Passover Seder Dinner

Last night Passover began at sundown, and it was my first experience preparing a vegan Passover Seder dinner. I found inspiration for my menu in an excellent book (thanks, Sandy!) by Debra Wasserman called The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook.

I stuck with tradition, following Sephardic rules and staying away from chametz grains like wheat, barley and rye, which I do anyway since they all contain gluten (which I can't eat). It was exciting to prepare a meal with spices common to Moroccan Jews like cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, paprika and sesame seeds (in my case: a mushroom gravy made with tahini). Anything in the Nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant) are also popular for this occasion. I'm very pleased with the menu I developed and with the way everything turned out.

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Cornmeal Crusted Tofu Cutlets with Mushroom Gravy
Curried Chickpea and Quinoa Pilaf
Zaalouk (Moroccan Eggplant and Red Pepper Caviar)
Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette and Caramelized Shallots
Warm Russian Dried Fruit Compote