Make It From Scratch: Mizuna Pesto

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Mizuna is a Japanese mustard green with serrated leaves that resemble dandelion greens. Its flavor is tangy and slightly bitter. Mizuna is nutrient dense with lots of vitamins A, C and K, folate and iron. The leaves are often used in salad mixes like mesclun and spring mix.

Its bitterness yet slight unfamiliarity to most people make it a thematic addition to the Passover Seder meal. Although halachically it cannot be substituted for romaine lettuce on the Seder plate, it can be served at the Seder meal in raw form.

Mizuna can also be made into a (dairy) pesto to serve with breakfast. This mizuna pesto recipe is very tasty and so simple to whip up:

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups mizuna leaves, washed and dried, and include leaves and stem

• 2/3 cup nuts (roasted 5 min in the oven)

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

• 3 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

• 1 Tbsp lemon zest

• 2/3 cup olive oil

• 3 or 4 garlic cloves

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Throw the mizuna into a food processor.

2. On a baking rack lined with parchment paper, roast the nuts for 5 minutes in the oven.

3. Add the roasted nuts, then the rest of the ingredients.

4. Run the food processor on high for 30 seconds or until the ingredients are completely processed.

That’s all there is to it! This pesto goes well on matzo – or even on its own as a side dish.

Chag kasher v'sameach.

The Matzo Ball, Reinvented (With Almond Flour)

ACTIVE PREP TIME: 5 MIN TO PREPARE THE MIXTURE
PASSIVE PREP TIME: 1 HR TO REFRIGERATE THE MIXTURE

One of the hallmarks of the Passover seder is matzo ball soup. This traditional Ashkenazi food is almost always made from matzo meal. However, people who are celiac or gluten-sensitive, or who choose not to eat wheat, are not able to partake in this holiday indulgence. Additionally, although matzo is a big part of Passover and should be enjoyed on seder night, matzo balls are just one more dense, carbohydrate-heavy, fiber-less food to digest so late at night.

Traditional Matzo Balls Are Very Unhealthy

And then there are the additives: Nearly all Passover soup mixes contain salt, sugar, cottonseed oil and MSG, in addition to either matzo meal or potato starch. The sodium content in particular is sky-high, with as much as 590mg per teaspoon! Examples abound: 1,290mg/Tbsp, 350mg/Tbsp (1 matzo ball), 1,040mg/Tbsp (1 cup) and 1,770mg/Tbsp.

A Healthy Alternative Made From Almond Flour

The good news? You can easily make a delicious-tasting substitute for matzo balls using almond flour. These are simple, tasty and, with some added mint, rather refreshing.

Please note: The flour we use in this recipe is the Kirkland brand from Costco. There is a difference in consistency between brands. It also matters whether the product is almond flour or almond meal.

The Recipe

• 2 cups almond flour (not almond meal)

• 4 eggs

• 1/8 cup water (optional: use club soda for more fluffiness)

• 1/2 tsp dill weed

• 1/2 tsp dried mint leaves

• 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

The Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with all ingredients except almond flour

2. Stir in almond flour

3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour

4. Wet your hands with a little bit of water

5. Shape batter into 1-inch balls

6. Add balls to a pot of cooking chicken soup about 20 minutes before the soup is done

7. Let simmer for 20 minutes

Initially, the flavor will feel unfamiliar. Let the experience sink in. It is liberating.

Quick Wild Salmon Salad Dinner

This week, I am featuring healthy, home-cooked meals that can be prepared quickly and efficiently, from easy-to-source ingredients.

One of the most challenging aspects about parenting is feeding your family meals that are delicious and nutritiously nourishing, while also being quick. That means no refined white flour pasta, preservative-laden sauces or packaged side dishes. That would be the easy way out.

Eating clean often takes time, planning and lots of made-from-scratch ingredients. But it need not be a burden if your kitchen and pantry are prepared and stocked, ahead of time, for the most common vegetables and other essentials.

I am reminded of a quote by Louis Pasteur:

“Chance favors the prepared mind.”

This works in cooking as well as in business or personal matters.

My kids have come to expect restaurant-style cooking every night. But sometime the wife needs a break. Here’s a meal that she prepared in about 10 minutes. It was a hit, too!

• Canned wild salmon with mayonnaise, paprika and chopped yellow onion

• Romaine lettuce and chopped red onion with olive oil and vinegar

• Sliced candy stripe beets (we almost always have some steamed beets on hand)

• Watermelon radish slices (this one is a favorite of our 7-year-old)

We purchased the wild salmon, organic olive oil and organic apple cider vinegar from Costco (all Kirkland). Everything else was purchased at the Larchmont Village farmer’s market in Los Angeles, from vendors including Underwood Farms and Sunrise Farms.

What are some quick and healthy meals that you’ve prepared for your family lately? Where did you buy the raw materials?