Baked Vegetable Omelet

On Friday I had a Baked Vegetable Omelet. Since I had the oven going it seemed like a good idea to bake lunch, instead of using the stove top.

It's one of those things I couldn't even imagine doing before having my kitchen redone/renovated. I had spent the previous year without a functioning oven. Now, thank Gd, I have two turbo ovens, one for meat and the other parve, in which I can bake more than one thing at a time. Having two ovens makes a kosher kitchen very easy to cook in. We hardly eat anything dairy, so the second oven has remained parve, meaning neither meat nor dairy. I make lots of side dishes, fish, cakes and challot in it.

While vegetables for Shabbat were baking in the oven I took a smaller oven pan, covered it with baking paper, and then cut onion, squash, pumpkin, cabbage, tomato and two eggs. I topped it with a bit of vegetable oil, and then into the oven it went. Once I could see that the eggs looked cooked, I checked the vegetables with a fork, to see if they were soft. I don't pretime my cooking, since there are too many variables.

My lunch, Baked Vegetable Omelet, was delicious, and the pan didn't even get dirty.

Sprouts, Do You?

Do you eat sprouts, lentils, beans, seeds etc?
Do you sprout them at home or buy them sprouted?
Do you eat them fresh or cooked?
What's your favorite type of sprout?

I have neighbors whose children are athletic champions, and the family is more than vegan, they're raw food eaters. One of their dietary proteins is sprouts.

I've been getting a periodic supply from the newest member of our family who's vegan and sprouts lentils pretty regularly. But I haven't yet taken the plunge and tried doing it myself.

From what I understand you don't need expensive equipment, but even though I've heard the instructions, I keep chickening out. Oops, maybe a punny word.

Maybe I'd get some of the weight off if I have sprouts as my vegetarian protein more often instead of the sesame paste, but the fat in the sesame paste makes the meal more satisfying. And if I add a good olive oil I'd be increasing the calories...

Any suggestions?

Homemade "Airplane Food"

In the olden days, not all that long ago, airplane travelers were given meals on most flights. That is on all but the shortest flights. Nowadays, even if you're traveling over five hours, like the trip between New York/Jersey and Arizona, you only get water and some soft drinks. You can buy food on the plane, but nothing is kosher. When they first eliminated the meals, there were "snacks," crackers or nuts, but no longer.

Since I had a very long flight and travel day plus, I ended up making myself an airplane meal. I was very nervous about it, because I didn't know if security would allow the aluminum tray, but thank Gd it did.

The night before I flew, I made two of these, one to eat that night and the other for the flight.

• chicken breast (Empire kosher)
• onion
• zucchini

I baked them all covered with lots and lots of layers of foil, and then I cut up a tomato, one for each. 

The only other food I took with me was a nice big juicy apple and some almonds. And on the plane I took down the tray and set up my meal to eat. It was delicious and filling, just perfect. 

The One Food Item/Custom Better in America

On the whole I find Israeli food far superior to American, and that is the lowly vegetable to dairy to lots of other things. The one thing I do prefer in the states is that many people and restaurants offer half and half or cream with coffee.

This is not universal, and the down side is that in too many homes and places skimmed milk is offered, rather than regular.  And ironically many of the same places have both skimmed and cream.

In the meantime I'm taking advantage whenever I can...

I Bought It!

I was so confident that the dress had been sold that I walked into the store and looked for it.  At first I was so relieved not to find it, but then, there it was waiting for me.  Why else would it still be there after all this time?  I tried it on again.  Yes, besides needing something for the low "V" neckline, which I can use for other outfits, it was made for me. 

The skirt is lined, so it doesn't need a slip.  It's of a very good fabric which doesn't wrinkle, packs easily.  It's the "icing on the cake*" for my new "slimmed down" wardrobe.

Of course, I still need more "everyday" tops which I haven't been able to find.

*Never reward with food.  Don't use food as a comfort, not for yourself, kids, grandkids etc.

Extra flavor

Yesterday, eating my lunch, some fish fillet, sauteed with onion, squash and then already cooked spaghetti, with some catsup, water and tomato concentrate, served on cut up cucumbers, I felt that it was still "missing something." At the same time, my body was suffering from the after effects of the late "dinner" from the night before.

There's a health-diet eating rule, which mandates no eating after 7pm or to have at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. At most weddings here, which are 99% of the time, especially in the winter, in the evenings--ok, night--we're lucky to have the maincourse before 10pm, and that's after a first course which is more than most people have at home as an entire meal. And Israel is getting like the states, with a pre-Chuppah (ceremony) "Kabbalat Panin," "reception," in which you can eat a full meal plus. That means that without even "pigging out," you can easily eat three full meals at a wedding.

I'm not into salty foods at all, and something at the wedding we attended was salty, too salty. So I really didn't want to add any more salt to my lunch, which meant that I couldn't jazz up the food with Tamari Sauce. I checked the balsamic vinegar and discovered that it was full of salt, too.

So... I dressed my feast with olive oil and freshly ground pepper! it was great. I guess I should have put on fresh lemon juice too. OK, next time.

ps I only had "two meals," since I arrived too late for the reception, but I was so hungry, that I had lots of bread, which I usually skip.