It is that time of year again when Jews around the world gather to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish new year.
For those of us lucky enough to be near family at this time, we come together and share in a festive meal. A round challah, signifying the cycle of life is served (tough to find ones made without egg for sure) and apples are dipped in honey to start the year on a sweet note.
I am hosting dinner, as I always do, and while there are some holiday staples I won't be partaking in (brisket, matzah ball soup and a very dairy kugel,) I decided to whip up some vegan dishes that would still help to make this a festive dinner. While I made these for Rosh Hashanah, there is no reason you can't add them to your erev Yom Kippur or break fast menu!
One of my go-to, easy dishes is sauteed green beans. A simple side I usually make with almonds, but this year will be cooked up with some sauteed, wilted shallots. That's the only staple I kept on the menu of recipes this year.I was in Balducci's, a gorgeous market in Westport, Connecticut, and just wandered the aisles looking for inspiration. I found 4 different colored heirloom carrots and a package of butternut squash. I washed them all, cut them finely, and put them in a baking dish. To them I added about 1/4 c agave nectar, 1/4 c vegan butter and a generous pinch of salt and put it in a convection over to bake at 350 for a half hour. Stirring a long the way, I then finished it off on roast and added 1 diced granny smith apple, skin on, at that time. Gorgeous, harvest-like and perfect with the bit of apple for the holiday.I wanted some protein to round out the meal, and a bit of starch for people, like me, not leaning towards the heavy kugel, so in a baking dish I placed one pint of cherry tomatoes (halve them first,) one can of drained, organic chickpeas, a drizzle of both olive oil and balsamic vinegar, a pinch of kosher salt and a small handful of finely chopped basil. I baked that until the tomatoes well well cooked and juicy, mixing as I went so the chickpeas didn't get dried out. In the meantime, I cooked up orzo - a full package as dinner has to serve 13! Once the orzo was cooked and drained, and the beans were done cooking, I combined it all, rounding it out with a bit more olive oil, salt to taste and a small handful more each of flat leaf parsley and basil. It's resting overnight to cool and allow all of the flavors to blend. Delish! With the extra can of chickpeas I purchased, I made a hummus - my cheese plate alternative - with tahini, fresh lemon juice, olive oil and more of that flat leaf parsley. Lastly, tomorrow I will be roasting eggplant onto which I will then ladle a creamy tahini dressing. Maybe I have the Mediterranean on my mind? I also already have some colorful berries - raspberries, strawberries, black and blueberries - all ready to go, and some apples and honey of course! (I know not all vegans eat honey but I do.) To those of you celebrating, have a wonderful, tasty and meaningful holiday!
