Kosher Parve Sweet Honey Corn

To my surprise, a lot of people aren't entirely sure how to boil corn. It's okay. I knew how to make a good channa masala before I learned how to make basic tuna salad. We all have interesting little gaps in our kitchen skills. Pretend you're here looking for spice advice while you sneak a peek at the cooking instructions. I won't tell.

Most people love basic boiled corn on the cob slathered in butter. It's oh so delicious. However, if you're looking for a parve/vegetarian dish that, as an added bonus, won't smear your makeup while eating, give this variation a try.

6 ears yellow corn

6 tsp honey

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp kosher salt

Find a pot large enough to fit six ears of corn and a bunch of water. In an ideal world, this pot will have a lid. You may not live in an ideal world, though, so don't sweat it. Either way, fill the pot about half way with water and bring it to a boil. Throw in the corn. Now, if you have a lid, put it on top, turn the heat off, and wait 15 minutes. If you don't have a lid, turn the heat down to medium (just enough to keep the water boiling) and let it steam up your kitchen for 15 minutes.

Remove the corn from the water. How you do this is up to you. In an ideal world, a pair of tongs or super heat resistant silicone gloves might be involved. In my world, I usually use a couple of forks while doing the 'ow ow ow hot water just splashed my legs' dance. Do as I say, not as I do. Wouldn't it be better if we all lived in an ideal world?

Using your sturdiest knife, cut the corn from the cob. Now, you may be wondering why you nearly boiled your arm off when the grocery store sells perfectly good corn in cans. Trust me, the texture and flavor aren't even remotely the same. Fresh ingredients make a world of difference, and in the world of corn, it's like going from the inhospitable surface of a hostile, brackish world to the sweet warmth of a newly terraformed virgin planet.

Scoop your newly shorn corn kernels into a large bowl. Add the honey, garlic, and salt, then mix until everything is pretty evenly distributed. Serve warm. If you happen to have any leftover, add about 1 tsp water per cup of corn and it'll reheat pretty well in the microwave.

Variations:

I sometimes like to add 1/2 - 1 tsp paprika or cayenne to give this a little bit of a bite. The same quantity of freshly ground white pepper instead can also add a nice touch.

Kosher Parve Honey Lime Yams

This parve alternative to the usual butter drenched candied yams goes great with spicy foods. It's also lower in fat and calories, but that's just a bonus.

• 2 large yams or sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup honey
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne

Preheat your oven to 400F. Peel the yams and slice them into roughly 1/2 inch circles. The thinner you slice the yams, the faster they'll cook, but you don't want to slice them so thin you end up with slightly mushy yam fries.

Mix the honey, lime juice, salt, and cayenne in a bowl.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Dip each slice of yam into the honey/lime mix. Spread the yam slices in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Repeat on a second cookie sheet if you have more yam slices. Drizzle the remaining mix over the top of the yams. You don't want to take the easy route by layering the slices then drowning them in the mix because the honey will just pool between the slices and burn.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes, or until the yams are tender.

Kosher Parve Wasabi/Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

I find these wasabi/horseradish potatoes go great with beef dishes. Try them alongside a nicely peppered New York Strip Steak (with a bit of extra horseradish on the side for the meat.)

• 3 pounds potatoes
• 1 cup soy creamer OR 1 cup soy milk + 1 tbsp light vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tbsp horseradish - FRESH, NOT PREPARED! (Prepared horseradish often has dairy)
• 1/2 tbsp green wasabi paste
• 1 tsp fresh ground white pepper

I recommend peeling the potatoes. You can leave the skins on if you prefer, but I think the added texture distracts too much in this recipe. Skinned or not, boil and drain the potatoes then return them to their original pot. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl until smooth. This is just to ensure even distribution in the potatoes. You don't want to accidentally bite into a lump of pure wasabi. Add the mix to the pot of potatoes and mash until you reach your desired texture. I like mine a little lumpy, but you're welcome to get out a hand mixer if you prefer them uniformly smooth. If you'd like your potatoes a little creamier, add 1/4 cup soy creamer/soy milk. Don't add more sesame oil. It's more for flavor than texture.

If you want the flavor with a little less kick, cut the wasabi and horseradish in half and double the salt. If you're the type who loves the way horseradish clears your nostrils, go nuts with it. Or try adding a few cloves of garlic to enhance the flavor.

A note of caution - both prepared horseradish and some cheap wasabi pastes can be made with dairy. Please check the labels to be sure of what you're getting before you take anything home.

Kosher Parve Garlic Mashed Potatoes

In this age of excellent milk substitutes, parve mashed potatoes don't have to be mealy and dry. You can get that rich, creamy texture from nut milks.

In exchange for the texture, you're going to have to spice the potatoes up a little. Silk brand coffee creamer is a real joy in mashed potatoes, but there's no denying the heavy the nutty taste. I haven't been able to lay hands on Wildwood Organic's soy creamer, although I hear good things about it. 8th Continent soymilk tastes a lot more like the real thing (I especially love their light chocolate soymilk), but like most soymilks, is too low in fat to give the full, creamy mouthfeel. Regardless of which milk/creamer alternative you use, you'll want to disguise the flavor with spices. Luckily, those spices include garlic. You can never go wrong with garlic.

• 3 pounds potatoes
• 1 cup soy creamer OR 1 cup soy milk + 2 tbsp light vegetable oil (or parve margarine)
• 10 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh grated mixed peppercorns
• 1 tsp onion salt

Boil and drain the potatoes. It's entirely up to you whether or not to leave on the skins. Dump everything else in the pot you boiled your potatoes in and start mashing. Again, it's entirely up to you whether to stop while they're still a little lumpy or get out the hand mixer and blend them until smooth.

The stealth ingredient here is the onion salt. Somehow, the slightly acidic tang of it really covers any nutty soy flavor. If you can't get ahold of onion salt, try throwing the garlic, 1/2 cup of diced onion, and a tsp of oil into a blender until you have a nice, smooth paste. I'd add a couple extra cloves of garlic, too, since a few precious scraps will still be left in the blender. Add the paste to the pot of potatoes and blend as per the other directions.

Just as some people like their potatoes lumpy versus smooth or with bits of skin versus pure pulp, there are degrees of creamyness. If these are a little dry for your taste, try adding 1/4 cup creamer (or 1/4 cup milk + 1/2 tsp oil or 1 tsp parve margarine) until they reach your ideal texture.

Kosher Tzaziki Sauce - Turkish and Persian

Since I'm lactose intolerant, this is something of a sin food for me. It can be made with soy yogurt, but to be honest with you, it's just not as good. I'm a big fan of cucumber, so I like the Turkish style Tzaziki best, but a lot of my friends prefer the mintier Persian, so I thought I'd include them both. The Turkish is delightful with falafel while the Persian is a fantastic accompaniment to salmon. Turkish Tzaziki

• 2 cups plain yogurt (fresh if you can get it)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
• 2 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic (about 3 cloves)
• 4 tbsp dried mint
• 1/2 tsp salt

Persian Tzaziki

• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup dried mint
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 2 tbsp dried dill
• 1 chopped garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp salt

The instructions for both are the same. Thoroughly mix all ingredients in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight. If you eat it too early, it'll taste like lumpy yogurt, but if you let it sit overnight, the flavors will mingle and it'll be to die for. Stir again before serving. Serve chilled with falafel, salmon, a fresh vegetable tray, or whatever cries out to you. Stays good in the fridge for several days, though mine never lasts that long.

Kosher Lite Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Unlike the Blueberry and oh-so-tasty Banana Chip muffins, these are Healthy with a capitol H. I still like them, but keep in mind, these are for enjoying the sensation of fullness after a hard workout, not for kids lunchboxes (unless you want them trading up for Fiery Hot Cheetos.)

• 1 1/2 cups lite apple pie flavored yogurt
• 1 cup lowfat milk
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs (or your favourite egg substitute equivalent)
• 1 cup diced dried apples
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Preaheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix yogurt, milk, oats, vanilla, and eggs. Let sit around 5 minutes (so the oats will soak up the moisture. Otherwise, you'll have tough muffins.) While waiting, take your cup of dried apples (an entire bag of the Sunmaid brand) and dice them up. Add them to the bowl and mix well. Let sit another 2 minutes (again, so the dried apples can soak up some moisture.) Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Either use paper liners or spritz your muffin pan with cooking spray. Fill muffin cups about 1/2 full of batter. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Makes about 32 muffins at 2 Weight Watchers points per muffin. These freeze well for a couple months.

Kosher lite Blueberry Muffins

I've been looking for a low-fat blueberry muffin recipe that isn't chock full of artificial sweeteners. Most recipes either go overboard with healthiness, substituting wheat bran and oatmeal for normal flour, or they're loaded up with so much butter and eggs they're a gazillion calories each. This is my personal compromise. These light and fluffy low fat muffins are moist but still pleasantly sweet. They're not healthy, but they're not cholesterol-o-rific, either.

• 3/4 cup lite vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Mix the yogurt, milk, egg, and sugar until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix well. When the batter is smooth, gently fold in the blueberries. You don't want to overmix them or else they'll fall apart and turn the batter purple.

Either line a muffin pan with paper cups or spritz it with nonstick spray. Fill the cups 1/2 full of batter. Bake at 350F for 18 - 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Variations:

• If you're absolutely obsessed with low sugar as well as low fat, substitute 1 cup of Splenda for Baking (the type measured cup for cup like sugar.)
• To make this recipe parve, substitute plain soy yogurt and vanilla soymilk.
• If you really want more blueberry flavor, substitute low fat blueberry yogurt for the vanilla. If you do, be prepared for your muffins to be a lovely shade of blue.

Weight Watchers Points: 3 points per muffin. If you make them as mini-muffins, reduce the baking time to 12 - 15 minutes. The mini muffins only have 1 point each.

Kosher Lite Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

I made some minor but tasty modifications to a Weight Watchers brand recipe to end up with these oh-so-tasty mini loaves. They make an incredibly filling six point breakfast for days when you have to be out the door in a flash. Cut in half, they're a great 3 point snack. Since there is no consistency in the size of a "mini loaf," I should add my Weight Watchers scale says my loaves are about 100 grams, baked in a 3x2 inch mini loaf pan.

• 3/4 cup lite banana yogurt
• 1/2 cup fat free skim milk
• 1/2 cup uncooked quick oats
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed (black if you can stand them that long)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Mix yogurt, milk, oats, vanilla, and egg until well blended. Set aside for at least five minutes. This will give the oats a chance to absorb moisture. If you don't let it sit, you'll end up with very textured bread instead of tasty smoothness.

After five minutes, stir in the mashed bananas.

Now add all the other ingredients and mix well.

Spritz your mini-loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and fill about half way with batter. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a fork poked inside comes out clean.

Variations:

• To make this recipe parve (or to make it dairy free for people who are allergic to milk/lactose intollerant) substitute vanilla soy yogurt (banana flavor is better, if you can find it) and vanilla soy milk for the regular yogurt and milk. Leave out the chocolate chips (unless you have a source of good dairy free ones.)
• Instead of mini-loaves, bake the batter in the form of mini-muffins. The muffins take 15 to 18 minutes to cook and have only one point each.
• Have fun with the yogurt flavors! I used a generic Banana's Foster lite yogurt and had great results.
• If you prefer a more traditional tasting banana bread, leave out the chocolate chips, substitute vanilla for banana yogurt, and add 1 tsp cinnamon.

Kosher Clove and Honey Peas

This is a dirt simple side dish you can prepare in five minutes. The sweetness of honey works well with any fruity entree. The cloves temper the sweetness, adding a nice richness of flavor.

• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 whole cloves (do not use powder!)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

Put everything in a microwave safe bowl and mix well. Microwave for 3 - 4 minutes (adjust time for your own microwave.) Stir again while hot, making sure the peas are evenly coated. Serve.

Do not use clove powder! If you do, the flavor will utterly overwhelm your peas, making them inedible. The whole cloves impart a subtle flavor rather than beating your taste buds into submission.

Kosher Vegan Basil Green Beans

Vegetables have a bad reputation. People think they're bland, difficult to prepare, or just tasteless. This is because people make the great mistake of steaming or boiling their veggies then failing to add any spices. It's positively criminal. This weeknight recipe cooks up in 5 minutes, fridge to table. No kidding. People who hate eating veggies will think you're a culinary genius. Their tastebuds won't know what hit them.

• 1/2 lb fresh green beans
• 1 tbsp basil flavored olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper (or 1/4 tsp pre-ground)

Mix everything but the green beans in a microwave safe bowl.

Add the green beans and stir until well coated.

Microwave for 3 minutes. (Microwaving veggies is the best way to keep them crisp and avoid cooking out all nutrients.)

Stir well and serve. Yes. That's it.

Flavored olive oils are a wonderful thing. They can be found at most grocery stores alongside the olive oil and at all Wild Oats, Whole Foods, and other upscale grocers. My personal favourite for cost/flavor is the Consorzio brand.

Kosher Parve Lentil & Egg Curry

High in protein, low in fat, low in calories, and amazingly cheap to make - sounds like the worst dinner ever, right? But South Asian spices can rescue even the dullest of ingredients, and this combination transforms plain brown lentils and boiled eggs from sparkling glass to the rarest diamond. This a wonderful Parve dish is great as a side at either a meat or milk meal, or as the centerpiece of a hearty vegetarian meal. Like most (non dairy or soy based) curries, it tastes even better as leftovers, when the flavors have had a chance to mingle overnight. Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown lentils
• 3/4 cup water
• 6 eggs
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 chopped tomatoes or one 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 heaping tbsp minced garlic (or 6 minced cloves)
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder (or 1/2 inch ginger root, peeled and finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (unnecessary if using canned tomatoes)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 cloves
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Egg and Lentil Curry

Boil lentils according to package directions - approximately 30 minutes, or until just tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, hard boil eggs. When cool enough to touch, peel eggs and cut lengthwise.

Fry onions in a large saucepan until almost translucent. Add all spices and continue to fry another 5 minutes, or until onions are tender and spices are aromatic. Add tomatoes, sugar, and 3/4 cup water. (If using fresh tomatoes, add 1 full cup of water rather than 3/4). Stir well and bring to a boil.

Simmer 5 - 10 minutes until sauce thickens. Add boiled lentils and stir well. Drop in boiled eggs, drenching with sauce but not handling too much.

Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Serve with basmati rice or warm bread to sop up the juices.

Variations:

• I like my curries hot, so I use the canned tomatoes with "zesty jalapeno" and add another 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.
• Add 1/4 cup of diced dried fruit when you add the tomatoes to add contrast to both the flavor and texture.
• Simply leave out the eggs to make it vegan.