Jewish Grandmas are known for their special gift for feeding - and over feeding - their loved ones.  But for Jill Ginsberg (second from right), her Grandma Rose not only filled her belly with chicken soup, rugelach, and blintzes - she also sparked Jill’s entrepreneurial spirit. 

In 2005, Ginsberg founded Thou Shall Snack - a line of kosher snacks products that recreate traditional Jewish recipes, while giving them a decidedly contemporary twist (they’re kosher as well as baked, free of trans fats and genetically modified ingredients, and made with 70% organic ingredients).  Read an interview with Jill below and answer this question for a chance to win a special gift basket from Thou Shall Snack: What is your all-time favorite Jewish comfort food?  The gift basket contains an assortment of Latke Crisps and Babka Bites from Thou Shall Snack, a custom apron and/or T-shirt, and a beautiful latke serving platter.

LK: How did you come up with the original idea for Thou Shall Snack?

JG: The first time I got the idea for Latke Crisps was after I heard of my friend’s Jewish beer company, HeBrew Beer.  I thought, someone better make some latke crisps to go with that beer!  It was really more of a lark in the moment, but it ended up becoming our first product.

[I also realized] there were a lot of other ethnic-inspired snack foods out there, which got me thinking about the Jewish foods I grew up eating.  I began to wonder why no one had done something like this before.

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I’m going to out myself again as a newbie in the culinary and foodie world, but that’s my place on this here blog, so here we go. This morning I slept through all my alarms, both electronic and internal, due to the deep, deep sleep one gets when the body is fighting off a cold. Awaking late, I rushed out of bed, hit the subway, and ducked into the deli closest to work — only to find that breakfast was over, and only lunch food was about.

Thus this morning’s quandry: what do you eat for breakfast when you’re sick in New York City? Read more »

Today’s New York Times included a fascinating op-ed called “Weed it and Reap,” by Michael Pollan, which notes the significant increase in public input on the 2007 Farm Bill.   Has the public’s voice made a difference?  Read “Weed it and Reap” here.

Have something to say about a kosher estabilishment in your area?  Here’s your chance.  Kosher Community Surveys is a surveying organization “dedicated to recognizing quality kosher establishments.” There are open surveys for the Washington DC and Philly area, and surveys opening soon across the country.

Reuters reported that Cargill recalled over 1 million pounds of beef distributed in the US because of possible e. coli contamination.  This is the second major recall for Cargill in the last month, prompting me to wonder, what is safe to eat these days?  Read the article here.

It’s a familiar legend - whether it’s the Golem or Dr. Frankenstein’s monster (the latter perhaps inspired by tales of the former) - what we arrogantly create comes back to haunt us. America’s monster might turn out to be one that we encounter in its most powerful form each Halloween: corn. Not the sweet, buttery kind that we get from our CSA in July. The kind that industrial-strength petro-chemicals and lobbyist-induced grain subsidies have produced in quantities unfathomable even fifty years ago. As Michael Pollan noted in Omnivore’s dilemma, which so eloquently sounded the clarion call for the dangers of corn, much of this crop has been turned into food additives that are so commonplace that if we’re eating any type of processed food, chances are we’re eating corn, even if we don’t even know it! Read more »

I often listen to talk radio when I cook. And today, while I was prepping for a Shabbat dinner I’m cooking tomorrow at the Foster City JCC where I’m facilitating a discussion on organic food, I heard an interview with Howard Lyman, otherwise known as the Mad Cowboy. If you haven’t heard of Lyman yet, you will.

A fourth-generation cattle rancher from Montana, Lyman converted his family’s small organic family farm into a massive feedlot with 5,000 cattle at one time. He was no different than all the other cattle ranchers, until he was diagnosed with a tumor on his spinal chord, paralyzing him from the waist down. Lyman had surgery, and was granted his mobility. But he also decided that that tumor was a wake-up call. He sold the farm, and decided to become a bit of a crusader, speaking out about the evils of the feedlots, and urging people to go vegan.

Imagine, a Montana cattleman promoting veganism. It is pretty funny when you think about it. Read more »

Before I left for Israel my doctor told me I had a major gluten sensitivity. This is not the news anybody wants to hear before they go off to a country whose 7/11’s carry rolls and pastries on par with some of the best shops in New York. This is also not the news you want to hear if you want to indulge in the unhealthy treats that Israel has to offer: i.e. Shawarma in a lafa, rugelach from Machane Yehuda, malawach, jachnun, schnitzel, and much more. The list of glutenous foods goes on, and tragically, the corner falafel joints I once frequented (and ocasionally still do) don’t offer rice and corn flour alternatives to wheat-flour pita.

For the most part, this new food restriction has actually forced me to eat healthier. Meals in my apartment are rice and quinoa based, and they are made without that delightful greasiness that most falafel joints offer. Snacking has been especially tough, though. I bought packaged roasted almonds and found that they were preserved with gluten. I went to a Mexican restaurant and ordered nachos, naturally expecting gluten-free corn tortillas. Instead, since Israel is not known for its Mexican food, there were wheat pita chips that were deep-fried for a Mexican-like effect. Even most chocolate bars have wafers inside them which are filled with gluten.

Last night I was hungry and craving something both sweet and salty. Read more »

Enlitened Kosher Cooking
Nechama Cohen
Feldheim Publishers (October, 2006)

Nechama Cohen’s Enlitened Kosher Cooking attempts to strike the elusive balance between healthy eating and traditional Jewish cuisine. 

As a nutritionist and mother of five who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, Cohen originally intended her cookbook to be focused towards other Jews struggling with the disease.  Ultimately, however, Enlitend Kosher Cooking makes the broader connection between diabetes and obesity.  While enjoying meals is an important part of Shabbat and the holidays, Cohen suggests that these simchas can lead to overindulgence that contributes to weight gain and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Cohen’s book toggles between Torah (You shall be very careful of yourselves” Devarim 4:15) and the detailed nutritional charts around which her recipes are based.  She draws from the traditional canon of Jewish cooking, but her recipes are not limited to Ashkenazi fare.  In addition to Fat-Free Knaidlach and Classic Golden Chicken Soup, the book includes recipes that lighten up the familiar (Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers, Tofu Chopped Liver, Zucchini Kugel, Halva Frosting) and ones that draw from other Jewish cultures around the world (Sephardic Spicy Fish in Red Sauce, Spicy Yeminite Soup, Orange and Fennel Salad).

Cohen relies on heavily on the “ingredient swap” method of healthy cooking.  Instead of creating innovative new dishes, some of her recipes simply replace eggs with Egg Beaters, or use low fat milk or cream cheese instead of the full-fat versions.  While this approach seems slightly unsophisticated, her book is ultimately still useful for cooks who prefer traditional-feeling dishes (or are cooking for friends and relatives who do) without the extra fat and calories. 

Find out more or purchase Enlightened Kosher Cooking HERE.

Quick Bite is a new segment on The Jew & The Carrot which offers pithy reviews of today’s Jewish cookbooks. If you have a cookbook you would like to see reviewed, email tips@jcarrot.org

The Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery ended this past Sunday and I’ll share some highlights that I think will particularly interest our readers.

• “Ecotarian/Ecotarianism” - What do we call ourselves? “Ecotarian” was proposed as a catchall term for most perspectives basically against industrial food, but which vary in emphasis: locavore, vegetarian, sustainable, organic, committed to humane conditions and slaughter of animals for meat - i.e., that diverse group that is us. But is it precise and universally understood enough let’s say to become a meal option on a plane flight, asked Jessica Lee, who proposed the term?
• “Conscientious Production” - another pair of speakers attempted to categorize eco-friendly values as “conscientious production” (in contrast to conspicuous consumption).

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(Thanks to our friend at Gluten Free Bay for this guest post.)

Holidays are a challenging time to deal with food allergies and intolerances. For those of us who are Jewish, they are a time when we worry that we won’t be able to eat at our friends’ and families’ holiday tables, and that we will have to forego the traditional Jewish delicacies we grew up with.

Fortunately, people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease have more options than ever. Recipes abound, and with creative modification almost any recipe can be made gluten-free. I have posted a round-up of gluten-free ideas for Rosh Hashanah menus, including my honey cake (pictured at left).

I’ve done my best to represent a culturally-diverse wide range of recipes for meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans alike - all totally gluten-free. This is a useful tool for people who are gluten-free as well as anyone hosting an individual who is gluten intolerant at their holiday table.

Shana tovah!

Kashi is running a promotion right now, where you can virtually “trade-in” your unhealthy snacks (beef jerky, nachos, cotton candy, etc) for some actual “healthy” ones, free of charge! OK, so maybe a dark-chocolate oatmeal cookie isn’t the most healthy snack in the world either, but at least it’s:

a) whole grain

b) chocolate

c) free through the mail!

Get yours while supplies last.

The New York Times reported today that school cafeterias across the country are going on a diet:

As students return to school this week, some are finding unusual entries on the list of class rules: fewer fried foods, smaller servings and no cupcakes. School districts across the country have been taking steps to make food in schools healthier because of new federal guidelines and awareness that a growing number of children are overweight.

In California, deep fryers have been banned, so chicken nuggets and fries are now baked. Sweet tea is off the menu in one Alabama school. In New Jersey, 20-ounce sports drinks have been cut back to 12 ounces.

Overall, schools report that the changes are being met with fanfare from health officials and shrugs (but not disgust) from students. Some of the changes, however, have parents up in arms:

Read more »

…The Jew & The Carrot style!

The holiday of Rosh Hashana (and the month of Elul leading up to it), is a time for shedding your spiritual and relationship baggage.  It’s a time to open up to new possibilities and be grateful for everything you have.  A time to let the blasts of the shofar shake you awake.  More than anything, Rosh Hashana gives us the opportunity for tshuva - to return to our best, most full selves.  As we turn inward this month, we have the chance to ask, what impact do we want to have on our communities?

 In honor of the coming holiday, The Jew & The Carrot created two great resources for Rosh Hashana.

• Rosh Hashana menu A delicious menu filled with vibrant, seasonal recipes for your holiday table.  (Try heirloom baked apples with candied walnuts!)
• Resource page filled with ideas to add a healthy, sustainable twist to your holiday. (Pure maple syrup on your apples?  That’s just the beginning…)

Keep an eye out for even more recipes from The Jew & the Carrot blogger and chef, Linda Lantos.  And look out in the days before Rosh Hashana for an exclusive interview with award-winning cookbook author, Joan Nathan!

While deciding whether or not to schect (slaughter) a goat at the Hazon Food Conference has created controversy, the question of how to schect a goat for quality meat also seems to be a cause for debate.

Yesterday Nigel wrote on The Jew & The Carrot: “The first thing we found out (and this surprised me): meat has to be hung up for a few days before you can eat it.”

Later that day, a blogger at The Failed Messiah countered with:

“Meat does not need to be “hung up” for a few days before you can eat it. Think back to the Temple, Nigel, and the sacrifices offered there…Nowhere in [The Torah] is a command to “hang up” the meat for a few days before consumption. In fact, quite the opposite is true.”

I think there was a bit of cross-conversation confusion – it seems that Failed Messiah was referring to halacha (and he’s right, there is no specific law about “hanging up” meat after an animal is slaughtered), whereas Nigel was talking about hanging up meat for taste and health reasons.  Regardless, Failed Messiah’s counter post inspired me to look deeper into the logistics of schechting from my perspective as a registered dietitian who now works for Hazon. 

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It is 4:49 PM. I just got home and wheeled the dolly piled with three boxes and a cooler, a huge suitcase filled with knives, cutting boards, platters, pots, pans, an immersion blender, citrus juicer, my arsenal of spices, and countless other kitchen necessities, and a small carry-on sized suitcase filled with my personal belongings into my little Manhattan apartment. I guess this would not be called traveling light, but I just got home from an intense five day experience cooking for the Hazon nourishment cleanse retreat.

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