chocolate wafers mixed with the challah and in the topping, but it’s just as delicious without. It’s already French toast, it doesn’t need the extra decadence!  Continue reading

Lamb Stuffed Eggplants

lamb stuffed eggplant, by the kosher foodies

The Jerusalem Cookbook has so many recipes that I need to make! But this is the first one that jumped out at me, and I’m so glad I made it. It’s a simple recipe that can be made in advance, but since it’s lamb and has pine nuts in it (which I usually leave out, as you know), it can be served as a fancy dish or a weeknight make ahead dinner (my favorite).

Continue reading

Coconut Cream Pie

coconut cream pie, by the kosher foodies

Cream pies are just amazing desserts. I mean, custard, whipped cream, and cookie crusts, how can you go wrong? Well, you can’t. The only thing that’s so confusing is figuring out what kind of cream pie to make. This banana cream pie is a family favorite, but I decided to try something new. I adapted the recipe to make coconut cream pie and it was a huge hit! I’ll definitely be making it again. And very soon, because Zeke just loves banana cream pie.  Continue reading

Salmon with Asparagus and Shiitakes

Salmon with Asparagus and Shiitakes

I love pouch cooking. Why? Because it’s easily prep-able in the morning, and you can just pop it in the fridge till you get home after a long day of school/work/errands and put it in the oven right before dinner. It makes cooking dinner a breeze! Also, it’s a everything you need for dinner…protein from the fish, veggies mixed in, and usually I add some kind of carb or grain. This time I didn’t, but served it with couscous (takes only 5 minutes to cook), so dinner was ready in no time. Also, individual portions make it harder to eat too much for all those people on diets or doing P90X.  Continue reading

Couscous with Sauteed Greens and Tomatoes

Couscous with Greens and Tomatoes

I really like couscous, but it can get very boring. So I decided to layer it with some healthy stuff and make it sorta like a lasagna. I thought it was a hit! And so did Richie, who ate two bowls of it for dinner.

I was inspired to make this dish when my friend Danielle told me about a great couscous dish her mother made. Her ingredients were pretty much the same, but she used canned tomatoes and mixed everything together, more like a traditional couscous. When Danielle called it a couscous lasagna, I knew I had to try it. Plus, I’m on a healthy greens kick, so I was excited to use kale and spinach in the same dish. Continue reading

Chicken Tinga Tacos

Have you ever had tinga before? I hadn’t until I made this. Basically, it’s shredded meat in a tomato-chipotle sauce.

I made these one Sunday to have dinner ready for the next day. Actually, that same Sunday I spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Do you ever do that, spend a lot of time in the kitchen on Sundays? I bet you do. I like to prepare for the week ahead, that way my time in the kitchen on weekdays after work is significantly diminished.

Continue reading

Peanut Butter and Honey Granola Bars

I love granola bars. They are a great snack at my desk (boo, desk job) at work. They are a great oh-my-god-I-don’t-have-time-to-eat-breakfast quick breakfast. They are also useful for when I actually DID eat breakfast, but am still hungry. I just grab one and eat it on my way to the subway station. The problem with granola bars is that they usually have a few ingredients that I don’t really want to eat in them. Or the are covered in chocolate (a few chocolate chips? Not the same). Or they are just very expensive, and there are only 5 in a box. Continue reading