November 2018

We are now Kasheribbean

Uncategorized / By

If you have been keeping an eye on us you already noticed our social handles and our website changed, so we are now “Kasheribbean”. In this post we explain our reasons behind it and what Kasheribbean is about.

Have you ever woke up one day and felt like “I just need to do this now”. That’s exactly how I felt one day back in 2017. My sister and I had an idea for a blog and I spent months looking for the perfect host, the perfect domain provider, the perfect concept, the perfect images, and the perfect “everything”.

I ended up with analysis paralysis until one day when I said to myself “is now or never”. So, I just jump at it by buying a domain of the name we both agreed upon, and sisterblissdiary.com was born.

After some time, I personally felt our name wasn’t clear, and didn’t really communicate what we were about. At some point I wasn’t even sure what we were really about! Oops! But I kept going because I thought some day I would make it work.

But it didn’t work…

As much as I tried to give Sister Bliss Diary an identity, it wasn’t really working. It simply didn’t resonate and it wasn’t clear. So I had another idea. What if I was just myself, share what I make at home on a daily basis and and pick a name that represents me better instead of just having to make “special” recipes for the blog, under a name I wasn’t feeling?

So, on the Dominican Republic’s Independence Day , I introduced my first Caribbean recipe: Dominican Style Spicy Sardines Rice. In less than a week it was shared over 100 times on pinterest. I was very, VERY surprised!

I continued blogging, making a dominican recipe here and there, until I started to feel more comfortable and more ideas started flowing on that direction. Without realizing it, I started narrowing down by focusing on Caribbean inspired recipes (instead of just random easy recipes ideas) while continuing with the travel posts and lifestyle posts.

One day, I was talking with my husband about old restaurants ideas we had, and it hit me. Kasheribbean, a word my husband coined years ago as a concept for a restaurant, was THE NAME! The perfect concept for the blog I wanted to create and that better represented who I was; so, in our 1st blog anniversary I announced we were expecting some big changes, included a name change!. It couldn’t wait any longer – the blog needed to undergo a major surgery.

I didn’t figure out everything from the start

I admire all of those talented bloggers that hire a team and have all figure out from the start, but as you can tell, this wasn’t the case here AT ALL, and honestly, I would not have it any other way, because I have learned so much and have discovered others I enjoy (who would have told me that creating a tiny piece of code can be so fulfilling?)

Thankfully, just like human beings, brands and concepts can evolve with time.

So, it was the time for Sister Bliss Diary to transform to Kasheribbean.

Kasheribbean: the place for kasher Caribbean recipes

I love to collect recipes from all over; but back to 15-20 years ago, every time I looked at a kasher cookbook or a promising kasher website, the recipes were either middle eastern recipes or ashkenazi. No offense! I love Middle Eastern food, and I even like Gefilte Fish (which apparently is rare among sepharadim!) but as a jew that grew up in the Caribbean, the lack of representation I felt was real.

So, Kasheribbean = Kasher + Caribbean, and has as a main goal to share with you kasher, family-friendly Caribbean inspired recipes, always made with natural ingredients so that you have the most authentic Caribbean flavor.

Final words

I dedicate this blog to all Caribbean Jews that are always told “there are not jews in the Caribbean”. We exist and this is a place to showcase our flavors and traditions about food.

Do you like Kasheribbean?

If you love what we share, spread some love by following on instagram and pinterest, and don’t forget to share with your friends and family. Stay tune for other exciting news that are already cooking!!

Until next time! ?

Dominican Stewed Kidney Beans {Vegan, GF}

Passover, Recipes, Sides / By

Dominican Stewed Kidney Beans {Vegan, Gluten-Free}

These dominican style Stewed Kidney Beans are the perfect companion to fresh and steamy white rice. We chose kidney beans for this particular recipe, because of their robust and earthly flavor as well as their creamy texture. Kidney beans are also full of nutrients, versatile and easily available, but you can also use small red beans, or pinto beans if that’s what you have available. 

When buying kidney beans (or any beans for that matter) is important to look for dried beans that are clean and unbroken. Beans and packaging should be free from mold or insect damage, and you should avoid anything with a humid or musty odor. If you can, choose beans packaged in airtight or sealed bags to maintain freshness. Fresher beans will cook fasted and more evenly, and will have better flavor.

Store dried beans in a cool, dry place in an airtight container to maintain their quality and freshness. Cooked beans can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you want to keep for longer, store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. 

How to make Dominican Stewed Kidney Beans

In order to make stewed kidney beans, you’ll need to first soak the beans overnight. Once the beans are all hydrated (they will almost double in size), discard the water, rinse the beans, add the beans to a pot, cover with fresh water and boil the beans on medium-high until they are fork tender. This could take somewhat between 1 hour to 2 hours. Alternatively, you can cook the beans with a pressure cooker, if you have one. 

 

Once the kidney beans are tender, is time to make the base of your stew with a simple but powerful trio: olive oil, minced garlic and dried oregano. This is seriously the base of any delicious stewed beans, so don’t skip this important step!

 

One unconventional but important addition to these stewed kidney beans are bell pepper cores. If you don’t do this already, hear me out and save those beauties, because they take any stewed beans to the next level. I like to clean mine from seeds and the stems, after which I keep in the freezer on an airtight container for future use. 

These are my little secrets to make dominican style stewed kidney beans. Now that you know them, there’s no excuse for you to make delicious stewed beans over and over again. 

Dominican style Stewed Kidney Beans

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Lunch
Cuisine Dominican Republic

Ingredients
  

  • 1,200 gr Kidney beans From 1 Kg soaked overnight, drained and cooked without any salt or seasoning
  • 30 gr garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 gr 3gr dried oregano leaved (about 1 Tbsp)

    Dried leaves not powder

  • 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 30 gr Yellow onion about 1 medium
  • 20 gr Red bell pepper
  • 1 Bell pepper core, seedless
  • 1/2 Tbsp Sweet Paprika (optional)
  • Fresh cilantro if you can't find it, feel free to use fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add Olive oil to a pot and cook minced garlic and oregano on low, until fragrant. This will take 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the cooked kidney beans, onion (leave it whole), bell pepper, sweet paprika powder and parsley. Simmer on medium low for about 30 min or until the vegetables are soft.
  • Take out the onion, bell pepper and parsley, with approximately 1/2 cup of the liquid and beans, and blend until smooth.
  • Strain the vegetable mixture you just blended over the rest of the beans. Add salt (about 1/3 to 1/2 Tbsp for this amount of beans would be enough).
  • Continue to cook the beans for a few more minutes until it thickens to your liking (keep in mind they will thicken even more when cool)

Notes

-  1 Kg of dried kidney beans, will yield approximately 1200 gr of cooked beans. You can use it all for this recipe.
 
Keyword beans, caribbean cuisine, lunch

If you make this Dominican Stewed Kidney beans, or any other recipe from the blog, don’t forget to use the hashtag #kasheribbean to share your pictures, and don’t forget to follow along on instagram and pinterest for more easy recipes.

Classic Stuffed Peppers with Spinach & Dill {Vegan, GF}

Passover, Shabbath, Sides, Sukkoth / By

Today we are making Stuffed Peppers!

I tried Stuffed Peppers and I failed miserably

Somewhere in May, one random ereb shabbath, my creative energy was not flowing AT ALL. After a while I decided I was going to make Vegan Stuffed Peppers for shabbath, since I had what I needed: Peppers and rice. Right? Wrong!! 

Usually, when people realize that I “can cook” they automatically assume all I do is good and perfect from the first time, but the truth is good food is a beautiful leaning process. Some get it easily the first time, and other after a few tries. You are now a witness; the first time I made stuffed peppers it was for sure a total disaster. For some reason (maybe all those 30 seconds insta videos are guilty lol) I believed stuffed peppers was about just peppers and any rice, so I tried with basmati and I failed miserably.  

I love Basmati rice. It has beautiful aroma, cooks easily, fluffy and separate which makes it perfect for salads and pilafs, but definitely not so good for stuffed peppers. As you can see in the picture above, the rice looks dry (it was actually crispy) and it was not holding together, as it should when making stuffed peppers, so the perfect rice to make stuffed peppers (and also dolmas, stuffed cabbage, and more) is risotto rice. 

Want more risotto rice recipes? Check out our Vegan Beer & Almonds Risotto 

The Basics of Stuffed Peppers

The good thing about Stuffed Peppers is that, apart from the rice, there is really not “basics”…. Well, maybe there are a few “must”, and they are: 

  1. Add salt and pepper to the interior of your Peppers: this can be easily forgotten but it is so important! Just sprinkle a little salt in the interior of each pepper and you are good to go. 
  2. Always keep your Pepper tops!: They would act like lids and will prevent a crust on the top of the rice . 
  3. Cut a little bit of the bottom, so the peppers stand on the baking dish.
  4. Pack the rice tightly in each cavity. If you don’t want to serve too much rice, use smaller peppers. 
  5. Place the stuffed peppers tightly in the baking dish. This will help the peppers hold their shape while baking. 


Bonus Tip! Don’t throw away the peppers core! Remove the seeds and store in the freezer on resealable bags. They give amazing flavor and aroma to any stew, specially stewed kidney beans. Nom nom!  

How to Make Stuffed Peppers

Because this is a very basic Stuffed Peppers recipe, I used 3 simple ingredients for my rice: onions, spinach and fresh dill. 

Basically, I sauteed the onions until lightly golden. Added the risotto rice, spinach, dill and salt to taste. Cook until most of the water is absorbed. Then, cover with the lid and cook on low until the rice is al dente. 

What you need to do next is to stuff the peppers, place the pepper caps on top, and bake until the peppers are tender.  

When you make this recipe or any other from the blog, use the tag #kasheribbean. And, don’t forget to follow on instagram and pinterest to keep up with our easy recipes from us and the blogosphere!


 

As you can see, Stuffed Peppers are easy to make and you can play with the fillings as much as you want, so the combinations are endless. Play around with your favorite ingredients and let us know the most exciting combos you come up with! 

Until next time! 😉  

Chickpeas & Spinach Curry {Vegan, GF}

Kippur, Passover, Recipes / By

Temperature is dropping and rainy days are pretty much everyday, and this Chickpeas & Spinach Curry is perfect for such days. I hope you enjoy this easy recipe and make it very soon.

Super Quick Lunch or Dinner

I have been making this delicious and super quick Chickpeas & Spinach Curry for months now. The first time I made it I basically just trowed some random ingredients in a pot and let it cook for a few minutes. The combination of ingredients resulted in a very yummy, thick and chunky “soup” that totally exceeded my expectations.

For this recipe I used the most simple ingredients of all: yellow onion, potato, spinach, parsley, chickpeas and spices. In the pictures you can see I ended up adding some carrots; and from that you understand this curry (or thick soup) is very forgiving. You can add as much variety of veggies as you like, scraps and also is a great way to use leftovers. 

Ginger, Garam Masala, Turmeric & Curry 

These are the 4 spices I used for this recipe. The aromas are strong but the coconut milk balanced them out really well with its sweet smell. 

You can find Garam Masala in the ethnic food aisle, or in Hindu, Suriname or Morocco shops. If you don’t have one of those shops close by you can easily buy on amazon and other places online. 

How to make Chickpeas & Spinach Curry

Months ago, I was making this recipe over and over again every week, so one day I made a quick video on how to make it that you can find on our IGTV, so go check it out. 

Want more Vegan Recipes? Check out Our Ultimate Vegan Meatballs (They taste almost like the real thing!!) & the Classic Stuffed Peppers

Don’t llet the simple ingredients and easy process fool you because the flavor is amazing!

Have you made this recipe or any other from the blog? Use the tag #kasheribbean, so we can see your yummy pictures. And, don’t forget to follow on instagram and pinterest to keep up with the easy recipes we share also from the blogosphere!

Until next time! 😉