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

Passover, Shabbath, Sides, Sukkoth / Hannah Abreu

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:

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.
Always keep your Pepper tops!: They would act like lids and will prevent a crust on the top of the rice .
Cut a little bit of the bottom, so the peppers stand on the baking dish.
Pack the rice tightly in each cavity. If you don’t want to serve too much rice, use smaller peppers.
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! 😉

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Vegan Beer & Almonds Risotto

Recipes, Rosh HaShanah, Shabbath, Shabuoth, Sides, Sukkoth / Hannah Abreu

A few weeks ago I made proper risotto for the first time, and today I bring you the results: A delicious, easy, vegan with Gluten Free option Beer & Almonds Risotto!

The inspiration behind this Beer & Almonds Risotto

Back in march this year, we went to Portugal, and after spending the whole day walking and exploring the city of Lisbon, we had a lovely dinner under the stars. On the menu, one dish catches my attention: Almond Risotto.

When I saw that perfectly cooked, creamy and absolutely delicious risotto, my mind immediately took me back in time to when I was twelve. The time when we met Tio Mario (uncle Mario, whose real name was Mario Autore).

Tio Mario was an old man that lived in our building, originally from Napoli, Italy. Everyone’s perception was that Tio Mario was just a difficult man. He barely talked to anyone, and he didn’t have family and friends in the country.

After a few weeks, my mom realized they had met before, back when my mother was studying at university. He was a restaurant owner, his restaurant was near the university and my mom went there often. That realization evolved into instant connection. That old, lonely man started cooking for us every week, we started visiting often, to the point that if we were not at home, we were with Tio Mario. We soon became family.

Endless pastas… and, risottos

The first thing we tried from Tio Mario, was pasta! Now you know my little secret: my appreciation for pasta recipes comes from those memories. My LOVE for culinary arts was also born and grown since the day I met Tio Mario, because he not just started cooking for us, but when I told him I wanted to be a chef, he soon welcomed me into his kitchen, and became my mentor.

Endless kind of pastas, risottos, pasta, sauces, snacks and desserts, became part of our lives and memories, alongside our newly added family member! 🙂 He was 84 by the way!!

Check out the perfect companion of pasta with tomato sauce! The Ultimate Vegan Meatballs

The inspiring picture

Few weeks ago, on a random day, I was thinking of Tio Mario and I thought of the risotto we had back in Lisbon. When I saw the picture I captured after the one of the risotto, the idea hit me. I didn’t have white wine so I would make BEER & Almonds risotto 😛

I don’t know why I was so intimidated by the idea, because it ended up being so easy to make! You just need to start with the right rice, risotto rice , and you have won half the battle.

How to Make Beer & Almonds Risotto

To make this Beer & Almonds Risotto, I started by dry-roasting some silvered almonds on the pan, until they were light golden brown and fragrant. Once they were done, I set aside, added some olive oil to the pan and sauteed some shallots.

Once the shallots were fragrant and translucent, I added the risotto rice and this is when the fun starts. You start by adding the alcohol, seasonings and the stock, stir and stir, until the ingredients transform into a yummy, creamy al-dente risotto.

It would have not been possible for me to have a great Beer & Almonds Risotto without Gennaro Contaldo’s fantastic tutorial on how to make Risotto Bianco.

Sometimes it saddens me that Tio Mario passed away four years after we met him. It also saddens me that I don’t remember all the names of the dishes, or the flavors of many. Despite that, I keep his memory alive, and every time I cook or see any resemblance of Italian gastronomy, I think of my beloved Tio Mario.

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!

Do you have food memories that you cherish? I bet you do!! Never take them for granted and express your gratitude and love for them on every possible opportunity! Until next time! 😉

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Overnight Sweet Crescent Rolls {No-Knead, Dairy Free}

Breads & Doughs, Recipes, Shabuoth, Sukkoth / Hannah Abreu

Today we are making fantastic, delicious and super easy Sweet Crescent Rolls.

While I was cleaning the house the other day, I found one of my old recipes notebooks and noticed I’ve tried to make crescent rolls at least 6 times, but the annotations were unfinished. Apparently, they didn’t have the ideal fluffy texture and the distinctive aroma (I honestly don’t know exactly how to describe) so, I guess after a while I forgot about it.

So, I feel very happy to share these this Sweet Crescent Rolls in today’s post, because even though it may sound intimidating, they ended up being so easy to make, and I will tell you all about this foolproof recipe.

Are you looking for more Shabbath-worthy recipes? Click here

Flour, sugar…

These Sweet Crescent Rolls are made with flour, yeast, brown sugar, vegetable shortening, eggs, water and salt. I am still working on a vegan version, that hopefully I can share soon, but still, it is clear that these Sweet Crescent Rolls are not healthy food.

For this recipe I use vegetable shortening because I wanted to have a setamí (parve) product, but you can substitute butter if you prefer. I haven’t use coconut oil for this recipe.

I used bread flour because it is a yeasted product and have quite a lot amount of fat and sugar. If you use AP (all purpose flour) for this, it will be too soft to handle. Of course, all AP flour differ in terms of the protein content, so, some brands of AP flour may work, while others won’t work so well. If you ever try with AP, please let us know the details of your adjustments, and the brand of flour you used in the comments section below 😉

For the yeast, I used instant yeast, so if you just have on hand baker’s yeast (which is the same as fresh yeast) keep in mind that you need to triple the amounts.

How to make Sweet Crescent Rolls

As the title says, these are overnight sweet crescent rolls, so, this recipe take time to develop in texture and flavor. It has also the plus factor that you don’t have to knead anything.

What you really need for this recipe, is a plan and schedule, so that you prepare the dough with plenty of time (26-28 hours before the time you plan to bake) and have fresh, out of the oven crescent rolls for breakfast. Nom nom!

After the dough has rest for 24hrs, the final dough should be 1000gr or very close. Divide the dough in half, lightly flour the surface, roll, cut into triangles and shape into crescents.

To shape the sweet crescents rolls, take one triangle and stretch the wider side. Then, roll towards you, making sure the end tip is tucked underneath. Place on a baking sheet, at let rest for 3-4 hours, or until double in size. Then, bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until is light golden brown on top.

What would you serve these Sweet Crescent Rolls with? I will definitely pair with classic hummus or babaganoush. If you think of another dip to pair these babies with, let us know in the comment section below. And, of course, don’t forget to share pictures with the hashtag #kasheribbean, when you make this recipe. Follow up on instagram and pinterest to keep up with other quick and easy recipes, meals ideas and travel posts!! Until next time! 😉

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Grilled Eggplant & Avocado Salad {Vegan, GF}

Passover, Recipes, Salads, Shabbath, Sukkoth / Hannah Abreu

Today is the day for a scrumptious Grilled Eggplant Avocado Salad; so flavorful and fresh; perfect for summer days.