Vegan for Passover? Yes!
As more and more people embrace a plant based diet finding recipes for Passover can be a challenge. Preparing for this holiday is hard enough, there is no need to stress over what to feed vegan family and friends. Creating a vegan seder plate is also possible. I don’t know the halchot (laws) regarding this but these are commonly accepted replacements for the traditional items on a seder plate:
Maror/ Bitter Herb - Grated/ chopped Horse Radish Root
Z’roa/ Roasted Shank Bone - A roasted Beet
Charoset - chopped nuts, fruit & wine
Chazeret/ Second Bitter Herb - Romaine Lettuce/ Endive
Karpas/ Vegetable - Raw Onion, Boiled Potato or Kale
Beitzah/ RoastedEgg - An Avocado Pit
In past years I have cooked for a family that is vegan and the recipes I was able to create for them for Passover became year round staples. I am not posting soup recipes but almost any vegetable soup is perfect for Passover. Creamy Butternut Squash Soup or a Hearty Root Vegetable Soup. The following recipes are relatively easy, and I hope they enhance your plant based Passover!
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients:
3 large Eggplant or 4 medium, peeled and cubed
1 ½ cups deeply Caramelized Onions (see recipe below)
1 cup Toasted Chopped Walnuts
2 medium Carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds or shredded
1 large Green Bell Pepper, peeled and diced (optional)
6 large Potatoes of your choice (russet, Yukon, red bliss, sweet or turnip, rutabaga can be added for less carbs)
Olive Oil (or oil of your choice)
Salt
Directions:
Peel and cube the eggplant. Place the cubes in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Toss to distribute the salt evenly. Place in a bowl or over the sink to drain. Set this aside. Peel the potatoes or other root veggies for your mash and place in a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook until a fork pierces the potatoes easily. While the potatoes are cooking prepare the other raw vegetables. When the potatoes are soft drain the water leaving a little in the pot. Add a few tablespoons of oil and ½ cup of caramelized onions. Mash well using a potato masher NOT a food processor (this will make the mash too gummy). Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Rinse and drain the eggplant. Pat it dry with a towel. In a large frying pan put a few tablespoons of oil and sauté the eggplant until golden brown. Add the carrots and peppers if using. Sauté until crisp tender. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped nuts and the caramelized onions. Oil a 9” x 13” pan or casserole dish and pour the eggplant vegetable mixture in. Cover completely with the mashed potatoes. Using a fork create a cross hatch pattern in the topping. Spray with oil and bake until golden brown in an oven that is preheated to 350F.
Easy Crockpot Caramelized Onions
Ingredients:
5 lbs. Onions, peeled and sliced thinly
2 or 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Sugar (optional, I don’t use)
Directions:
Place the sliced onions and the remaining ingredients into a well-oiled crockpot and cook on low 8 to 12 hours/ overnight. Stir occasionally.
Banana Pancakes
Ingredients:
2 or 3 ripe Bananas, mashed
1 cup Almond Flour, you may need a little more or less depending on the size of your bananas
Oil for frying
Directions:
Mash the bananas well and by ½ cup increments add the almond flour. When you arrive at a batter that is loose but not runny scoop ¼ cup amounts into a well-oiled frying pan and fry until golden and crisp then flip and fry the second side. Serve with fresh fruit.
Quinoa Patties or Loaf
Ingredients:
3 cups prepared Quinoa
1 large Onion, peeled and pureed in food processor
1 Large Russet Potato, peeled and finely grated
1 large Sweet Potato, peeled and finely shredded
1 large Beet, peeled and finely grated
½ cup to 1 cup Shredded Carrots
½ cup to 1 cup finely ground Almond flour if needed for binding
½ cup Tomato Sauce
½ cup Caramelized onions
Salt
Onion Powder (optional)
Oil for frying / coating loaf pans
Directions:
Prepare the quinoa as usual. Set aside while preparing the vegetables. Puree the onion and grate the remaining vegetables using a food processor. Combine with the quinoa in a large bowl. Add the caramelized onion and tomato sauce. If the mix is too loose use almond flour to bind. Season with salt and onion powder if using. Refrigerate to let mixture rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Form into patties and fry in a little oil until golden and crisp on both sides OR well-oil a large or two smaller loaf pans and form loaves of the mixture. Bake in a 350F oven until firm to the touch and top is golden.
Vegan Leafy Green Rolls in Sweet & Sour Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
1 recipe UNCOOKED Quinoa Loaf mix (see recipe above)
*OR*
Vegan Shepherds Pie Filling (recipe above)
Large Outer leaves from Romaine Lettuce, Cabbage or Collard Greens (depending on what you prefer)
Shred remaining inner leaves
½ Pineapple chopped
6 to 8 cups Tomato Sauce
1 large Onion, peeled and sliced thinly
½ cup Lemon juice
¼ cup Granulated Sugar OR ½ cup Liquid Sugar
1 or 2 large Kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and cut into thin julienne
Oil for sautéing
Directions:
Prepare whichever of the two fillings you prefer. Set aside. Blanch the large outer leaves of the romaine/ cabbage/ collards. Let these cool so you can handle them. Romaine takes almost no time to blanch and can be done by placing leaves in a large colander and pouring boiling water over them. Put about 1/3 cup of filling into the base of each leaf. Roll toward the center and fold over the sides of the leaves continue rolling. Set aside. Prepare the sauce by sauteing the onion in a little oil. When translucent add to the tomato sauce. Add the pineapple and the julienned kohlrabi to the sauce. Add the lemon juice and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the prepared rolls to the sauce and simmer for 1 hour or place the rolls in a baking dish and pour the sauce over them and bake in a 350F oven for 1 hour.