Now that the kids are back in school and we're past Rosh Hashana, we can get back to a normal dinner routine. It's important that children eat nourishing, balanced meals each day that can be prepared the previous night so they can have a proper lunch when they get home from school. You can even have the children bring these to school to eat for their morning break. One of my favorites are little individual quiches, or muffins. You prepare them like quiches, but then spoon a little bit (or pour from a pitcher) into paper cupcake holders. These muffins can be eaten warm or room temperature, or even straight out of the fridge. VEGETABLE MUFFINS Makes 12 muffins 5 large carrots, peeled A little oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1½ tsp. salt ½ bunch parsley, chopped finely 10 stalks of coriander, chopped 2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds 1 slice of bread soaked in water and then squeezed 3 large eggs (vegans can substitute 3 Tbsp. raw tehina) ½ tsp. black pepper ½ tsp. turmeric 2 tsp. lemon juice For garnish: ½ cup pumpkin seeds Place the carrots in a pot, pour water to cover and boil over medium flame for 30 minutes until they've softened. Drain the carrots and mash them with a fork. Heat a little oil in a pan and fry the carrots and onion for a few minutes until they've turned golden. Sprinkle with a little salt and transfer to a large bowl. Add the parsley, coriander, sunflower seeds and bread. Stir. Add the eggs, spices and the rest of the salt and mix well. Grease the muffin tin well with oil or oil spray. Add the paper cupcake holders. Spoon in the mixture so that each muffin holder is ¾ full. Bake in an oven that was preheated to 180° for 40 to 45 minutes until muffins are nice and firm. Stick a toothpick in the middle to see if cooked. If it comes out dry, the muffins are ready. Due to health problems, Ofrit Barnea had to change the way she and her family members led their lives, including drastic changes in their diet. As a result, she began studying integrative nutrition training so that she could adapt her lifestyle to her new needs. She now focuses on combining spiritual and mental nourishment with physical nourishment. Barnea recently joined forces with two other integrative nutrition advocates – Efrat Petel and Shirley Ben-David, and together the three of them published a digital magazine called Integrative Table in which they offer a slew of creative ideas and recipes which enable you to live a balanced life that integrates body and soul. The free magazine consists of dishes that everyone loves, but with a little twist, as well as a variety of nutrition ideas and tools that will help people change to healthier eating habits. FRUIT CRUMBLE WITH POMEGRANATE SEEDS Makes 6 servings Crumble: 1 cup spelt flour or other gluten-free flour (½ cup millet, ½ cup rice flour, or ¼ cup tapioca flour) ½ cup finely ground almonds ½ cup pecan or walnuts, chopped ½ cup coconut sugar (this is great for people who are trying to cut down on their sugar intake, since it does not contain preservatives and is not whitened like regular sugar) ¼ cup cane sugar 1 cup oats (optional) + 2 Tbsp. coconut oil ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ cup liquid coconut oil 4 roasted apples 4 roasted pears 1 cup frozen blueberries ¼ cup pomegranate seeds 3 Tbsp. jam without added sugar (apricot/peach/forest fruits/strawberry) ½ cup natural pomegranate juice 2 Tbsp. maple syrup 2 Tbsp. liquid coconut oil ½ tsp. vanilla extract ½ cup pomegranate seeds for decoration Almond cream: 50 gr. blanched almonds 2 Tbsp. almond butter 1 Tbsp. honey ½ cup almond milk Pomegranate Jello: 2 cups natural pomegranate juice 2 tsp. agar-agar (vegetarian gelatin substitute) ½ tsp. pectin (carbohydrate found in the skin and core of raw fruit) To prepare the crumble, mix all the ingredients in a bowl, except for the oil. Gradually add the oil and mix until crumbly. Bake for 15 minutes at 180° until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Crumble just before serving. To prepare the almond cream, blend all the ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Store in the fridge. To prepare the pomegranate Jello, heat the juice in a small pot over a small flame. Add the agar-agar and stir until all the lumps have disappeared. You can also prepare this in a bain-marie. Stir until liquid thickens. Pour jelly into a large pan and put in fridge to harden. Before serving, cut up into squares or cut out shapes with cookie cutters. To prepare the fruit, cut up the fruit into cubes and place in a bowl. Add the jam, vanilla, maple syrup and oil. Mix and let sit 5 minutes. Transfer to an oven tray and bake for 15 minutes under the grill until lightly browned. To prepare individual bowls, pour in 1 Tbsp. of almond cream, then ½ Tbsp. of the fruit mixture and on top the crumble. Decorate with pomegranate seeds and Jello. Translated by Hannah Hochner.
