I tend to stay away from vegetable soups that get all their flavor from added boxed broths or consomme. Instead, I like to find ways to develop rich flavors on my own. In this butternut squash soup, I chose to roast the butternut squash and apples to caramelize them and bring out their sweetness, so that the soup has layers of delicious flavor.

If you read the title of this blog post fully, you’ll notice that there’s farro in this soup. While totally optional, I highly recommend you add it in. Farro is a delicious grain with a slightly chewy texture. When added to soup, it turns it from a simple vegetable soup to a thick, filling bowl of comfort food.

If you like to garnish your soups, reserve the seeds from the butternut squash when you peel and cube it. Rinse and dry the seeds well. Drizzle a little olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper over the seeds and roast them at 375 for about 8 minutes- watch them well so that they don’t burn!

For a printable version of this butternut squash soup recipe, scroll to the end of this post.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Farro

What you need to make this Butternut Squash Soup Recipe:

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 2 apples, peeled and sliced
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 TBSP canola or vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 onions, peeled and diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 cube frozen ginger
• 1/8 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup farro, rinsed
• 10 cups water

How to make this Butternut Squash Soup Recipe:

1, Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, Scatter cubed butternut squash and apples on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 40 minutes, or until squash and apples start to brown and caramelize.

2. While squash is roasting, prepare vegetables to saute. Heat canola oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add diced onions and saute for 5-10 minutes, until translucent. Add minced garlic and ginger and saute an additional 2 minutes. Add carrots and saute until softened. Season generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

3. Pour in white wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot.

4. Add roasted squash and apples and any released juices to pot. Add farro, then water. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to simmer, and allow to cook for 30 minutes.

5. Using an immersion blender, blend soup to desired consistency. (We like it slightly chunky.) Taste and add salt if needed. Serve hot and enjoy!

What’s your go-to soup on a cold, wintry day?

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The post Hearty, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Farro appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Scroll down to the end of this page for the printable version of this recipe. 

I love salads- any and all kinds- but I don’t love using green lettuce all the time. I like to find alternative bases, so this red cabbage salad is really up my alley.

The bright color, tangy taste and satisfying crunch from the sliced almonds makes this the perfect salad to round out any kind of meal.

I like to serve this salad on Shabbos, during the week, and I even made it for the pre-fast meal before Tisha B’Av.

(You’ll notice in some of the close up pictures that I used sunflower seeds in place of almonds. That is what I had on hand at the time, but I normally use almonds, and prefer that flavor and texture. However, sunflower seeds work great if you’re dealing with nut allergies.)

Ingredients needed for Tangy Marinated Sesame Cabbage Salad

Salad

16 oz red cabbage, shredded

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup sliced almonds

handful sesame seeds

Dressing

1/8 cup olive oil

1/8 cup toasted sesame oil

1/8 cup white vinegar*

1/8 cup rice vinegar*

1/8 cup sugar

kosher salt, to taste

coarse black pepper, to taste

* If you like your salad very tangy, use the full amount of both vinegars. If you want the flavors, but not the too much of the tanginess, reduce each vinegar measurement by half.

How to make Tangy Marinated Sesame Cabbage Salad

1. Combine cabbage, scallions and almonds in large bowl.

2. In a separate, small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients. Whisk well until smooth.

3. Pour desired amount of dressing over salad. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

4. Marinate at least one hour in the fridge. Let it marinate for a few hours for maximum flavor. Salad will stay good in the fridge for up to one day but will lose some of the crunch.

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The post Tangy Marinated Sesame Cabbage Salad appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Scroll to the end of this page to get the printable Mushroom Medley Muenster Quiche recipe. 

When I got married, a wonderful friend of mine gifted me a binder full of tried and true recipes- her recipes, her mother’s, my mother’s, etc. In the dairy section was a recipe for mushroom quiche. I’m actually not the biggest fan of mushrooms, but I do like them in two types of dishes- quiche, as I discovered when I tried her recipe, and soups.

I was such a novice when I first started cooking that when I saw the recipe called for a pie crust, I baked the quiche in a graham cracker crust. I had no idea there were frozen pie crusts for savory dishes!

Over the year, as I fell in love with cooking (and eventually baking!) I tweaked her recipe and made it my own. The original called for canned mushrooms; in this Mushroom Medley Muenster Quiche, as the title hints, I use three types of mushrooms, slowly sauteed for maximum flavor.

Ingredients for Mushroom Medley Muenster Quiche

• 9″ deep dish frozen pie crust
• oil for sauteeing, about 1/2 TBSP
• 1 white onion, diced
• 4 – 6 oz white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 4 – 6 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 4 – 6 oz crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 4 oz muenster cheese, shredded
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme

How to make Mushroom Medley Muenster Quiche

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Using a fork, prick small holes into the frozen pie crust. Place in oven for 10 minutes. When done, remove from oven and let cool.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan. Saute onion for 5-7 minutes, until translucent.
4. Add mushrooms to pan. On medium-low heat, saute mushrooms, stirring occasionally until mushrooms have reduced in size and darkened in color. This will take between 10 and 20 minutes.
5. Add garlic to pan and saute for an additional minute or two.
6. Set mushroom mixture aside and let cool.
7. In a small bowl, combine heavy cream, egg, egg whites, flour, muenster cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
8. Set the pie crust on top of a baking sheet in case of leaks.
9. Pour mushroom mixture into pie crust.
10. Pour cheese mixture over the mushrooms. Sprinkle with thyme.
11. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes or until golden brown and top is set.
12. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before slicing so the inside has a chance to firm up.

This Mushroom Medley Muenster Quiche freezes very well in an airtight bag. Reheat directly in oven. 

The post Mushroom Medley Muenster Quiche appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Goulash comes in a few different forms, and also goes by “beef stew”. While the ingredients are not typically chametz, it is often served over macaroni, which doesn’t really work for Pesach. I haven’t attempted to replace that in this recipe, but even on its own, this slow cooker goulash makes for a great meal-in-a-bowl.

My family doesn’t use garlic on Pesach and it’s one of the more difficult ingredients for me not to use while cooking. I love garlic. Love. I use it liberally in every dish, including my slow cooker goulash, when I make it year round. In place of garlic, I used shallots and onions, and only vegetables that can be peeled, so even the most stringent on Pesach can enjoy this dish.

This slow cooker goulash is perfect for Pesach, because you can make it in the morning, and have a hot, delicious dinner ready for the family after a Chol HaMoed outing. You can keep it on low for longer than specified in the recipe instructions. I have, and it comes out delicious every time. If your crock pot has a setting that automatically switches to “Keep Warm” after completing cooking, that works too.

I have used both kinds of meat suggested in the recipe (beef stew or flanken)- while flanken is certainly tastier and softer, beef stew is an excellent alternative if you need a more inexpensive option.

A crock pot is a great addition to your Pesach shopping list– it is perfect for Chol HaMoed dinners and for a Shabbos Pesach cholent. In fact, if your crock pot does have the keep warm setting, this recipe would make a great cholent. Just make sure not to cut the vegetables too small, or they will get kind of mushy.

What you need to make Slow Cooker Goulash:

• non-stick saute pan; I use this one all the time and absolutely love it
• 4 quart crock pot
• mixing bowl
• whisk

For a printable version of this recipe, scroll to the end of this post. 

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Goulash:

2 lbs beef stew OR boneless flanken

salt and black pepper for seasoning meat

1 large onion diced

1 large shallot diced

2 potatoes peeled and cubed

1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed

2 carrots peeled and sliced

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup red wine

3 TBSP tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp parsley dried

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 – 1 cup water

cooking spray

How to Make Slow Cooker Goulash:

1. Spray crock pot insert liberally with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the meat and let rest for a few minutes.
3. Heat a non-stick saute pan over high heat and brown the meat on all sides.
4. Remove the meat to the crock pot.
5. In the same pan, (no need to clean pan), saute onions and shallots until translucent. Remove from heat.
6. Add potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots to meat in crock pot.
7. In a small bowl, combine chicken broth, red wine, tomato paste, sauteed onions and shallots, and seasoning. Whisk well to combine.
8. Pour mixture over contents of crock pot. Add up to one cup of water as needed. (The goulash barely needs to be covered, otherwise it will be too soupy.)
9. Set crock pot to HIGH for 4 hours OR LOW for 8-10 hours.
10. Serve immediately. (If not serving over Passover, serve over fresh rice or macaroni.)

Want to make your Pesach prep easier, your seder table more beautiful, and your kids’ happier and busier? Get the printable Pesach bundle today for 75% off the full value! It’s full of 30+ cleaning and menu planners, kids’ games, coloring pages, and activities as well as cool seder table decorations!

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What is your favorite go-to dinner to serve on Chol HaMoed?

The post Slow Cooker Goulash – Kosher for Pesach appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.