After a couple of weeks of meshugeneh happenings (dental bizarreness, a complex project, unexpected guests, a burning need to see the ocean and the forest), I find myself unable to buckle down and finish the two or three posts you’ve been asking for.

You get this list, instead. Mostly (not totally, after all, I get to choose, this is my blog) I’ve tried to avoid hyper-hyped, glossy webzines and opted for links that might not get that much attention, though they ought to.

Most Erudite Kosher Blog

Okay he gets attention, but he so deserves it. Hands down, Gil Marks writes the chewiest Kosher blog posts. Rabbi Marks posts brilliant essays on the weekly Torah portion and explores the food related to each parsha. His books are well-researched and fascinating (not to mention James Beard finalists or award winners).

Most Complete Kosher Restaurant Database

Shamash.

Exotic Food Blogs & Web Sites & Exchanges (One person’s “exotic” is another’s local).

Sephardic Food is written by a woman whose family hails from Rhodes and Turkey. Dinner In Venice by well-known Italian-Jewish cook, Alessandra Rovati. Jewish Recipe Trader! Awesome. Sephardic, Ashkenasic, Mizrahi, Indian, African and more.

Heimish Sephardic Recipe Database

Sephardim.com. Nice recipes from Sephardic grandmas. World Congress of Georgian Jews. A handful of authentic recipes from one of my favorite culinary traditions. Heimish-Sephardic? Just trust me.

Veddy-British Jewish Blog by Non-Jewish Bloggers

Koshercurry, nice mix of articles, recipes.

Feel-Good Kosher Food Facebook Pages

I like the Kosher Culture Foundation as well as its sister pages. The people involved are super-friendly and warm. I also like the Eating for The Third Temple group and KosherItalianKitchen.

Israeli Home-style Cooking Blogs That Prompt One To Ask: Where-Do-These-Bloggers-Find-The-Time?

Israeli Kitchen blog with some intriguing, intelligent posts (like this one on Israeli capers). Kosher Home Cooking blog, by a former New Yorker, turned Israeli. Also, The Kosher Blogger.

Least Slick Kashrus Pages

Want to know more about kosher observance? You can go to the biggies (OU, Chabad, Aish, Star-K). But there are plenty of other bloggers and web-site creators dedicated to discussing kashrus. Ahavat-Yisrael. is one.

Vegetarian Kosher Blog

You can eat both kosher and vegetarian but do not confuse the two. Today, there is no religious imperative to be a strict vegetarian though there is a good argument for not eating meat (including chicken and fish) except on Shabbos and Yom Tov. I’m a former veggie, who still eats a veggie diet the vast majority of the time.

I regularly express awe and gratitude that Hashem created diverse creatures (even centipedes and some of the grizzly types of sharks, spiders, and scorpions as long as they’re not in my line of vision).  I’ve thought a lot about this topic. My thinking has evolved based on exploring the relevant Torah teachings on animals, blessings, diet, and so on. Also what’s helped me a lot has been meditating (plenty of hisbodedus) on the topic.

One day I hope to do a nice little HJC post for you all about vegetarianism and Torah based on what I’ve learned. That being said, I love to read veggie sites and enjoy Cafe Liz quite a bit.  I’m always on the lookout for a-political veggie blogs, so please comment with a link.

Kosher Moms, Homestyle

Writer and baker Tamar Ansh’s A Taste of Challah. Tamar’s books are sweet and cheerful.  Hannah Katsman’s Cooking Manager is created by a delightful Israeli mom who packs this site with all kinds of interesting information. Jewish Mom (parenting and inspiration). Creative Jewish Mom (in Israel).

Kosher Drinks

Beer blog. Wine blog (Yossie’s Corkboard).

Feed the Hungry

Here are just a handful of the charities out there: The Sephardic Food Fund.  Tomchei Shabbos-Google and you’ll see local listings. Sara Yocheved Rigler’s Feed My Girls.  United Soup Kitchens. Yad Eliezer. There are sure to be numerous charities in your country/state/city you can donate to or volunteer with. If you’d like to find out about Recovery Shabbos, or donate to other healthy, home-cooked Shabbos events for people with mental illness, addiction, disabilities or those without families, including those with special dietary needs, please contact me at healthyblog@optimum.net.

And, slightly off-topic: My latest Breslov Repair Kit posts at Breslov.org. Please LIKE them and SHARE them! (Only if you actually like them, which I hope you do.) Sophistication. Compassion.

Finally, please remember: Eating kosher food does not necessarily mean you are eating kosher. Gluttony is never kosher.