The Passover Diet

This "diet" has super results when I follow it, which I usually have to, every "Passover" or "Pesach". I always seem to drop a few pounds.

What's Forbidden: No bread, bagels, pasta, or breading on food. No tortilla chips, chickpeas, or other legumes. No alcohol or liquors such as whiskey, scotch, or vodka.

What's Permitted: The diet consists of vegetables, fruits, and protein (cheese, eggs, meat).

The best thing about the Passover diet is that plain chocolate and/or the chocolate chip macaroons (recipe on this site) are permitted.

A daily food intake looks like this:

Breakfast: Hard boiled egg (s)
Lunch: Green salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, 3-4 oz. of grilled salmon, or lean meat (turkey, roast beef, chicken), 1 tbs. fat (mayo or olive oil).
Snack: Orange, Apple or Carrots/Celery
Dinner: 4 oz. Grilled salmon, trout, or Chilean sea bass or chicken, with 6 oz. spinach or broccoli, and small side salad.

Other options to rotate are: Low fat Greek Yogurt for breakfast/afternoon snack
Cheese (Swiss, cheddar)
Avocado (up to a half a day)
Gefilte fish (with no matzo meal in it)

This blogger makes no claim as to the health or nutritional value of above stated diet. Please check with your doctor before starting this "diet" or any food plan. All I know in lay man's words is when I stick to this I lose weight. Generally speaking I cannot last longer than 2 weeks on this! But that covers me for Passover which is why I am on the "Passover diet" in the first place!

Passover * Chocolate Chip Macaroons

As promised, I am including my favorite recipe from Passover 5768 (2008). I found this recipe in the Jewish Senteniel, April 4-10, 2008. My comments to the recipe are: I yeilded far less cookies than the recipe stated, between 12-14. I also added tiny chocolate chips. I cooked these macaroons until crispy and I did not use a beater as I did not have one at the time. I beat the eggs with a fork.

RECIPE This is Pareve/Vegetarian

3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cups chopped nuts
3/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut (or more as needed)

Let the egg whites sit on the counter for about an hour before separating. Prepare a baking sheet by greasing it very well. Preheat the oven to 350. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl and starting at low speed, beat the egg whites until they begin to foam. As the foam continues to build, you can turn the speed to medium and than high. Beat until the foam forms stiff, glossy peaks. Add the extract as desired. With a spatula, fold in the powdered sugar and nuts until combined. Fold both in together to minimize the handling of the batter. Spoon the batter onto the pan in rounded mounds. The batter should be a consistency that a spoonful will stand as a mound 3/4 inch high on the pan. If the batter is too thin and tries to run, add more coconut. If the last few cookies are too thin, add more coconut. If the last few cookies are thin, add more coconut again. Bake for 15 minutes for small to medium size cookies; 18 minutes for larger cookies, or until the cookies are a light brown color. Immediately remove the cookies with a thin metal spatula by slipping the edge of the spatula under the edge of the cookie and sawing back and forth. Cool on wire racks.

I thought they were great!

Tubettini with Multi Colored Peppers

Tubettini with Multi Colored Peppers Vegetarian/Vegan/Pareve/Dairy

1 cup of Tubettini (small tubular shaped pasta)
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup of mini peppers (red, yellow, orange)
Seasoning pack (onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, pepper, salt)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter


STEPS

1. Boil large pot of water. After water comes to a boil add Tubettini.
2. While Tubettini is boiling (6-7 minutes) chop red onions and peppers.
3. Remove Tubettini from stove, drain water in strainer, set aside.
4. Take frying pan and add one tablespoon of olive oil to pan
5. Once hot, add onions and peppers. Saute for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add Tubettini and saute all ingredients together.
7. Add remaining olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter.
8. Stir in pan 2-3 minutes until all flavors have been absorbed.
9. Serve with Simple Maple Syrup Salmon or with Vege Burgers.
10. Vegan/Pareve option: No butter.

Multi Colored Mini Peppers

Chopped Onion and Peppers

Onions and Peppers with butter and olive oil

Simple Maple Syrup Salmon and Tubettini with Multi Color Peppers

Simple Maple Syrup Salmon

4 pieces of 8 oz. slices of salmon
Two tablespoons of "Grade A" Amber Maple Syrup
Fresh ground dill
Seasoning mix (onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley flakes, pepper, salt)
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

STEPS


1. Rinse salmon
2. Sprinkle on "dry" seasonings"
3. Add half tablespoon each of maple syrup and soy sauce to each salmon filet
4. Rinse dill and place in mini food processor, blend
5. Top salmon with fresh dill
6. Place salmon filets in broiler for 5 minutes, turn over, broil three minutes, turn back over and broil another 3 minutes until slightly charred on top.

Salmon Prepped

Additional Highlights of Thai Fusion Green Beans

Stir frying all ingredients together Mixed Multi Color Peppers

Chopped Nuts

Thai Fusion Green Beans

This is a Pareve/Vegan dish.

Ingredients:
1 Package of French Cut Green Beans
Red, Yellow, Orange mini peppers
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
3/4-1 cup of chopped mixed nuts
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3-4 cloves of garlic
Seasoning mix (garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
How To:
1. Peel and chop garlic
2. Slice and clean multi colored peppers
3. Heat olive oil in frying pan
4. Add frozen green beans
5. Add chopped garlic
6. Stir together
7. Chop mixed nuts (or peanuts, or almonds) in mini food processor until chopped (or buy package of pre-chopped nuts)
8. Add 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
9. Add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
10. Add chopped multi colored peppers
11. Add mixed chopped nuts
12. Stir until hot and steamy (about 5 minutes) ....do not overcook.....veges should be firm and crisp

Additional Highlights of Mouthwatering Meatloaf

Arranging the garnish (egg, scallion, paprika, and parsley) atop the meatloaf

Slicing egg, and slicing green onions

Spreading the ketchup and salsa on top of loaf

Mouthwatering Meatloaf-Part 2

Meat Mixture, fully prepped

Meat mixture spread out in loaf pan

Caramelized Onions, Garlic, and Bread Crumbs

My (famous) Mouthwatering Meatloaf-Part One

This is always a big hit with my Shabbos Guests. The secret is carmelizing the onions and garlic before mixing it into the mixture. Also, slow cook this meatloaf and it will stay really moist.

This a meat dish. Substitute firm tofu, blended, for ground chicken to make this a pareve or vegetarian dish.


Ingredients:


1.25 Pounds of Ground Chicken (Ground meat, ground turkey, or firm tofu may also be used)
2 Eggs
3-4 Green Onions
3 medium size yellow onions
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground salt (sea salt preferred)
Ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups finely ground bread crumbs
1/2-3/4 cups salsa
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking spray


How To:

1. Peel, chop and rinse garlic
2. Peel, chop, and rinse onion
3. Take garlic, and then onion, and place in mini food processor to finely chop
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
5. Heat large frying pan on stove
6. Saute garlic and onion
7. Remove chicken from packaging and place in a large bowl
8. Pound chicken out
9. Add 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley and salt.
11. Add pinch of ground pepper
12. Mix together
13. Ground challah roll halves in mini food processor, or against grater
14. Add bread crumbs to onions and garlic
15. Saute mixture until brown
16. Add Sauteed bread crumbs, onions, garlic to center of meat in bowl
17. Knead entire mixture together
18. Use olive oil or non-stick no-cal spray and grease meatloaf pan
19. Place meat mixture in center of loaf pan and spread out evenly
20. Top with a layer of ketchup
21. Add 1/2-3/4 cup of salsa and blend in with ketchup
20. Place entire loaf in preheated oven
21. Boil egg (7 minutes)
22. Cook loaf for 45 minutes
23. Remove from oven
24. Rinse egg and let cool for 5 minutes
25. Slice egg in nice round slices
26. Slice green onions into quarters
27. Place sliced eggs in center of loaf
28. Place green onions on sides
29. Sprinkle on paprika and parsley
30. Place back in oven for additional 10-15 minutes
31. Take out of oven and serve