Dizengoff Center on Friday Mornings, A Tel Aviv Food Fair

I am going to take you on a little eating tour of Israeli food. In Israel, instead of food trucks, some of the malls are packed with stations with mommas and pappas (Imas and Abas in Hebrew) serving you home cooked Israeli food. Israeli food is a lot more diverse than it gets credit for. It is more than just another Felafel or Shawarma. It’s Moroccan food. It’s Russian Food. It’s Italian food. It’s a mix of everything. It has influences from Spain, Tunisia, Iraq, Iran, Poland, Russia, Yemen and everywhere else you can think of.

Dizengoff center, a mall in the center of bustling Tel Aviv is packed to the gills Friday mornings with families and singles trying to get some home cooked food to start off the weekend. The crowd is a mix of everything; from people walking around with their bikes, to hipsters, to the fanciest strollers you can think of to very cute grannies who have lived in Tel Aviv forever.

This is good ol’ Ashkenazi food. This place called Goldie and Adi. This is the Ashkenazi version of Chullent. It is basically a stew that is put in the oven on Friday morning and cooks all through Saturday (the Shabbat). As religious Jews don’t turn on the oven on the weekend, this is a hot dish that stays in the warm oven. The dish consists of potatoes, eggs, beans, barley and meat. There are many different ways to make Chullent. Sephardic Jews have different versions but it all comes down to the one concept- a one pot meal.

Here are Italian Arancini, fried rice balls, these ones are filled with cheese.

These are Hungarian Cakes called Kurtos Kalas also known as Chimney Cakes. These spiced and sweet cakes are baked on a tapered cylindrical spit over an open fire and covered with nuts.

The next stop is Persian Food. They have many different kinds of rice. The one here has chickpeas, raisins and carrots. Then there is Ghondi. Every Jewish Persian house serves these chicken or lamb meatballs, especially served on Shabat (the Sabbath). This is because back in the day, ground chicken or lamb meat was expensive so it was a once a week kind of treat. The meatballs are made up of meat, ground chickpeas and ground cardamon.

Indian restaurants are hard to come by in Israel so finding Indian food here really made my day. By the way, if you are interested in learning more about Israeli Indian food, check out my friend Shula’s blog.

Every Mediteareanen meal should have olives, these are beautiful.
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Yemenite Jews are known for some of the most popular Israeli foods, all being especially indulgent. This is Mallawach. It is a huge pancake, made of puff pastry, brushed with lots of oil and cooked flat in a frying pan. It is traditionally served with grated tomatoes and Shug, a spicey hot condiment. Here it is layered with hummus and the grated tomato sauce.

Arepas are a favorite of mine. Nothing is Israeli about them but I have a dear Seattle friend from Venezuela who says Arrrrrrepa (rolling the r) in the sexiest way possible and since then I fell in love with them (thanks Valentina). I also love getting them at the Farmer’s Market every Thursday in Queen Anne, Seattle. They gained popularity in the last few months in Israel since a Masterchef contestant made them on the show. Until you have had one, it is hard to imagine the taste; a cross between a pancake and a tortilla. The exterior is crisp and the inside is soft. The ones here are filled with fried beef and vegetables and a secret sauce.

There are many other booths and restaurants which I will try to cover in a future post. This food fest is open Thursday afternoons from 4 pm until 10 pm and Fridays from 10:30 AM-4 pm. Come early and avoid the crowds.The same mall has a nice little kids area for free and a kids play gym with an entrance fee. On Fridays, there is a fashion sale where local designers sell clothes at lower prices. This is definitely a mall to explore.

Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Sandwich

This is the sandwich that I have been thinking about it all week.

It is nothing complicated but just the right combination of sweet roasted vegetables and creamy, oozy and slightly tart goat cheese. I use whichever vegetables I can find in the bottom of my fridge; the purplest of cabbage, juicy eggplant, slices of sweet potato and red and yellow peppers.

Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:
Purple Cabbage
Eggplant
Sweet Potato
Red and Yellow Peppers
Any bread. I used Ciabetta here.
Goat Cheese or Chevre of choice (one that will melt well)

1. Cut vegetables and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Roast at 425 degrees until you get the color you want (I like them a little burnt on the edges).

2. Layer vegetables on the ciabetta and cover with thin slices of goat cheese.

3. Grill in panini press or if you don’t have one then you can use a frying pan with a heavy pot on top to flatten the sandwich.

Tu Bishvat Energy Bites

Tu Bishvat is one of those holidays that just comes and goes. Sometimes I remember to celebrate and sometimes I don’t. This year, I wanted to make sure that I had the chance to tell my 4-year-old all about it. It is a new year celebration for the trees, which makes so much sense to us since we are always talking about the nature around us and the environment. For Tu Bishvat, we like to bake cakes with dried fruit and have lots of dried fruit on the table. Most people have nuts with them but we are a nut-free household.

This year I decided to make the energy bites that we just LOVE in our house. These super-addictive bites take 5 minutes to make and are pretty healthy too. They are perfect when you are craving something sweet. I use this recipe from Gimme Some Oven (love this blog) as a base and I play around with it all the time. This time, instead of chocolate chips, we used dried apricots, figs, dates and dried cranberries.

This is a great afternoon activity with the kids and is not too messy. All the ingredients go into one bowl.

Enjoy.

Thankful. Posts That Make You Weep.

I admit it. I am a wuss. I love heartfelt posts. I love reading about people’s lives. I spend my toughest moments reading posts about people’s lives, reading their life lessons, reading their coping mechanisms and reading about being grateful. Writing is such a beautiful thing. Reading is a beautiful thing. The internet makes sure that every waking moment there is something to absorb. Since the internet, we are never alone. We now know that if we are going through something, there is always someone who has been through it and can tell their story. The day that I discovered that I could blog, my life changed forever.

My mind pulls together pieces of information like a Tetris game. Today I want to share some of my favorite reads. They are not food-related. They are posts that will make your heart swoon. Some might make you cry. But most of all you will remember why every single one of us, has a story to tell and why life is so beautiful because we are different especially because our challenges are different.

My best reads.

1. Enjoying the small things. Kelle Hampton tells the story of her daughters, one who has down-syndrome and the other, the big sister, who loves and takes care of her sister. She takes beautiful photos of her kids, they are always dressed in the prettiest outfits and she makes me cry a lot. She reminds me that life is what you make of it. Start here..

2. You probably know Jamie Lynne Grumet as the foxy mom who posed breastfeeding her son on the cover of Time. I know many of you think it was too much but of course, remember, it got your attention and got everyone talking about breastfeeding. Ok, now let’s move on. She is a mom of two boys, one adopted from Ethiopia and she breastfed them both (or still does). Visit her blog here

3. My friend Jess Thomson is an incredible writer about everything food. I love her writing but I also really love reading about her son Graham who has Cerebral Palsy. This post tells the story. Then go back and read his birth story and then go read about all about the awesome books she wrote this year.

4. My dear friend Micaela Surdi lives life to the fullest. She reminds you to enjoy life and love yourself.

We each get a package and we need to find the happiness in the package. We need to unwrap the package and think of every layer as something that WE were given. Sometimes the paper is creased, sometimes it tears, sometimes the tape gets stuck to it. At the end, every layer is something for us to learn from, something to grow with, part of our own personal gift. The wrapping paper is really ugly sometimes or tacky or unexpected but it is your job to take it and remember that it’s the thought that counts. The paper is only a reminder that there is something there, something to appreciate, something to uncover.

What are your favorite heart-to-heart blogs? Share your favorite reads..

Foodportunity Food Blogger Contest Winners Announced

What’s your Foodportunity? We asked local bloggers to enter our contest and tell us what their Foodportunity is about. The winners have been chosen.

The judges are three popular and seasoned Seattle bloggers, Linda Miller Nicholson from Salty Seattle, Amy Pennington of Go Go Green Garden and Ronald Holden of Cornichon.org.

The Grand Prize goes to Fresh Picked Seattle. Check out her post about her Foodportunity. You will also find the most thorough food event calendar around on her blog. Check it out for free events, things to do and so much more.

The Second Prize goes to Peas On Moss for her post. Her blog chronicles the journey of a nutritionist and chef, read about how she dives deeply into everything food.

The Third Prize goes to Kristin Pot Pie. Bake her Pot Pie recipe and follow this blog all that talks comfort food, events and event planning ideas.

Follow @Foodportunityse on twitter where we will be tweeting the other inspiring entries over the weeks. See you on October 22.

Skinny Cow Is offering you Free Dirty Dancing Tickets

I am a big fan of Skinny Cow ice cream snacks. I am also a fan of smart marketing. Here, they are doing it right by offering free tickets to the Dirty Dancing Movie from August 7- August 9. Forcing ladies (and men) to go on a night out for free at the movies. Genius. We all need something like this,

Blogger Jen wrote about it here and there is a photo of the iconic movie.

Press Release below.
Our all-time fave movie Dirty Dancing® turns 25 this year, and to celebrate SKINNY COW® is hosting free screenings of the iconic movie in Seattle next week at the AMC Pacific Place 11, located at 600 Pine Street, Ste 400, Seattle, WA 98101.
This is Dirty Dancing® as you have never seen it before, with:
· Free samples of your favorite SKINNY COW® snacks.

· A sweet swag bag filled with all sorts of surprises.

· Not to mention, a wide-screen view of the dreamiest character ever created.

This event is free and open to the public, with tickets available on Tuesday, August 7th, Wednesday, August 8th, and Thursday, August 9th for both the 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm showings.
Use the following link to reserve your spot for you and your friends for the ultimate Dirty Dancing® experience: http://skinnycowdirtydancingseattle.eventbrite.com/
And we¹ll certainly do our best to not put you in the corner!

This weekend is Canvolution

This weekend is the Canvolution!

For the fourth year in row, Canning Across America (CAA) is putting on a party — of can-tastic proportions. CAA is thrilled to announce Can-a-Rama 2012, a weekend of putting up, preserving, pickling and canning, coast to coast, from sea to shining sea.

When a group of Seattle area cooks, gardeners and local food enthusiasts formed Canning Across America in the summer of 2009, they envisioned a “national show of cans”: a weekend when home food preservationists would simultaneously belly up to the canning kettle. This year, CAA is calling on canners from around the country to join them JULY 20-23 through home canning parties, demos or classes in their respective neighborhoods.

In addition to blog dispatches and a preserved “photo of the week” on CAA’s website, Canningacrossmerica.com, here’s what is on tap in the days leading up to the Can-a-Rama weekend:

* An hour-long live chat on Twitter (@Canvolution) hosted by CAA founder Kim O’Donnel. All skill levels welcome; topics will cover recipe ideas and the 411 on safe food preservation. The chat will take place Tuesday, July 17 (6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET). To join, use the hashtag #canningchat (Recommended: Visit Tweetchat.com to navigate relevant tweets.)

* A giveaway of canning supplies and coupons, courtesy of Jarden Corporation. Post photos of what you’re preserving on Pinterest and you’ll be entered to win an Enamel Waterbath Canner and 6 coupons for one free case of jars. Visit CanningAcrossAmerica.com July 19 for all the details.

* Looking to get schooled before joining the Canvolution? CAA friend Leslie Seaton has assembled on Fresh-Picked Seattle a list of Seattle-area preserving classes throughout the month of July. http://www.freshpickedseattle.com/canning-pickling-preserving/
Founded in 2009, Canning Across America is a nationwide, ad hoc collective of cooks, gardeners and food lovers committed to the revival of the lost art of “putting up” food through safe food preservation and community building. For more information, visit Canning Across America: http://www.canningacrossamerica.com.

Game Show Opportunity

 For those of you who like contests, I thought you would love this!

 

Have you ever wanted to be on a game show?  Would you like to win some money…without ever having to leave your couch?  

 

Well this is your chance at making your dreams come true!  Let’s Ask America is currently casting NATIONWIDE and we want to meet you!

 

LET’S ASK AMERICA.  It’s simple; if you think you can predict what America is thinking, you can not only watch, you can play and have a chance to win a grand prize of cold hard cash from the comfort of your own home via web-chat!!!

 

If you would like to be considered to be a contestant all you have to do is reply back to this email with your name, age, a recent photo and your phone number.  When you send your information to us, be sure to tell us as much as you can about yourself and why you want to be on America’s newest game show!

 

To be considered for the show, you must have web chat capabilities on your computer, because that’s how you will be competing on the show!  That’s right!  You don’t have to leave your house to win a large cash prize when you become the winner of Let’s Ask America!

 

How does the show work?  Every day four contestants will be chosen to play the game and win cash via web-chat from their home.  The game is simple; we poll America to find out what they are thinking.  (e.g. Which cast of THE REAL HOUSEWIVES did a group of women in Cincinnati say they disliked the most?  a) New York, b) New Jersey, c) Atlanta, d) Beverly Hills) Then all the contestant has to do is correctly predict the answer.  The prize money increases with each question, in each round.  There are three rounds and at the end of each round the contestant with the lowest cash total is eliminated from the game.  In the final round the last remaining contestant can wager all or part of their winnings on the “big question of the day”.

 

Don’t waste another minute! 

 

Apply to http://www.letsaskamerica.tv/

 

 

 

 

Foodportunity June 25

“Foodportunity” celebrates summer’s arrival with chefs, cookbook authors and the food community
Food networking event to be held June 25 and connect Seattle’s vibrant food community; Fonté Micro Coffee Roaster to sponsor

Seattle, Wash. May 30, 2012 – Foodportunity, a series of networking events for food professionals, will take place on Monday, June 25 from 6 – 9 p.m. at Tom Douglas’ Palace Ballroom, 2100 5th Ave.

A group of local chefs and authors will be available for questions and conversations about their books (hot off the press) in the Palace Ballroom lounge between 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

● Thierry Rautureau of Chef in the Hat: Rover’s & Luc, and Rover’s cookbook
● Alice Currah of SavorySweetLife.com, and Savory Sweet Life cookbook
● Michael Natkin of Herbivoracious.com, and Herbivoracious cookbook
● Jess Thomson of Jessthomson.wordpress.com, Pike Place Market Recipes, Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts
● Cynthia Nims of Monappetit.com, Gourmet Game Night, and Salty Snacks

Tom Douglas, recipient of the 2012 James Beard Foundation award for Outstanding Restaurateur, will provide his Palace Ballroom facilities to host the event and serve a selection of appetizers. Additional participating restaurants showcasing and serving bites at the event includes Lark, McCracken & Tough Restaurants, RN74, Copperleaf Restaurant & Bar, Dinette, Ray’s Boathouse and many others. More participating restaurants and companies can be found at http://www.foodportunity.com.

Foodportunity, created by Seattle event planner and food blogger Keren Brown, is open to food journalists, bloggers, public relations professionals, restaurateurs, farmers, companies and all food-passionate people.

The event will be sponsored by Fonté Coffee, one of the finest independent coffee roasters in the Pacific Northwest. Fonté sources the top one percent of coffee beans from around the world and ships them to a worldwide clientele. Fonté also operates a European bistro-style Café & Wine Bar, across from the Seattle Art Museum located just steps away from the Pike Place Market.

Early admission is $25 (including booking fees; $32 at a later date), which includes appetizers from restaurants and companies. Tickets can be purchased through http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/244390 .

The first 40 Foodportunity ticket-holders to send an email to info@foodportunity.com will get a seat at the 8:30 p.m. “speed networking” session led by Rachel Belle, reporter on KIRO FM’s Ron & Don Show, and host of daily segment “Ring My Belle.” For showcasing information, contact: kerenlovestocook@gmail.com.

About Keren Brown

Keren Brown, writer of FranticFoodie.com, created the line of networking and educational events known as Foodportunity. The networking events in Seattle and Portland connect the entire food community. Keren Brown was named “Doer of the Week” by MarthaStewart.com and featured in numerous publications such as Puget Sound Business Journal, Portland Business Journal, Sunset Magazine, Seattle Times, Chicago Tribune and Edible Seattle. In addition to her own blog she writes for MyNorthwest .com. She is the author of the “Food Lovers’ Guide to Seattle” (Globe Pequot Press), a guide to all the best restaurants, bakeries and specialty shops in Seattle.

About Fonté Coffee Roaster

Celebrating it’s 20th year, Fonté Coffee Roaster has grown to become one of Seattle’s premium coffee roasters, providing single origin and specialty coffees and tea for cafes, retailers, restaurants and hotels. The company was founded in 1992 by Seattle native Paul Odom, with a passion to create coffees that would please the most discriminating enthusiast. Fonté meticulously sources and selects beans from around the world. Using a hand roasting process performed by tenured Master Roaster Steve Smith, the beans are “roasted-to-order”, packaged and shipped within twenty-four hours to ensure the highest quality flavor for the coffee connoisseur. Visit the retail location at 1321 First Ave in downtown Seattle, across from the Seattle Art Museum and just steps from Pike Place Market or online at http://www.fontecoffee.com

photo by Nate Naismith

Food Festival in Lynnwood, Cheese Festival at Pike Place Market

Can you believe that the weekend is already here? This weekend is the famous Seattle Cheese Festival at Pike Place Market. They have a fresh mozzarella making demo, local chefs doing demos and the chance to taste so many different cheeses.

If you are in Lynnwood, check out this food event this weekend.

Food Revolution Snohomish County, a movement aimed at encouraging growing, cooking, preserving, and eating real healthy food, brings a new community event to Lynnwood.

Celebration of Food Festival Comes to Lynnwood Convention Center May 20

The Celebration of Food Festival will be a free, family event where participants can taste, explore, and experience real food 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, May 20, at the Lynnwood Convention Center, 711 196th Street Southwest, Lynnwood, 98036.

“This event brings together people who are passionate about delicious, local, wholesome food,” said organizer Chris Hudyma. “Farmers, ranchers, culinary professionals, youth, students, and business owners will offer activities to inspire the enjoyment of real food.”

The Celebration of Food Festival is sponsored by Cascade Harvest Coalition, Cedar Grove Composting, Central Market, City of Lynnwood, Edmonds Community College, Sno-Isle Food Co-op, Verdant Health Commission, and Whole Foods Market Lynnwood.

The event will include free samples, demos, displays of foods in categories throughout the center: Surf & Turf, Sweet & Nutty, Kickin’ Flavor, Veggies & Fruit, Great Grains, and Preservation.

Vendors at the event will include: Hot Cakes Confections (owned by Edmonds Community College Distinguished Culinary Arts Alumna Autumn Martin), Northwest Wild Foods, Smokey Point Bakery Café, and Theo Chocolate.

Photo credit: Jackie Donnelly Baisa