fattoush salad

Pesach is over, the pitas are coming! :) In case you don't live in Canada, you probably missed the snowy days we've been experiencing this spring this far in my hometown of Montreal. Luckily, that won't stop me from making fresh, zesty and SUPER CRUNCHY salads in my cozy kitchen, starting with this Fattoush Salad. Fattoush Salad is a Middle Eastern salad recipe that is very delicious combining fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, aromatic herbs and toasted pita. You can make this salad for dinner, lunch or even for brunch, it's great for a potluck or dinner party as well. 

fattoush salad

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prep time 10 min. | Total time: 20 min.  | Serves 2 |  Dairy Weight Watchers Friendly: 7 points
INGREDIENTS

Two 8-inch thin pita
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons za’atar or sumac
2 ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, chopped
3 kirby cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into half-moons
3-4 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

1.  Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lay the pitas on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, about 12 minutes.

2. Take out from the oven and let cool fully, and break into bite-size pieces. Transfer to a bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoons of the olive oil, and stir to coat.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, yogurt, sumac (or za’atar), lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.

4.  In a large bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Fold in the toasted pita pieces. Drizzle the dressing over the top and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

banana chocolate chip macaroons

I have news to share this Passover eve.... I'm turning the big 40 this summer and I am so beyond excited! For starters, I do not look 40... and secondly,  I certainly do not feel 40. I am not sure why millennials think 40 is old... because in many ways I feel like I am starting a new chapter at this moment in time. ;) The one thing I have noticed though,  is a slowdown in my metabolism, and with the winter months behind us, I decided to join Weight Watchers and check out what their new Freestyle program is all about.

On one hand I always loved amazing food, on the other hand, I always felt like I needed to stay away from amazing food - especially baked goods. Who else relates with me? What I really like about this program is the inspirational women I meet, and the delicious healthy foods I am indulging in! Adopting this eating program for the coming months, I have decided to apply Weight Watchers points on all of my recent recipes. More so, I am developing delicious, yet health conscious baked goodies.   So this passover, I came up with Banana Chocolate Chip Macaroons with no added sugar or fats. These make about 8 servings and are 3 points for 2.

banana chocolate chip macaroons
with No Added Sugar or Oil

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prep time 5 min. | Total time: 20 min.  | Makes 16 | Passover Friendly
INGREDIENTS/ INSTRUCTIONS
3 oz of coconut flakes 1/3 cup of bitter sweet chocolate chips 1 ripe banana    1 tbsp of honey 1 egg pinch of salt PREP TOOLS Parchment paper  Cookie Sheet	1.  In Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place a parchment paper on a cookie sheet and set aside. 2.   In a bowl, mash the banana, then combine the coconut flakes, honey, egg and pinch of salt. Once well combined, toss in the chocolate chips. 3.  Make little balls of he mixture with a spoon. You should have enough for 16 balls. 4.  Bake in the over for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool. 5.  Voila! You have a nice treat with no added sugar or butter!

matzah chicken fajitas

This Passover, I am making Matzvah Chicken Fajitas! I love this recipe because its filling, clean and so easy to make when you are tired of being in the kitchen... oh,  and your kids will love it!

matzah chicken fajitas

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prep time 5 min. | Total time: 20 min.  | Serves 4-6 | Passover Friendly Weight Watchers Friendly: 5 Points
INGREDIENTS/ INSTRUCTIONS
3 chicken breasts 2 tbsp olive oil 1/3 cup of water 1 medium onion, sliced 3 garlic cloves 1 lime, juiced 2 bell peppers, sliced 1 chili pepper 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp onion powder 2 tsp honey salt and pepper to taste matzah  Flat-leaf parsley to garnish	1.  Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Sliver onions, chili pepper and red peppers - set aside. 2.   In a separate bowl, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, juice of 1/2 lime, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, sliced chili pepper, cumin, salt and ground pepper. Cut chicken into strips and toss with the spice mixture. 3.  Preheat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high. Add the chicken and cook until just cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan. 4.  In the same pan, add the onions and cook 2 minutes. Add in all of the sliced peppers and cook an additional 2 minutes or just until hot. Add chicken back to the pan and stir to combine. 5.  Squeeze additional lime on top, serve over matzah and garnish with parsley.

one-pot chicken and asparagus

Short on time this Passover? Go the one-pot recipe route with this chicken thigh and asparagus recipe. 

one-pot chicken and asparagus

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prep time 5 min. | Total time: 25 min.  | Serves 6-8 | Passover Friendly Weight Watchers Friendly: 5 Points
INGREDIENTS/ INSTRUCTIONS
6-8 boneless chicken thighs or breasts 1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons minced garlic fresh parsley or herbs of choice ½ teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon garlic powder 2-3 tbsp of water	1.  Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large pan/skillet over medium-high heat, place olive oil, garlic, spices and herbs and until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. 2.  Reduce heat to medium, add chicken to pan, and cook for 5-7 minutes, then flip and cook another 5-7 minutes. (Chicken should be nearly, but not completely cooked through by this point) 3.  Scoot the chicken over the sides and add remaining add 2 tbsp of water and asparagus. Season asparagus with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, rotating throughout, for 4-6 minutes until tender and chicken is completely cooked through. 4.  Serve immediately garnished with freshly cracked black pepper and fresh herbs if desired.

sweet potato noodle salad

This sweet potato salad is perfect and filling for a Passover weeknight dinner. Best served  as a side-dish with chicken or fish. The piralizer machine is go-to Passover kitchen tool to own. To create long noodles, I passed my potatoes through the spiralizer, it's fantastic!

sweet potato noodle salad with lime, honey and micro-greens

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prep time 10 min | Total time: 20 minutes  | Serves 6-8 | Passover Friendly
INGREDIENTS/ INSTRUCTIONS
2 sweet potatoes 1 cup micro-greens or arugula 2-3 cloves garlic 1 cup greens - spinach, fresh 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, fresh 1 individual chipotle peppers 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1 lime, juice of 1 tbsp  honey 1 generous pinch salt 1/2 cup pepitas 1 tsp olive oil for dressing 2 tbsp olive oil (add a bit of water as needed to avoid burning)	1.  Heat a little bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet potato noodles and toss for a minute or two until softened.  2.  Toss the noodles, cilantro, micro greens and pepitas together. Save a little of each ingredient for topping the salad if you want it to be extra pretty.  3.   Pulse the dressing ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking. 4.   Toss with the salad ingredients and you’re good to go! WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS: 5 POINT

veggie egg muffins

Last week was C2 Montreal week in my hometown, it's Montreal's commerce and creativity industry conference... and yes Martha Stewart was there along with stellar chefs like Italian Michelin  Chef Massimo Batura, Canada's top chef, Jeremy Charles, and Antonio Park... and more. Granted they aren't kosher, but they are top chefs conveying an important message on food waste. A movement is being established to avoid food waste, turning to a social economy, via technology or apps,  to share produce that are going bad.

So when you need to clean out your fridge, and produce isn't as fresh as it could be, make an omelet, or better yet, a veggie egg muffin (like these). Eggs are loaded with protein, satisfying, substitute high carb breakfasts, and can take on so many flavors. I've eaten a fair share of eggs in my life and needed to jazz them up a little more into these mini veggie muffins. Easy to make, they are great snacks on the go and kid-friendly!  Enjoy these for brunch, snack or breakfast to go, you can even make them the night before. So next time food is going bad, make an effort not to throw it in the bin- I am guilty of this as well, and will try to benefit from an App like BonApp not to do so. Bonne appetite!

veggie egg muffins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prep time 5 min | Total time: 25 minutes  | Yields 8-10 | Dairy or Vegetarian
INGREDIENTS	INSTRUCTIONS
6 large whole eggs 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt black pepper 3 tablespoons thawed frozen spinach, drained 1/4 cup diced tomatoes 1/4 cup diced onion or green onions 1/2 tsp of nutmeg salt & pepper to taste 4 mushrooms diced 1/4 cup diced bell pepper 2 oz shredded cheese	1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray muffin tray. 2.  Whisk the eggs, add the salt and stir in the veggies. 3.  Add the mixture in each muffin tray and put it into the oven for 15-20 minutes. You'l know they are ready when they pop out and are slightly browned on top. 4. Allow them  to cool, and put them in the fridge. Serve them with a dill and sour cream spread.