Sweet eats for the holidays

Rosh Hashanah embodies the hopes and wishes of the Jewish people for the sweetness of the coming year. It is a time when families assemble to rejoice and sit down together to eat.

At Rosh Hashanah, it has been traditionally thought that what you eat will influence your year. So for sweetness and abundance at Rosh Hashanah, we serve apples and honey, along with a variety of sweetened breads, foods, fruits and desserts. It couldn’t possibly get any sweeter than that!

Tropical Coleslaw

 

ο 80 ml (1/3 cup) apple cider vinegar

ο 45 ml (3 tbsp) honey

ο 30 ml (2 tbsp) Canola oil

ο 10 ml (2 tsp) fresh lemon juice

ο 5 g (1 tsp) salt

ο 1 g (1/2 tsp) freshly ground black pepper

ο 1 red bell pepper

ο 1 large green cabbage, shredded

ο 220 g (2 cups) shredded carrots

ο 1 (540 ml) can diced pineapple, drained, juice reserved for dressing

ο 150 g (1 cup) raisins

 

Combine vinegar, honey, vegetable oil, lemon juice, pineapple juice, salt and pepper together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

Cut bell pepper into 6-mm (1/4-inch) thick strips. Toss bell pepper, cabbage, carrots, pineapple and raisins in dressing. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes before serving, tossing occasionally. May be made a day ahead. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Serves 8-10.

 

Applesauce Cake with Diced Apple

 

ο 1 egg

ο 113 g (1/2 cup) pareve or vegan margarine, melted and slightly cooled

ο 10 ml (2 tsp) pure vanilla extract

ο 130 g (2/3 cup) sugar

ο 250 ml (1 cup) applesauce

ο 180 g (1½) cups flour

ο 4 g (1 tsp) baking soda

ο 2.5 g (1/2 tsp) salt

ο 1 large apple (Honeycrisp or Matsu), peeled then diced into 1-cm pieces

ο 8.5 g (2 tbsp) flour

ο icing sugar

 

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 1.4-l (8-inch) springform pan. Spray springform pan with Canola oil cooking spray, insert parchment paper and set aside. In a food processor, or by hand, combine egg, margarine, vanilla and sugar and cream together. Once smooth, add applesauce mixture and combine.

Pulse in dry ingredients. Toss diced apple in flour. Stir diced apple into batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool. Remove from pan and remove parchment paper. Plate and sprinkle generously with icing sugar.

Serves 6-8.

 

Apricot Glazed Green Beans Almandine

 

ο 14 g (1 tbsp) pareve or vegan margarine

ο 60 g (3 tbsp) apricot jam

ο 454 g (1 lb) whole green beans, trimmed

ο 55 g (6 tbsp) slivered almonds

 

Place beans in a microwave-safe bowl with 120 ml (1/2 cup) water. Microwave for 1 minute and drain. Melt margarine in a large skillet over high heat. Add in almonds and toast for 1 minute. Remove almonds from the pan and set aside.

Add apricot jam and green beans; stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 5 minutes, or until beans are heated through. Sprinkle the almonds on the beans before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

READ: THE ORIGINS OF A FAMOUS ROSH HASHANAH FOOD PAIRING

Plum Baked Chicken

 

ο 454 g (1 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

ο 2 green zucchini, chopped

ο 2 yellow zucchini, chopped

ο 1 small onion, chopped

ο salt

ο pepper

Sauce

ο 350 ml (1½ cups) plum sauce

ο 120 ml (1/2 cup) ketchup

ο 45 ml (3 tbsp) soy sauce

ο 45 ml (3 tbsp) apple cider vinegar

ο 30 ml (2 tbsp) honey

ο 16 g (3 tbsp) ginger, minced

ο 2 cloves garlic, minced

ο 5 ml (1 tsp) Sriracha, or to taste

 

In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Pat chicken dry. Season chicken breasts with pinches of salt and pepper. Place chicken in a large zippered freezer bag with 1/3 of the sauce and refrigerate the remainder of the sauce until needed. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, turning once.

Preheat oven to 220 C (425 F). Spray a 3.3 l (9×13-inch) baking dish with Canola oil.

Place all vegetables on the bottom of the prepared baking dish in an even layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with sauce. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and place them evenly on top of the vegetables. Cover each chicken breast with 1/2 of the remaining sauce, so entire breast is covered. Bake for about 40 minutes, turn pieces over and cover with remaining sauce, then continue baking for about 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-5. Recipe can be doubled or tripled, but will require a larger baking dish.