1/4 cup-cakes

Did the term "cupcake" arise because the cake in question is often about one cup in volume? Who knows! Probably the internet, but I'm feeling lazy, so I'll just assume that's why, and deem my tiny cupcakes "1/4 cup-cakes" for that reason.

Baking Implements:

- Mini cupcake pan
- Mini cupcake wrappers (optional)
- Spatula
- Large bowl
-Medium bowl

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

No hechser needed:
 - 2 large eggs, or kosher egg white product (no hechsher needed if you use whole eggs, but check for blood spots. You want a hechsher if you're using a processed egg product).

Hechsher needed:
 - Kosher vanilla or yellow cake mix (there are many available)
- Almond Milk (Pacific brand)
-  1 stick butter-- or if you can't find it, Earth Balance Baking Sticks (which are pareve)

Frosting:

No hechsher needed:
- Cocoa powder (pure cocoa powder, not a mix)
- Confectioner's sugar

Hechsher needed:
- Vanilla extract
- Whimsical sprinkles of some sort (Betty Crocker brand-- many diferent varieties have a hechsher, but be sure to check)
- More almond milk
- More butter or margarine

The cupcakes

Before you start, leave the butter out to soften (if using butter rather than margarine). Preheat your oven to 400 F.

Mix together the cake mix, 2 eggs, 1 cup almond milk, and 1 stick of butter in a large bowl. Keep mixing until all clumps are gone, but don't over-mix.

Place cupcake liners into your pan, if using them.

Bake cupcakes until the tops are golden brown-- around 20 minutes, but keep an eye on it, as ovens vary. Once they're all done, set them aside to cool.

The frosting

In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine. When the mixture is smooth, add 3 tablespoons of almond milk. Now, add 1 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar, and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (the latter of these is optional). Mix all ingredients together. If it's too runny, add more confectioner's sugar as needed. If it's too clumpy, add a bit more milk.

When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them using a spatula. Adorn them with liberal amounts of sprinkles. Save a few tablespoons of frosting, and then eat it.

Shabbat Shalom!

Ginger Kale Mozzarella Wrap

There's nothing better on a cold winter night than grilled cheese, maybe with a side of soup or salad. But a standard grilled cheese isn't exactly the healthiest thing in the world. So here's a dish that will satisfy your desire for warm, cheesy goodness, with fewer calories and far more nutrition.

Ingredients that need a hechsher, and product recommendations:

- Whole-grain tortilla (Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Tortilla)
-  2 oz. Fresh mozzarella cheese (you can find kosher fresh mozarella at Trader Joe's)
- Hummus (Trader Joe's, or Tribe)
- Ginger salad dressing (Newman's Own Lite Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing)

Ingredients that don't need a hechsher:

-Fresh kale

Directions:

Wash 2 cups of kale thoroughly, and check for bugs. Place washed kale in a microwave-safe bowl with 1 tbsp of water. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.

If there's any water left after microwaving, drain it. Then, toss the kale with 2 tbsp of ginger salad dressing.

Chop mozzarella into small pieces, for easier melting. Not sure how much 2 oz. of cheese is? It's about 2 pieces of string cheese. Place cheese pieces in the center of a tortilla, on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 30 seconds; if cheese is not melted, continue microwaving in 10-second intervals until it is.

Spread hummus on sides of tortilla. Fill tortilla with kale, and wrap it up.

Easy Lunch: Amy's Pesto Tortellini

If you've got half an hour to eat, maybe you don't even want to waste time cutting up some vegetables and assembling a sandwich. For days like those, frozen meals may be the best option. A lot of frozen meals are lacking in substance, both nutritionally and in terms of flavor, but the ones from Amy's Kitchen have never disappointed me.

Amy's Kitchen Pesto Tortellini Bowl isn't exactly a diet food, at 430 calories and with 19 grams of fat. However, it's filling, quick, high in protein-- and most importantly, kosher.

Here's how I like to eat it: microwave the pasta. Then, cook a cup or so of frozen peas in a large bowl. When the peas are done cooking, empty the pasta into that bowl, leaving behind the pesto sauce that doesn't stick to the pasta. Now it's at least nominally healthier, and even more filling due to the addition of high-fiber peas.

Easy Lunch: Veggie burgers with pea and carrot chips

When your coworkers are all running off to McDonald's for a quick lunch, what's a kosher-keeping person to do? Make your own version of that ubiquitous fast food lunch, of course-- but make it kosher, vegetarian, and far healthier.

My version of the burger lunch includes a veggie patty with a bit of melted cheddar cheese, topped with sriracha. Then for a side, some sliced carrots (or baby carrots), and air-dried pea crisps in lieu of french fries.

Items that don't need a hechsher:
-Carrots

Items that do need a hechsher (aka "everything else on the plate), and brand suggestions:
- Veggie burger (Amy's All American veggie burgers)
- Cheddar cheese (if you live on the West Coast of the U.S., try Tillamook Kosher Medium Cheddar)
- Sriracha sauce
- Buns (Trader Joe's hamburger buns, white or wheat)
- Pea crisps (Trader Joe's "Inner Peas")

Surprisingly Kosher: Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joes

It just doesn't seem like anything candy-cane-containing should be kosher. It seems like such a product should contain gelatin, or perhaps tiny crunchy bits of communion wafer. But happily, neither is the case for Trader Joe's amazing and festive Candy Cane Joe-Joes.

These cookies-- still available now at Trader Joe's, but I'd hurry, since they're a "holidays-only" thing-- combine the delightful unhealthy creaminess that sandwich cookie aficionados know and love, with the crunchiness of tiny candy cane pieces. Perfect for snacking on while you sit in front of a roaring fire, or a roaring episode of "Breaking Bad"...whichever.


And yes, they really are kosher, I wouldn't lie to you. See?