If you follow these few simple steps and these recipes, your Pesach will not be overwhelming, nor will you feel like you don’t have what to eat or that you ate too much and your stomach hurts from too much Matzoh! Pesach is a really holy and beautiful holiday and if you are organized and get your whole household on board in an exciting way, you will feel the beauty of the holiday without the stress.
Fish n Chips
This is my version of fish n' chips. I was always disappointed with the lack of flavor of typical fish n' chips and always felt too heavy after. So here is a lighter more fun version that will leave you full but not heavy!
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Ingredients:
- 2 sweet potatoes cut into wedges
- 2 red skinned potatoes cut into wedges
- 3 1/2 teaspoons salt pink Himalayan
- 3 teaspoons curry powder optional
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 filet ocean perch fish cut in quarters, skinned
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 limes freshly squeezed
- 2 lemons freshly squeezed
- 1 serving yogurt
- 1 cucumber finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons dill finely chopped
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450℉
- Prepare 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and place sweet potato and potato wedges on top, not overlapping too much. Add 2 teaspoons of curry powder, 2 teaspoons of salt, the garlic powder and olive oil. Mix well until all pieces are evenly coated and not overlapping too much. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Prepare yogurt in a small bowl. Add cucumber, dill, juice of 1 lemon and set aside.
- Place filet on towels and dry them well. Evenly sprinkle with remaining salt and curry powder. Prepare a non stick pan on high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of coconut oil and get hot. Add the fish in batches. Cook for 1 ½ minutes per side.
- Remove from pan and drizzle with juices from a lemon and lime. Serve right away.
Notes & Tips:
Feel free to add fresh herbs as garnish; parsley, mint, basil, or cilantro. I love using the yogurt dipping sauce for the fish and the chips!
Tangerine salad
Eating sprouted beans has so many health benefits and is packed with vitamins. In Israel you can find them in most grocery stores, already sprouted. If you can’t find them and don’t feel like sprouting your own you can always add a can of chickpeas to this recipe!
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Ingredients:
- 4 ounces butter lettuce
- 2 oranges 1 peeled and sliced, 1 juiced
- 6 sundried tomatoes sliced
- 1 cup sprouted chickpeas and beans (optional)
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
- 2 tangerines juiced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt pink Himalayan
- 1 tablespoon honey
Directions:
- Add the lettuce, oranges, sundried tomatoes, sprouted chickpeas and cheese into a salad bowl.
- In a jar add the juice of the tangerines and orange, olive oil, basil and salt and honey. Shake well and pour on salad when ready to serve.
Notes & Tips:
feel free to substitute any cheese you like! I love using tangerines for dressing more than a salad, because they are so small and have so many pits they are hard to cut and use, but they have SO much juice that squeezing them makes the perfect light, refreshing dressing!
Rocket salad
Rocket leaves are also known as arugula and have a peppery flavor. They are extremely high in nutritional value and will make your salad beautiful and more powerful in flavor. If you cannot find them, feel free to use baby spinach or kale.
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Ingredients:
- 6 ounces rocket leaves
- 2 ounces watercress optional
- 1 red pepper finely chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 4 ounces lox chopped (optional)
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese chopped
- 2 scallions chopped
- 4 lemons juiced
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt pink Himalayan
Directions:
- In a jar, add the pepper, scallions, lemon juice, oil, honey and salt. The longer that the dressing sits, the better - but can also be served right away.
- Add the rest of the ingredients in a large salad bowl.
- Add dressing right before serving. Mix well.
Notes & Tips:
Click here for a homemade lox recipe
Wine chicken skewers
I know it seems intimidating to have to think about this the day before, but marinating this overnight makes all the difference in moistness and flavor! It will take you 3 minutes the day before and will be worth every minute!
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Ingredients:
- 2 pounds pargiot dark meat chicken, skinless and boneless, cut into small chunks
- 1/2 bottle white wine any wine works
- 8 wooden skewers
- 1 onion (large) roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt pink Himalayan
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon cut into quarters
- 1 cup fresh basil chopped
Directions:
- In a large container, add chicken, wine and onions and marinate overnight.
- Remove chicken and discard marinade. (If using wooden skewers soak them in water for at least 20 minutes to avoid burning.)
- Place chicken back in container and add olive oil and salt and mix. Place them on skewers.
- Place a grill pan on high heat. Add skewers and grill for 5-6 minutes per side.
- Remove from heat and add fresh lemon and basil. Serve hot.
Notes & Tips:
I love the simplicity in flavor of this chicken. If you are not serving it with the suggested plum salad, feel free to add more garnish for color and flavor (fresh oranges slices, kalamata olives, dates, sundried tomatoes, peppers...you get the idea...just chop them up and sprinkle on top when ready to serve!)
Hasselback potatoes
Be really careful when you cut these to not cut your thumb off! Tuck that thumb in and watch my knife skills video again. Feel free to get creative with these and add fresh garlic and your favorite fresh herbs (dill, parsley, rosemary or basil are my top choices).
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Ingredients:
- 4 potatoes
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon zaatar spice blend (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt pink himalayan
- 3 sprigs Fresh thyme stems removed
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Slice a very thin piece of the potato off horizontally, so that the potato has a flat surface to rest on. Slice the potato vertically, almost finishing the slice but not quite.
- Add the olive oil, garlic powder, za'atar and salt and rub in well into the creases.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until crispy and golden.
- Add fresh thyme and serve.
Rainbow coleslaw
This coleslaw is so colorful! Feel free to add any of your favorite ingredients; my choice add-ins would be pulled chicken or feta cheese, white bean sprouts, and black sesame seeds.
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Ingredients:
- 1 head purple cabbage thinly sliced
- 2 cucumbers thinly sliced
- 2 persimmons thinly sliced
- 1 pomegranate seeds only
- 4 scallions chopped
- 1 cup rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon salt pink Himalayan
Directions:
- Add the vinegar, oil, honey and salt in a large container and mix well.
- Add the remaining ingredients into the container, mix well and serve.
Notes & Tips:
I personally like my coleslaw really crunchy but if you prefer soft slaw, let this sit a few hours or marinate overnight. It will get softer and more marinated with age and will taste good for up to four days in the fridge.
Sweet and spicy chicken wings
You know that sweet chili sauce in the bottle that everyone buys? It’s filled with preservatives and chemicals that you don’t need but people really love the flavor. I recreated it in this dish but instead used fresh ingredients. These got finished in 4 minutes.
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Ingredients:
- 3 teaspoons salt pink Himalayan
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds chicken wings
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 chili pepper seeds removed, chopped finely
- 1 red bell peppers chopped finely
- 5 cloves garlic finely grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger finely grated
- 6 oranges juiced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup honey
Directions:
- Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, the peppers, garlic, ginger, orange juice, honey and tomato paste into a large sauce pan on high heat. Cook for six minutes, until mixture is thick. Set aside.
- Prepare a grill pan on high heat. Place chicken in large baking dish and add 2 teaspoons salt, pepper and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix well.
- Place on grill pan, not overlapping. Grill for 6 minutes per side.
- Remove and place in pan with sauce. Mix well and serve.
Notes & Tips:
I saved the extra sauce and added it to a soup and it was divine!
Honey thyme antipasti
If you are making this with the grilled chicken, place it on the grill right after the chicken, to get all those chicken flavors!
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Ingredients:
- 2 red bell peppers sliced
- 2 onions sliced
- 2 purple onions sliced
- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt pink Himalayan
- 1/4 cup Fresh thyme stems removed
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 oranges juiced
Directions:
- Add the peppers, onions, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt to a baking dish. Mix well.
- Prepare a grill pan on high heat. Add the vegetables without the liquid and grill for 5 minutes mixing once.
- Place back in the baking dish and add the thyme honey and orange juice. Mix and serve!
Notes & Tips:
Feel free to add eggplant, zucchini, green beans, mushrooms, asparagus or any other of your favorite vegetables to this mix!
Avocado and steak strips
Persimmon is probably one of the sweetest most delicious fruit if it is ripe and fresh! If you can’t find it in your supermarket, feel free to substitute it with mangoes, peaches, oranges or grapefruits.
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Ingredients:
- 2 pounds minute steak
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 persimmon sliced
- 2 avocados sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh mint finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil finely chopped
- 1 cloves garlic zested
- 1/2 spicy green pepper seeds removed for less heat, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt pink Himalayan
Directions:
- In a small bowl or jar, add the basil, mint, garlic, salt and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix well and set aside.
- Rub the remaining olive oil onto the steak. Prepare a grill pan on high heat. Spray with olive oil and place steak on grill for 1 ½ minutes per side. Remove and after 1 minutes cut into strips.
- Add the avocado and persimmon and drizzle with the pesto on top. Serve hot or warm.
Notes & Tips:
In Israel the best cuts of meat I would suggest for this would be #1,5,6,7 (1 being the best). Ask the butcher to thinly slice the meat, horizontally so that you have large thin pieces to grill. IF you are in Israel add salt and pepper to the steak before grilling. If you are not and buy a minute steak, they tend to be very salty, in which case you should rinse off the salt and pat dry before grilling.
Endive apple salad with charred salmon
I know there are a lot of ingredients in this dish that people usually stay away from, so I decided to get them all over with at once. If you buy roquefort cheese from a cheese shop, buy a piece with the smallest amount of blue in it to ease your way in. I promise this salad is crunchy and delicious, try it once and you will find it delicious and be so proud of yourself!
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Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lemons squeezed
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 package oyster mushrooms
- 4 endives removed from core
- 1 Granny Smith apple sliced
- 1/2 beet large, chopped into sticks
- 1/4 cup capers
- 3 ounces roquefort cheese crumbled
- 4 filet salmon 6 ounces each
- 1 teaspoon curry powder (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt pink Himalayan
Directions:
- In a large serving dish add the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and honey and whisk. Add endives, apples, beets, capers, and cheese. Set aside.
- Dry salmon filet well and sprinkle with salt and curry powder. Prepare a saute pan on high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add salmon and cook for 8 minutes per side. In last minute of cooking salmon add the oyster mushrooms.
- Add oyster mushrooms to salad and mix and serve with charred salmon on the side.
Notes & Tips:
If you don't feel up to searing your fish you can bake it in the oven at 375f covered tightly for 25 minutes with lemon juice and salt. Add the mushrooms with a drizzle of oil and silan or honey on top in the last 8 minutes.
Caprese salad
I was inspired to make this salad because I saw purple sprouts in the market and then found mini mozzarella balls! But of course you can use any sprouts, regular fresh mozzarella and large tomatoes (sliced).
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Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt pink Himalayan
- 2 teaspoons silan date honey
- 1 box cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup fresh basil roughly chopped
- 1 box sprouts (optional)
- 1 box fresh mozzarella balls
Directions:
- In a large salad bowl add the balsamic vinegar, oil, salt and silan. Mix well.
- Add the rest of ingredients and serve!
Quinoa pizza bites
These are like mini pizzas and go great with a side of warm tomato sauce to dip them into. They also reheat well! Feel free to add your own "toppings" instead of sundried tomato and spinach, you can add what you love!
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Ingredients:
- 1 cup red quinoa or any color
- 1/2 cup spinach chopped
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup Bulgarian cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt pink Himalayan
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, heat to low, and simmer about 15 minutes.
- Prepare a baking dish with parchment paper. Add cooked quinoa and the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pat the whole thing down to be flat and even and place in oven for 25 minutes.
- Remove and let cool for a few minutes. Cut and serve hot. Dip in warm tomato sauce (optional).
Notes & Tips:
If you don’t have parmesan, you can use any kind of grated cheese for these! My next top choices would be gouda, mozzarella or cheddar.
Cheese plate
Whipping up a cheese plate is one of the greatest secrets in last minute hosting, or just the desire to do something special on a whim.
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Ingredients:
- 1 role goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon craisons
- 1 tablespoon Fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon sundried tomato chopped
Directions:
- Slice cheese carefully and place on wooden board or cheese plate.
- Drizzle honey over each piece.
- Place toppings on top.
- Serve with crackers, apples or just as is. You can add any toppings you wish just don’t forget to add the honey first!
Notes & Tips:
I used goat cheese but if you don’t like goat cheese, use fresh Mozzarella, brie or even feta cheese.
Avocado lemon salad
Let the onions sit in the dressing for at least 5 minutes before serving to marinate them and take off their sharp taste. This salad is great because it has details to it but can be done in minutes without having to cook anything!
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Ingredients:
- 4 ounces butter lettuce
- 1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
- 2 cucumbers chopped
- 1 avocado chopped
- 1/2 purple onion finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt pink Himalayan
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 lemons squeezed
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
- In a salad bowl add the lettuce, basil, cucumbers and avocado.
- In a jar add the onion, salt sugar, lemons and oil. Shake well before serve.
Notes & Tips:
If you don’t feel like using a lemon squeezer and then having to wash it, squeeze the lemon over your open palm over the jar (having your open palm catch all the seeds)
Have a question about these recipes? Need a substitution for an ingredient? Chef Zissie is here to answer!
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