Last Minute Tu Bishvat, Fitness/Food 2019, New Spices With Cindy’s Corners

We all know what to snack on when we celebrate planting trees and enjoying fruits of Israel. How can we incorporate the traditions into our meals?

Two Ingredients Tu Bishvat Sauce
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 bottle of your Date Syrup

Use your own recipes for meatballs, chicken, brisket and use this blend in your preparations. When plating your food, use dates as a garnish.

Other Recipes:

https://www.kosher.com/recipe/pomegranate-honey-glazed-salmon-recipe-3093

Amy Stopnicki’s Barley Salad With Dried Fruit
2-3 cups cooked barley 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1 cup canned lentils 2 cups chopped spinach 1 cup cubes roasted sweet potatoes 1/2 cup any nut Dressing 1/4 cup canola oil 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar 1/8 cup white vinegar 2 tablespoons honey mustard Salt and pepper to taste

https://www.amazon.com/Kosher-Taste-Cookbook-Prepare-Plate/dp/1680250329

Fitness Goals 2019

Food’s best friend is fitness!! We all make resolutions this time of year. Did you give up yet? Never give up says Stephen Flam, LMT, NSCA, ACSM, USAW, and owner of Pinnacle Fitness and Wellness.

At the start of a new year it’s always a great time to think about self improvement. I usually think what are some of the things that will enhance my overall wellbeing. Being active and moving, eating well, sleeping, and feeling satisfaction from the work we do.
This all sounds simple… Lets go into a bit more detail. Being active is a very vague. I feel elevating your heart rate to at least 80% of your maximal rate is helpful to most populations. Intervals and sprints are simple and efficient way to do this. These activities can be done on many different types of low impact machines along with a heart rate monitor.
Eating well, this is also very vague. Some of the basics are.. not eating after 7pm, lowering your intake of carbs and drinking clean filtered water. Not bottled water. I find that a Paleo/Keto diet to be helpful personally and many others feel this style of eating works.
Sleep is also an important element and is usually over looked. Most people think that they can override this basic need with stimulants such as coffee, energy drinks and supplements. Lack of sleep in my opinion prematurely ages the body by uses up resources needed to keep the body strong.
Lastly the work we chose is very important. We will spend a majority of our time at work. low stress and feeling of satisfaction is the way to go. These are just a few of thoughts when I think about the start of a new year.

http://www.pinnaclefitnessandwellness.com/

Hawaij

Hawaij – pronounced ha-WHY-idge – is an ancient spice mixture found in every Yemenite’s household, and you’ll probably be hearing more about it before too long. That’s because people are discovering delicious ways to incorporate this exotic blend into everything from coffee and desserts to stews and condiments.

There are actually two distinct varieties of hawaij, each with its own flavor profile. One is traditionally used in coffees and the other is usually used to season soups. Yemeni immigrants brought these blends to Israel, and today hawaij (alternately spelled hawaj, hawaij, hawayji, or hawayej) is a staple of Israeli cuisine.

Pereg Natural Foods (pereg-gourmet.com), a leading producer of premium, all-natural spices and spice blends, invites home cooks to explore hawaij and imagine how it can transform everyday menu items into something new and extraordinary.

Pereg Hawaij Blend for Soup is an aromatic mixture of cumin, turmeric, black pepper, cardamom, and cloves.

·        Use it instead of bouillon cubes or consommé powder to season meat-based or vegetable soups.
·        Try it as a rub for lamb, grilled chicken or fish.
·        Add a healthy pinch to slow-cooker stews.
·        Toss it with some olive oil on vegetables to roast – it’s great with potatoes, broccoli, kale, carrots, or beets.
·        Mix it with a fruity olive oil for a quick salad dressing or as a delicate dipping sauce for crusty bread.
·        Spice up chicken with a coat of Hawaij and Pereg Fine Panko Japanese-style bread.

Healthy Hawaij – Hawaij’s components pack a powerhouse of healthful properties. WebMD and a multitude of other experts cite cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and turmeric as outstanding sources of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other beneficial nutrients. So when you boost the flavor of your favorite dish with hawaij, you might also be fighting inflammation, aiding digestion, lowering blood sugar, fending off free radicals, and perhaps even preventing cancer and Alzheimer’s!

Hawaij for Soup Recipe (Shared with Permission from Artscroll, Perfect Flavors, by Naomi Nachman)

Ingredients
2 pounds beef bones
12 cups water
4 chicken leg quarters
3 small onions, diced
6 small carrots, diced
6 stalks celery, diced
4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 Tablespoons Pereg Natural Foods Hawaij for soup
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Method
Place beef bones into a net bag. Place into a large pot.
Add water; bring to a boil. Skim off the scum that rises to the top of the soup.
Place chicken into a second net bag; add to pot. Return to a boil; skim the scum again.
Add vegetables and salt. Cover; bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 2 hours.
Add hawaij and chickpeas; cook for 30 minutes.
Remove net bags from soup; discard beef bones. Pull chicken from its bones; return chicken to soup, discarding bones. Ladle soup into bowls.

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Cindy Grosz can be reached at [email protected]