Pumpkin Hummus

Evan and I moved into our apartment over the Thanksgiving weekend last year and left our place in a little bit of disarray (to put it mildly) before heading out of town for our annual winter vacation. We hardly had any furniture when we first moved in; a small sofa my aunt had given me was sitting in our living room and Evan’s TV was propped up on cardboard boxes. Needless to say, when we got home from our vacation in the middle of December, our apartment needed some TLC.

Evan pulled out his Charlie Brown Christmas tree and the decorations he had saved from childhood and together we sat in our nearly empty apartment, decorating the tree and celebrating the holidays. It’s one of my favorite memories from the last December and I’m so looking forward to celebrating the holidays (in our now furnished apartment) this year.

I’m already dreaming up ideas for our Thanksgiving menu. This pumpkin hummus recipe –  which took me quite a few attempts to perfect – will be served as an appetizer with my favorite seasonal product, Way Better Snacks Oh, My Sweet Punkin Cranberry Corn Tortilla Chips. Way Better Snacks are made with sprouted ingredients, which means better nutrient absorption of some vitamins and minerals, and better digestibly. Plus, you really can't beat their flavor!

Pumpkin Hummus

This flavorful spin on your typical hummus recipe makes it the perfect appetizer or side dish for your Thanksgiving gathering. Loaded with vitamin A and fiber, pumpkin hummus is not only a treat for your tastebuds, it’s a dish you and your family can feel good about eating.

Ingredients:

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

1 15 ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons tahini paste

juice of ½ a lemon

3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

Instructions:

1.     Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

2.     Pour into a serving dish and garnish with pumpkin seeds.

3.     Serve with Way Better Snacks Oh, My Sweet Punkin Cranberry Tortilla Chips.

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.

Disclosure: I am a Nutrition Ambassador of Way Better Snacks. My thoughts and opinions are my own – and I truly love Way Better Snacks for their quality of ingredients and nutritional profile. 

Springtime Potlucks

This is the time of year when spring time gatherings are in full-swing. Barbeques, bridal showers, and birthday celebrations are filling up my calendar quickly.

And every time I’m asked to attend a pot-luck style event, I usually resort to one of these two dishes:

1. Full meal salads, such as this onethat is always a hit

or

2. Fresh veggies or fruit with scrumptious dip – such as these ideas below.

Classic Hummus

This classic hummus dip is a perfect snack or appetizer at your next gathering. It pairs well with fresh cut veggies or tortilla chips, and makes for a healthier option than other creamy dips and dressings. Plus, this homemade hummus is kind to your wallet. An 8 ounce container of organic hummus can cost as much as $4 in the grocery store, but this recipe can be made for a fraction of the cost.

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 15 ounce can garbanzo bean
¼ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
¼ cup Greek yogurt (or plain yogurt)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Drain garbanzo beans and rinse under cold, running water. Add beans to a food processor.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic clove and cook, flipping the garlic clove occasionally, until the garlic is golden brown but not dark.

3. Add garlic with oil to the beans in the food processor and puree.

4. Add tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper. Puree bean mixture until smooth. If the hummus is too thick, add water, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. Taste as you go, and adjust salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil if necessary.


Fruit Skewers with Peach Yogurt Dip

Nothing is more satisfying than sweet, refreshing fruit on warm days. Pair these skewers with our peach dip and its guaranteed to be snack or dessert all ages will love.



Ingredients for the skewers:

8 whole fresh strawberries with tops removed
8 medium chunks pineapple
8 medium chunks watermelon
8 medium chunks mango
8 medium chunks honeydew melon or cantaloupe, or papaya

Ingredients for yogurt dip:

1 medium very ripe peach or nectarine, peeled and chopped
1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon honey

To make the skewers:

Thread the skewers with 1 strawberry, 1 chunk pineapple, 1 chunk melon, 1 chunk mango, 1 chunk watermelon. Repeat until the skewer is full. Place skewers on a platter.

To make the dip:

Put the chopped peach or nectarine, Greek yogurt, vanilla, and honey in a blender. Blend until smooth, being carefully not to over-mix (you still want a thick consistency). Pour in a small serving dish.

Refrigerate until ready to be served. Serve skewers with dip.


What are your go-to potluck dishes? We'd love to hear them!

In Love with the Food of Israel

I’m completely in love with the food of Israel.

What’s not to love about a culture that eats salad for breakfast?  Happily and with gusto, I might add.  It’s a nutritionist’s dream—a country with abundantly available fresh, simply prepared local and seasonal foods.  Good food—food that tastes good and is good for you—is the standard, not the exception. 

Because Israel imports very little food from its neighbors, Israelis truly eat seasonal and locally-grown and produced foods as a rule and a necessity.  Food is reasonably priced, meaning healthy, fresh food is affordable for everyone.  And street food—or fast food—can be healthy, real food, like a freshly blended watermelon juice in summer, pomegranate juice in the fall, or a small bag of nuts or olives from the stands found in every street market.  But perhaps most importantly, there is a spirit of hospitality that pervades the country, where people meet and gather over lengthy meals, spending time together and connecting with each other as they nourish their bodies. 

They’re doing it right.

Here are some recommendations on what and where to eat when you visit Israel.  And you should.

We might as well start at the beginning—with breakfast.  Israelis know how to start their day right—standard fare might be eggs with chopped vegetable salad paired with fresh cheeses and olives, or my favorite—shakshuka, a tomato stew with eggs poached in the sauce.  I ordered it off of every menu.

In Tel Aviv, visit the LovEat cafes for the classic Israeli breakfast, including organic, shade-grown coffee and freshly squeezed juice for only 49 sheqels, which is about $12 US.

breakfast at LovEat



Café Sheleg is a must for good music, great breakfast and a hipster vibe.  At Sonia, sit in the lovely outdoor garden and order shakshuka, served with hearty homemade Moroccan bread.  Or, if you’re feeling chic, head to Hotel Montefiore to dine with beautiful people in the Casablanca-inspired dining room.  Their Tunisian Eggs—a riff on shakshuka—is deeply savory and soul-satisfying. 

breakfast at Cafe Sheleg

the garden courtyard at Sonia

Tunesian Eggs

Did I mention the coffee in Israel is very, very good?  And the café culture is prominent.  More people meet over coffee than cocktails.



Speaking of cocktails, Israel nurtures a burgeoning wine industry.  Definitely sample wines from artisan vineyards including Golan Heights Winery, Pelter and the boutique Galileo (my personal favorite).

If you’re a wine—and food!—lover, escape to the Upper Galilee to visit Pausa Inn.  Owners Einat and Avigdor helped launch the Slow Food movement in northern Israel, and their farm and food reflects their passion. They will feed you (very) well, with breakfasts and dinners featuring foods harvested from their own garden, including olives (and their own incredible, buttery olive oil) and pickled kiwis, and from neighboring farms and vineyards. Einat and Avigdor will also introduce you to outstanding local wines, entertain you with stories of life close to the Lebanese border and encourage you to slow down and relax on the farm.  It’s a lovely place.

breakfast at Pausa

relaxing in the vineyard

first course, fresh from the farm

 While you’re visiting Pausa, have lunch at Focaccia in neighboring She’ar Yeshuv, where we found our favorite eggplant dish—fire roasted eggplant so creamy, it smears on bread like butter.  Served on a bed of lemon-spiked tahini and the best olive oil, it’s crazy good. 

charred eggplant, at Focaccia

Eggplant makes a starring role in Israeli cuisine, as does hummus—the dip of chickpeas, tahini and lemon is a ubiquitous presence in every Israeli home and on most menus.  But the best hummus in Israel can be found deep inside the maze of the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, at the small, family-owned hummus place.  Walk through Jaffa gate and straight down the Muslim Quarter entrance.  Turn left at the end and it's right there. It has no name.  Swimming in olive oil and topped with herbs and stewed chickpeas, it’s worth getting lost for. 

hummus at Abu Shukri

Hummus is a great example of the delicious, fast and affordable real food options available all over the country.  There are plenty of falafel and shawarma to be found, and half a pita filled with chickpea fritters or sliced lamb accompanied with fresh vegetables, tahini and yogurt can make a fast, satisfying and delicious lunch.

Vanessa's falafel

Snacks most often include fresh or dried fruit, nuts and olives.  To stock up and take some home (which you will want to do!) head to one of the Shuks, or outdoor markets.  Here are some of the ones you shouldn’t miss.

In Jerusalem, shop at the Shuk Mahane Yehuda, where the halva (a sweetened sesame seed paste) from Halva King and flaky burekas (savory pastries filled with cheese, potatoes or spinach) from Marzipan are a must. 

halva

buying burekas

If tasting from the vendors doesn’t satisfy your cravings, have breakfast or lunch at Cafe Mizrachi, which serves gorgeous salads and a very good shakshuka.

shakshuka at Cafe Mizrachi

In Tel Aviv, visit the Shuk Ha'Carmel, a loud and boisterous marketplace selling everything from olives and watermelon to sunglasses and the omnipresent Dead Sea lotion.  Or, head to the port marketplace at the Namal and explore the postcard-perfect shops.

buying halva and pistachios, at the Namal

You can stroll down the streets of Florentin neighborhood and sample the spices, olives, and cheeses at the stands lining the streets.

Or get adventurous and visit Shuk HaTikva, in one of Tel Aviv’s working class neighborhoods, settled by immigrants from countries like Yemen, Iraq, Ethiopia and Russia.  Shopping here proves fresh fruits and vegetables are not elitist. 

watermelon, in season

Iraqi mango sauce

While you’re there, have lunch at the Yemenite diner at the entrance.  Try traditional jahmoun served with tomato puree and a hardboiled egg—or shakshuka, of course, served with flatbread topped with za’atar.  All made more delicious with zhug, a spicy herb sauce.   

shakshuka, with zhug

Here are a few other restaurant recommendations, to help you narrow down your must-taste wish list during your Israeli travels.

Jerusalem

No trip to Jerusalem is complete without a meal at Machneyuda, which gets its name (and much of its ingredients) from the Mahane Yehuda market.  Meals here are fanciful, lively affairs complete with loud music and dancing between tables.  Order the tasting menu and enjoy the scene—Elie and I did.

dancing chefs, at Machneyuda

first of a dozen (or so....) courses

happy



Tel Aviv

Delicatessen 79/81 is the perfect spot for breakfast or lunch—or to stop and pick up picnic provisions to go. Their ready-to-eat counter features amazing flatbreads and a variety of salads perfect for the beach.  Be sure to sample their olive and cheese bread stick (delicious!) or one of their sweet treats.

cheese and cured meat selection, at Delicatessen

picnic on the beach, with flatbread & salads from Delicatessen

For dinner, the list of great restaurants is endless, but this will get you started.  If you’re in the mood for handcrafted pasta or pizzas made from seasonal, local ingredients, meet friends and share plates at Ronimotti.



tomato bruschetta, at Ronimotti



For modern and creative Israeli cuisine, visit HaShulchan on Rothschild Avenue. Sit outside on the patio, have a cocktail and enjoy the Tel Aviv scene as much as the food (which is lovely).

beet salad, with the incredibly creamy Israeli cheese

If you want to feel like a local, try to find off-the-beaten path Joz ve Loz, where you can sit outside in the courtyard and sample the daily menu, created each day from market-fresh ingredients.  One of the friendly servers will gladly help you translate from Hebrew—there is no English menu available.

seasonal salad at Joz ve Loz

Or, try the elevated seasonal creations from Oasis; the bright green walls surrounding the open kitchen create a happy evironment for dinner with friends.  Or sit outside, but don't let the mosquitos bite.

fresh herb salad with duck, at Oasis

Jaffa (Yaffo)

Jaffa, the ancient port city next to Tel Aviv, is home to the Old Man and the Sea, a ‘fish restaurant’ overlooking the Mediterranean, where each table automatically receives over a dozen small plates containing salads, roasted vegetables, hummus, tahini, avocado and other dips and spreads to eat with baskets of charred flatbread.  It’s heaven.  Go hungry.

selection of salads at the Old Man and the Sea

For some of the best breads and pastries in the city, head to the Margoza Café.  And after shopping in the Shuk Ha Pishpishim, have lunch at Puah.  The eclectic restaurant sits in the middle of the flea market, complete with mismatched tables and chairs sitting outside on Persian carpets.  It’s a great neighborhood gathering spot with good food.

shakshuka at Puah

Finally, when in Tel Aviv and Jaffo, you must seek out the paletas—Latin American fresh-fruit popsicles—created by Elie’s beautiful and talented cousin, Nomi.  Her handcrafted and uniquely-flavored paletas are available at numerous cafes and restaurants around the city.  Try the perfectly portioned and not-too-sweet avocado, halva or lemon and poppy seed yogurt. 

There’s so much more about Israel to talk about—rich history, religious sights, gorgeous landscapes and beaches, politics, nightlife.  You’ll just have to join us next time and see it for yourself.

enjoying gelato at Anita