Passover Friendly, Matzah Free Bowls

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. DON'T BE MATZAH

Eating on passover makes me anxious. I obsess over questions like, will I have access to real food at my parent’s house? Will I be able to eat how I usually do? Will I show restraint or will I binge eat coconut macaroons because they’re just there? Will I or won’t I be bloated for three straight days? Can I pull off not eating even one morsel of matzah for the entire holiday? Because you know, it’s inedible and all.. Also, how many matzah farfel cookies will I eat, and when will “but these cookies have been in my family for generations” no longer be a legitimate justification for eating the aforementioned cookies?

These questions plague (!) me each time Passover rolls around. Which is why I decided to take a look at how I normally like to eat - whole foods, plant based, eating with the seasons- and inject that framework into passover friendly recipes - dishes that do not have chametz. What’s chametz you ask? It’s an esoteric category of restricted ingredients including foods that contain any amount of wheat, barley, rye, oats, and spelt- essentially anything that can leaven, or “puff up.” The reason for the tradition is to pay homage to that time when the Jews became free, fled Egypt with haste and so didn’t have time for their bread to rise. Oh, and you’re also not allowed to eat seeds, beans, chickpeas, corn, or many other things delicious. That I can’t really explain.

But diet concerns aside, I am grateful to have strong Passover traditions (thanks Mom & Dad!). My Dad, for example, constructs a tent in our living room, held up and jerry rigged with shower curtain rods, waste bins and bricks. After 5 years, it’s never collapsed, but it has come close, and as far as I’m concerned, we’re on borrowed time. Each year we sit underneath the rickety yet beautiful tent, surrounded by a panoramic painted background of ancient Egypt and sarcophaguses made from old cardboard boxes. And we tell stories about the history of the Jewish people, what it means to be free, fortunate, and privileged, and how that translates to our current reality. And underneath the many rituals and liturgies, we find ourselves in deep discussion about philosophy and politics. The table becomes a platform for us to connect and speak openly, passionately about our unique points of view about the world. It’s a pretty incredible thing…  I hope you can make it to our Passover table one day. Until then, here are my three passover friendly, matzah free bowls. Because, again, matzah is indigestible.

Spiced Carrot & Lemon Yogurt Bowl

• 2 lbs of carrots, roasted with cumin, salt, pepper, smoked paprika
• 2 cups of quinoa, boiled for 20 mins with 4 cups of water
• ¼ cup of golden raisins
• ¼ cup of almonds
• ¼ cup of mint chopped
• 1 cup of yogurt with ½ lemon, squeezed, 1 clove of garlic, minced

Roasted carrots with spices on a pan at 425 for 45 mins. When finished, place quinoa in bowl and top with carrots, raisins, almonds, lemon yogurt and mint.

Root Mash & Mushroom Bowl

• 1 lb of carrots
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 tbs coconut oil 
• salt
• pepper
• cumin
• cinnamon
• paprika
• chili powder
• 2 cups of mushrooms
• ¼ cup of white wine
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tbs thyme
• pistachios
• micro greens

Boil carrots and sweet potato for 30 mins until soft. Blend with 1 tbs. coconut oil, salt, pepper, and 1 pinch of cinnamon, cumin, paprika and chili powder, until smooth. Meanwhile, heat a pan on med heat with 1 tsp butter and 1 stalk of thyme. Add mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are crispy, they add 1/4 cup of white wine. Let simmer until evaporated. Place root mash in bowl and top with mushrooms, pistachios and micro greens

Spaghetti Squash, Honey Roasted Radish & Radish Green Pesto

• 1 spaghetti squash, roasted for 45 mins with 1 inch of water
• 1 lb of radishes, roasted with salt, pepper, and honey
• ¼ cup of radish greens
• ½ cup of olive oil
• ½ cup of pistachios
• ½ cup of mint
• ¼ cup of scallions
• salt
• pepper
• 1 clove of garlic

Blend olive oil, pistachios, mint, scallions, salt and pepper and garlic in a blender. Assemble shredded squash, pesto and top with radishes and parsley.

Burnt Carrots with Parsley Oil & Feta

Tap, tap… This thing on?

Hello, universe, I’m back and better than ever. It’s been a minute since I posted last on TFF (sorry!), and I have to say that it feels great to jump back in. How I’ve missed every stage of the process! Conceptualizing and testing a recipe (my husband loves this step most of all), finalizing a dish, photographing the beautiful ingredients, and writing & reflecting when the dust settles.

Since I last posted, my work life has picked up steam. I’m busier than ever, and eternally grateful- even in challenging moments- that I get to pursue creative work for a living. Yet I find myself struggling to balance my career and self care. There are days when I feel like my head isn’t screwed on - constantly jumping from one task to the next without having even a second to breathe or internalize. Then there are other days when time passes slowly, without urgency.

This month, in my morning meditations, I think about creating balance in my life. My intention is to openly welcome challenges that help me develop untapped skills, and teach me new things about my work, while appreciating the blessing of slower days- days with plenty of open time to work on passion projects like The Wandering, and The Fennel Frond.

Burnt carrots with parsley oil & feta is a recipe that manifests this idea of harmony, especially when I recall how it was conceived. The dish is inspired by a snack that was put together by my dear friend Sam, who truly lives out this idea of self care & balance. He tunes into his needs, and constantly negotiates between productivity and rest. The recipe came to fruition a few weeks ago when Sam came over to my apartment after a long day of work, large bag of carrots in toe. After quickly popping them in the oven, he finished them with parsley and feta and a drizzle of olive oil. It was simple & delicious- the perfect bite after a taxing day, the perfect way to honor your body and nourish your soul.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs. carrots
• 2 tbs + 1/4 cup of olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 cup of parsley chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup of feta

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425. Wash carrots and dry. Place carrots on sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika. Roast for 35 mins or until golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped garlic and roast for another 5 mins until fragrant. 

Meanwhile, place parsley, remaining oil, garlic and salt in a food processor and pulse until well incorporated. 

Top carrots with parsley oil and feta & enjoy.

Roasted Smokey Corn Salad

FOOD DESERT OASIS

It's always enjoyable to shop at a grocery store teeming with affordable produce and locally-made-in-DC products. It's even more gratifying however to discover this shop, open for business, in an area that is underserved, and often ignored by incoming grocers. 

I took a tour of Good Food Markets last week, and was delighted to see a bounty of glistening produce, and shelves stocked with some of my favorite local products- Misfit juices, Michelle's Granola, Cherry Glen cheese, DC Central Kitchen's Fresh Start meals to go, to name a few. 

Remarkably, the store is thriving and addressing a real need in the community. I saw a shirtless man walk up to the store in hopes of buying some watermelon. Because of food safety regulations, there's a strict no-shirt, no-shoes, no-service policy at GFM (it was also 100 degrees, so I understand where the customer was coming from), but Philip Sambol, the founder took the man's EBT card and change, purchased the melon and hand delivered it to him. I witnessed someone in the community going through great lengths to get a hold of their fruits and veggies- proof that there is in fact demand for healthy, fresh food in underserved areas. The store also holds monthly tours for children to teach them how to prepare the produce. All this to say that it's clear to me that GFM has a holistic understanding of the challenges that our communities face, and they're taking a non linear approach in order to advance their cause as a result. 

Good Food Markets is improving many links along our food value chain - they're purchasing from local farmer's, they are educating the public on the benefits of healthy eating & getting communal buy in, they're creating a market for accessible and affordable produce, they're supporting initiatives like DC Central Kitchen's fresh start- their catering company that makes meals using salvaged and gleaned produce, thereby reducing from food waste. It was incredibly inspiring for me to see the positive impact that socially conscious businesses can have our on food system. Go there and support them! 

Here's a salad that I made using the beautiful produce from Good Food Markets. Price per serving: $3.30.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ear of corn
• 3 scallions
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes 
• 1 avocado 
• 1 jalepeno
• 2 tbs. parsley
• 2 tbs. mint
• 1/4 cup of feta, crumbled
• 1 head of romaine lettuce
• 1/4 of a lemon
• 4 tbs. of olive oil
• 4 tbs. balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 400. Husk the corn, and shave the kernels off of the cob. Place the kernels in a cast iron skillet and roast for 20 mins with olive oil, salt and pepper on top. When the corn comes out of the oven, sprinkle the corn with chipotle powder and smoked salt. Chop all of the remaining ingredient, place in a bowl and top with olive oil, lemon and balsamic vinegar.