The Kitchen Guru

The First time I ate Hummus   I was 12 years old, and my late father took me to a Greek restaurant in Brighton. The owner, a friend of my father’s brought to the table, warm pitta bread along with a plate of freshly made  hummus;  as I bit into this creamy garlicky mixture on warmed bread  I knew I was hooked.  After receiving the  chefs own recipe, ( hastily scribbled down on the back of a paper napkin ) I made hummus from scratch for the first time a week later, I have continued to make it for the past 51 years  on a very regular basis. History Hummus has been around the southern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine for time immemorial, different cultures claim it as their own. The earliest known recipes for a dish similar to hummus bi tahini are recorded in cookbooks published in Cairo in the 13th century . Nutritional Value   Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant ...

Being gluten and dairy free can be challenging most of the year but when it comes to the annual cheesecake fest of Shavuot it is torture.  In my youth I use to love cheesecake, the baked New York type, the type my Grandpa use to buy at Grozinskies Bakeries in Petticoat lane along with light and fluffy cheese Danish, the type my aunt Helen made for every family simcha. But an allergy to dairy and wheat put paid for that. So as my friends tuck in to pasta in a cream and mushroom sauce, spanakopita, or eggplant Parmigiana, and with my energy level surly depleted I have devised a quick easy, healthy delicious almost “creamy” Shavuot menu for the gluten and dairy intolerant and their guests everywhere. Zucchini and Dill soup a light summer soup that can even be eaten iced. Gluten free, Tuna Mushroom and Leek Lasagna with cashew nut “cheese” Salad Verde with spinach and walnuts Lemon Tofu New York style “Cheeze” cake. With fresh fruit Also I am ma...