This holiday, Passover dish is a great opportunity for me to tell you all about my “Love Story” with DATES! Dates are one of my favorite fruits. I especially love eating fresh yellow dates… besides being an AMAZING fruit of great taste and high ... continue reading...
Knafeh Gives You Wings :)
Growing up in Israel, I was lucky to have the opportunity to eat quite a few good Knafehs throughout my lifetime… It is hard to decide what makes this dreamy, creamy and crunchy dessert such a winner…Is it the complex texture of the Kadaif Phyllo ... continue reading...
Happy National Pancake Day! Getting Outside the Box…
Happy National Pancake Day everyone!!! We LOVE pancakes! As an Israeli I discovered the world of (traditional) pancakes a little later in life… I mean, we fried crepes, eggs and patties of all sorts, but the actual flour-egg based batter that is ... continue reading...
Zradak – Happy Tunisian Purim Flat Bread
Purim is one of the happiest holidays of all Jewish holiday. In fact, one of the holiday’s Mitzvahs (commands) is to be happy and display happiness not just on the actual holiday, but rather for the whole month prior to and after the holiday - the ... continue reading...
B’sal U’Maa’dnus – Super Fresh Tunisian Purim Salad
When I say Purim, you say… Most people will say Hamantashen, right? Purim is yet another great and very HAPPY Jewish holiday. It is based on a story from the time when the Jewish people lived in the kingdom of Persia and were saved from ... continue reading...
Boiled Artichokes – a Tunisian After Party
We were coming out of some crazy busy days and I was looking at our family calendar only to find meetings, activities, birthday parties, gatherings and up-coming holidays that continue to pile up… Generally, I refuse to complain about being busy; ... continue reading...
To Be or Not “Tu Bishvat” – Dried Fruit-Walnut Cake :)
Tu Bishvat is the Jewish holiday that marks the New Year for Trees. It is a great opportunity to express respect for trees and for all growing things and to show our gratitude to all of nature’s benefits. Tu Bishvat is a day to plant trees and to ... continue reading...
Stuffed Cabbage – A Gift That Comes Wrapped
This dish hits home for so many people I know …and it is also called “Halupki”, “Holubky”, “Golumpki” or “Golabki”. (if you know it in any other name please let me know) I prefer this dish with vegetarian filling of rice and lentils, mushrooms or ... continue reading...
Basbusa – The Power of Just a Kiss
What a cake! …Where do I start? This Middle Eastern/North African cake highlights common dessert ingredients of these regions’ cuisines. The world of semolina, almonds and oranges creates a cake that is unique in texture and in taste. Basbusa is then ... continue reading...
Lentil Soup – Every Reason to Say Yes!
If you are looking for a reason to enjoy a great soup [Do we really need a reason?], take a look outside the window… Aside from the weather, there is so much to LOVE about this soup. It is homey and flavorful with so much going on as far as texture; ... continue reading...
Olives and Tabil Challah – Give your Tradition a Tunisian Flair
Homemade Challah on Fridays is one of the most loved traditions in our home. Today I was thinking to “kick it up a notch” and use "Tabil" – a homemade Tunisian dry spice mix that has a unique aroma and taste and is very easy to make. I also added ... continue reading...
Tabil – Tunisian Dry Spice Mix – Flavors of Tradition
I have a HUGE love for tradition; it has always been my life’s anchor, but also my wings. Tradition contains so many pieces of life; pieces of love, wisdom, respect, magic, security and hope… Growing up without a mother made me appreciate ... continue reading...
Tunisian Fricassee (Fricassé)- This is How I roll :)
One of the ways to truly understand what Tunisian flavors are all about is to give a HUGE bite into a great Tunisian Fricassee roll. These traditional Tunisian rolls are made out of yeast dough and if you don’t think this is comforting enough, they ... continue reading...
Spontaneous Doughnuts – Quick Yogurt Ricotta Doughnuts
Homemade doughnuts don’t always have to be a long process that requires planning and hanging around yeast dough for hours to rise; doughnuts can also be spontaneous quick and easy. In this delicious recipe I combine Greek yogurt and ricotta cheese ... continue reading...
Shining Lights through Holiday Cookies
One of my favorite Hanukkah concepts is the concept of light. Hanukkah’s remarkable story teaches us how in a time of great darkness, even a tiny source of light can be a sign of hope and triumph. The characters in the story highlight our ... continue reading...
Thanksgiving Au Gratin
Thanksgiving is here again and I am so thankful for this great holiday of family time and awesome dishes! What a combo :) I’ve always been a HUGE fan of potatoes; they are such a yummy comfort food. This crazy ‘Potato Love’ started at childhood ... continue reading...
Spicy Corn Soup to the Rescue
Cooking family meals during the week is challenging, there is always so much to do. If I convert everything there is to do during the day into minutes and hours, logically there is just no time left for cooking… but time or no time, the end result is ... continue reading...
Vintage Happy Birthday Cake
I can’t believe my baby is turning one year old! Today is Afooda’s one year birthday…I remember a year ago on November 6th when we first launched the blog; of course there was a great deal of preparation prior to that day, but the actual launch day ... continue reading...
A Fall (in love) Butternut Squash Soup
Fall is officially here and the weather nowadays gives it the final seal. I think I LOVE everything about this beautiful season: the weather, the colors, the holidays…There’s something so graceful about the process that nature is going through that I ... continue reading...
Pecan Walnut Butter Cookies
These addictive two bite cookies are my absolute favorite! First of all I’m nuts about nuts :) and these cookies really let the nut flavor shine. Secondly, when it comes to cookies, for me it is all about the texture; these crumble perfectly and just ... continue reading...
For the Love of Pomegranates – Quinoa Fresh Salad
I LOVE pomegranates! I grew up with pomegranate trees in our neighborhood and at my Savta’s (grandma) garden and I LOVED watching the fruit getting redder, bigger and heavier until it was time to pick it from the tree. As children we spent a lot of ... continue reading...
Roasted Garlic – To me it is “Tume”
Roasting garlic is always a good idea - A super easy preparation that makes a great flavor taste even greater. This is an awesome example of how with minimum effort, a beautiful presentation and depth of natural sweet flavors come to life in an ... continue reading...
Lubia Rubia – Plenty in Green Beans
This delicious dish is another traditional taste of “Rosh Hashanah” the Jewish New Year holiday. Although the recipes vary from one family to another, the key ingredient that stays the same is the Green Beans. I modified the flavors in this ... continue reading...
Krete – Leek Quiche with a “WOW” effect
Leeks are AMAZING! What a delicate oniony taste and what an appetizing aroma… My mouth is watering just thinking about them… whoever invented them is a genius! :) I am so happy they are one of the symbolic "Rosh Hashanah" dishes. My Savta (grandma) ... continue reading...
Selek Mukli – Crispy Beet Greens (Swiss Red Chard) in Syrup
Here is another unique dish on the Tunisian Rosh Hashanah table – “Selek Mukli”. To me this is THE TASTE of the holiday; as a child I was waiting for this holiday to come, just so I can have a taste of this sweet goodness. …and boy did I taste ... continue reading...
Ma’jun Kra – Pumpkin Jam
Rosh Hashanah is the holiday that marks a Jewish New Year and it is associated with honey and various sweet foods symbolizing a sweet and positive beginning. Keeping this sweet concept in mind, the Tunisian Jewish tradition features a few other ... continue reading...
Ful Bel’Kammun – Fava Beans in Cumin
This Tunisian classic was on my Savta’s table during several holidays and family gatherings. It is usually served as an opening dish or a side dish along with other Tunisian salads and dishes. It fits perfectly with the Tunisian cuisine philosophy of ... continue reading...
Pita Sticks and Ice Cube Snack Trays
These EASY Pita sticks are just my excuse to tell you about a fun idea of using your ice cube trays… I got the idea this summer when my children and I were sitting for brunch at one of Tel Aviv’s restaurants. So besides ice cubes, your ice ... continue reading...
If Sandwiches Could Talk – Halloumi Cheese Sandwich
It wasn’t long ago when I introduced you to Halloumi cheese in a refreshing and popular chopped salad. I can’t say enough about this awesome cheese… it has an amazing flavor and great texture. As I mentioned before, it is probably the only cheese out ... continue reading...
Intro to Halloumi – The Cheese that Squeaks
For some reason I have many Halloumi stories… In honor of the ones out there who haven’t tried Halloumi cheese yet, here is one: Once upon a trip to Israel (a few good years ago), one morning we were standing in line at one of my favorite cafes. All ... continue reading...
