Good Days and Bad plus Some Recipes

I started my day panicking for no apparent reason. Seriously. Just kind of started panicking. I have a lot on my mind but I'll save that for another day. When I calmed down, I cracked open the book I've been reading since July. Initially, I bought Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes when I was in Detroit. I needed something to keep my mind off of what was going on: my grandmother was dying before my eyes. In the end, I opted for books on the Holocaust - it made me feel closer to her. I knew I'd eventually come back to Lunch in Paris but I didn't know when.

I believe that certain things come into our lives when necessary. For me, those things are usually books and recipes. Sometimes songs. When I picked up and continued reading Lunch in Paris the timing felt right; I just finished reading five books on the Holocaust. I thought it was supposed to be a fluffy love story but as I read more, I realize that Elizabeth Bard (the author) is a lot like me. Stuck between two places.

There are days in Israel where I want to curl up and cry. On other days, I want to set the country on fire. On my really good days, I just want to go for a walk and enjoy the scenery. My problem now: my good days are few and far between. I consider it a personal victory when I go through a day without someone chiding me for my lack of understanding the Hebrew language AND without someone saying "you need to be more Israeli." I'm not Israeli. I'm an American who happens to have Israeli citizenship.


I take that back. I am Israeli. I'm not a Sabra.

I wasn't born in this glorious country - which is why 99% of this place pisses me off. But it's still my home and the only home for the Jewish people.

This is the only place where Shabbat dinner is sacred among families.

Last night, we ventured out of our home to go to a friend's house. As usual when dining with friends, everyone bring something. Because I am forever my grandmother's granddaughter, I brought enough to feed a small Syrian army. I made Quinoa Salad; Lebanese Lentil Soup (recipe found here); House Salad with Japanese Steak House-style Dressing; and Pita Chips.

Like I said, small Syrian army. My yet-to-be born child will be lucky if he's not fat by the time he's 10.

Most of the food was REALLY easy to make - some of it was time consuming but all of it was delicious... to me. I think cooking for Shabbat made me a happier person yesterday - so I will count yesterday as a "good" day in Israel. So good that I will leave you with my recipes:

Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water
1 Bag of Lettuce or cut up romaine lettuce
1 Cucumber, deseeded, cut into small pieces
Dried fruit (I used cranberries but raisins or cut up apricots work well)
1 Can of Mandarin Orange Segments (do not drain)
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Pinch of Salt 

Prepared
Put a small pot on your stove and let it sit on the heat for a minute - add your quinoa then let that sit for a minute or two. Add your water and cover the pot. Take the pot off the heat and place the pot in your fridge when the quinoa looks like this:

 

In a large salad bowl, combine your lettuce, cucumber, and dried fruit. Take your can of orange segments and set aside 1/8 cup of the juice - drain the rest of the oranges and add to the salad. Take your orange liquid and add your olive oil to it with the salt. Set it aside. Once your quinoa is cooled, add it to the salad (without the liquid mixture). Toss the salad well. 

When you're ready to eat, wish the liquid/oil concoction together and add it to the salad. Give the salad a good toss and serve. 

House Salad with Japanese Steak House-style Dressing

Ingredients

(Dressing)

2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
5 small shallots (or 1 large one), peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup water 

(Salad)

1 cucumber

1 Bag of Lettuce (with carrots and red cabbage)

Prepared 

(Dressing)

Boil water in pot on the stove - once the water is boiling, add your carrots and let boil for 3-5 minutes, then drain the water and add the carrots to a food processor. Pulse the carrots until finely chopped. Add the shallots and pulse again until the mixture is finely chopped. Add your ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and oils - then pulse again until the mixture is combined well together. Add your water, mix well and move it to a seal-able container.

(Salad)

Peel, cut, and chop your cucumbers. Add them to a large salad bowl. Add your lettuce mixture to the bowl. Mix well. When the salad is ready to be served, spoon 2 spoonfuls of dressing over the salad - do not mix. Enjoy.

Pita Chips

Ingredients 

5 pitas

1/8 cup olive oil

1/8 teaspoon salt (or a pinch)

Za'atar (optional but really yummy)

Prepared 

With a pizza cutter or bread knife, cut each pita into 8 sections. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place the pita sections onto the sheet and brush the top of each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and Za'atar lightly onto each section. Place in the oven at 150 degrees C (300 degrees F) for 40 minutes. After 30 minutes, check to see if the pitas are hard and browned. If not, keep them in the oven for another 10 minutes and check again. Repeat in 10 minute increments as needed.

Do not eat them while they're hot!!!

If you've made it this far - I want to add that I highly recommend the book mentioned above. It's an easy read and you can easily relate to Elizabeth. I promise.