Summer break is winding down and, as expected, I have done about half the things I said I was going to do. I have made a total of ZERO baby mobiles, even though we have friends who popping out new babies left and right. I have also made a total of ZERO yarn wall hangings even though my Pinterest is lousy with saved projects. I’ve also read zero books but did read the entirety of the latest issues of Vanity Fair and Bon Appetit so that’s something, right? The good news is that along with the laundry list of things I didn’t do this summer break is a list of things I did do!
Of the things I did this summer (in no particular order of importance):
Watched 8 movies (yes, some of those included movies involving Tinkerbell and friends, but hey, they were full length feature films so they count).
Snuggled with children for hours on end
Taught youngest babe to play ‘peek a boo’
Drank an espresso and tonic (it was shockingly very good).
Went to The Broad Museum in downtown LA
Went to Palm Springs with beloved dear friend and NO CHILDREN
Finally met Shannon Goldberg, of The Nosher, in real life (and to no one’s surprise, she is a complete delight).
So, you see, I’ve actually accomplished quit a lot if you really think about it. It’s like my social worker sister, Brene Brown says, we got to focus on what we accomplish in the day rather than the things we do not. A person can really feel accomplished when ignoring the list of things one didn’t complete instead of the things we did accomplish.
Another thing on the ‘accomplish’ list is the recipe for these little vegan cheesecake bites. I’ve seen countless recipes for vegan cheesecake and I’ve always wanted to try it. They make the perfect parve dessert for a meat Shabbat or holiday meal and they are raw so NO BAKING. Hallelujah! I hope you really like them. I was inspired by the vegan goddess that is Dana over at The Minimalist Baker. If you don’t know her stuff, well, I’m just gonna assume you’ve been in a coma for years because that’s the only conceivable reason I could understand for not knowing her.
1 cup packed dates, pitted (if dry, soak in warm water for 10 minutes then drain)
1/2 cups hazelnuts
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt
Filling:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews, quick soaked*
1 large lemon, juiced
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp full fat coconut milk (see instructions for note)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup (or more) rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
For Curst - Add ingredients for the crust into a food processor and process until a loose dough forms - it should stick together when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. If it's too dry, add a few more dates through the spout while processing. If too wet, add a few more hazelnuts or almonds.
Grease a standard mini muffin tin.
Scoop in heaping 1 Tbsp amounts of crust and press with fingers, making sure to really pack it in there. Set in freezer to firm up.
For Filling - To quick soak cashews, pour boiling hot water over the cashews, soak for 1 hour uncovered, then drain and use as instructed.
Add all filling ingredients to a high-speed blender and mix until very smooth. For the coconut milk, I like to scoop the "cream" off the top because it provides a richer texture. But if yours is already all mixed together, just add it in as is. (Pro tip - Put a can of coconut milk right into the fridge as soon as you get home from the grocery store. This will guarantee you have the 'cream' on hand for just such an occasion as making raw cheesecake bites!)
Blend all filling ingredients for roughly 1 minute or until silky smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Pour filling into a separate medium size bowl. Add in your sprinkles leaving a handful to the side for sprinkling on top just before freezing.
Divide filling evenly among the muffin tins. Tap a few times to release any air bubbles.
Evenly disperse the last sprinkles onto the tops of each cheesecake to create a pretty little topping. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until hard - about 4-6 hours.
Once set, remove by running a butter knife along the sides of the crust. They should pop right out. Let sit for a few minutes so you don't break your teeth on them. Keep in the freezer for up to 1-2 weeks.
So here I am, writing about food in a world that has gone completely mad. Has it ever been this bad? Seriously, I’m 36 years-old and I don’t remember the world ever being like this. I wish I was able to write about my baller staycation that I’m currently enjoying (thanks be to the privilege of having a job, a good one at that). I’d like to talk about what it’s like to be able to be a working mom and actually be home for a month (it’s exhausting and wonderful and confirms the fact that I am not made for staying-at-home mom-ing). Or, I’d like to be able to talk about my recent obsession with the shows, UnReal and The Good Wife (I am using some of my staycation time to do what I used to do when I was single and in my 20s . . . lay on the couch while eating chips and cheese dip and watching TV for HOURS ON END . . . or until I have to go pick up the girls form camp/gan). But I can’t.
I’m confused on what to do about the deaths of Hallel Yaffa Ariel, Alton Sterling, Philandro Castile. I’m honestly so sick of reading article after article on Facebook from well-meaning friends who seem to be playing to the same crowd. I don’t want to be an arm-chair/Facebook-activist. I want to do something. I want to make sure I’m about something other than delicious food. I don’t want to forget that I’m a Social Worker and Community Organizer by training. I’m also a Jew who is in need of a global-community to give a sh*t about dying Jewish teenagers and the rise of anti-Semitism and I want to make sure I model the same support that I’m asking for. But how do I do this? I truly want to know? How do I do this with two little kids from Encino, California?
In the meantime, while I ponder these questions and look for outlets, I found this really great site called, “Campaign Zero“. It has an amazing team behind it and seems to be running on real grassroots community organizing. It’s inspiring. I wonder if they’re looking for Jewish lady community organizers living in The Valley!?
So I made a sandwich. I made a really, really good sandwich. I roasted some beets and made some tangy cole slaw while I toasted some rye bread (and put a little slab of butter on those little slices of bread before putting them in the oven). The result was so frikkin’ good that though I had no plans to turn it into a post, I ended up making it a second time so that I could post it (but also because my husband begged me to make it again, he liked it that much. He actually like it so much that he high-fived me after finishing it). This sandwich would be a great little build-it for a Shabbat lunch or picnic or a Tuesday.
For the beets - preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash beets well. Wrap individually in foil and put them on cookie sheet or roasting pan. Cook, undisturbed, for at least 45 minutes or until a thin-bladed knife pierces one with little resistance.
Once beets are done, let cool and make the cole slaw but leave the oven on low for toasting of the rye bread. Once cooled, slice thinly and set aside.
For bread - places a few dots of butter on the top of sliced bread. Place the bread on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown. Let cool.
For Slaw - place the shredded cabbage in a medium bowl with the rest of the ingredients listed above from cabbage up until the pickles (DO NOT ADD IN THE PICKLES). Stir until they are well-combined.
For assembly: Once bread has cooled a bit, spread mayonnaise onto one side of the bread and top with a couple spoonfuls of cole slaw. On the other side, add two slices of Swiss cheese and top with pickles. Add the the sliced beets. Put the whole thing together and enjoy!
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but it’s summer time. We moved from the Westside of Los Angeles to the Valley in January and it’s fair to say that it feels like we officially live ON THE EQUATOR. Holy cow, it’s HOT! Last weekend it was a balmy 110 degrees. The husband was out of town and so entertaining 2 kids while not really being able to go outside was challenging, to say the least. We finally settled on a local mall that, lucky for us, was super fancy and so had installed an outdoor splash fountain that kids were allowed to play in. Not so lucky for them (them being the fancy outdoor mall we were at), was the site of my oldest attempting to strip down to her undies so as to really get the full cool-down experience that he fountain had to offer. Luckily, we were with our girl, Aunt Jessie, who quickly and loudly pointed out to us that there was a GIANT sign close by the read, “All patrons must remain clothed”. Oops.
Summer brings on a lot of goodness — vacation/break from work, an excuse to eat ice cream every day, and, most especially for me as I get older, LOTS of memories of growing up. I don’t know why but every summer for the last couple of years, I have been getting strong hankerin’s for the South. I’m talking fireflies and fishing excursion, sweet tea and ski-tubing at the lake, and Southern food. This week alone saw some Southern dishes emerging during meal time. I started Monday off with biscuit making. Then mid-week brought us a peach cobbler (on request from the husband) and, of course, pimento cheese! Sweet merciful Lord, I LOOOOOVE me some pimento cheese dip. When I was living in Athens, GA for a hot minute (working at the University of Georgia’s Hillel), I used to hit up a little local cafe and order the same thing — their homemade pimento cheese. I have yet to be able to replicate their perfect cheese dip until I found Sean Brock’s recipe in Garden & Gun. Sean Brock is the chef at McCrady’s and Husk, in Charleston, South Carolina as well as Nashville so I think it’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about about Southern food. I’ve changed a few things but really, very little of his recipe. In my mind, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. You can use this recipe as a basic recipe for both the sweet potato and the dip and eat them separately or independently. We ate the dip all week-long. We had it with cut vegetables and pita chips as well as on this here sweet potato. And hey, it’s a gluten-free recipe so, I guess you can kinda consider it healthy, right?
4 oz. whipped cream cheese cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s (cause really, there's no other mayo like it)
½ tsp. Frank's Hot Sauce
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
⅛ tsp. freshly ground white pepper
⅛ tsp. smoked paprika
¼ cup finely chopped bread-and-butter pickles and brine
1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated on the large holes of a box grater
Instructions
For the Sweet Potatoes -- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the outside of your sweet potato of any dirt. Using a fork, poke holes all over it (careful not to poke yourself!). Place on a baking sheet and roast for roughly 40 - 45 minutes or until a fork can easily move through it.
While roasting, put the cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat it with a wooden spoon until softened. Add the mayonnaise and mix well. Add the hot sauce, salt, sugar, cayenne pepper, white pepper, and smoked paprika and stir to blend. Add the pickles, brine, and cheddar cheese and stir again. Fold in the diced pimentos.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Tightly covered, the pimento cheese will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
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