I love the holidays and Sukkot is a personal favorite. There is nothing better than sitting all cozy in the sukkah surrounded by family, friends and food.
To avoid the hostess panic, keep your menu to a minimum, consisting mostly of tried and true recipes that you are familiar with while adding a few new dishes to the mix to keep it exciting.
Pomegranate Swirl Cheesecake with Chocolate Topping
My favorite creamy cheesecake (the best cheesecake and also easiest cheesecake you will ever make!) gets a holiday makeover with the addition of tart pomegranates and a crunchy chocolate coating on top. The pomegranate seeds add a nice satisfying crunch while the sticky glaze completes this delicious dairy delight.
Ingredients:
16 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
16 oz. sour cream
2 eggs
½ cup of sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ready-made 6 oz. pie crusts, can be graham cracker or chocolate
8 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate for chocolate topping Pomegranate Syrup
To Make Pomegranate Syrup:
4 cups pomegranate juice
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Bring ingredients to a boil (allowing sugar to dissolve), then lower flame and stir until thickens. Allow sauce to cool off, then combine it with ½ cup of pomegranate seeds.
Directions:
Combine cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
Slowly add in eggs and beat until combined.
Divide batter between the two graham cracker crusts.
Using ¼ cup of pomegranate syrup for each cheesecake, dot the top and swirl around with a knife.
Bake on 350° for an hour.
Set aside remaining syrup for serving.
Once the cheesecake has cooled off, melt baking chocolate and cover the top of the cheesecake with the melted chocolate.
Once the chocolate has hardened, drizzle remaining pomegranate sauce on top of the chocolate topping.
Mock-Crab Balls with Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce
These mock crab balls are fantastic since you can prepare them up to a day in advance and serve them at room temperature. I usually make a double batch since they are such a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients:
2 eggs
½ cup of mayo
¼ cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. Montréal steak seasoning
½ cup of bread crumbs
6 sticks of fake crab
Directions:
Mix ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Shape into balls about the size of 1 tablespoon.
Place on lightly greased baking sheet and cook in oven on 400° for 15-20 minutes.
Serve with Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce.
Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce:
½ cup of mayo
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh!)
Juice of ½ lime
¼ tsp. chili powder
Combine ingredients. Serve with crab balls.
Chicken Salad with Pomegranate Dressing
I love serving chicken salad for lunch since you can prepare the ingredients in advance and simply combine with the dressing right before serving.
Ingredients:
1 head of lettuce, chopped up
1 avocado, diced
1 lb. of grilled chicken cut into pieces
Pomegranate Dressing:
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
Place lettuce in a large serving bowl.
Layer chicken and avocado on top.
Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over salad.
Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until blended. Dress the salad right before serving.
Spinach Beef Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze
I love a good sweet and sticky sauce. I also like that this one hides the fact that there is spinach in your meatball, which means my son will actually eat it!