The Shabbat Table: Eating the rainbow

Good Shabbos, Shabbat Shalom! After a month of feasting and fasting for the High Holidays, it’s time once again to include healthier fare for your Shabbos menu! With Parshat Noach, just passed, I’ve chosen some fun-filled, rainbow-inspired recipes to brighten up your Shabbat table.

 

For a different twist, add different colours of gel paste food colouring to my award-winning challah dough and braid it to make a Rainbow Challah! The consistency of Wilton Gel Paste Food Colouring will allow you to add intense colour without wetting the dough or altering the flavour. If you’re short on time, an easy hack is to top your challah with coloured sprinkles instead of poppy or sesame seeds before baking!

 

See my Award-Winning Challah recipe here:

 

For a fun-filled dessert, the kids will love Amy Kritzer’s Rainbow Sprinkle Macaroons! 

 

DANIELLA SILVER’S CAULIFLOWER RAINBOW “RICE”

Adapted from The Silver Platter: Simple Elegance (Artscroll/Mesorah)

 

Faux “fried rice is the latest trend. Cauliflower is processed in a food processor until it reaches the consistence of rice, becoming the base for this yummy side dish.

 

Pareve | Passover option | Gluten-free | Do not freeze | Yields 4–6 servings

 

1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets

2–3 Tbsp grapeseed oil

2 medium onions, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)

2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced

1 cup small broccoli florets

1 cup frozen peas or shelled edamame beans (do not thaw)

1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari

1 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (optional)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

 

  1. Working in batches, process cauliflower in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, using quick on/off pulses, until it resembles grains of rice. Do not over-process. (See Norene’s Notes, below.)
  2. In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; stir-fry for 5 minutes, until golden. Add carrots, peppers, and broccoli; cook until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes longer.
  3. Stir in peas and cauliflower “rice.” Mix well. Cook for 3–4 minutes; until heated though.
  4. Drizzle in soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, salt, and pepper; mix well. Adjust seasonings to taste. Transfer to a large platter; garnish with scallions.

 

Norene’s Notes:

 

  • Time-Saving Tip: Transfer processed cauliflower to a large platter. Then process the onions, garlic, carrots, and peppers in small batches in the food processor using quick on/off pulses, until coarsely chopped. Do not over-process.
  • Passover Version: Omit peas, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Saute 1–2 cups sliced mushrooms in Step 2 along with onions and garlic.

 

NORENE’S RAINBOW QUINOA, TWO WAYS!

Adapted from The New Food Processor Bible: 30th Anniversary Edition (Whitecap)

 

Some like it hot, some like it cold! Serve cooked quinoa cold as a colorful salad or hot as a pilaf. A food processor helps speed up preparation.

 

Rainbow Quinoa Salad

 

Yields 8 servings

 

3 cups vegetable or chicken broth (low-sodium or regular)

1 1/2 cups quinoa

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup fresh basil or dill

4 green onions (scallions), cut in chunks

1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow bell pepper, cut in chunks

1/2 cup baby carrots or 1 medium carrot

1 cup canned mandarin oranges, well-drained

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

 

  1. Place broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Place quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer and rinse under cold running water for 1 to 2 minutes; drain well. (Rinsing removes the bitter coating.)
  2. Add quinoa to boiling liquid. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, transfer to a large bowl and let cool.
  3. Insert the steel blade in the bowl of the food processor. Process garlic, parsley and basil or dill until minced, about 10 seconds. Add to quinoa.
  4. Process green onions, peppers, and carrots with several quick on/off pulses, until coarsely chopped. Add to quinoa along with mandarins and dried cranberries.
  5. Add oil, orange juice, salt, and pepper. Mix gently to combine.
  6. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day in advance. Adjust seasonings to taste before serving.

 

Norene’s Notes:

 

  • Recipe can be doubled easily for a crowd. This will keep 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.

 

Quinoa Pilaf

 

  1. Cook quinoa as directed. Keep warm.
  2. Reduce oil to 2 Tbsp and heat in a large, deep skillet or pot. Add chopped green onions, peppers, and carrots and sauté on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender.
  3. Add cooked quinoa to skillet along with mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, orange juice, salt and pepper. (Don’t add any more oil.)
  4. Mix gently, cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until heated through. Add a little extra orange juice or broth to prevent sticking, if necessary.

 

Norene’s Notes:

 

  • Freezes and reheats well.

 

RAINBOW TABBOULEH SALAD

Adapted from Healthy Helpings (Whitecap Books) (originally published as MealLeaniYumm!)

 

This colorful, vitamin-packed salad is guaranteed to be a winner on any buffet table! This is a wonderful way to use up fresh mint if you grow it in your garden.

 

1/3 cup bulgur or couscous (see Norene’s Notes, below)

2/3 cup boiling water

2 cup minced flat-leaf or curly parsley (see Norene’s Notes, below)

1 cup mint leaves (see Norene’s Notes, below)

1 green and 1 red pepper

4 firm, ripe tomatoes

4 green onions (scallions)

1/4 cup red onion

1/4 cup grated carrots

1/2 English cucumber, seeded and diced

1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil (to taste)

1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (to taste)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)

Fresh mint or basil leaves, to garnish

 

  1. In a small bowl, combine bulgur or couscous with boiling water. Let stand for 20 minutes to soften. (Couscous will take only 10 minutes.) Meanwhile, soak parsley and mint in cold salted water for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and dry well. Trim off tough parsley stems. Remove mint leaves from stems.
  2. Mince parsley and mint leaves. Chop vegetables. (Do this in the processor in batches, using on/off turns to retain texture.) Combine parsley, mint, and vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Add drained bulgur or couscous, olive oil, and lemon juice. Mix well. Add salt, pepper, and basil. Allow to stand for at least 1/2 hour for flavors to blend. Garnish with fresh mint or basil leaves.

 

Yield: 8 servings. Leftovers will keep for 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator.

 

Norene’s Notes:

 

  • Store bulgur in an airtight in a cool dark place. It can be stored in the refrigerator for several months, or in the freezer for up to a year.
  • Parsley should be well-dried before chopping. Your processor makes quick work of this task. Measure parsley after chopping. You need approximately twice as much before chopping to give you the required amount for this recipe.
  • If fresh mint is not available, add 2 tsp. dried mint. If you don’t have dried mint, just leave it out. The salad will still have a delicious, garden-fresh flavor.

 

Norene Gilletz is the leading author of kosher cookbooks in Canada. She is the author of 12 cookbooks and divides her time between work as a food writer, food manufacturer, consultant, spokesperson, cooking instructor, lecturer and cookbook editor. Norene lives in Toronto and her motto is, “Food that’s good for you should taste good!” For more information, visit her website www.gourmania.com or email her at [email protected].