In a Nutshell:

Super-Fast Veggie Soup

The fastest soup involves the vegetables that cook the fastest: 2–3 onions, chopped + 6 zucchinis +
1 32-oz (910-g) bag frozen cauliflower + 6 cloves garlic + chicken stock + salt + pepper. Simmer for about 30 minutes, then blend and serve!

—Chanie Nayman

Review It!

Restaurant rave

I recently spent the day in Brooklyn with my daughter Eliana. For lunch, we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Pescada, which had a new menu. We tried all the appetizers, since they’re often the menu highlights. Each one was tasty and delicious and beautifully presented.

One of the most delicious dishes we tasted was the Sesame Crusted Tuna, served with an incredible Hollandaise sauce on a bed of fresh green asparagus. My daughter loved the Palle de Avocado (avocado balls with mozzarella in a crisp panko crust). Highly recommended!

—Naomi Nachman

Reader Recipe

I love reading A Heaping Scoop by the FT staff, and I thought I’d share this recipe. I call it “PB and B.” It’s 1½ Tbsp peanut butter (I love using the crunchy kind for some extra texture!), 2 bananas broken into pieces, vanilla or chocolate protein powder (optional), and 5–6 ice cubes. Blend! This shake is satisfying, delicious, and refreshing. It’s perfect for a yummy and nutritious breakfast or snack.

—Rachelli Fried, Ramat Eshkol, Yerushalayim

FT, help me!!

How do you heat up your food before Shabbos so it stays warm but doesn’t dry out?

I actually don’t use a blech at all. All my food is fully cooked in advance and I heat most of the food up right before Shabbos until nice and hot, and then everything goes into my oven on the keep warm setting, including the chicken soup.

I add a bit of extra water to some items, such as farfel and potato kugel before Shabbos starts, to prevent them from drying out. Other items that remain uncovered, like apple crumble or roasted vegetables, are not preheated and simply placed into the oven right before Shabbos. (Note: I remove the food from the oven on Shabbos only after the oven turns off.)

—Chavi Feldman

Ok, Quick:
What’s your coffee routine?

To quote Folgers, it’s the best part of waking up. I have 1 shot of Nespresso with low-fat milk plus 1 Tbsp creamer, frothed. That’s all, folks!

—Rivky Kleiman

Halacha

When women take off challah, they often merely make the brachah and do not verbally declare “harei zu challah.” This is a mistake. Even when taking challah without a brachah because the dough lacks a shiur, one should always make the declaration of “harei zu challah” after separating off the dough. The separated piece should be wrapped in foil and burned, or put aside to be burned with the chometz.

—Rabbi Avrohom Neuberger

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 768)