Norwitz Notions

Once a month, our synagogue, Ner Shalom in Cotati, California, holds a family Shabbat dinner.  Sometimes it’s a potluck, other times they order platters from a local restaurant.  A few months ago, I volunteered to do the cooking.  I had two motives here: 1) I love to cook for large groups of people.  Seriously, I [...]

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I was at Whole Foods the other day with crimini mushrooms on my shopping list.  These are the brown mushrooms that look very much like the common white button mushroom.  They tend to cost a bit than white mushrooms but they’re actually cheaper.  How’s that?  The white ones are mostly water, so they cook down [...]

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I’m always on the lookout for high-protein, lowcarb, vegan, and gluten-free recipes that don’t have soy.  None of us react to soy but it makes up a lot of our protein foods and I want more variety.  So I was thrilled when a friend told me about a recipe for nut burgers she found and [...]

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Okay, so this isn’t a classic Thanksgiving dish, but it’s mine.  To people eating turkey or other meat, it is a nice side dish. For a vegetarian, though, it’s a good way to get significant amounts of protein without filling up on starch.
This recipe disappears fast and gets raves (even from the meat-eaters).
I originally made [...]

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In my ongoing quest to discover 1001 things to do with masa, I came up with this little gem.  Guaranteed to please three year olds everywhere.
Start with fresh masa if you can get it.  Reconstituted masa harina if you can’t.
Grab a chunk, roll it into a ball, then flatten by hand into a thick oval [...]

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Chimichurri is a popular sauce from Argentina made with fresh green herbs (usually parsley, cilantro, and/or mint), garlic, acid (red wine vinegar, lemon, etc), and olive oil.  Some recipes have other ingredients.  It’s usually served on meat but I love it on fish, tofu, beans, salad, and all sorts of things.  Since I’m not a [...]

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This dish takes a fair bit of time to make, but it’s one of my favorites for a hearty meal to serve to company.  I’ve been making it for a while but it wasn’t until recently when I made it for friends in Canada that I took pictures.

I’ve adapted this recipe from:
Chili and Corn-Biscuit Casserole
The [...]

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Pupusas are a lovely Salvadorian food with two thick tortillas, stuffed with goodies, crimped at the edges to hold it all in. You can put anything you want in there (beans and cheese being a common vegetarian choice) and you’ve got a meal, a snack, or traveling food.
I won’t purport to have an authentic [...]

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“Using masa harina [masa flour] is like making mashed potatoes from a box.”
So says Karen Waikiki, owner of Primavera, the Sonoma company that makes masa, tortillas, and tamales from organic stoneground corn. And she has a point. Though the tortillas I made from masa harina were way better than the store-bought tortillas I’ve [...]

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Episode seven of the Next Food Network Star still takes place in Las Vegas and we’re down to 3 contestants: Aaron, Lisa, and Adam.
Challenge #1: Prepare a 30 second promo for what could be their new show. Unlike in previous versions of this, each promo was carefully scripted (including wardrobe) by the Food Network [...]

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Michael and I were in the terrific produce section of the new branch of Farmer Joe’s market in Oakland last week. They had a wide chile selection and we got some that looked like poblanos, but turned out to be spicier. I made a filling for them the other night.
Recipe:
4 stuffing peppers (any [...]

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This is one of my favorite “fancy” meals that most everyone likes, even some people who don’t like fish (got my fish-hating brother’s seal of approval).  It takes a while to make though (would be faster with thicker fish and a deep fryer) and it’s not exactly lowcarb.  But yum.
Recipe:
(Makes enough for 8-10 people, or [...]

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Passover 2008: the year of the gefilte fish disaster.
This is only the second time we’ve made gefilte (gelfilte, gelfelte, gefelte) fish. The stuff in jars is pretty good (some people hate it but I grew up on and adore the stuff) but every last brand has eggs in it. And pretty much all have gluten [...]

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A couple of months ago, I found myself at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market, by the Primavera Tortilla stand. Primavera is a Sonoma County-based company that makes their own masa (tortilla/tamale dough) from organic stoneground corn. The handmade tortillas looked good but were pricey (and the fancy flavored ones had dairy) so I bought a bag [...]

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Rock fish, rock cod, plain cod…I don’t know. But it made a tasty stew. I got fillets at Costco.
Don’t fuss over ingredients. I made this out of what I found in my fridge and freezer. Next time I’ll make it with completely different vegetables. And why are there 4 carrots in the picture [...]

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This recipe comes from Foodlab listmom Monica, who has graciously allowed me to post it here. She made them for our recent Los Angeles Foodlab potluck and I took some pictures.

Not only are these cakes delicious, but they’re free of eggs, dairy, gluten, soy, corn, and even low in carbs. Alas, they are not kosher [...]

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Let’s see…it’s raw, it’s lowcarb, it’s lowfat, it’s high in protein, it’s filled with healthy stuff, it’s dairy & egg-free, it’s gluten-free, it’s legume-free…what’s not to love? Oh yeah, and it is astoundingly delicious and not hard to make either.
The basic recipe is for Mexican Ceviche at http://www.recipezaar.com/8899. There are as many ways to make [...]

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Making beans from scratch is pretty easy, so you have to wonder why everyone doesn’t do it. Canned beans are okay in a pinch, but many are overcooked and insipid (Whole Foods brand is pretty decent, even the refried ). And dried beans are much cheaper than canned. For anything large, where I have more [...]

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A favorite dinner of mine is a big salad with lots of finely chopped vegetables and warm protein on top. For those of us who want to eat more raw foods but feel better with something both physically warm and solid, this is a great combination.
The salad works on its own too, as a low-protein [...]

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For dinner tonight I made a simple but elegant meal. Each item wasn’t hard to make, though having four of them took more time. The details make a difference too. Nicer plates, eating at the dining room table (something we should do every night, but don’t), using wine glasses.

Miriam and I went to Whole Foods [...]

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A rich alfredo sauce you’ll swear has eggs or dairy…but it doesn’t…
Sauce Ingredients:
1 lb tofu (silken (I like Nasoya) is best but even firm is okay–it must be completely bland tasting)
1 cup raw cashews (unsalted–I store them in the freezer and use them without defrosting)
1/2-2/3 cup lemon juice (fresh or in bottle)
Fresh basil leaves (optional–use [...]

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Here’s another very simple recipe that I make all the time.
Salmon lends itself well to baking (aka roasting in this case) since it is thick, has plenty of fat, and has firm flesh. There are some differences in the varieties of salmon but the main thing to keep in mind is fat content. Just adjust [...]

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Some people plan out their meals, setting aside ingredients and making lists for those they don’t have. Others wing it based on what looks good in the market or what’s at home. Although I sometimes plan, especially when I’m having guests, I’m more apt to wing it. Last night was a perfect example.
I knew I [...]

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I’ve made these fish rolls a few times and they always come out great. This is a good way to use up a lot of greens too. Because they are reduced, you’re eating far more than you think.
Dover sole is the best fish to use for this recipe because it comes in flat boneless pieces [...]

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Sorry, no pictures with this one. No measured recipes either.
Spaghetti squash is a type of winter squash that gets its name from the fact that, if you cook it just right, it will fall apart with a fork into long spaghetti-like strands. Okay, here are some pictures and more info: http://www.fabulousfoods.com/features/featuring/spagsquash.html
What’s so wonderful about [...]

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I was looking for a nut loaf recipe that was vegan, high in protein,
gluten-free, and not soy based (I can eat soy just fine, but wanted to have
some non-soy dishes in my repertoire). I only found one that looked adaptable for my needs in a search. http://www.recipenet.org/health/recipes/veggie/nut_roast.htm
Many thanks to Lorraine Picot for a yummy dish.
Recipe:
1/4 [...]

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