Colorful Vegetable Dishes for Passover

Introduction to Passover Dishes

For Passover, the holiday of springtime, it is customary to showcase vegetables, especially green ones, on the menu. This year we’re preparing an aromatic broccoli and cauliflower tajine and a variety of salads, including a colorful green salad with papaya and pecans.

Wheat flour is strictly forbidden during this eight-day holiday, which begins Saturday, April 12. In many households, like those of our families when we were growing up, noodles, rice and other grains are also not allowed. Today, however, there are kosher for Passover alternatives to grains.

Alternatives to Grains

Instead of rice, we use quinoa, a grain-like seed that’s permitted during the holiday, or hearts of palm rice, which is derived from a vegetable. Shirataki noodles, made from the flour of konjac, a root vegetable, offer a satisfying alternative to traditional wheat noodles and are very low in carbohydrates and calories.

Desserts for Passover

Some of our favorite Passover desserts are no-cook sweets like our date and chocolate balls. For a light finale to the Passover Seder dinner, we enjoy a refreshing treat such as a hibiscus and chia seed pudding with sour cherry preserves.

Green Salad with Papaya and Pecans

Make this lively salad with sweet cocktail grapefruit when it’s available. The Italian-style dressing is based on a recipe in “Olive Oil for Dummies” by Amy Riolo and Simon Poole.
Yield: 2 or 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 to 5 cups romaine, torn in bite size pieces
• 1 1/2 cups papaya cubes
• 1/2 cup jicama sticks
• 3 mini cucumbers, diced
• Pinch of pico de gallo seasoning (chile salt)
• 1 cocktail grapefruit or other small grapefruit, divided in segments
• 1/2 cup pecans, lightly toasted if desired
  

  DIRECTIONS

  1. For dressing: Whisk olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
  2. For salad: Combine romaine with half the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  3. Top romaine with papaya, jicama and cucumber pieces and with rest of dressing. Sprinkle papaya and vegetables with pico de gallo seasoning. Add grapefruit segments and pecans and serve.

Beet, Apple and Walnut Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing

I dress this salad, which is based on a recipe in “Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce” by Cathy Thomas, with lemony tahini and Greek yogurt instead of blue cheese dressing. For the best flavor, make the salad with freshly toasted walnuts.
Yield: 2 or 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice (divided)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon tahini (see Note)
• 1 small shallot, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 crisp unpeeled red-skinned apple, cut in thin wedges
• 4 cups coarsely chopped romaine
• 4 cooked baby beets, cut in bite-size cubes
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (see Tip)
• 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
  

  DIRECTIONS

  1. Dressing: Reserve 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil for flavoring lettuce.
  2. Combine remaining lemon juice, remaining olive oil, yogurt, tahini, and shallot in a small bowl. Whisk until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. Set aside 7 or 8 apple wedges for garnish. Dice remaining apple.
  4. In a medium bowl toss romaine with reserved lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. In another bowl combine beets, diced apple, half of walnuts and half of parsley. Stir in tahini dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning. Spoon mixture on top of romaine. Garnish edges of mixture with apple slices. Top beet mixture with remaining walnuts and parsley.

Exotic Mushrooms Bourguignon with Garlic Whipped Potatoes

Use any selection of mushrooms you like in this dish. It is based on a recipe in “The Vegan Blueprints” by Chef Eileen Elizabeth.
Yield: 2 to 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 12 ounces exotic mushrooms such as shiitake, chanterelles, lion’s mane or oyster mushrooms, cut in bite-size pieces
• 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil (divided)
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 medium-size yellow potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
• 3 medium or large carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced (divided)
• 8 ounces thin-skinned small tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons dry red wine (optional)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, or to taste
• 3 to 4 tablespoons plant-based milk (optional)
• Chopped chives or Italian parsley (optional garnish)
  

  DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss mushrooms with 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast on a baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned.
  2. Meanwhile, cover potatoes with water in a medium-large saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until very tender. Remove from water, rinse briefly and let cool enough to handle.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add carrots, onion and 4 minced garlic cloves. Saute for 7 minutes or until onion pieces are translucent. Stir in tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes until sauce thickens. Stir in broth and wine and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
  4. Stir water into potato starch in a small bowl. Whisk to blend well. Slowly whisk this slurry into the sauce. Add thyme and oregano.
  5. Add roasted mushrooms to sauce. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, over low heat until mushrooms are very tender and sauce is well flavored. Adjust seasoning.
  6. Peel potatoes. Mash with a potato masher, adding remaining minced garlic clove, 1 to 2 tablespoons oil, and milk to adjust consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  7. Serve mushrooms in their sauce on or alongside mashed potatoes. Sprinkle mushrooms with chives.

Cauliflower-Broccoli Tajine with Hearts of Palm Rice

Bold flavors popular in Morocco — ginger, garlic, saffron, cumin and other spices, as well as lemon pieces — simmer with the broccoli, cauliflower and sweet potato. The recipe is adapted from “The Heart Healthy Plant-Based Cookbook” by Dr. Jenneffer Pulapaka and Chef Hari Pulapaka.
Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups cauliflower florets
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 sweet potato (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut in large dice
• 2 lemons, quartered, seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger root
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled, sliced into slivers
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• Pinch of saffron threads, soaked in 2 tablespoons warm water for 20 minutes
• 2 cups vegetable stock, more if needed
• 9-ounce package hearts of palm rice
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley, cilantro or a mixture of both
  

  DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roast cauliflower and broccoli florets on a baking sheet in the oven for 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  2. Add onion and sweet potato to baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes until they soften slightly. Transfer them to a stew pan.
  3. Add lemon quarters to stew pan along with ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Stir over low heat for 1 minute.
  4. Add roasted cauliflower and broccoli to pan. Add bay leaves, saffron and its liquid, and enough vegetable stock to barely cover sweet potato cubes. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat 15 to 18 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let stand for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves.
  5. To serve, prepare hearts of palm rice. Serve vegetables over it. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and cilantro.

Shirataki Spaghetti with Shiitake Mushrooms and Asparagus

Shirataki spaghetti — Japanese noodles made from root of the konnyaku or konjac plant — can be used on Passover because they are made without grains. We flavor the noodles with Asian seasonings — sesame oil,