VegInDC

It is a southern tradition to eat black eyed peas and collard greens on New Years. I decided to go the easy route and used canned beans and greens. If I was going to use dry beans, I would have used the slow cooker and let it work on the beans all day.

1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 cans of black eyed peas 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Texas Pete hot sauce (or your favorite hot sauce + more to taste) 1 teaspoon dried parsley 3/4 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 can of collard greens, drained

This is one of Anne's favorite sauces--she likes it over Gardein chicken, tofu, or just on its own! I have come up with the best combination of flavors to make a delicious sauce that can store well in the freezer too.

Quinoa, while seemingly a grain is actually a seed. It makes a great protein source during Passover and year round. This pilaf is a simple and tasty addition with Sephardic roots as it incorporates apricots and pistachios.

This will be the fourth year we do a vegan Seder. I have honed our menu over the years and have taken great joy in veganizing many of the main dishes I grew up eating at Passover.

Passover can be a challenging holiday for vegans. Many recipes call for an inordinate amount of eggs. Additionally, many Jews of Ashkenazic decent forego the eating of kinyot (items like beans, rice and other legumes that "rise.")

There are three key components to a Passover Seder food-wise. The Seder plate contains the various symbols that are used to tell the story of our liberation from Egypt. Additionally, there are foods you eat during the course of the Seder before the sulchan orech or "festive meal."

What is Passover without Matzah Ball soup? Traditionally, matzah ball soup is anything but vegan. Served in chicken broth with matzoh balls full of egg and chicken fat. But nothing is too daunting for me to try and make it vegan (and gluten free). And so I did.
The secret here is to bake the matzoh balls instead of trying to cook them on the stove in the soup or water where they would simply fall apart. They also reheat really easily in the microwave so these can be made ahead of time and then re-heated and placed into the soup.

This recipe comes courtesy of a family friend who passed it onto my mom years ago. The trick (secret?) is to use prepared potato latke mix instead of fresh potatoes. The dried potatoes soak up the liquid really well and the end result is a delicious Passover kugel.