Make It From Scratch: Mizuna Pesto

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Mizuna is a Japanese mustard green with serrated leaves that resemble dandelion greens. Its flavor is tangy and slightly bitter. Mizuna is nutrient dense with lots of vitamins A, C and K, folate and iron. The leaves are often used in salad mixes like mesclun and spring mix.

Its bitterness yet slight unfamiliarity to most people make it a thematic addition to the Passover Seder meal. Although halachically it cannot be substituted for romaine lettuce on the Seder plate, it can be served at the Seder meal in raw form.

Mizuna can also be made into a (dairy) pesto to serve with breakfast. This mizuna pesto recipe is very tasty and so simple to whip up:

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups mizuna leaves, washed and dried, and include leaves and stem

• 2/3 cup nuts (roasted 5 min in the oven)

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

• 3 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

• 1 Tbsp lemon zest

• 2/3 cup olive oil

• 3 or 4 garlic cloves

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Throw the mizuna into a food processor.

2. On a baking rack lined with parchment paper, roast the nuts for 5 minutes in the oven.

3. Add the roasted nuts, then the rest of the ingredients.

4. Run the food processor on high for 30 seconds or until the ingredients are completely processed.

That’s all there is to it! This pesto goes well on matzo – or even on its own as a side dish.

Chag kasher v'sameach.

Mandelbread Made From Almond Flour

One of my fondest childhood memories was of my mother baking mandelbread on Passover. Naturally, the recipe swapped wheat flour for matzo-based cake meal. This meant that the final product was denser from what she would make during the year. My mother would also flavor the Passover version differently, including adding orange zest, to really make it stand out. On the flip side, the recipe also used imitation vanilla extract.

Since we limit the amount of wheat flour that we consume, especially on Passover, we’ve adapted the custom to using almond flour.

This recipe was adapted from Elana’s Pantry.

• ½ cup honey

• 1 large egg

• ½ tsp real vanilla extract (optional)

• 2 Tbsp orange zest

• 3 cups blanched almond flour

• ¼ tsp Himalayan salt

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• ½ cup almonds or walnuts, chopped in a food processor

THE STEPS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (or lower, if you have a gas oven that cooks very hot)

2. In a large mixing bowl, blend egg, honey and optional vanilla with a hand blender

3. Chop whole nuts by pulsing briefly in a blender or food processor

4. In another bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda

5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients

6. Add in the chopped nuts, orange zest

7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

8. On the parchment paper, shape the dough into a long, thin log

9. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes (or until brown on the outside)

10. Remove from oven and let cool completely

11. Once cooled, cut into 1/3-inch thick slices and lay flat on the parchment paper

12. Put back in the oven for about 5 minutes on each side

13. Remove and let cool before serving, so they are crunchy

Note: When we made this batch, our mandelbread log got burned. Our oven bakes very hot, so both temperature and baking time can be be unpredictable. As a result, we only put them back in the oven for 2 minutes on each side after we sliced them. The learning is that, despite setting a timer, we also need to check every 5 minutes or so to sure that the mandelbread log does not suddenly burn to a crisp! I will be posting updated photos when we attempt another batch later this week.

Chag Pesach kasher v’sameach.

Make It From Scratch: Mayonnaise

ACTIVE PREP TIME: 10-15 MIN FROM START TO FINISH

When it comes to Passover, there are certain foods that you should absolutely make yourself. Mayonnaise is one of those foods. As with store-bought almond milk, Passover mayonnaises are full of processed junk. Since soybean, canola and corn oils are kitniyot, the kosher food manufacturers use cottonseed oil instead. In addition, there are usually a host of preservatives like EDTA, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate.

Making homemade mayonnaise is not only quick and fun to make but also delicious and rich tasting. All you need to make your own mayonnaise is a handheld blender, egg whites, avocado oil, apple cider vinegar and salt.

Best of all, you can turn the process of making mayonnaise into a science experiment on emulsion colloids for the kids.

THE RECIPE

• 2 egg yolks

• 1 cup avocado oil (volume is approximate)

• 1 tsp organic apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

• 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt

THE STEPS

1. Separate egg yolks from egg whites

2. Place egg yolks into hand blender container

3. Add apple cider vinegar and lemon juice

4. Blend for about one minute using the hand blender

5. Slowly drizzle about 1 cup avocado oil, until desired consistency and thickness is achieved

6. Add salt and continue blending

7. Immediately spoon the mayonnaise into a mason jar or other glass jar and store in the refrigerator

Homemade mayonnaise will store in the fridge for 3-5 days.