I’ve never met someone who says their favorite holiday is Passover. Yes, four cups of wine during the seder can be fun, but the eight days following those four cups aren’t quite as enjoyable. When my non-Jewish friends ask me, “What can’t you eat during Passover?” I usually respond with, “anything good.”
To break it down, on Passover, Jews can’t eat chametz. Chametz includes all products made from wheat, barley, rye, oats and spelt. Now you’re probably wondering, “How do you get through these eight days of torture tradition?” Well, the answer is, you get crafty. Here are five ways to make your favorite snacks kosher for Passover:
1. (Matzah) Avocado Toast
Photo courtesy of @juliekramer on Instagram
The main ingredient in avocado toast, a staple in today’s diet, is bread. Even if you know nothing about Passover, you know that you can’t eat bread. Well, just simply swap out your bread for matzah. Warning: it probably won’t be as good as the real thing, but if you put an over-easy egg or some feta on top, it should be just good enough.
2. (Cucumber) Sushi
Photo courtesy of @jennnycrocker on Instagram
For those of you who are blessed Sephardi, you can skip this one and enjoy your rice, but for Ashkenazi Jews you can simply ask for your sushi “naruto style.” Ordering sushi “naruto style” means the roll is wrapped in thin slices of cucumber, instead of rice.
SIDE NOTE
This year, the Conservative movement decided that kitniyot (ex: rice, corn and beans) are now permitted for Ashkenazi Jews on Passover. Do what you want with this information, as seven centuries of Ashkenazis have been avoiding these foods during Passover.
3. (Lettuce) Sandwich
Photo by Tori Baier
Sandwiches, like avocado toast, feature bread. To get around this issue, you have two options. 1. Use matzah as bread, which is not the best, as matzah crumbles when you so much as breathe near it. 2. Wrap your sandwich in lettuce.
Although this seems less appealing, because sandwiches are made to involve carbs, it actually isn’t terrible, and if you live near a Jimmy John’s, they will do this second option for you if you order an Unwich.
4. (Quinoa) Fried Rice
Photo by Amanda Shulman
Again, Sephardis or Ashkenazis observing the new ruling, read on. For the rest of you traditionalists, making your fried rice with quinoa is actually a great alternative. It’s also super easy, and all you have to do is make quinoa.
#SpoonTip: You can also get it pre-made in the frozen section of Trader Joe’s and do everything as you normally would if you were using rice.
5. (Matzah) Pizza
Photo by Tara Botwinick
Did you really think you were going to get through this list without matzah pizza? If so, you thought wrong. Matzah pizza is a Passover staple. If you don’t eat at least one piece of matzah pizza per day during Passover, you are doing it wrong.
Happy Passover!