Pascale's Kitchen: The wonderful world of Paula Rosenberg

In addition to her show, Paula offers nutrition workshops out of her clinic during which she helps people carry out life-altering processes.

AUGUST 13, 2020 12:00

Updated: AUGUST 16, 2020 10:21

The author (L) with Paula Rosenberg (photo credit: NETA LIVNEH) — The author (L) with Paula Rosenberg

(photo credit: NETA LIVNEH)

I had the excellent luck to be invited into the home of Paula Rosenberg (at right), a popular Israeli TV personality who presents a morning TV program with her husband, Lion, that deals with current events, healthy cooking and parenting. When discussing food on her show, Paula focuses on using only quality and healthy ingredients. After completing a law degree, Paula decided to complete a degree in naturopathy at Reidman College, following her own personal success with alternative medicine.

I’d been a fan of Paula’s for years, and was so excited when she agreed to collaborate with me on one of my weekly columns. I was even more thrilled when she told me she’d read and really liked my books and food column, and had even used some of my recipes as inspiration for concepts she’s discussed on her TV show.

Learn more about Pascale's Kitchen here>>

In addition to her show, Paula offers nutrition workshops out of her clinic during which she helps people carry out life-altering processes. Clients learn how to do detox treatments and engage in habit-changing processes. She teaches healthy cooking, instructs busy people how to maintain a balanced lifestyle, and discusses female empowerment and coping with stress.

Stepping into her home, I was quickly welcomed by a number of cats and dogs, as well as her two daughters. Paula had laid out lots of different ingredients on her kitchen table, and she quickly launched into a discussion of the role various foods and nutrients play in keeping our bodies and minds healthy. She told me she goes into great detail about these topics in the new virtual workshop she’s just begun offering called “How to become a (little bit) healthier and happier woman.”

For the next three hours, Paula showed me how she prepares the dishes that would be featured in today’s column.

“In the past, I loved creating complex dishes with lots of different ingredients, but nowadays, with all the various projects I’m working on and so little time, I focus on simple, quick recipes that call for wholesome and nutritious ingredients,” she explained.

Paula keeps lots of electric appliances out on shelves in her kitchen so that they are easily accessible at all times. She showed me her favorite methods for cutting, chopping, mixing, whipping and baking.

Below you will find recipes for siniya, a spicy dish made with root vegetables. The second recipe calls for a kiwi and onion dressing that’s poured over a salad of root vegetables. For all of you who say you don’t like tofu, this third recipe, which is prepared with fennel and pumpkin seeds, will completely change your attitude toward this staple; and last but not least are the crispy, gluten-free crackers, which go perfectly with any dip or spread.

SINIYA

Makes 6 servings.

Marinade:

3 Tbsp. soy

2 Tbsp. raw tahini

1½ cups coconut milk

1 spicy pepper, chopped

2 tsp. pure maple syrup

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

Juice from 1 lemon

1 tsp. sweet paprika

3 tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. black pepper

Vegetables:

2 fennel bulbs, cut into sections

1 kohlrabi, cut into 2-cm. pieces

2 red onions, sliced

5 stalks of celery, sliced

2 carrots, sliced into rings

1 beet, cubed

Place all of the marinade ingredients – the coconut milk, tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, soy, garlic, pepper and spices – in a medium bowl and mix well.

Chop all the vegetables and place them in a pan that can be covered. Pour the marinade over the vegetables and mix them so that all the vegetables have been covered with the marinade. Cover the pan. (If your pan doesn’t have a cover, cover the pan with baking paper and then on top of that, cover pan with aluminum foil.)

Bake for one hour in an oven that has been preheated to 180°C, or until the vegetables have softened.

Level of difficulty: Medium.

Time: 75 minutes.

Status: Pareve.

ROOT SALAD WITH KIWI-ONION DRESSING

Makes 6 servings.

Salad:

3 beets, peeled

3 carrots, peeled

1 kohlrabi, peeled

¼ cup sunflower seeds

Dressing:

½ red onion, peeled

1 kiwi, peeled

1 stalk of parsley

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp. organic mustard

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 Tbsp. quality honey

¼ cup unsweetened soy milk or water

Place all of the salad vegetables in the bowl of an electric or manual food processor and pulse 5 or 6 times until you achieve desired consistency.

Transfer vegetables to a medium bowl and add sunflower seeds.

To prepare the salad dressing, place all of the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Pour over the cut vegetables, mix and serve. This salad can be stored in an airtight container for up to four days in the fridge.

Level of difficulty: Easy.

Time: 15 minutes.

Status: Pareve.

Root salad with kiwi-onion dressing (Credit: Neta Livneh)

TOFU STIR-FRY WITH FENNEL AND PUMPKIN SEEDS

Makes 6 servings.

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 scallions, chopped

300 g. (1 package) tofu, cubed

3 bulbs of fennel, sliced thinly

2 bell peppers, any color, sliced

1 spicy pepper, chopped

1 stalk of cilantro, chopped

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

½ tsp. cumin

1 Tbsp. tamari soy sauce

1 Tbsp. silan

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

½ Tbsp. roasted sesame oil

¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds, peeled

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the scallions and then add the tofu pieces. Sauté for a minute or two then add fennel and peppers and keep stirring for another 8 minutes.

Add the spicy pepper, cilantro and spices. Mix well and then add the pumpkin seeds. Cook for another 4 minutes and then serve immediately.

Level of difficulty: Easy-Medium.

Time: 30 minutes.

Status: Pareve.

Tofu stir-fry with fennel and pumpkin seeds (Credit: Neta Livneh)

CRISPY GLUTEN-FREE CRACKERS

Use a regular oven pan.

1 cup soy flour

3 Tbsp. olive oil

4 Tbsp. water

1 tsp. Atlantic sea salt

Pinch of black pepper

½ cup sesame seeds

2-3 dried sage leaves, crumbled (optional)

In a large bowl, mix together the soy flour with the oil and water. Add the salt, pepper (and any other seasoning, such as cumin, spicy paprika), sesame seeds and sage. Mix well.

Place a sheet of baking paper on your work surface and flour it with soy flour. Place the dough on top and then another sheet of baking paper on top. Take a rolling pin and roll out the dough until it’s ½-cm. thick.

Lift the dough with the paper and place it in a baking dish. Remove the top layer of baking paper. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180° for 25 minutes until the cracker has turned golden brown.

Remove from the oven and cut into pieces. Store in an air-tight container. If you prefer, you can cut the dough into squares of other shapes before baking, but Paula prefers breaking it into large, random-shaped pieces after it’s finished baking.

Level of difficulty: Easy.

Time: 40 minutes.

Status: Pareve.