Countdown To Passover has Begun!!!
Purim is behind us and there are now just about 4 weeks until Passover begins. We have made room in our freezers and I have a basic menu planned. We are seriously keeping things very simple this year. My husband and myself for the sedarim and just our local family and oneor two neighbors for day meals.
One of the things I have never understood is the insanity in trying to make these over the top extravagant meals for the sedarim and on Yom Tov. It is 8 days (7 in Israel). In our home because of our minhagim (traditions) we eat very clean, simple whole foods: meat, chicken, fish, eggs, veggies and an assortment of fruits. If there is sauce - it’s homemade. If there are any sweets they are homemade. This year we are going to try to eat considerably less meat without any of our normal vegan meat substitutes.
The menu for the two sedarim and the two day meals on the first days of Yom Tov are as follows:
Meal the first Seder
The Foods of the Seder Plate & Matzah
Pesach Meatloaf w/ Mashed Root Veggies
Cucumber Salad, Beet Salad & Kohlrabi Slaw
Lunch the First Day
Matzah
Leafy green Salad w/ citrus dressing
Cucumber Salad, Beet Salad & Kohlrabi Slaw
Lemon Salmon
Hassleback Zucchini
Fruit Salad & Almond Cookies
Second Seder Meal
The Foods of the Seder Plate & Matzah
Either Lemon Salmon / Gefilte Fish
Cucumber Salad, Beet Salad & Kohlrabi Slaw
Pesach Hot Pot - potato, carrots, zucchini, onion, celery root, turnip, parsnip & Chicken leg quarters boiled while the seder is going on
Second Day Lunch
Matzah
Potato Salad, Cucumber Salad, Beet Salad, Kohlrabi Slaw
BBQ Grilled Apricot Cornish Game Hen
Grilled Eggplant
Leafy Green Salad
Fresh Fruit & Almond Cookies
During the week we will have things like Vegan Shepherds Pie, Crustless Quiche, depending on if there are leftovers from the Sedarim we may have Salmon Salad / Chicken Salad with assorted side salads. Granted our home no longer has little ones that need to be satisfied and feel like they are being deprived of their favorites. Breakfast and lunch are also simple; scrambled eggs, flourless pancakes, fish with salad, soup and things that are in the house.
A few staples I will make this year as I do every year:
Mayonnaise
Tomato Sauce
Peach / Orange Jam
BBQ Sauce
Special Hariff for my husband
A few new things I plan on making this year:
Carrot Hummus
Shari’s Oven Fired GF Onion Rings
Dehydrated Veggies & Fruits
Vegan GF Almond Sponge Cake
Having htis planned out now helps me with my grocery shopping, gives me a sense of order and I don’t panic over did I forget to make something. I also no longer try to have everything cooked before Yom Tov other than the foods that need to be prepared ahead for Shabbat. The BBQ grill was the best gift my DH could have ever given me for Pesach - we love to BBQ and will use it not only on Yom Tov but throughout Chol Hamoed. This year I bought a dehydrator to make dried fruits and veggies for seasonings as well as for noshing.
Look for these and more recipes as the next few weeks go by. You can watch my how to make mayonnaise video on YouTube. If there are specific recipes you would like please email me.