Tag: simple cooking

Sour cream instead of heavy whipping cream?!

With Rosh HaShana coming up next week, I thought this was the perfect time to make and freeze Tehilla’s birthday cake. However, after popping into three local supermarkets, I discovered, to my dismay, that there’s a shortage of heavy whipping cream, which I needed to make the filling and ganache.

I had several alternative options: commercial plant-based alternatives (yuck!), coconut cream (I prefer it in fruity desserts, not chocolate-based cakes), or, which I was skeptical about at first, sour cream.

Whipped sour cream filling is a Soviet classic that goes great with chocolate cakes. But can you whip sour cream? Yes, if it’s fatty enough. I used sour cream with 27% fat. You can also strain sour cream to make it fattier – just place it in a cheesecloth-lined sieve above a bowl and let it drip for a while.

Whipped sour cream doesn’t turn out as lusciously fluffy as whipping cream, but the results are still delicious. The cream is a bit tangy, so you may potentially need to use more sugar. Powdered sugar is a must here, as granulated sugar won’t dissolve properly. I make my own powdered sugar by running granulated sugar through an electric spice grinder.

Whip well-chilled sour cream until it forms peaks. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Optional: add a tablespoon of instant vanilla pudding mix for more stable cream.

Sour cream also make smooth, silky ganache. Heat chocolate and sour cream at a 1:1 ratio over a very low flame on the stove. Mix constantly until the chocolate has melted. Chill until it’s the right consistency for frosting. Enjoy!

Easy, refreshing mango ice cream

Photo by Drift Shutterbug on Pexels.com

Our mango tree yielded a surprisingly large crop this summer (photo not mine, as I didn’t snap a picture of the mangoes before processing them), and there’s only so much mango you can eat. So, I sliced and froze a batch, and on one hot afternoon, I decided to experiment and make mango ice cream.

The result was an absolute hit: refreshing, creamy, and quick to make. It contains only three ingredients and is all-natural and vegan!

You’ll need:

  • About 2 cups of mango slices/cubes, peeled, either fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup of coconut cream
  • Your preferred sweetener to taste (I used brown sugar)

Blend all ingredients together until thoroughly mixed and smooth. You may need to wait for your mango to thaw if you’re using frozen fruit. Pour into a container, pop into the freezer, and stir about every 30-60 minutes to keep ice crystals from forming.

Scoop and enjoy! If the ice cream is too solid, let it thaw a bit.

I haven’t tried this yet, but I imagine it will also work great with berries, bananas, peaches, passionfruit, or a combo of the above.

Egg substitutes for fall and winter

Photo by Monserrat Soldu00fa on Pexels.com

Fall is here, and we all know what this means: fewer eggs for the next several months for us backyard chicken keepers.

I don’t use artificial lights in the coop and let the girls get some well deserved rest. Since I usually prefer to go without than buy eggs from the store, I tend to choose recipes that call for fewer eggs – or use creative substitutes in baking.

When it comes to baked goods, eggs basically add three things: moisture, cohesion, and fluffiness. If you just omit eggs, a cake will likely fall apart or be too heavy. Fortunately, you have several substitute options.

#1 Nut butter or tahini. Peanut butter, almond butter, and tahini will bind your batter together and add a delicious earthy flavor.

#2 Applesauce. This classic substitute for eggs adds a lot of extra moisture.

#3 Banana. Mashed banana acts similarly to applesauce – but that banana flavor definitely comes through!

#4 Ground flaxseed. I’ve yet to try this, but many foodies suggest grounding flaxseed or chia seed with a bit of water to create a sticky paste you can add to baked goods in place of eggs.

#5 Aquafaba. Now THIS is something I’m definitely going to try at the first opportunity. Rumor has it that you can whip the liquid from a can of chickpeas, and that it acts similarly to egg whites. I’ll let you know how it works out for me!

In the meantime, I’m wishing everyone a happy fall – and a happy new year and Gmar Chatima Tova to all my Jewish readers.

Best no-bake energy bites

When it’s a scorching hot day and you’re longing for a sweet but healthy treat that doesn’t require turning on the oven, you can’t go wrong with these perfect nutty, crunchy, creamy, dairy- and gluten-free bites.

You’ll need:

About 1/2 cup crushed walnuts

1 cup almond flour

3 heaped spoonfuls crushed dates or date spread/filling

1 teaspoon of cocoa powder

2-3 heaped spoonfuls of your favorite peanut butter

A tiny drop of brandy, cognac, or liqueur (optional)

Shredded dry coconut for rolling

Mix everything together until you get a pliable mass you can easily roll into little balls. You may need to add a little more almond flour. Roll each ball in shredded coconut, place on a tray, and chill or freeze. These can keep in the freezer indefinitely (though they’ll disappear quickly!) and defrost in minutes.

I love how versatile this recipe is. You can substitute walnuts for cashews or pistachios, omit cocoa, add more sweetener, and, of course, double the amount! The recipe above makes about 20 bites that will go perfectly with iced coffee. Enjoy!

5 Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas

With most of my days packed full of work, cleaning up messes, breaking up fights, and trying to keep the house in some sort of order, it often happens that 5 p.m. rolls around and I frantically start to ask myself, What’s for dinner?

Now, soup is usually my standby. It’s laughably easy – just toss whatever you have in a pot and let it simmer – but it does take some planning in advance. If I failed to put a pot of soup on the stove during the day and just need something quick, I usually resort to one of these 5 options:

  1. Everything eggs: fried or scrambled, with a few sliced vegetables in half a pita; or our favorite, French toast to use up old bread.
  2. Upgraded leftovers like rice, pasta, etc: this actually also involves eggs. If you toss some stale rice with an egg or two, add salt and spices, and pour the whole into a baking tray, you can get a good, filling meal in 20 minutes.
  3. Oatmeal: with butter and raisins, this can be a delicious dinner as well as breakfast.
  4. Grilled cheese sandwiches. Do I need to say more?
  5. Pasta. While the pasta is cooking, I can assemble a quick sauce from tomato paste, salt, diced garlic, olive oil, and oregano. Grated cheese or a dollop of butter makes it perfect.

A belated happy Hanukkah

As we’re fast approaching the end of Hanukkah, now is the last-minute opportunity to make some yummy fried treats guilt free ☺

We like these apple fritters even more than potato latkes and almost more than the deliciously decadent deep fried sufganiyot with an array of sweet fillings.

All you need is:

5 large apples, grated

1/3 cup sugar

2-3 eggs

A dash of cinnamon

1/2 cup flour (approximately)

1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix well and fry spoonfuls of the batter in hot oil on both sides. You want a nice deep golden color, but be careful not to burn them.

Enjoy and happy Hanukkah to all my Jewish readers!

Salmon fish balls

An easy and delicious alternative to meatballs!

You’ll need:

One nice big salmon filet

1-2 large shredded onions

2-3 minced cloves of garlic

2-3 grated carrots

2 eggs

Some breadcrumbs

Bake the salmon, then mash it up with a fork and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt, pepper, dried parsley, or with your favorite mix.

Form balls and fry on both sides. Be gentle when you turn the balls, or they might fall apart.

In the meantime, prepare the sauce:

1 large onion

1 zucchini

4-5 potatoes

5-6 cloves of garlic

2-3 spoons of tomato paste or canned tomatoes

Chop and sauté the onion, finely slice the potatoes, zucchini and garlic, and throw it all in the pot. Add tomato paste and water until you have the consistency of thick sauce. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and chili sauce (optional)

Cook until potatoes are soft. Then combine with the salmon balls and keep cooking for about 5 minutes longer.

Great over pasta or noodles. Enjoy!