Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Book Review: G-d versus gods by Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein

Sometimes, it's just easier to do things in a video. Check out my review of Rabbi Klein's newest book G-d versus gods: Judaism in the Age of Idolatry, out now from Mosaica Press!



Get your copy on Amazon or Mosaica Press

Friday, January 11, 2019

All Shuk Up: Mujadra Basmati Rice Recipe, Vegetarian Jerusalem Mixed Grill, and More!

Hey hey happy Friday! Ah, it's nice to not have the pressures of work (it's been a long week, so I'm slacking today sort of but not really).

So I've been going all in on Instagram these days, and I've fallen deeply in love with the stories function. So, if you're on Instagram, make sure you're following me at @TheChaviva. I like how quick and easy it is to engage and interact with people, and it just fits in a bit better for me these days with all that's going on than long-form blogging does. I know, it's tough, but there we are.

First up: All Shuk Up! This is my new favorite obsession ... it's a company that importants goodies straight from Machane Yehudah (aka the shuk) in Jerusalem. Go there, buy all the things, and enjoy. Here are some of our favorites:

Shakshuka spice mix!
I ordered a bunch of the $2.50 samplers of the dried fruit, and my kids were super jazzed with the ones mentioned above. They weren't huge fans of the watermelon or the banana rolls, but I thought they were both pretty awesome. 

Pistachio mix. DROOL!

If you place an order with them, mention my name in the comments so they know how you found them! There's also a discount code right now just in time for Tu B'Shevat. Enter TBSHVT at checkout for free shipping.

And now ... recipes!

So the mujadra mix is one of my husband's favorites. On my recent trip to Israel, I mulled back a TON of stuff from the shuk, including a mujadra mix that came pre-mixed with rice in it. This one doesn't have the rice in it, but it was easy enough to throw together a recipe for the Instant Pot. 



Mujadra Basmati Rice

Ingredients
Directions
  • Spray the IP with your oil of choice to prevent sticking.
  • Throw everything in the IP. 
  • Cover and make sure the vent is sealed. 
  • Cook for 10 minutes on high pressure.
  • Let pressure release naturally or do a quick release >> it's up to you
  • Enjoy! (I like to serve this with salmon.)
Mr. T would eat this every day of the week if he could, no lie. This will be one thing I have in stock always. He misses Israeli cuisine (he did live there for like 10 years), and so do I!

Next up is another spice mix Mr. T asked me to pick up: meurav Yerushalmi mix. One of the most popular meals you can get in Israel basically anywhere is the Jerusalem Mixed Grill: chicken hearts, spleens and liver mixed with bits of lamb cooked on a flat grill, seasoned with onion, and a ton of spices. 

Now, we're vegetarian at home but he's been jonesing for this, so I put on my kosher-cooking thinking cap and came up with this: Jerusatarian Mixed Grill. It's a vegetarian twist (really it's vegan) on the Mixed Grill using the meurav Yerusahlmi mix!

The proteins were Gardein's Beefless Crumbles + Chickpeas + Gardein's Chick'n Scallopini, and the recipe looks roughly something like this: 

[I wanted to put a picture here, but it's not the most photogenic of foods HA!]

Jerusatarian Mixed Grill

Ingredients
  • 1 bag Gardein's Beefless Crumbles
  • 1 cup chickpeas
  • 3 Gardein Chick'n Scallopini
  • 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
  • Plenty of All Shuk Up's meurav Yerushalmi mix
Directions
  • Fry up/sauté the yellow onion until it's brown and caramelized and set aside.
  • Cook Beefless Crumbles according to package directions. 
  • Cook Chick'n Scallopini according to package directions and then slice them into strips or chunks. 
  • In a large wok-style or saute pan, mix together the onions, crumbles, chickpeas, chick'n, and meurav Yerushalmi mix until thoroughly combined. 
  • Serve with pita, hummus, tahini, Israeli pickles, green olives, baba ganoush, and more. 

Are you going to order from All Shuk Up? Have you already ordered? What are you most excited about?