These kosher cookbook recipes are designed to reduce your intake of calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.
By SYBIL KAPLANSeder books 311(photo credit: courtesy)
This kosher cookbook, by a registered dietician from Long Island, came out last year, but somehow I missed reviewing it.The recipes are designed to reduce your intake of calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. All recipes include Nutrition Facts for calories, total fat, saturated fat, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, protein and dietary fiber. The American Dietetic Association and American Diabetes Association exchange lists per serving are included.The ingredients used are common and easy to find.There are 12 soups and salads, 14 poultry and other meats, 6 fish, 8 vegetables, 17 side dishes, 11 kugels, 11 dairy dishes and 24 desserts and baked goods–a total of 103 recipes. Many familiar favorites are here with modifications or decreased amounts in ingredients.As she writes in her introduction, “these healthy and creative recipes will help you breeze through Passover without sacrificing taste and originality.”I love her numbering of directions.That makes it ever so easy to follow. Each recipe occupies its own page with serving size, exchanges per serving and nutrition facts at the bottom which makes this information very convenient.What surprised me was the inconsistency in styling. For example, part of the time she starts a recipe requiring baking with instructions to preheat the oven; other times it is slipped in at the time we are to place the dish in the oven for baking or broiling. Along the same line, she rarely gives the direction for preparing the baking pan in the beginning after the preheating of the oven and slips it in at the time the food is being placed in the baking dish.Still, this cookbook is a great gift, ahead of the holiday, for yourself or your hostess! Here are some recipes from the book.Herbed Matza Balls (Serves 12)
2 whole eggs6 T. seltzer1/4 cup canola oil salt and pepper to taste1 cup matza meal2 T. finely chopped fresh mint2 T. finely chopped fresh dill1 t. ground ginger4 egg whites1. Mix eggs, seltzer, oil, salt and pepper.2. Stir in matza meal and herbs.3. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into matza meal mixture.4. Refrigerate for 2 hours. With wet hands, shape matzoh balls.5. Add to boiling water. Simmer matzoh balls for about 28-30 minutes.Potato Broccoli Knishes (Serves 6)1 cup mashed potatoes1/3 cup matza meal2 T. potato starch1/2 finely chopped small onion2 egg whites1/2 t. black pepper1/4 t. salt1 cup fresh or frozen steamed and finely chopped broccoli1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.2. In a bowl, combine potatoes, matza meal, potato starch, onion, egg whites, pepper and salt. Knead together.3. Divide the dough into 6 balls and flatten each.4. Divide the broccoli evenly onto each circle, fold over and press edges to seal.5. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange the knishes in a single layer and place the baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven.6. Bake for 15 minutes on each side.Serve hot.Matza Meal Mandelbrodt2 eggs2 egg whites1/3 cup canola oil1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce2/3 cup sugar1 1/4 cups matza meal1/4 T. cinnamon1. Beat eggs, egg whites, oil and apple sauce together.2. Add sugar and matzoh meal and mix well.3. Shape dough into 2 loaves and place on a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray 4. Bake for 20-25 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F. oven.5. Slice and add cinnamon on top.Return to oven for another 10 minutes.+++Festive Books for Children'The Passover Zoo Seder,' by S. Daniel Guttman,Pelican Publishing, $16.99 hardcover32 pp., 2011What happens when Pessah is coming and the zoo animals realize their Haggadot are worn out? The king of the beasts, Lion, calls a meeting and tells the animals that they must rely on the memory of Shai Elephant who then assigns each animal a part.Do you wonder how they all prepared for the Seder? Read this aloud and you’ll laugh all the way through.Little ones will enjoy the rhymes and the antics of the zoo animals; young adult readers and adults will catch the dry humor and the puns of this parody.Sheep do the Mah nishtanah; Wally Walrus did the Kiddush; Chief Bobby Baboon stole the afikomen; and Horsey and Donkey led Dayenu.A humorous index defines the words used for Passover and there is a word game and crossword puzzle at the end.S. Daniel Guttman lives in New Jersey and is president of a management consulting and marketing firm.Philip Ratner provides the cute pen and crayon illustrations.Click for special Jpost Pessah features‘Afikomen Mambo’ by Rabbi Joe BlackKar-Ben Publishing$17.95 hardcover with CD, $8.95 paperback with CD, $13.46 eBook24 pp., Spring 2011In this book for 1- to 4-year-olds, the family is gathered together for the Seder – a mother, dad, grandparents and nine kids of varying ages. But the theme is-who will find the afikomen, and the song on the CD will entertain everyone.Rabbi Black has a congregation in Denver, is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, and wrote the book, Boker Tov! Linda Prater, who lives in Colorado Springs, created the multicolored and endearing illustrations.“The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah” by Leslie KimmelmanHoliday House, $16.95 hardcoverFebruary 2010In this book, we have a Jewish little red hen who decides it is time to make matza. Over the months, she asks the animals of the yard to help her plant the grains, cut the wheat, carry it to the mill, and all refuse.As Passover is about to come, she decides to give them another chance when it is time to bake the matzah.What happens when the matzah is ready and the Seder table is set? Read the book and find out.The original story, adapted possibly from a Russian folk tale, has its own special moral and that is here with a Jewish twist, making the Jewish version very imaginative and witty for young readers.The introduction of Yiddish words also makes it fun and informative.At the end is a brief description of Passover and a recipe for matza plus a glossary of the Yiddish words used.Leslie Kimmelman, an editor at Sesame House and author of several Jewish books for children, lives in New York.The brightly colored illustrations are by Paul Meisel, illustrator of more than 60 children’s books, who lives in Connecticut.
