Leah is the former Editor in Chief of The Jew & The Carrot (through Jan, 2009). These days, she is a full time freelance writer who's work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Saveur, Gastronomica, The Forward and other publications. Outside of work, Leah’s interest in food continues – she is a member of the Park Slope Food Co-op and a Brooklyn CSA, a frequent green market shopper, and an enthusiastic cook. She swoons over sharp cheddar and garlicky sauteed kale.
Leah Koenig's Website »
In just two days, 550 people will descend upon Pacific Grove, California for Hazon’s 3rd Annual Food Conference. Over 4 days farmers and rabbis, nutritionists and chefs, vegan and omnivores, activists and teachers will come together to explore the dynamic interplay of food, Jewish tradition and contemporary life. Conference themes will focus on Jewish food culture, cutting edge food law and policy, kosher meat issues, health and nutrition, cooking and gardening, and Israeli food and agriculture.
Can’t make it to California this year? Didn’t know about the Food Conference until just now? Have a loved one attending the conference and curious to know what they’re up to? Have no fear!
See original post.
Cranberry Bread
2 cups of flour
1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ stick of softened butter
½ cup applesauce
1 beaten egg
The zest of one orange
3/4 cup of orange juice
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
1 bag of carefully rinsed and picked over cranberries
1 cup of chopped, toasted pecans
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Curried Sweet Potato Latke
From Joan Nathan’s Jewish Cooking in America
1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup milk (approximately)
Peanut oil for frying
Grate the sweet potatoes coarsely. In a separate bowl mix the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cayenne pepper, curry powder, cumin and salt and pepper.
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Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Myra Kornfeld’s The Healthy Hedonist
½ cup softened unsalted butter or 7 tablespoons coconut oil
¾ cup maple sugar, sucanat or evaporated cane sugar
1 egg (or egg substitute for vegans)
1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour or whole grain spelt flour for wheat-free
½ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, or a hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth, and mix for another minute or so.
Over the last year, Hazon has thought and blogged a LOT about the food we serve at our events, meetings and in the office. We’ve agonized over the ethics of bagels, lox, kashrut, and how to align our food values with our budget. And while we’ve come a long way, we could still do much better. Like, for example, we could not eat lunch in front of our desks, as I am doing right now.
But recently, we’ve been asking ourselves a much BIGGER question: How do you serve delicious, healthy meals for four days to more than 550 people? Such is the dilemma of Hazon’s Food Conference, coming up THIS week from Dec 25-28.
It turns out, you serve them a lot. Like the 6 gallons of Soy Vay Garlic Hoisin Marinade (see picture above) that will be used for Thursday night’s stir fry dinner. Overall, we think we’ve done an amazing job for the Food Conference, thanks to the hard work of the volunteer Exec committee that has been thinking for several months about the meals and snacks we’ll eat together at the conference. We’re partnering with over 20 local farms to source produce for the conference, and we are schecting ethically-raised heritage turkeys for Friday night dinner. Hey, if you can’t find a source of ethical, kosher meat – sometimes you have to create your own.
Below the jump, find another picture of Food Conference food in the works, plus several recipes we’ll be eating at the conference: cranberry bread, brown rice Singapore noodles, scrambled tofu with leeks and greens, curried sweet potato latkes, and whole grain chocolate chip cookies. YUM!
And keep your eyes peeled between Dec 25-28 for live coverage of the Food Conference – blogging, podcasts, speaker interviews and more…
Slush. Snow. Wind. Cold. It’s been that kind of weekend around here in Brooklyn and – so I’ve heard – in pretty much the rest of the country. Aside from a brief foray outside en route to the gym, and two neighborhood Chanukah parties this evening (including one in my building, to which I didn’t even have to put on a coat!), I spent the entire day in the living room, staring at the gray day out my window and at my gray computer screen while I worked on some writing deadlines. Pretty dreary.
The only thing Yosh and I had stacked in our favor on a day like today was breakfast: cardamom scented oatmeal and organic coffee made in our new pot which, glory of glories, has a timer on it (hello, brewed coffee on Shabbat!). It turns out a warm, hearty, and very affordable, breakfast can really warm up an otherwise gloomy day. It also makes you want to take a nap, which doesn’t help much with the deadlines, but what can you do?
What do you eat on cold, gray winter days?
Recipe below the jump…
**
Dear Readers,
After almost five years of working with Hazon, and a year and a half serving as Editor-in-Chief of our blog, The Jew & The Carrot, I am going to be leaving Hazon in the beginning of January.
I am very sad to leave, of course, but also incredibly proud of everything we have done together in the last two years to make The Jew & The Carrot the vibrant online Jewish food community that it is. As I transition away from my position, The Jew & The Carrot is also changing. From the blog’s inception in December, 2006, Hazon has depended on the creative and inspiring contributions from an impressive group of volunteer contributors. Now, the blog is shifting towards an all volunteer model, and we are seeking several outstanding volunteers to fill the following roles:
Editor-in-Chief
Business Manager
Circulation Manager
Associate Editors
Lead Contributor
These positions are perfect for anyone who wants to impressively build their resume for a career in new or traditional media. We are looking for highly-motivated and capable candidates who want to make a real difference every day in the growth of the new Jewish food movement. If this sounds like you, click here for more information about the positions and how to apply.
For some more sappy and proud words from me about the blog and Hazon, read below the jump…
Reminder: The Jew & The Carrot is offering two opportunities to celebrate our 2nd birthday and win great prizes in the month of December. The deadline for both contests are coming up soon – check it out below:
Bake us a Birthday Cake Contest
Bake The Jew & The Carrot a delicious, sustainable birthday cake for our big 2.0! Send us your recipe and a photo – the winner will receive a copy of Our First Place winner will receive a copy of Going Wild in the Kitchen
, the fresh new cookbook by Leslie Cerier. Details here.
What is it about a good food photograph that really makes you drool? Have you ever wanted to learn why some photos fall flat, while others have that unnameable quality that makes you feel like you can reach right into the picture and dig in? The Jew & The Carrot has created a list of Top 5 Food Photography Tips, which will demystify the growing world of food porn, and aid aspiring food photographers in capturing their tasty subjects in the most delicious way.
Below the jump – 5 basic tips and suggestions to amp up your food photography skills. Plus – a collage of some of my personal favorite food photography shots.
Dear Readers,
For everyone who tried to access the blog this morning and afternoon, we apologize for the slight delay in service! Our web server ate too much apple pie last night and had the hiccups this morning and afternoon. But it drank some peppermint tea and is feeling much better now.
Enjoy,
The Jew & The Carrot
Yesterday, I found the following “Action Alert” in my inbox:
MICHAEL POLLAN for U.S. SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE
WHAT: Get Pollan appointed United States Secretary of Agriculture
WHEN: Immediately
HOW: Through our U.S. Representatives and Senators
MY RESPONSE: WTF??!
Over the last couple of weeks, there have been lots of wistful twitterings from within the food movement about getting Michael Pollan (the watershed journalist and author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma
and In Defense of Food
) appointed as Barack Obama’s Secretary of Agriculture. But this was the first time I’d seen an actual, serious – or pseudo-serious – call to action around the idea.
A few months back on The Jew & The Carrot, we posted about an amazing Israeli social justice organization called Bema’aglei Tzedek, which created an ethical seal for restaurants called Tav Chevrati (social seal). The seal ensures that the restaurant provides basic rights to workers and also basic accessibility to customers with physical disabilities. Started only a few years ago, the Tav Chevrati seal is now on a third of all restaurants in Jerusalem, and is expanding to Tel Aviv and other cities.
I recently had a chance to speak with Bema’aglei Tzedek’s Executive Director, Dyonna Ginsburg (pictured at left) and here her thoughts on the socio-economic gaps in Israeli society, the power of public pressure on the Israeli government, and why she only eats in restaurants with the Tav Chevrati seal.
Enjoy the interview, below the jump!
As we mentioned a few days ago, The Jew & The Carrot is turning 2 years old this month! In celebration, we’re calling all Jcarrot detectives to join in on our first-ever blog scavenger hunt! Dig through The Jew & The Carrot’s archives to dig up tasty tidbits and blog lore (see questions below the jump), and send us what you find to be entered into the scavenger hunt raffle.
The winner will be rewarded handsomely…but to add to the mystery, we’re not revealing the prize just yet. (bwaa haa haa!) For more chances to celebrate our terrible twos and win great prizes, enter into our “Bake Us a Birthday Cake” contest here.
