Perfecting Passover

Who’s ready to go full-blown Atkin’s style? Normally I would never support this; however, Passover is just around the corner, leaving us on a 7-day (almost) no carb diet- especially if you’re like me and don’t love matzah. Given this- you would think that Passover is a time for diet- not in my family! We like to eat. Especially on holidays, to celebrate the whole family being together. So clearly there will be lots of food- now it’s my job as a dietitian (and Passover co-chef of my family) to make sure that all (or at least most) of the dishes are packed full of vegetables, fruits, and powerful nutrients! You should do the same…

Why Have You Done a Good Thing?

Lots of food= lots of calories no matter how you slice it. So, might as well get the best BANG for your BITE. Keeping the Passover dishes full of fresh fruits and veggies will do a few things for you... One- decrease the calories of each dish. Two- add fiber, so that you’ll get full faster and thus, eat less. And three- fill your body with strong antioxidants that will keep your cells strong, fighting off potential enemies to your health!

Ok, so enough nutrition babble…let’s talk food!

My mom and I are in charge of the Passover dinner (with my sister as a dutiful sous chef), so here is the breakdown. She will be making a killer pot-roast and Matzah-ball soup while I am in charge of the sides. Practicing what I preach- I’ll be making lots of nutrient-packed dishes, so take a look:

Red Cabbage Slaw with Oranges and Walnuts (from Catherine Walthers’ Soups + Sides)- great book, highly recommended!

This recipe is colorful and crunchy, giving you many nutrients, incuding antioxidants, vitamin C, and omega 3’s.

Potato, Carrot, and Zucchini Kugel (from Epicurious)

I like this recipe because it adds in carrots and zucchini to a normally potato-filled dish, contributing vitamin A, fiber, and folate, to name a few

Spicy Potato Stacks (from Epicurious)

This dish is appealing for the look (stacked potatoes on a rosmary skewer) but also for its variety of nutrients that comes from mixing 3 different types of potatoes. From this dish, you will get things like fiber, vitamin A, potassium, and antioxidants from the deep red potatoes.

Stay tuned next week to see how these recipes come out! I’ll take pics of my Passover prep and the final dishes, including some guest comments on the taste.

What will you be making for Passover? Would love to hear your suggestions!

BTW, does anyone have a good place to hide the Afikomen? My cousins are getting too smart for me! Happy Passover, everyone!!

--Samantha Jacobs, MS RD CDN