Pamela, Author at Pamela Salzman

Baked Eggs and Greens (Green Shakshuka) Recipe

Now that we are down to a family of three, I have noticed our breakfasts have become a little lazy. I think it’s much more fun cooking for a larger crew, especially when it includes my teenage daughters who are amazing eaters. At the moment I am left with Mr. Picky and the man who co-created Mr. Picky, if you get my drift. Sooooo, we’re eating a lot of smoothie bowls and toast concoctions. It’s all good for now since I am in the throes of bar mitzvahville and “the Bar Mitzvah Diet.” But 8 days from now, I’ll be ready to get back to some real breakfasts.

Spaghetti Squash with Pecorino and Herbs Recipe

Spaghetti Squash with Pecorino and Herbs | Pamela Salzman

Oh, there’s a lot going on over here. I’m sure you’re crazy busy too, but I have my son’s bar mitzvah next weekend and let’s just say we were a little more organized with the other two. Because I had to turn in my book last month, let’s just say I had to allow my husband to make a lot of decisions and let’s just say I’m starting to wonder what was I thinking??!! I’m sort of joking because my husband actually is cooler than I am and perfectly capable of organizing a major service and a huge party. I’m just a control freak and I am officially freaking out!

Dinner Planner: Week of September 12th

Hello, friends! I have had such a fun weekend in Palo Alto, celebrating the bat mitzvah of the daughter of one of my dearest friends. It is such a lovely area and if you live up here, you are lucky indeed. Back home today and back to the kitchen! This week is the last week I will attempt to enjoy stone fruits. They are sadly not in season any longer. Sniff, sniff. Tomatoes may be good for a few more weeks, as will eggplant, peppers and green beans. And then you’ll see me using more winter squash, cruciferous veggies, grapes, figs, pomegranates and apples. Have a great week!

How to Cut Winter Squash Video

I was at the farmers market this week and guess what’s back? Winter Squash! I love, love, love every variety of winter squash from butternut to kabocha to acorn to delicata. So sweet and packed with nutrition, especially in the way of the carotenoids family of phytonutrients, winter squash can be made so many different ways and have a long shelf life (up to a few months!) But many people are intimidated to cook them because they don’t know how to cut them up. Here’s my latest video to show you how!

Baked Black Bean or Chicken Taquitos Recipe

I think I have probably admitted more than once that making school lunch is not my favorite thing to do. Breakfast, no problem. After-school snacks, easy. Weeknight dinners, fun times! But my inspiration for school lunches is usually reheated leftovers from dinner. I know, yawn.

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Baked Black Bean or Chicken Taquitos Recipe

Serves: Makes 12

Ingredients

Unrefined, cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil for brushing tortillas
12 5-inch corn tortillas (thinner ones work better than thicker)
1 ½ cups refried black or pinto beans or 1 (15-ounce) can (Trader Joe’s and Amy’s brands have no BPA in can liner) OR
2 cups cooked, shredded taco chicken meat*
⅔ cup shredded cheese (optional)
Suggested accompaniments: guacamole and salsa

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and brush lightly with olive oil.
Warm tortillas on a griddle or in a skillet until warm and pliable (about 30 seconds on each side.) This will prevent them from cracking when you roll them.*
Place the tortilla on a plate or cutting board and spoon 1 ½ Tablespoons of beans across the diameter of the tortilla. Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon of cheese, if desired.
Roll tortilla up into a cigar and place seam down on the baking sheet. If they do not stay rolled up, you can keep them closed with a toothpick.
Continue filling and rolling remaining taquitos and assemble them evenly spaced on the baking sheet.
Brush the tops of the taquitos with olive oil.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes until brown and crispy.
Serve plain or with guacamole and salsa.

Notes

*If your tortillas are a few days old, you can brush them with a little water before heating them. You can also heat all the tortillas before filling and keep them warm in a thin, clean, barely damp dish towel.

Notes: you can also make “flautas” with flour tortillas instead of corn!

*See this recipe for one way to do this.

Baked Black Bean or Chicken Taquitos | Pamela Salzman

Dinner Planner: Week of September 5th

Ah, the party’s over. My last day of summer is Labor Day. Mr. Picky starts school on Tuesday, so I have asked him to make a list of breakfasts, lunches and dinners he would happily eat. So, many of this week’s dinner ideas come from my son. I am not normally this democratic, but I believe in starting the year on a strong note!

Five Friday Favorites- 9.2.16

Labor Day weekend is always like pressing a reset button. The kids are back to school, I am resuming a full teaching schedule, and my eating goes back to normal, balanced meals (as opposed to haphazard grazing zucchini bread and olives and nectarines instead of a proper dinner.) For those of you who take my classes, I am excited to get back into the kitchen after a summer off so that I could finish my book. In the meantime, here are some great finds I am excited to share with you this week:

Strawberry Jam Spelt Flaxseed Muffins

March, April, May, June, Blink, September. Am I right??? It’s ridiculous! And just like that, everyone is frantic getting organized for back to school. Backpacks, haircuts, sneakers, lunch boxes, school supplies and of course, proper meals. My son’s school has not started yet, so we have a little more time. But in anticipation of school starting anew, I starting nesting like I am about to have a baby. There’s stock to be made, cookie dough to be rolled into logs, granola to be baked and muffins to stash in the freezer. It’s like the Amazing Race, back-to-school episode!