Avivah Werner

Category: Pesach

  • Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (gluten free)

    I’ve been enjoying learning to bake with nut and coconut flours.  The consistency is different but it’s nice to know that there are ways to make baked goods that are typically not gluten free.  These muffins are so good you could call them cupcakes and serve them for dessert!

    Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

    • 1/2 c. melted butter or coconut oil
    • 1/4 c. applesauce (we used the applesauce we preserved from the apples we gleaned last fall)
    • 1/4 c. honey
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 medium zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
    • 1/4 t. baking soda
    • 1 t. vanilla
    • 1 c. almond flour
    • 1/2 c. coconut flour or finely grated dried unsweetened coconut
    • 1/4 c. cocoa or carob powder

    Mix the butter, applesauce, honey, eggs, zucchini, baking soda, and vanilla well.  Mix the nut flours and cocoa/carob powder in a separate bowl; then mix into the zucchini mixture.  Pour into a muffin tin or muffin liners, and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.  Yields 12 muffins.

    When kids get yummy stuff like this for breakfast, you don’t hear complaints from them about having to eat healthy food. 🙂

    Avivah

  • Mock Larabars (grain free)

    This is delicious enough for a snack and nutritious enough for a quick breakfast!  This is our adaptation of this recipe, which was an adaptation of yet another recipe!   There are endless ways to play around with this basic recipe.

    Mock Larabars

    • 2 c. sliced almonds (ideally soaked and dehydrated- can use different nuts according to your tastes), processed finely
    • 1/2 c. shredded coconut
    • 3/4 c. coconut oil
    • 2 t. vanilla
    • 2 T. cocoa
    • 1/2 c. pecan meal (you can use any nut flour)
    • 1/2 c. raisins
    • 1/2 c. dates

    Melt the coconut oil, add in vanilla.  Mix all dry ingredients, then whiz in a food processor with the coconut oil.  Add the dried fruit, and whiz again.  (You might find it blends up better if you process the dried fruit alone, then add it in again and the end and process it again.)

    Press the mixture firmly into a greased pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes.

    When ds16 first mixed these up, he didn’t process the sliced almonds, which was why he initially thought they were a failure – they didn’t look like they’d hold together.  He added eggs and more nut flour to compensate, but if you do what you’re supposed to in the beginning, you won’t have to.  🙂

    Thanks to the dates and cocoa combination, these have a sweet, almost chocolatey flavor.  At least that’s what someone like me who has hardly had any sweeteners in my food for two years thinks!  Seriously, though, my kids all loved these.  The biggest challenge is to wait after eating one to realize you’re satiated before gulping more down – they’re packed with healthy fats and are extremely satisfying.  If you want it to be sweeter, use a cup of dates instead of half a cup of raisins and half a cup of dates, or you can double the amount of dates/dried fruit. Or you could add some honey.  🙂

    (This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays.)

    Avivah

  • Pear Crisp – Grain free

    >>Would you be able to share your recipe for grain-free pear crisp, and the pecan pie crust? I’m trying to cut down on flour and grain products as well, and it’s challenging to adapt my favorite recipes to this new way of eating.<<

    I can relate to the challenge of adapting to a new way of eating!

    The pear crisp was more of a concept that I tried out than a recipe, so I don’t have exact measurements.  It’s the kind of thing that will turn out however you make it, though!  Here’s what I did:

    Slice up a bunch of pears, and put them into a greased baking pan.  Pour thick coconut cream (or dairy cream) over the sliced fruit and mix so the pear slices are thoroughly coated.  In a separate bowl, mix coconut oil, ground nuts, shredded unsweetened coconut, and some spices – ground cloves are good with pears.  This will be the topping; sprinkle it on top of the sliced pears.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until the pears are soft and the topping is crispy.

    You can use other fruits for this, also.  The main difference would be in the spices you use.  If I were using apples, for example, then I’d use cinnamon and nutmeg. Summer fruits like peaches, apricots, and plums would also go well with cinnamon.

    I made the coconut cream from scratch that I used for this; I’ll share the process sometime in the next couple of weeks.  If you can’t find kosher coconut cream, you can boil down coconut milk until it gets thick and rich.  How long you boil it down will depend on how high fat the milk that you’re using is in the first place.  You can also make this dairy by using heavy cream instead of coconut cream, and using butter instead of coconut oil for the crumb topping.

    My family is used to less sweeteners than most, so I didn’t add anything to this.  But if your family is used to more sweetness, then you’ll probably want to add something to enhance the natural sweetness of the pears.

    Avivah

  • Lasagna – Pesach

    It’s erev yom tov, and since we did so much cooking before Pesach, we’re able to pull a number of kugels, main dishes, and desserts out of the freezer.  We adapted our menu plan for the last days to have some more variety, so we added roast turkey, farfel stuffing, gravy, ratatouille, sweet potato wedges, and carrots with pineapple to the other things planned, but that’s made already.  We only needed to make two salads, two roasted vegetable dishes, and bake some butternut squash today, so we’ve all been able to enjoy a relaxing day.  But – because I know that days like this can end up with the most rushing at the end (because everyone assumes there’s nothing to do until an hour before it’s time to light), I want to be careful to avoid that frustrating scenario.  There’s a saying, ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail’, and if I didn’t learn something from the past and plan around that, I’d be inviting myself to have a frustrating late afternoon today.

    I didn’t invite guests for this part of yom tov, since I was hesitant to invite people in advance, just in case I gave birth early again.  But we really enjoy having company!  Today I hopefully called a neighbor and invited her along with her visiting extended family for lunch tomorrow.  We have enough food made that an extra ten or fifteen people for lunch is no big deal, but they couldn’t come – their cooking is all done.  Since so many people cook on yom tov and either don’t yet have their cooking done or wouldn’t mind putting whatever extra they had into the freezer, plus she would be working all day today, I thought it was worth asking.  Her 9 year old niece visiting from NY and my dd8 have really hit it off and spent hours together during the time they’ve been here, so even though they can’t come, I know they’ll still end up enjoying each other’s company over the next couple of days.

    Here’s the last recipe I’ll be posting for Pesach this year.  My kids love this recipe, but in the end I didn’t make it for this year – too many other tasty things to make!  I’ll probably make it for the coming Sunday, though, assuming I have enough matza left – my kids will be happy to have it even after Pesach!  A couple of years ago I made it for the first time for guests who don’t keep kosher or Pesach traditions, and they enjoyed it, too – so I guess that’s saying something for it!  It’s an easy recipe, and it makes a generous amount.  Some people find that a dairy meal on the last day breaks up the long stretch of meat meals, and this is a nice dairy main dish.

    Pesach Lasagna

    • 4 eggs
    • 2 lb. cottage cheese
    • 1 t. salt
    • 1/4 t. pepper
    • 1 lb. shredded cheese
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 t. basil
    • 32 oz. tomato sauce
    • 6 whole matzos

    Soak matzas in some milk for less than a minute – they should be wet, not soggy.  Beat eggs, and add cottage cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, and basil.  Mix well.  Pour a little sauce on the bottom of two 9 x 13 pans.  Layer the matza, then the cottage cheese, then sauce, then shredded cheese on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 – 50 minutes.  Let cool ten minutes before slicing.

    You can also saute some onions, garlic, and any shredded veggies of your choice, and add that as another layer.

    Enjoy the last days of Pesach – so much work goes into preparing for this week, and then it zooms by so quickly!   I’ve enjoyed our Pesach so much and hope that all of you have, too!

    Avivah

  • Pizza Pie – Pesach

    Since I ran out of matza meal by the time yom tov started, thanks to all of the cake and kugel making that’s been done, I’m committed to using only what I have on hand.  That means being a little more creative about what to make for some of the chol hamoed meals.  This recipe for pizza fills the bill since it uses matza farfel instead of matza meal, and I still have three boxes left of that.  This will be for chol hamoed lunch tomorrow.

    Pizza Pie

    • 3 c. matza farfel
    • 2 1/2 c. boiling water
    • 5 eggs
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 8 oz shredded cheese
    • 1 can seasoned tomato sauce (I use tomato paste, thin it with water, and season it myself)

    To make the crust, pour the boiling water over the farfel to soften.  Drain well.  Beat eggs with salt and pepper, and mix with drained farfel.  Cover a large pan with this mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Then remove crust from oven and cover it with the tomato sauce.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 5 – 8 minutes.

    Avivah

  • Incredible Vanilla Ice Cream

    I got this recipe from a friend who made it for my sheva brachos almost seventeen years ago, and I’ve made it a number of times and gotten rave reviews every time.  I rarely make ice cream anymore, except for Pesach, but this was the first year I’ve made this for Pesach.  It usually has a crumb topping, but for Pesach I left it off.  My kids liked this more than any other frozen desserts we made this year, except for the strawberry ice whip, which I told you has emotional staying power from year to year. 🙂

    Incredible Vanilla Ice Cream

    • 2 containers whip (regular size), coconut cream, or dairy cream
    • 2 – 3 eggs
    • 1/2 – 3/4 c. sugar
    • 2 t. vanilla

    Mix up the whip until thick, then mix the other ingredients into it.  Then:

    • 5 eggs, separated
    • 1/3 c. sugar

    Beat the egg whites and sugar in a clean, dry bowl until stiff.  Mix the egg yolks into the mixture above.  When egg whites are stiff, fold both mixes together.  Put in a pan and freeze.  You can grate baking chocolate on top to add a decorative touch.

    Avivah

  • Fruit Sorbet

    >>Could you please post how you make your fruit sorbet? I am assuming you don’t have a KLP ice cream maker and i am curious to know how you mke one without.<<

    Here’s the recipe for the fruit sorbet – the name of it is really a misnomer because there’s no fruit in it.  It’s very easy and not a bit healthy; I doubt you can find anything redeeming about it nutritionally.  On Pesach we eat things and use ingredients that I don’t use the rest of the year, and this recipe is a perfect example of that. 🙂

    Fruit Sorbet

    • 2 packages of jello
    • 2 c. boiling water
    • 1 container of whip

    Mix the jello with boiling water, chill slightly but not until set.  Beat the whip partially, but not until stiff.  Combine the jello and whip, then freeze in a pan.  Take out a few minutes before serving.

    I don’t have an ice cream maker, but in the past when making sherbert, what I’ve occasionally done is to mix all the ingredients together, pour into a pan, freeze, and then every 20 minutes or so to stir it. Another easier option that I did more often was to freeze it, then whip it, then freeze again only once more.  That way it has a sherbert-like consistency.

    For Pesach desserts (on yom tov and Shabbos, not chol hamoed) we usually have one frozen treat with one baked good at every meal.  I don’t like to have more than that because it seems like overload to me.  Examples would be vanilla ice cream with apple pie, mocha squares with strawberry ice whip, or chocolate cake with fruit sorbet.  Even though it’s a lot more sugar than I generally use, everyone generally just has a piece of each per meal, so it’s still not horrible.

    Avivah

  • Quinoa Pudding

    Quinoa Pudding

    • 1 c. quinoa
    • 2  c. water
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 c. milk
    • 1 t. vanilla
    • 1/3 c. honey
    • 1/8 t. salt
    • 1/4 c. slivered or chopped almonds
    • 1/4 c. raisins
    • 1/8 t. cinnamon (for sprinkling on top)

    Rinse quinoa to remove bitter coating.  Bring quinoa and water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 13 – 15 minutes, until the grains are translucent.

    Mix quinoa together with all other ingredients. Pour into a greased 9″ pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

    Avivah

  • Matza Pizza – Pesach

    Here’s a quick and easy Pesach lunch:

    Matza Pizza

    • 1 egg
    • 1/4 c. milk
    • 4 matzos
    • 1 can tomato sauce
    • 16 cheese slices or equivalent of shredded cheese

    Beat the egg and milk.  Brush one side of the matza with this, and put the matzos next to one another on a well greased pan, with the dry side down.  You can cover with sauce and put the cheese on top, or cover with cheese and pour the sauce on top.  (I’ll try covering it with cheese and then the sauce, for a different presentation.)  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

    Update – we made this, and tried it with and without the egg and milk.  I didn’t taste it but my kids did, and they didn’t think there was much of a difference.  They felt it was faster to make without it and would rather stick to just putting the sauce straight onto the matza.  We also tried it with the cheese on top, and the sauce on top, and they preferred it with the cheese on top, in the traditional way.

    Avivah

  • Pesach meal ideas

    I thought I’d make up a pre Pesach menu plan to share with you, but I didn’t end up doing that.  I’m sorry if I disappointed anyone.  But I’ll share with you some ideas of things that I make, along with some recipes. 

    I have about five pounds of ground chicken and five pounds of ground meat defrosting right now.  I’m planning to mix them to make meat patties and meat knishes for non yom tov meals.  The basic idea of making knishes is very, very simple.  I boil up a big pot of potatoes, mash them well, add eggs, salt, and pepper, ground meat, and potato starch.  Sorry, I made up this recipe, so I don’t have measurements.  It doesn’t really matter how much potato and meat you put in – whatever ratio you like will turn out well as long as there’s enough egg and potato starch to hold it together.  Then I shape them into squarish shapes, and bake them at 350 until they’re done.  I like the consistency the potato starch adds to it – it gives them kind of a cheesy consistency.  I do something similar to make dairy knishes.  But instead of adding ground meat, I add shredded cheese and/or cottage cheese.   Both of these are nice for taking on chol hamoed outings.

    Because there are so many meat meals on yom tov, I try to make lighter meals for chol hamoed.  I don’t buy fish for Pesach, because I find it too expensive, so our meals tend to be dairy with vegetables.  Pizza, lasagna, eggplant parmesan, and crustless quiche are all nice main dishes.  I’ve made bourekas but they’re a pain to make – but they were very tasty!  Vegetable cutlets or loaf is also nice, particularly with a gravy on top.  I like having a big pot of vegetable soup to supplement these meals, or cut fresh veggies.  What I make really depends on how much is left of my groceries once all of the bulk yom tov meals are prepared. 

    Matza brei and latkes (with dried fruit, cottage cheese, or matza meal) are nice for breakfast, along with milk and fruit.  So are hash browns and eggs.  This year I’m looking forward to trying a new quinoa pudding recipe that looks yummy. 

    There are so many things to eat on Pesach, many of which are the same or can be adapted from regular recipes from the year, that there’s no reason to complain about how hungry and deprived the family has to be for a week without pasta or bagels!

    I’ve prepared posts with Pesach recipes that I plan to send them out on chol hamoed (we try to avoid doing anything unnecessary on chol hamoed, but dh said it’s okay if I post it then).  If I’ve mentioned a specific recipe that you’d like me to post, let me know and I’ll try to put it up for you. 

    Avivah