Vegetarian Fatfree Passover Recipes

Collected by Zahava Koren, zkoren AT ecs DOT umass DOT edu)

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MATZO BALLS

Ingredients: Crush up matzos (the crackers) in bowl and cover with water. Let soak 1/2 hour or so. Then "squish up" through fingers until it is kind of a dough.

Dry saute the onions in nonstick large deep pot (or saute them in a greased large deep pot). Remove from heat when edges are brown and liquid has mostly evaporated. Stir in "squished" matzos, then the egg-likes, then the fresh parsley. Add matzo meal or water (or broth) to get to the right consistency.

Add salt & pepper to taste--(or other herbs, or garlic if you like). Refrigerate at least an hour, or overnight. Roll into 1" balls. Cook the matzo balls in boiling broth until they float to the top, or about 10 minutes. Serve 1-3 in a bowl of your best veggie broth.

To make denser, add more meal, to make softer, add more water. You might need to play with this--if you want it more "noodley" you can add more egg-likes; we like them to sink like a stone in the pot, then when they've cooked through, still have a dense consistency; this is a matter of taste. Mix them up then cook a few "test balls in salted water" & taste. Then add this or that - you know, like Mama used to do!


MATZO BALLS #2

Ingredients:

Stir the dry ingredients together. Stir egg whites, club soda, and parsley slightly with a fork and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix well and refrigerate at least one hour.

Form into 8 balls (1 1/2 inch diameter) and drop into a large pot of boiling slated water or broth. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Do not remove the lid during the cooking period. Remove matzo balls with a slotted spoon and serve in soup.

[Note: I have not tried this recipe. In general, though, matzo balls keep well in the fridge; just warm them up before serving in soup.]


MATZO BALLS #3

(From No Cholesterol Passover Recipes, by Debra Wasserman)

Ingredients:

Mix together and refrigerate 1/2 hour. Roll into 8 balls and drop into boiling vegetable broth seasoned-water. Turn down heat and boil gently for 20 minutes. Remove from water with slotted spoon and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees on lightly oil-coated cookie sheet. They can be made ahead and refrigerated until use. Do not put cold matzo balls into warm soup; warm them up first by dunking in hot water. Serve with vegetable broth.

This makes very small matzo balls, so plan on 3-4 per serving. Each:
Calories: 20.25
Fat: 0
Protein: less than 1 gram
Carbohydrates: 2 grams


SOUP NUTS

(From No Cholesterol Passover Recipes, by Debra Wasserman)

Ingredients:

Mix ingredients together to form a ball of smooth dough. You may have to add a little more water. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll into small 1/2 inch diameter balls. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes. at 400 degrees. For smoother looking soup nuts, toss them into a pot of boiling water for 1/2 minute before baking.

Makes 18 nuts.
Calories per nut: 9
Fat: 0 grams
Protein: less than 1 grams
Carbohydrates: 2 grams


SEVEN VEGETABLE STEW

(Adapted from the Passover Gourmet Cookbook)

Ingredients:

Cut onions, carrots, red peppers, celery, mushrooms and zucchini into bite-size pieces. Saute in veggie broth for 5 minutes until still slightly crunchy. Cut tomatoes into bite-size pieces and add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook for 20 minutes on simmer.

This is delicious served over roasted potatoes. Serve as a vegetarian main dish and vegetable side dish for others. This serves about 4 vegetarian entrees when served with other seder dishes. Increase or substitute vegetables as desired.


CABBAGE SOUFFLÉ PUDDING

(Adapted from Deliciously Low, by Harriet Roth)

Here's a recipe that has become a Passover staple in my house. It tastes remarkably like a noodle kugel. People won't believe it hasn't got any noodles.

Serves 8----1 cup servings

Ingredients:

Rinse cabbage, core and shred coarsely like wide noodles. Cover with boiling water, add salt and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain well and spread out to cool on a baking sheet. Squeeze dry, by handfuls, and place in a large mixing bowl.

Add apples, raisins, orange juice, lemon juice, apple juice concentrate, and broth and mix gently.

Sprinkle matzo meal and cinnamon over the cabbage mixture and combine. Beat egg whites & cream of tartar in a separate bowl until stiff (holds a peak). Fold egg whites into cabbage mixture and turn into a 2-quart rectangular casserole that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon & nutmeg and bake 1 hour in a 350 degree preheated oven.

Per serving: 204 calories, .7 gm fat

Submitted by Nancy F. Geiger, geigernf@u.washington.edu


BAKED STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Ingredients: Scoop out pulp of zucchini halves. Heat pulp, onion, sauce and spices in a pan for 5 minutes. Add matzo meal to mixture and mix well. Restuff zucchini with mixture. Place in a baking dish with a little water on bottom. Bake at 450F for 30 minutes until zucchini shells are soft.


SPINACH PIE

Ingredients:

Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375 F. Cook onion, carrots, and spinach in the 1/2 cup water until spinach is defrosted. Drain, let cool five minutes.

Move vegetable mixture to a medium bowl, and stir in the beaten eggwhites, matzo meal, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into the pie plate and bake 45 minutes.

This can be made ahead, refrigerated, and reheated.

Submitted by princesspk@aol.com


VEGETARIAN "CHICKEN" SOUP

Ingredients:

Fill a big soup pot with water. Add the onion, carrots, parsnip, salt and pepper, garlic. Bring to boil and then simmer for 1/2 hour. Add potato, celery and wine and simmer 1/2 hour. Add parsley and dill and simmer 15 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

The fresh dill is vital; it makes the soup practically indistinguishable from the non-vegetarian kind, especially when served with knoedlach.

Submitted by Garry Koenigsberg, Garrry@cris.com


VEGETABLE PIE WITH A CABBAGE CRUST

(From Deliciously Low, by Harriet Roth)

Ingredients:

Remove hard center core of cabbage and parboil the head for 20 minutes. Drain & separate cabbage leaves, trying not to tear them. Drain well on paper towels. Saute green onions mushrooms in boullion cubes for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add thyme and pepper.

Place broth in nonstick skillet. Add onion, carrot, parsley. Saute until onion is transparent. Add garlic (powder), herbs, and spinach. Blend well. Remove from heat, cool slightly, add ricotta cheese, nutmeg and egg whites. Blend well.

Lightly spray a 9" glass pie plate with nonstick spray. Arrange cooked cabbage leaves around bottom and sides of pie plate. Over leaves to thickness of about 5 leaves. Leaves should extend 1" beyond the rim of the pie plate.

Spoon drained mushroom/green onion mixture over the cabbage, spreading over bottom of plate. Then spread cheese mixture over this. Curl cabbage leaves over filling, leaving center of pie uncovered. Spoon tomato sauce over top of pie.

Bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until filling is set. Remove from oven and drain any excess liquid. Let pie set for about 5 minutes, cut into 8-10 wedges for serving.

Per serving: (based on 10 servings) 115 calories, 3.1 gm fat

For those of us living outside the major metropolitan areas, it is often difficult to obtain kosher for Passover items. I just learned of a mail order source and have placed my first order. The order hasn't arrived yet, so I can't vouch for them. The place is called The Kosher Keeper. Their toll-free number is 1-800-656-7437. I was able to order such difficult to get items as Kosher for Passover balsamic vinegar, fat free dressings, and vegetarian chicken-flavored broth mix.

Submitted by Nancy F. Geiger, geigernf@u.washington.edu


SPINACH AND EGGPLANT KUGEL

(From Something Different, by Dana Jacobi)

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a nine-inch square baking dish and two non-stick cookie sheets with cooking spray.
Arrange the eggplant in a single layer on the cookie sheets. Cover each one loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes. Uncover the eggplant and turn the cubes. Recover the pan with the foil and switch the position of the pans in the oven.
Bake until the eggplant is soft when pierced with a knife but still maintains its shape, 5-10 minutes. Place the eggplant into a large bowl.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Squeeze the spinach dry. Mix it with the eggplant. Add the onion, apple, and salt and stir to combine. Mix in the eggwhites and season with pepper. Crumble in the matzo and blend well. Spread the mixture in an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees F, until the top is browned and crisp. Let the kugel sit 10 minutes before cutting and serving hot or warm.


WINTER SQUASH WITH APRICOT STUFFING

Ingredients:

The house will smell wonderful while you are baking this dish. Use a selection of winter squashes to create variations.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, spray oil and allow to heat. Add farfel, onion, celery, and garlic and saute for 6 minutes, or until very soft. Add stock, apricots, and cashews (optional) and simmer for 12 minutes, or until mixture is thickened. Stir in parsley and pepper.

Place squash, cut side down on a baking sheet or shallow casserole. Add water to cover 1 inch of the squash. Spray squash skin lightly with vegetable oil. Bake for 20 minutes, until halfway cooked (still fairly tough). (This can be done in a microwave also, cooking on HIGH for 10-12 minutes.)

Remove squash from oven, turn upright and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Fill each squash half with stuffing. Bake for 50 minutes, or until squash is soft (easily pierced with a knife).

Serve an entire half for an entree portion or one quarter for an appetizer portion.

Submitted by Nancy Berkoff, R.D.


MUSHROOM MATZO FARFEL PIE

Ingredients: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir the seasoned salt into the water. Combine with the matzo farfel in a heatproof mixing bowl and let soak.

In the meantime, sautee the onion in broth over moderate heat until soft. Add the mushrooms, zucchini and celery and saute until the mushrooms are wilted.

Fold the potato starch mixture into the mushroom mixture, then into the matzo farfel mixture. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper. Pour into a greased 10" tart pan or casserole dish. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes, or until the top is browned. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. Makes 6-8 servings.

(Matzo farfel is coarse crumbs made of matzo flour and can be found in the Passover section at the supermarket. Matzo farfel is 110 calories and .5g fat per 1/2 cup, or ounce.)

Natalie Frankel
Milwaukee, WI


POTATO-CARROT KUGEL

Ingredients (serves 6-8): Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a pan that is about 9x9 inches.

Put one egg-replacement (or 2 egg-whites) into blender; start blender at high speed. Add half of onion, three of the potatoes (cut up into 1-inch pieces) and two of the carrots (cut up into similar pieces). Blend till smooth. Empty blender into large mixing bowl. Repeat with other egg-replacement, and remainder of onion, potatoes, and carrots.

Stir in salt, sugar, matzo meal, potato starch, black pepper, and parsley. Pour into pan, sprinkle top with paprika, and bake for 1 hour or until browned.

Spices can be varied according to taste.

For non-Passover use: Replace matzo meal & potato starch by 4 Tbsp flour.


SWEET POTATO KUGEL

(From No Cholesterol Passover Recipes, by Debra Wasserman)

Serves 12.

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix ingredients together. Press into large baking dish. Bake 45 minutes at 375 degrees until crisp on top. Serves 12.

Calories per serving: 156
Fat: less than 1 gram
Protein: 2 grams
Carbohydrates: 38 grams


VEGETARIAN KISHKE

(Adapted from The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook, by Debra Wasserman)

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Spoon 1/4 of mixture onto a large piece of aluminum foil. Roll mixture in foil into an 8-inch cylinder. Do the same with the remaining mixture to form four 8-inch cylinders. Place cylinders on cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Turn cylinders over and bake 45 minutes longer. Remove foil and serve kishke sliced and warm, as a side dish.

Submitted by Erica, naughyde@aol.com


MATZO BREI

Ingredients: Break matzas into pieces, and soak in water or milk. Beat egg whites with remaining ingredients and mix with matzas. Spray a non-stick frying pan with a few drops of oil and fry until egg whites set.


LEEK, POTATO & MATZO GRATIN

Ingredients: Preheat oven to 350F. Add leeks to skillet and saute in a little water, cover until wilted. Add red pepper saute 5 min. Combine matzos with water in bowl, soak 3-5 min. until soft. Drain, squeeze out excess water. Combine leek mixture and matzos with remaining ingredients, except chives. Stir until fully mixed. Pour into a lightly sprayed shallow 2 qt. casserole. Sprinkle chives over top. Bake 35 to 40 min, or until top golden. Let stand 5 to 10 min and cut.


MATZA-RELLA LASAGNA

Ingredients:

Soften matzas in very hot water; drain after 30 seconds. Beat egg whites and seasonings. Pour mixture over matzas. Spread 1/3 of tomato sauce on bottom of square casserole dish. Put 1 matza on top of this, spread with 1/3 of the cottage cheese, then 1/3 of the mozzarella. Starting with sauce again, make 2 more layers. (If there is egg mixture left over after layering, pour it over the top before baking.) Bake 45 mins. at 350. Let stand a few minutes before serving.

Submitted by Barbara Taub, taub@vaxvmsx.babson.edu


MATZA PIZZA

Ingredients: Spread tomato paste over matza. Add your choice of toppings and seasonings. Finish with fat-free cheese, if desired.

Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven about 7 - 9 minutes or until cheese is melted.


TZIMMES

Ingredients: Preheat oven to 350. Prepare 9x13 baking pan with spray coating. Layer half of the potatoes in bottom of pan, overlapping edges. Repeat with half of apples, then spread over these half of the carrots and prunes. Repeat layers. Combine remaining ingredients and drizzle evenly over the layers.

Cover securely with a sheet of aluminum foil. Pierce with 8 1" slits as steam vents. Bake for 1 - 1.5 hours, or until steamed and tender.


PASSOVER BROCCOLI KNISHES

(From the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle)
Servings: 6 *note - Or use 1/4 cup Passover egg substitute

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In bowl, combine all ingredients except broccoli and oil. Stir well, then knead until thoroughly combined and the texture of dough. Divide into 6 portions. Flatten each portion into a 4" round, pressing down with waxed paper to flatten. Put 1/6 of the broccoli mixture into each circle, fold over and press edges to seal.

Spray a cooking sheet with oil, or use a teflon sheet. Arrange knishes on a single layer and place on bottom rack of oven. Bake 15 minutes on each side. Serve hot.

Submitted by Gail Ashkanazi-Hankin


CHAROSET

Ingredients: Mix together and refrigerate covered overnight to combine flavors. (Adjust spices to taste.)


PASSOVER VERY FUDGY BROWNIES

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8" x 8" glass pan.

Mix together in mixing bowl:

Add: Bake 25-30 minutes. Cut when cool.

*If you don't have matzo cake meal, just put some matzo meal in a blender to make it a bit more fine than matzo meal.

(Note: The water and potato starch mixture is a replacement for Ener-G egg replacer, which is not pesach, as it contains tapioca flour and baking powder. Its main ingredient is potato starch.)

Submitted by Natalie Frankel, Milwaukee, WI


NO-CHOLESTEROL ENGLISH TRIFLE

Here is a recipe for my all-time favorite Passover dessert. It is fairly time consuming to make, but if you make the effort you will have a magnificent dessert. The recipe was developed by Leslye Michlin Borden and published in the LA Times in 1991.

Ingredients:

Cut cake in 1-inch fingers. Let stand uncovered for a few hours to slightly dry out. (Trifle is usually made with stale cake.) Arrange cake fingers around bottom and sides of deep glass bowl or trifle dish. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup Sherry. Arrange about 1/2 the sliced fruit on and around cake fingers. Pour over 1/2 of pudding. Add another layer of cake fingers. Sprinkle with more sherry. Pour over remaining pudding. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled and ready to serve.

To serve, heap remaining fruit on top of trifle. Serve at once. Makes 20 servings.

Per serving: 210 calories; .5 grams fat

Submitted by Nancy F. Geiger, geigernf@u.washington.edu


NO-CHOLESTEROL PASSOVER ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Ingredients: Combine 3/4 c sugar, matzo cake meal & orange zest in bowl. Beat egg whites and salt in large mixer bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, alternating with orange juice. Beat well after each addition. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Fold in matzo meal mixture, 1/4 at a time. Use 15 under-and-over strokes for each addition, slightly turning the bowl after each stroke. Fold an additional 10 strokes.

Pour batter into ungreased 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees 50 minutes to an hour, or until cake springs back to touch. Remove from oven, immediately invert pan & cool.

Submitted by Nancy F. Geiger, geigernf@u.washington.edu


NO-CHOLESTEROL PASSOVER ORANGE PUDDING

Ingredients: Combine sugar & potato starch in medium saucepan. Slowly pour in orange juice, stirring with whisk if necessary, to prevent lumps from forming. Add zest.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and thickened, about 20 minutes. Cover & chill before using. Can be made a day ahead.

Submitted by Nancy F. Geiger, geigernf@u.washington.edu


YAM PUDDING

Ingredients: Individually wrap yams in heavy duty aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 3 hours. This will "carmelize" the pulp giving it a smooth, sweet flavor. Cool yams overnight in refrigerator. Remove foil and yam skins (they should fall off) and put pulp in food processor. Add juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg to food processor and blend for 8-10 minutes until pudding is light and fluffy. Chill and serve in individual dessert dishes garnished with fruit.


FRUIT SPREAD

(From No Cholesterol Passover Recipes, by Debra Wasserman)

Ingredients:

Place dried fruit in saucepan in enough water to cover fruit. Cook over medium heat until the fruit is soft and plump. Cool and place fruit and any remaining liquid in a food processor bowl. Add apples and blend until as smooth as desired. Stir in cinnamon and matzo meal.

12 servings.
Per serving: 61 calories, less than 1 gram fat.


STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB COMPOTE

(From The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook, by Roberta Kalechofsky and Rosa Rasiel)

Ingredients:

In a heavy-bottomed 3 quart saucepan, combine rhubarb, apple, 1/3 cup sugar, and enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, lower heat and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When fruit is tender, mash apples and rhubarb into a sauce. Add berries and stir about 5 minutes over low heat. Taste, add sugar as desired. Serve warm or cold, as a compote, or as topping for cake or tofutti. Serves 8 as a compote, more as a topping. For Purim, serve as a sauce for rice.


FARFEL KUGEL

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Combine the water and farfel. Add the sugar, spices, and apple. Fold in the egg whites. Pour into a small sprayed baking dish and dust with a bit more cinnamon (or perhaps a cinnamon sugar combo...the dessert isn't overly sweet). Bake for 45 minutes.

Submitted by Sharon McCleave, sharon@netwave.ca


PASSOVER GRANOLA

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a spoon until well mixed. Using a nonstick shallow baking pan, spread mixture evenly inside. Bake for 90 minutes, until mixture browns. (Watch carefully after an hour to make sure it does not get too brown.) Cool. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 5 cups.

Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 3/17/99; adapted slightly to fatfree by Natalie Frankel.


APPLE-CARROT KUGEL

Ingredients:

Combine, place in well-greased 2 quart (2 litre) baking dish, and bake in 375 degree F (190 degree C) oven until well-browned, about 50 to 60 minutes.

Posted to eat-lf by Ellen C.


Jewish Agency for Israel Top 10 pick, April '02

Thanks for your comments. This page is still growing! If you have any comments or additional recipes, please write to Zahava Koren at zkoren AT ecs DOT umass DOT edu.

"Why don't any of these recipes have flour? And what's this 'Passover' deal anyway?" If these are the kinds of questions you have, perhaps you should consult the Orthodox Union's helpful Passover FAQ.