Healthy and really delicious!  This recipe came from my friend Nancy Arkuss.

Food Editor's Notes:  I originally tried this recipe when I was looking for something different that might be appropriate for Purim.  This is a Sephardic-style recipe with fruits and nuts, certainly appropriate for the holiday, but an absolutely delicious side dish for any time of year.  It is incredibly easy to make as well, and very healthy.  What more could one ask for?  You can leave out the nuts and raisins if you wish (my son's preference), but they add not only extra flavor and textures, but color as well.  I used dates, left the nuts in halves and wholes instead of chopping, and I didn't feel that salt and pepper were even necessary.  Enjoy!

Cheese blintzes are delicious and are much easier to make than most people imagine. The crepe batter mixes up in a minute and each pancake slips out of the pan in just about the same amount of time. The filling is also a snap to mix up and the forming of the blintzes is easily learned and quick work.

Small blintzes may be served as hors d’oeuvre, but I prefer to make larger ones and serve them as a main course, topped with sour cream. My mother eats them sprinkled with sugar, but I think this recipe produces blintzes which are sweet enough on their own. Of course blintzes may also be served for dessert, with or without a fruit topping or cinnamon and sugar. If you like blintzes that are less sweet, reduce the amount of sugar in the filling.

Blintzes are often served on Shavuot, as it is traditional to eat dairy foods on this holiday. But do yourself and your family a favor and make these filling, nutritious bundles more than once a year. They freeze well, and will be a welcome treat for any meal of the day!

This is your basic, Ashkenazic-style charoset. I always leave this for the afternoon before the first seder and make it a project with one or more of my sons. They enjoy tasting it as we go along and adjusting for their preferred ratio of apples, nuts, cinnamon, and wine. We make more than enough for the two seders, because we like to nosh on it all week.

One of my most favorite foods is sweet corn, freshly picked and steamed.  It almost seems a shame to me to use the corn in dishes where other ingredients may mask its wonderful flavor.  But I wanted to come up with something else that would highlight fresh corn, keeping its flavor at the fore, but allowing the dish to be prepared in advance and also to be easier to eat for some folks.  I surprised myself by creating this dish, one I couldn't stop noshing on.  I will certainly make this again, especially for picnics, barbecues, and other casual gatherings where flavor, appearance, and ease of preparation and serving are the priorities.  This is delicious and healthy – I even enjoy it without the dressing!

Food Editor’s Note: I have made this vegetable kugel with both sweet potatoes and white potatoes and both were delicious. As a potato kugel lover, however, I have to admit I preferred the one with white potatoes (and a bit less black pepper). The added vegetables and seasonings give it color and a unique flavor. I was a bit absent-minded when I made this and used the shredding disc in my food processor, instead of the grating disc, but the kugel came out beautifully just the same. This is an interesting and healthy side dish to serve a crowd, especially during Passover, when you want something traditional (what’s more traditional than a potato kugel!), yet different. I suggest using a 10 by 15-inch glass casserole dish. Serve the kugel immediately or reheat in the oven to retain its crispiness.

This recipe is from Norene’s cookbook MealLeaniYumm! Norene is also the author of one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, The Pleasures of Your Processor, which she has recently updated and retitled The Food Processor Bible (see footer for more information). All her cookbooks are kosher, provide practical details (about freezing, for example), and are generally informative and easy-to-use.

This is your basic, Ashkenazic-style charoset. I always leave this for the afternoon before the first seder and make it a project with one or more of my sons. They enjoy tasting it as we go along and adjusting for their preferred ratio of apples, nuts, cinnamon, and wine. We make more than enough for the two seders, because we like to nosh on it all week.