In the past we shared features on other big food holidays and today we’re shedding some light on Passover, as many of the traditions and celebratory rituals circulate around food. Coconut macaroons are a typical Passover dessert, but we gave them our own Cornucopia twist. Ours are vegan, paleo, and include spices for extra health benefits. Read on to learn a bit about what the food of Passover entails and how to make these crowd-pleasing golden macaroons!
Passover is an important holiday in the Jewish heritage, signifying the people’s journey to freedom from Egypt. In remembrance, certain food is removed from the diet for the holiday’s 8 day span. These foods include: Hametz (leavened food, or food containing a leavening agent) and Kitniyot (legumes, many grains and corn) for those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.
On the first and/or second night a Seder is held; translating to “order”, a Seder is a ritual feast including reading, prayers, wine and food all in a specific procedure. The Haggadah is the book used that explains the food, stories and order of the Passover Seder. The Seder plate holds food as symbols for the Hebrew’s experiences from Egypt:
Maror and Hazeret: Bitter herbs for the harshness of slavery, such as horseradish and romaine lettuce.
Charoset: A mix of apples, nuts, raisins and wine to represent the mortar and brick used to build the pyramids
Karpas: Another vegetable, such as parsley, dipped in salt water, to represent Spring, hope and renewal.
Zeroa: A shankbone (the only meat element), used to symbolize the lamb offered in the Temple in Jerusalem. (note: for many veg-centric gatherings, beets can be used in its place)
Beitzah: A hard boiled egg, represents the festival sacrifice offered in the Temple of Jerusalem.
MATZAH: Last but not least, this represents the unleavened bread the Hebrew’s made for the process of fleeing Egypt.
The interesting part about Passover cuisine is the elimination of grains and legumes make many dishes inherently paleo. Gluten free options are abundant too, and the heavy use of vegetables makes it easy to fit in vegan options. For our Passover recipe we decided to go with something on the sweet side that fits all diets, while remaining perfectly inline with the holiday’s traditions. These coconut macaroons are grain free, vegan, paleo, and high in healthy fats. Plus, they utilize spices to give them an extra flavor-kick and inflammation-fighting boost.
We’re sure these bright, chocolate covered macaroons will stand out on your table and make that ‘Passover diet’ more bearable. They’re also easy to make and kid friendly. So, whip up a batch to celebrate these last few nights and let us know what you think. Pesach Sameach!
Serves: 15
Prep Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Total Time: 45 mins
Ingredients
2 cups shredded coconut
2 tbsp coconut cream
2 tbsp Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts (on sale this month!)
2 tbsp Coomb’s maple syrup (also on sale this month!)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp each: cinnamon, ginger, cardamom
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
1/3 cup parve chocolate chips (meaning any non-dairy variation to stay Kosher) + 1 tsp coconut oil
Method
- Add shredded coconut, coconut cream and hemp hearts into a blender or food processor, then blend for ~30 seconds.
- Pour in the maple syrup, vanilla extract and spices, then blend again scraping the sides as needed until you achieve a wet dough-like texture.
- Empty mixture into a bowl and add in the coconut flour. Once well combined taste the mixture to adjust any flavor preferences – add an additional tbsp maple syrup for more sweetness, more turmeric or ginger for more intense flavor, or additional shredded coconut for added texture.
- Form mounds using a 1 tbsp spoon or scoop. NOTE: make sure to pack the mixture in well before removing, this will ensure it bakes well and does not crumble.
- Place mounds onto a parchment paper lined baking tray and bake for 10 mins until browned on the bottom.
- After removing the macaroons, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil over a double broiler or in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Using a whisk, drizzle the melted chocolate over your macaroons and let cool until the chocolate hardens. Enjoy!
Inspired by Minimalist Baker
