I have an entire page dedicated to Passover, with recipe links and my freely downloadable Haggadah for Holistic Nonviolence on this page.
Some time after I got off gluten about a decade ago, I came up with a simple (but not very good) substitute for traditional matzah balls, for use in my family's annual celebration of Passover. I would cook millet, with turnips and then mash these up and form into balls which I would bake in the oven. Each time I did this, I always hoped (rather unsuccessfully) that at least part of a ball might stay together for a few minutes after adding it to the soup. These were very "no frills" matzah balls, but what they lacked in culinary pleasure, they compensated for in ease of preparation, enabling me to put more time and energy into the rest of the menu.
But this year, memories of light, fluffy and fully cohesive matzah balls came flooding back to me, and I found myself newly inspired to see if I could come up with a gluten-free vegan matzah ball that would delight. I began by looking at lots of different recipes for traditional matzah balls and the first thing I noticed was that eggs were a major ingredient in traditional matzah balls. That gave me the idea to experiment with Follow Your Heart's new vegan egg product -- and it turned out to be THE perfect ingredient to include to do justice to my childhood memory of matzah balls. (2024 update: FYH's Vegan Egg has been discontinued -- and I have found that psyllium seed powder works almost as well -- so I updated my recipe.) Furthermore, these balls freeze and thaw really well -- meaning they can be prepared far ahead of time, so that they are ready to use the day you make soup, without increasing that day's work load. Below is the result of my effort. Let me know what you think!
But this year, memories of light, fluffy and fully cohesive matzah balls came flooding back to me, and I found myself newly inspired to see if I could come up with a gluten-free vegan matzah ball that would delight. I began by looking at lots of different recipes for traditional matzah balls and the first thing I noticed was that eggs were a major ingredient in traditional matzah balls. That gave me the idea to experiment with Follow Your Heart's new vegan egg product -- and it turned out to be THE perfect ingredient to include to do justice to my childhood memory of matzah balls. (2024 update: FYH's Vegan Egg has been discontinued -- and I have found that psyllium seed powder works almost as well -- so I updated my recipe.) Furthermore, these balls freeze and thaw really well -- meaning they can be prepared far ahead of time, so that they are ready to use the day you make soup, without increasing that day's work load. Below is the result of my effort. Let me know what you think!
Ingredients for Matzah Balls:
1 medium potato
3/4 cup quinoa flakes
3 TBS tapioca powder
1 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 TBS psyllium powder
3/4 cup ice cold water
1/4 cup club soda
Additional 1/2 cup of quinoa flakes
Directions for Matzah Balls:
1) Scrub potato, remove eyes and put it into a small pot, cover with water and boil for about 15 minutes until soft. Remove skin and push potato through a ricer (or you could just dice it with a knife into VERY tiny little pieces -- the size of rice.)
1) Mix 3/4 cups of quinoa flakes, tapioca, dill, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then add the finely chopped or "riced" potato and stir well.
2) Blend the psyllium powder with the 3/4 c of cold water on high in a blender and then add this to the dry mixture in the bowl, along with the club soda. Use a fork to blend well. Refrigerate this mixture for at least 30 minutes before proceeding.
3) Remove chilled mixture from refrigerator and sprinkle with the additional 1/2 cup of quinoa flakes to keep it from sticking to your hands and make rolling into balls easier. Roll into 20 matzah balls -- each about the size of a ping pong ball
4) Get a large pan and fill it just two and half inches deep with water, sprinkle a bit of salt into it and bring it to a rolling boil. Place 10 of the balls into this pot, bring it back to a boil then let simmer for 5 minutes covered. (Do NOT over boil or they fall apart -- watch close and remove if they start to disintegrate! -- The Psyllium does not hold them together as well as the vegan egg did) Remove the balls with a slotted spoon and repeat the process with the other ten matzah balls. Add the matzah balls to the soup just before serving.
The Matzah balls can be made ahead of time and frozen for use later. That makes making the soup the day you want to serve it a snap! Then you simply need to add frozen matzah balls to the hot soup and they will thaw right in it!
1 medium potato
3/4 cup quinoa flakes
3 TBS tapioca powder
1 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 TBS psyllium powder
3/4 cup ice cold water
1/4 cup club soda
Additional 1/2 cup of quinoa flakes
Directions for Matzah Balls:
1) Scrub potato, remove eyes and put it into a small pot, cover with water and boil for about 15 minutes until soft. Remove skin and push potato through a ricer (or you could just dice it with a knife into VERY tiny little pieces -- the size of rice.)
1) Mix 3/4 cups of quinoa flakes, tapioca, dill, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then add the finely chopped or "riced" potato and stir well.
2) Blend the psyllium powder with the 3/4 c of cold water on high in a blender and then add this to the dry mixture in the bowl, along with the club soda. Use a fork to blend well. Refrigerate this mixture for at least 30 minutes before proceeding.
3) Remove chilled mixture from refrigerator and sprinkle with the additional 1/2 cup of quinoa flakes to keep it from sticking to your hands and make rolling into balls easier. Roll into 20 matzah balls -- each about the size of a ping pong ball
4) Get a large pan and fill it just two and half inches deep with water, sprinkle a bit of salt into it and bring it to a rolling boil. Place 10 of the balls into this pot, bring it back to a boil then let simmer for 5 minutes covered. (Do NOT over boil or they fall apart -- watch close and remove if they start to disintegrate! -- The Psyllium does not hold them together as well as the vegan egg did) Remove the balls with a slotted spoon and repeat the process with the other ten matzah balls. Add the matzah balls to the soup just before serving.
The Matzah balls can be made ahead of time and frozen for use later. That makes making the soup the day you want to serve it a snap! Then you simply need to add frozen matzah balls to the hot soup and they will thaw right in it!
Soup Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil.
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic minced
3 stalks celery diced
3 carrots sliced thin
1 medium potato diced
1/2 cup chopped celery leaves
1 cube of Rapunzel Bouillon
8 cups water
2 TBS fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill leaves
1 recipe of matzah balls (from above)
2 tsp olive oil.
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic minced
3 stalks celery diced
3 carrots sliced thin
1 medium potato diced
1/2 cup chopped celery leaves
1 cube of Rapunzel Bouillon
8 cups water
2 TBS fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill leaves
1 recipe of matzah balls (from above)
Soup Directions:
1) Smear one teaspoon of the olive oil over the entire bottom of a large covered pot. Then place the second teaspoon right in the middle of this. Place pan on burner on high for one minute and then add the diced onion. Stir frequently while cooking on high just until the onion starts to brown. Add the garlic and turn down heat cooking for another minute. Then add the celery and continue cooking and stirring intermittently for three more minutes.
2) Add the carrots, potatoes, celery leaves, cube of bouillon, water parsley and dill. Cover and return heat to high until it boils. Add matzah balls and remove from heat (unless they are frozen -- then continue heating until the balls are hot. Serve right away.
1) Smear one teaspoon of the olive oil over the entire bottom of a large covered pot. Then place the second teaspoon right in the middle of this. Place pan on burner on high for one minute and then add the diced onion. Stir frequently while cooking on high just until the onion starts to brown. Add the garlic and turn down heat cooking for another minute. Then add the celery and continue cooking and stirring intermittently for three more minutes.
2) Add the carrots, potatoes, celery leaves, cube of bouillon, water parsley and dill. Cover and return heat to high until it boils. Add matzah balls and remove from heat (unless they are frozen -- then continue heating until the balls are hot. Serve right away.