A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of attending the annual The Simply Manischewitz Cook-Off event in New York City where Amy Siegal of Clifton, New Jersey was proclaimed the winner for her Mediterranean Falafel Sliders. (Not to brag or anything, but we knew once we tasted them that she had the winning recipe. Her falafel sliders were SOOOO good!)

Well, we got a hold of the winning recipe and wanted to share it with you. Manischewitz has also agreed to give away their Manischewitz Falafel Mix (the secret ingredient!) and a bunch of other great Manischewitz products to one lucky Chosen Blog reader. All you have to do is leave the name of your favorite Manischewitz product in the comments section below by Midnight 3/16/09. And without further a do, here is the winning recipe:

Marvelous Mediterranean Falafel Sliders

1 envelope Manischewitz falafel mix
2 lb.Ground turkey*
1 cup Mint leaves, chopped
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 Large Bermuda onion, thinly sliced
1 can Ready to serve Tehina
12 3-inch rolls
1 head Bibb lettuce, washed and patted dry
Manischewitz non-stick cooking spray
Ground black pepper Water

1.In a large mixing bowl, combine falafel mix, turkey, mint leaves, black pepper to taste and 3-4 tablespoons cold water to moisten. Shape mixture into 12 small patties. Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Grill patties for 3-5 minutes per side, until no longer pink in center. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and Bermuda onion. Sauté for 10-12 minutes, until softened and golden. In a small bowl, stir together tehina with ¼ cup water. Add more water to make a thinner sauce, if desired, set aside. Heat rolls in a 250 degree F oven for 5 minutes or until warm.

2. To assemble slider; on a plate, place bottom of roll, lettuce leaf, cooked patty, onions, 1 tbsp tehina, and top of roll. Garnish with additional chopped mint leaves. Serve remaining tehina sauce on the side for dipping.
*You can use regular and light varieties of ground turkey however the regular variety works best in this recipe.

Enjoy!

So nu? What are your plans for Purim?
We can’t think of a more fun way to celebrate the holiday than the Broadway Purim Shpiel! This awesome event which benefits Taglit-Birthright Israel is in its 5th year of production. This year, the event is hosted by comedian Jackie Hoffman and stars the following Broadway notables:

Jordan Gelber, All My Sons
Mary Faber, Avenue Q
Lorin Lattaro, Guys & Dolls
Marc Kudish, 9 to 5
Logan Lipton, Wicked
Jared Gertner, 25th Annual Spelling Bee
Noah Wiesberg, South Pacific
Carly Jibson, Hairspray

Get 10% off your tickets to the show with the code “POPJ” when you order tickets.

Chanukah is less than two weeks away, and we can already feel the excitement! Last year we posted about cool Chanukah events happening all across the country. This year, it’s your turn! Know about a great public menorah lighting, or a cool Chanukah party? Leave a comment sharing the details of an exciting Chanukah event happening in your city. Note that these should be events that are open to the public so all can attend!