Sweet Passover Matzo and Quinoa Vegan Casserole! #eattolose #oilfree #KosherforPassover

Kosher for Passover Matzo and Quinoa Casserole

     Don't you just love to try out new dishes on family and friends during the holidays? Neither do I, but I won't let THAT stop me! Tonight was the first night of Passover where we have a large family gathering including a Seder and a traditional Passover meal. Since becoming a Vegan last year, I have had one and only one other opportunity to impress my family with an appropriate homemade dish that both satisfied the strict dietary laws of Kosher for Passover and also fit the Plant Based guidelines that I had so enthusiastically adopted.

     Last year, not only did I fail to impress anyone with my cooking, but several of my relatives left not completely sure they wanted to be Jewish anymore and my Brother-In-Law threatened to revoke my Bar Mitzvah.

     Last night, the night before the holiday dinner, I put together a recipe to showcase the things that I had learned in the past year about Plant Based cooking. Hoping for another holiday miracle, I pushed the envelope out even further and made a dish that was not only Vegan but also OIL FREE and also Kosher for Passover!!!! So let it be written, so let it be done.

     With the loving spirit of my Mother in my ear whispering:  "A Miracle you're looking for? You should only learn to pray so hard!" I decided to start with some Matzo and work my way forward from there. Long ago, in a house filled with the delicious smells of my Mother's cooking, I had learned one of her tricks regarding cooking with Matzo. The technique had been brought to America from Russia by my Grandmother, passed along to my Aunts and Mother who learned it from her hands, to me who started learning to cook from my Mom when I was a teenager and now on to you.

Kosher for Passover Sweet Vegan Casserole

4 cups vegetable soup stock (easy to make yourself)

1 cup dry Quinoa

1 orange (juice and fruit)  with a tsp of the zest chopped

12 dates chopped
2 Roma tomatoes chopped

2 pineapple spears chopped

2 cups chopped kale

4 sweet red bell peppers chopped 

2 inch thumb of fresh ginger finely chopped
6 whole plain Matzot 

     Bring 2 cups of soup stock to a boil and add the Quinoa. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes then leave it covered for 15 more minutes to absorb the liquid. Set aside.

     Hold 1 cup of the chopped peppers to use as a garnish. Bring the remaining 2 cups of soup stock to a boil. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Using a strainer, save the broth and put the solids in a bowl.

     Here comes Mom's trick:
Bring the saved broth back to a boil. Break up the Matzot into large pieces and place them in the strainer with the strainer in a large bowl. Pour the boiling broth over the Matzot, letting it soak long enough to soften but not fall apart. Strain using a wooden spoon to press the broth out of the softened Matzo. In a glass casserole dish, form a lining using the soft Matzo.

     Hold one cup of broth and 4 TBSP of the cooked Quinoa for later.

Mix the remaining Quinoa and cooked vegetables together, adding enough of the remaining broth to keep the mixture soft but not slushy. Add this over the Matzo in an even layer.

     In a saucepan, bring the cup of broth that you saved to a boil, add the 4 TBSP of Quinoa, stir until thickened. Use this as a glaze over your vegetable layer. Cover it with Aluminum foil and bake it at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Remove the foil.  Add the remaining chopped red peppers over the top, Press them in a little with your wooden spoon and put it under the broiler for 3 minutes to toast the peppers.  Let it cool for 15 minutes and serve.

     I like sweet red peppers, but you may choose any other color or use something else creative as a garnish. I'm open to ideas.

     So there it is. An original recipe. No one can tell you that you did it wrong because none of them have ever had it before! Oil free, no added sugar and completely plant based.
My extended family liked it this time!  I would love to hear what you think.

Enjoy!