Black Eyed Peas- Please!!

Looking for a healthy black-eyed pea recipe? 

This one is made with sautéed onions and baby spinach and is easy, wholesome, soothing and delicious.

Gluten Free and Vegan Jewish Apple Cake

Do you love Jewish apple cake? 
This gluten free Jewish apple cake is moist, easy to make, and delicious! It is very allergy friendly as it is egg free, dairy free, gluten free, soy free, and nut free as well and it does taste good!!

Rosh Hashanah Vegetarian and GF Recipes

It's Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and my holiday menu includes both Eastern European traditional recipes and Sephardic or Mizrahi traditional recipes that I have adapted to meet vegan and gluten free standards.

My husband and I could be considered a mixed Jewish marriage; I am Ashkenzi (of Eastern European descent)  and he is Sephardic (of Middle Eastern descent).

Our Rosh Hashanah dinner menu reflects the rich traditions of both of our backgrounds.

Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews (Jews of Middle Eastern or Spanish origin) celebrate the Jewish New Year dinner with a Rosh Hashanah ceremonial seder plate. The ceremonial plate holds different foods that  have a special symbolic meaning. Some of these symbolic customs started as far back as 300 C.E. and were found in the writings of the Babylonian Talmud. Some of the symbolism comes from the meaning of the old Aramaic words.

Sephardic Jewish family from Cairo, Egypt 1965

My husband's family (with roots from Jerusalem, Egypt, Iraq and Italy) create a ceremonial Seder plate with the following foods and say a blessing for each food for the New Year.


1. A new fruit for the new year- 

We recite a blessing of appreciation recognizing the splendor of something new-we look for something like dragon fruit or fresh dates or fresh figs.

2. Pomegranate seeds- Ironically the pomegranate contains 613 seeds, which is is the same number as the required mitzvot (good deeds) that those of Jewish faith are required to perform. By eating the fruit we say a prayer that we should be fruitful and multiply-

** my mother-in-law, Toni, always warns everyone to be careful how many pomegranate seeds you eat at Rosh Hashanah as you may have that many children as the seeds you eat!

3. Link to Recipe: Leek patties  - Chopped up leeks made into patties- so that your enemies/or your bad habits should be chopped up and kept far away from you.

4. Dates- to have a sweet new year- Europeans Jewish custom is a little different- they dip apples with honey for a sweet year.

5.  A fish with the head and the tail - symbolic that we should always be at the head not the tail in all our endeavors. (not at my table- I use a head of broccoli or cauliflower)

6. Black Eyed Peas- symbolic that our good deeds and fortune should increase like the number of peas


There is a prayer to be said over each of the symbolic foods. Then the food is passed around the table for each person to taste. 

Eastern European customs: We do not have a Rosh Hashanah seder

My Eastern European family celebrates with the more well known Jewish Eastern European foods like chicken soup, matzo balls , chopped liver, honey cake, apples and honey. We do not do a ceremonial seder- we simply say a prayer and dip apples in honey for a sweet New Year.

MY Vegetarian and GF Rosh Hashanah Recipes: 

Vegan Mock Chicken Soup-  ( really good) 
My mother and grandmothers made chicken soup and matzo balls for every one of our Jewish holidays. Being a vegetarian, I make a mock chicken soup that tastes pretty close to the real thing and I make absolutely delicious easy gluten free matzo balls.

Click on the links to go to the recipes

Gluten Free Matzo Balls   - (The best GF matzo balls ever)
Again, this is a recipe that is from my side of the family.
My Sephardic husband had never even heard of a matzo ball when he lived in the Middle East. He ate his first matzo ball when he came to the United States. Now, he loves them and looks forward to eating them every Jewish holiday!

Mock Chopped Liver - Chopped liver was one of my family's favorites, and my mother always gave each person a full ice cream scoop of the appetizer on a big lettuce leaf and topped it with end of summer Jersey sliced tomatoes. I no longer eat meat, but I have a recipe for mock chopped liver that is better than the real thing and perhaps healthier.

Leek Patties- This is a recipe that my mother in law always makes for the Jewish New Year. It is a typical sephardic Turkish recipe that has a symbolic meaning. The leaks are chopped up to represent that all of your enemies should be chopped up! A more modern version is that our own bad habits and evil ways should be chopped up. ( recipe to be posted) 

Stuffed Grape Leaves-  My husband's family makes stuffed grape leaves for every holiday. I use a delicious vegan filling for my recipe. 

Greek Stuffed Tomatoes- This is a very tasty lemony vegetarian recipe that can be used as a side dish or entree. Makes a beautiful presentation and is absolutely delicious.

Joyci's Aromatic Salad Dressing- This is my sister in law's fresh aromatic herbed salad dressing that is delicious on salad, rice, vegetables etc. We enjoy it at every holiday meal. It wouldn't be a holiday without it. Thanks Joyci !!!

Gluten Free Honey Cake-  Many of the Eastern European customs revolve around sweet foods for a sweet new year.  Honey cakes are very popular choices for Rosh Hashanah as well as Jewish Apple Cake.  

Butternut Squash Parmesan- This sweet and savory casserole is a delicious fall recipe that is perfect for the Jewish New Year.

Lubia- black eyed peas- . We don't really have a recipe. We just cook them with salt and pepper . 

My Notes:
How did the Spanish Jews end up in the Middle East?
When the Spanish Jews were exiled from Spain during the Spanish Inquisition in 1491, they settled in the vast area of the Ottoman Empire .  Remember Ferdinand and Isabella who sent Christopher Columbus out of Spain to discover America in 1492? They also exiled all the Jews out of Spain in 1491.

Mock Chopped Liver - vegan

This is an absolutely delicious spread that looks and tastes like chopped liver but is actually made from walnuts and is entirely plant-based and vegan. 

If you are looking for a special appetizer to serve to guests, this is it. Everyone (except chopped liver haters) will LOVE IT. 

I serve it on a large slice of tomato or spread on (gluten free) crackers or (gluten free) bread/challah. I serve it mostly to company, and it's always a big hit.

It's Made With Just 3 Ingredients

• sautéed onions (I sautee without oil-see notes at end of post)
• walnuts
• a can of baby peas (It won't taste like peas)

It's hard to believe how good the trio tastes when processed in the food processor. The flavors mingle and make a great spread.

Being a gluten free vegetarian/vegan, I miss some of the traditional foods that I grew up eating at Jewish holidays. Two of my best vegetarian versions of traditional holiday foods are my vegetarian gluten free matzo balls and this vegan chopped liver recipe. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup of walnut halves or pieces 

4 cups of sliced onions, sautéed 

1 can of baby green peas, drained 

Salt and cracked pepper to taste

Directions: 

Add the walnuts to a food processor and use press on/off on/off  a few times until the nuts are chopped. Be careful not to let the food processor run or you will have nut butter which will not work in this recipe. 

In a large rimmed skillet, sauté the onions slowly until soft and caramelized a little. ** I like to sauté in vegetable broth or water (see notes at end of post)  to save on calories, but you can sauté in oil if you prefer. 

When onions are done, allow them to cool slightly and then add the onions and peas to the food processor on top of the chopped nuts. Process for 10 seconds or until slightly blended but not mushy.   

Enjoy this plant-based, gluten-free appetizer!

This recipe freezes well too! 

I frequently make the chopped liver in advance, divide it in half, and freeze it in two containers. It needs to be defrosted in the fridge and then pour off the small amount of liquid that forms before serving or put in a small mesh colander to drain if it seems to have too much liquid.

Author: Judee Algazi @ Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes to sautee the onions
Prep Time: 2 minutes in the food processor to blend 
Total Time: 15 minutes

Visual Step by Step

chop nuts in food processor ( this is not the correct amount of nuts) 

Assemble Ingredients

Saute onions very slowly until caramelized

                                       Process all of the ingredients in a food processor til smooth

I like to place the mixture in a domed bowl and allow to sit in the fridge for 25 minutes to mold. I then invert and it form a pretty dome.

                                                                       

 

MY NOTES: 

1. How and why I sauté in broth instead of oil:

Personally, I do not want the extra calories from the oil. I find that I can saute in water or broth and I'm happy with the results. If you would like to try to saute in water or broth, the  directions follow. 

2. How to sauté in broth or water: 

I make sure the skillet is hot before I add the onions. I add the onions, stir, and allow them to cook while I stir for about 2-3 minutes. THEN slowly add about 1/4 cup of vegetable broth or water (I use water) and reduce the heat to low, and stir and allowing to sauté for at least 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning and adding a few tablespoons at a time of additional water or broth if needed to prevent sticking and burning.              

3. Passover variation: Some people don't eat peas on Passover. Try eggplant if you don't eat peas  - 

Peel and chop 1 large eggplant. Sauté in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, stirring frequently until the eggplant is soft. Season with salt and pepper, Use in place of peas in the food processor at Passover. ( I never tried sautéing the eggplant in broth or water- so not sure how that would work). I always use peas. 

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