Rachele & Joe's Compassionate Pesach Seder

Passover is the Jewish holiday that separates the story of the Exodus, when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt.  Passover symbolizes the universal story of dignity, hope and freedom- what better holiday to encompass compassion.  Passover teaches us that all suffering matters to G-d and all suffering should matter to all humans.

It seems almost archaic to celebrate our freedom as we dine on the carcase of animals that have spent their lives caged in areas where they cannot even turn around or see sunlight.  To me, Passover reminds us of the importance of continuing to battle for freedom- for all creatures.  The prayers of Passover remind us to continue to fight for those that are still oppressed and to me it is the perfect opportunity to extend our compassion to every living being.

The Menu

1. Matzo Ball Soup
2. Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
3. Grilled Asparagus
4. Sweet Potato Kugel
5. Traditional Charoset
6. Dessert: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
7. Of course, Matzo! (Make sure you don't get the egg kind)

I should preface this by saying that this menu does not comply with Ashkenazi traditions which do not allow for the consumption of beans or legumes during Passover.  As a vegan, this would be nearly impossible to comply with since beans and legumes are my primary source of protein.  So, this compassionate seder followed the traditions of Sephardim, which do allow for the consumption of beans and legumes.

The Seder Plate

1. Z'or'a (traditionally the shank bone) was represented by a a beet which the Talmud explicitly allows for.
2. Beitzah (traditionally an egg) was represented by a lower.  Flowers, like eggs, symbolize creation and new birth.
3. Maror (bitter herbs) was represented by parsley.
4. Chazeret ( bitter herbs) was represented by a radish.
5. Charoset (see recipe below) symbolizes the bricks and mortar that the Israelites were forced to use in slavery.
6. Karpas was represented by celery.

Joe and I had Curt and Amy over for a traditional seder.  It was lovely and the apartment smelled amazing.  Being the only vegan at the table, I was nervous about how everyone would like the meal.  To my delight, everyone appeared to love it!

Matzo Ball Soup

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of matzo meal (I make my own by processing matzo in the food processor until it is fine)

3/4 teaspoons of salt

3/4 teaspoons of pepper

12 ounces of Mori-nu silken tofu (in the Asian food section of Whole Foods- it's not refrigerated)

1 carrot, peeled

1/4 cup of Safflower oil

Fresh Dill

In this recipe, timing is everything!  Start by combining the matzo meal and salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Next, in the food processor, combine the silken tofu and 1/4 cup of veggie broth and pulse until smooth.  As it is processing, gradually add the Safflower oil.

Fold the tofu mixture into the dry ingredients and grate the carrot into the bowl.  Combine all the ingredients well.  I use my hands to knead the mixture really well.  You don't want to see any of the dry matzo meal when it is done.  Cover the mixture with foil and refrigerate for at least one hour- but the longer the better.  The resting time is important for keeping the matzo balls together.

You need a large stockpot to make these (I use what is supposed to be a lobster pot).  Fill it 3/4 of the way with water and bring it to a rolling boil.  Add a little salt for taste.    After your matzo mixture has adequately rested (I let mine rest for about 2 hours), remove it from the refrigerator.  

When shaping your matzo balls, form them into golf ball sized balls and roll them until they are smooth (no cracks!).  When you have your matzo balls formed, begin to drop them into the boiling water 3-4 at a time.  I use a slotted spoon.  It is important to not plop them in there, so take your time.  Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium.  Leave the lid on for 45 minutes- DO NOT lift the lid to check on them! After 45 minutes lift the lid and turn off the heat.  When you lift the lid, the balls will sink to the bottom.  Success!  With no heat on, cover them again and let them sit in the water until you are ready to serve- no longer than 1 hour though.

Broth

For the broth, you can use my traditional veggie broth which you find on this blog.  I chose to go a different route this time because I had so many other things to cook.

Ingredients:

2 containers of no-chicken broth

1/2 cup of water

1 whole onion, peel on

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 pieces of celery, chopped

3 bay leaves

Some fresh dill

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients all of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 1 hour.  Remove the bay leaves, dill and onion before serving.

I put two matzo balls in each in bowl and then covered with soup.  Yum!  My guests enjoyed breaking up their matzo and putting it in the soup too.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of Safflower oil

1 onion, finely chopped,

1 large celery stalk, finely chopped

2 teaspoons of Sriracha chili sauce (Asian food aisle)

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of oregano

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can of black beans, rinsed well and drained

1 cup of quinoa, soak and rinse well

1 cup of frozen corn

2 carrots, grated fine

1 1/2 cups of water

1 cup plus 1/2 cup of daiya cheese

3 Large peppers (I did one red, one yellow and one orange)

In a large sauce pan, saute the onion, celery and garlic in the Safflower oil.  Once the are soft, add the Sriracha sauce, cumin and oregano and saute for another 2 minutes.  Then add the black beans, quinoa, corn, carrots and water.  Cover and cooked on medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until the quinoa is cooked, about 20 minutes.  Stir in the 1 cup of daiya and mix well until it melts.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Take your peppers and cut them length-wise and remove the seeds and ribs.  Place them in a baking dish and fill them with the quinoa mixture.  You want to fill them pretty full since this is your main course.  Cover the baking dish with foil and bake them for 45 minutes.  After the 45 minutes is over, remove the foil and sprinkle the additional 1/2 cup of daiya over the peppers and put them back in the oven for the another 5-10 minutes until the daiya has melted.  Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

*Tip on quinoa: Quinoa comes with a bitter tasting coating.  Soaking it for about 20 minutes in cold water and then draining it eliminates the bitter taste.

Grilled Asparagus

Ingredients

1 lbs of asparagus

1 tablespoon of Earth Balance

3 teaspoons of Jane Crazy Mixed up seasoning

Since I was cooking so much at once, I needed a quick and easy vegetable.  I put everything in a grill pan and grilled the asparagus for about 5 minutes until it was a rich green color.  So simple.

Sweet Potato Kugel

Ingredients:

6 small sweet potatoes, grated and peeled

3 apples, grated and peeled (I used Red Delicious)

1 cup of raisins

1 cup of matzo meal

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

1 cup of walnuts, chopped

1 cup of coconut water

I miss my grandmother's kugel, it was the best.  This isn't quite the same, but it is good.  I used my food processor to grate the sweet potatoes and apples.  Put them in a large bowl and add all of the other ingredients.  Use your hands to mix well.  Press the mixture into a baking dish and cook covered at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  Uncover and cook for another 10-15 minutes until it brown.  Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Traditional Charoset

Ingredients:

4 Macintosh apples, peeled and cored

1 cup of walnuts, chopped fine

1 teaspoon of agave syrup (traditionally Sweet Kosher wine is used)

Cinnamon and Sugar to taste

Pulse the apples and walnuts in the food processor.  Moisten with the agave syrup and season to taste with cinnamon and sugar (about 1 teaspoon of each).  So simple, so delicious.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of garbanzo flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 cup of melted Earth Balance

1/2 cup of firmly baked brown sugar

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

2 teaspoons of apple sauce

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups of quick oats

1 1/4 cups of chocolate chips (I used the cacao chips)

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon.  Beat together the Earth Balance, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined.  Then add the apple sauce and vanilla extract.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then mix in the oats and chocolate chips.  Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  

Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.  Bake them for about 12-15 minutes.  I use a tooth pick to check and make sure if they are cooked all the way through.  Just stick into the middle of the cookies and if comes out clean you are good!  Refrigerate the dough in between baking.  I had two batches.

Note: These cookies are dark in color so don't be alarmed if they look like they are burnt.

This was such a great night and my friends were amazing.  Congrats to Curt who found the Afikomen and won the prize!