Aviva Allen, a local nutritionist and chef, is passionate about sharing her knowledge of organic foods.
Aviva Allen
The author of The Organic Kosher Cookbook has recently come out with the second volume, The Organic Kosher Cookbook, Holiday Edition.“Jewish food is not typically healthy. I wanted to offer a healthy version of traditional food,” said Allen, who is married and has a young child.
Eating organic foods means more than avoiding pesticides, hormones and antibiotics, she said. “Organic food [also] has a higher nutrient content. Conventional farms grow the same crops in the same field year after year. This practice depletes nutrients from the soil.
“By using the organic farming method of crop rotation, crops are planted in a specific order to ensure balanced soil composition. For example, an organic farmer would plant tomatoes in one part of the field, which draw nitrogen from the soil; next year the farmer would plant beans or peas, a crop which would fix nitrogen into the soil, she said.”
Allen, who is not a vegetarian but tries to eat primarily vegetarian food, said that certain laws and principles of Judaism are in line with the principles of organic farming. “We encourage the ethical treatment of animals, as well as healthy eating and an awareness of what we put into our bodies.”
The differences between conventional kosher poultry and organic kosher poultry – available through Tiferet Organic in Montreal and sold at some kosher butchers including Toronto Kosher – are how they are raised and what they are fed, she said.
“When you compare slaughter to slaughter, it is the same kosher, but the difference is that they are raised with lots more space, and they are not fed antibiotics or drugs.
“If you compare the eggs from these chickens, you can see that the colour of the yolks is much more vibrant.”
There are no beef recipes in her book because kosher organic beef is not currently available in Canada, she said.
Allen created all the recipes in the self-published book. “They are easy to follow and suitable for both first-time or experienced cooks who want to learn about healthy recipes.”
She included recipes for every Jewish festival – all are non-dairy and she uses no canola oil.
“I handed out the recipes for friends to try, but in the initial stages, [the recipes] had to pass by my family. I find that works best, because you want people who are not professional cooks to test the recipes. It is good to have an everyday person try them out.”
She started the book over a year ago, but took a break while she was pregnant, she said. Allen also gives cooking lessons and classes about smart food shopping.
She offers a few Chanukah favourites.
11⁄2 cups shredded Yukon gold potato (approx. 2 medium potatoes)
3⁄4 cup shredded zucchini (approx. 1 small zucchini)
3⁄4 cup shredded sweet potato (approx. 1 small sweet potato)
2 tbsp. grated onion (1 small onion)
2 eggs
11⁄4 tsp. sea salt
6 tbsp. whole wheat or spelt flour (see notes)
extra virgin olive oil for frying
Preheat oven to 425. Place shredded yellow potatoes and zucchini in a towel, a little at a time, and ring out liquid. Place in a large bowl and mix together with all other ingredients (except the oil).
Heat 3 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan at a medium-high heat. Place a heaping tablespoon of mixture into hands and flatten to form a disc while squeezing out excess liquid. Fry latkes until golden brown on both sides. Place latkes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 10-15 minutes. Yield: 8 medium latkes. Serve with homemade apple sauce (recipe below).
Notes:
• Substitute 1/4 cup brown rice flour for gluten-free version.
• Replace flour with an equal amount of whole wheat matzah meal for Passover-friendly version.
8 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
In a medium pot, combine all ingredients and boil for about 30 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and drain liquid from pot. Mash the cooked apples with a potato masher or in a food processor, leaving some chunks of apple if desired.
Note: Fuji apples work well for this recipe, but you can also try Gala or Pink Lady apples. The important thing is that you use a sweet apple, not a tart variety such as Granny Smith. Yield: 2-1/2 cups.
5 cups shredded Yukon Gold potatoes (2 lbs. potatoes)
3 tbsp. grated onion (1 small onion)
1 tbsp. minced Jalapeno (seeds removed)
3 eggs
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. chili powder
1⁄2 cup whole wheat or whole wheat spelt flour (see notes)
extra virgin olive oil for frying
Preheat oven to 425. Place shredded potatoes in a towel, a little at a time, and ring out the liquid.Place in a large bowl and mix together with all other ingredients (except the oil).
Heat 3 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan at a medium-high heat. Place a heaping tablespoon of mixture into your hands and flatten to form a disc while squeezing out excess liquid. Fry latkes until golden brown on both sides, adding more oil as necessary. Place latkes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 10-15 minutes. Yield: 10-15 latkes. Serve with Avocado Sour Cream.
Notes:
• Substitute 1⁄4 cup brown rice flour for gluten-free version.
• Substitute an equal amount of whole wheat matzah meal for Passover-friendly version.
1 ripe avocado
3 tbsp. raw tahini paste
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve chilled. Yield: 3/4 cup.
