Passover Ideas

My friend Tammy just emailed me, "Any ideas for Pessah lunch?" Here are some ideas off the top of my head.

I love Passover crepes. I make the crepes in a pareve (not meat or dairy) nonstick pan with minimal oil. Then I can put cheese on them and let it melt. Fillings include:

• Tuna with melted cheese and lettuce
• Homemade tomato sauce* with melted cheese and (optional) basil
• Fried or baked bananas with (optional) honey
• Sweet cheese ("gvina levana" and honey)
• Sardines (my kids LOVE sardines and my favorite brand is kosher without kitnyot.)
• Avocado and tomato salad

I like to make the crepes ahead and warm them on the blech on Yom Tov mornings for a sweet breakfast.

Other ideas include:

• Butternut squash soup (I make a big batch for several days)
• Sweet Potato and eggplant "chips" (Salt the eggplant well, let sit for 15+ minutes, then rinse and pat dry.) Toss with olive oil and seasoning. Cook both until brown.
• Butternut squash chips
• Spaghetti Squash with Homemade Bolognese Sauce (fry ground beef, simmer in tomato sauce)
• Cauliflower Tabouleh or Quinoa Tabouleh, if you use quinoa (just leave out any spices you don't use, it'll be fine.)
• When my mom was here last year, she put egg salad on sliced cucumbers and my kids named it "sand on rocks" (like ants on a log).
• I like the looks of Sweet Spaghetti Squash Kugel with Apples and Raisins from Cara's Cravings.
• Simple salmon and whole fish dishes are favorites in my house.
• You can make chicken stock or fish chowder with many of the odds and ends (a.k.a. trash) from othe Pesach cooking.

For the sedar, I'm planning to make walnut crusted Pargiyot, like in THIS POST, but with ground walnuts instead of bread crumbs. (I'm also planning to make my own gefilte fish, stay tuned.)

Snack ideas:

• Hey Tammy, you know that banana ice cream you love? It's even faster if you just stick the bananas on sticks and freeze them. My kids also love frozen grapes and ice pops made with other fruit and yogurt.
• Make extra charoset for snacking. I like to coarsely chop apples and walnuts in the food processor and just add a splash of sweet wine and a pinch of salt. Or try Cafe Liz's "My mom’s charoset"
• Put "gvina levana" soft cheese on cucumbers and put raisins or half an apricot on top, or make ants on a log with homemade nut butter. 
• Roasted Beet & Walnut Salad
• Leave a big batch of cut up fruits and veggies in a place where they are easier to reach then less healthy options. Then you can pull them out for you or your kids to snack on whewn you're busy cooking fancy Yom Tov meals. (I hate when I'm in a whirlwind of cooking and my kids come in whining that they're hungry and I have nothing ready.)
• Hard boiled eggs, nuts, and cheese also make quick snacks.

*I make tomato sauce ahead and freeze some for the last days of the holiday. Fry an onion. Add 4 diced, seeded tomatoes. Add about 1/4 cup white wine and a splash of lemon juice and some sugar (optional). Simmer until desired thickness, 1-3 hours. (You can make it in a pressure cooker in 15-20 minutes, but it won't be as thick.) Season to taste with salt, etc.

Need dessert? This brownie recipe is super easy and keeps for at least a week, or many months in the freezer.  They are good enough to eat after Passover!

Happy Birthday Tammy!


This post is linked to Real Food Digest | Real Food Holidays – Passover.