Personally, I’ve always thought of the no bread thing as the eleventh plague – since to me a week without biscuits, bagels, cereal and pasta is something wacky. Beyond the unbearable cravings, a stomach full of matzah, eggs, potatoes and oil is rarely a happy one. But I’ve learned that Passover doesn’t have to be so stressful on the body. In fact, Passover offers a great opportunity to experiment in the kitchen. Find new easy, healthy and tasty recipes that meet kosher for Passover criteria.
One of my fondest food memories as a child during Pesach is without a doubt matzah pizza! Problem was…I could not ever just stop at one… it has never seemed to be quite as filling as I’d like it to be. And the more pieces of matzah I topped with tomato sauce and cheese, the more calories piled on too.
Eliminate the grains entirely and opt for this lower calorie cauliflower based creation. Use a cheese grater to shred the cauliflower into small crumbles (or buy pre-prepared raw cauliflower rice) and mix with eggs, cheese and spices. Top with your favourite toppings and voila – a vegetarian and kosher for Passover concoction! This recipe also scales back on the large amounts of cheese and oil – it has just the right amount of ooey gooey cheesy goodness.
The humble cauliflower is actually an extremely versatile vegetable. It can be used in a number of ways because of its mild flavour – it takes on the flavours of whatever you mix it with. Cauliflower is packed with powerful phytochemicals and antioxidants that help prevent diseases like cancer or cardiovascular disease. It also has an impressive array of vitamins and minerals beneficial for your gut, skin and and muscles like fibre, protein, vitamin C, vitamin K, B vitamins, potassium, manganese and choline.
Ingredients
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1 cauliflower head
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1 large egg or 2 egg whites
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1 cup shredded Kosher for Pesach cheese
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1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
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Salt and pepper
Method
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Preheat oven to 230 degrees
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Remove the outer leaves form the cauliflower and cut into florets. Place them in a bowl of a food processer and pulse until the cauliflower is finely chopped and looks like rice.
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Transfer the cauliflower to a microwave safe dish or bowl. Cover and cook in the microwave for 10 minutes (you can also steam or bake it in the oven)
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When the cauliflower is cool, transfer it to a bowl lined with a kitchen towel. Bring the ends of the cloth together and squeeze as much liquid out of the cauliflower as you can.
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Transfer the cauliflower to a mixing bowl and add the egg, mixed herbs, 1/2 cup cheese, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Mix to combine.
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Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Form the dough into a rectangle of about ¼ inch thick.
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Bake in the oven 15-20 minutes until cooked. Remove the baking sheet and sprinkle the remaining cheese (and pizza sauce if you’d like) over the top. Bake for another 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Don’t forget about the toppings! Fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, green and red peppers, mushrooms, olives, avocado… the list is endless. You can serve it as pizza slices, or cut into long breadsticks!
So, instead of the usual chicken and potato dinner, give this one a try. It is a great way to get in your veggies for the day, AND it’s a nice activity for the kids to get involved in choosing their own toppings and baking their own dinner!
Chag Sameach!
Shani
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