First off, Shanah Tovah to all of my friends in The Tribe who are celebrating the Jewish New Year. I realize that this post is coming a little late for those of you who actually celebrate Rosh Hashanah on Rosh Hashanah, but if - like me - you reschedule holidays for your convenience, this will help you out this weekend. Otherwise, bookmark it for next year. I just want to get this post out of my head and into the blog. ;)
When we started SCD last September, Rosh Hashanah was the first holiday we had to navigate within the confines of our new diet. Yes, it's true, I had to give up challah and my beloved noodle kugel recipe, but honestly of all the holidays, Rosh Hashanah has to be the easiest one to adapt for SCD...it's all about the honey!
My food photos from last year are not great, so I'm trying something new with this post and featuring a round-up of recipes I've saved to my Rosh Hashanah board on Pinterest. The recipes represent a range of symbolic foods and dishes...some traditional, some not so much. They all inspire me in some way. Some I've made, some I haven't. Please keep in mind that I do not keep kosher and am not a stickler for Jewish food rules...especially since I have enough SCD rules to keep me busy. I like to celebrate in the spirit of the holiday, upholding traditions in a way that works for me and my family. (You can read about my mixed-up holiday upbringing here.) I'll try not to offend anyone, but if I do, please accept my apologies...no harm intended. ;)
If you click on the photos, you'll be taken to the pin with my comments and tips for any ingredient tweaks if needed. You can click from there to get to the recipes. There are also lots of other recipes on my board that you can scan through for inspiration. Most of the recipes are SCD-compliant or include my notes about how to adapt them, but some are purely for inspiration and are not SCD-legal. Please keep this in mind as you look. ;)
So, here we go...
Main Course
I love roast chicken for Rosh Hashanah. It's easy to prepare and beloved by many...the ultimate comfort food. I made this recipe last year and it was delicious. I also like that this recipe doesn't have honey, but the lemon and rosemary play well with sweeter side dishes.
I've never cooked lamb for Rosh Hashanah, but I'm digging this Roasted Lamb with Pomegranate.
Sometimes, I'll roast a side of salmon 'cause I live in Seattle and salmon is kind of a "thing" here...this Honey Glazed Salmon with Lime Butter looks pretty easy and sounds d'lish.
My mom always made brisket with the ol' cream of mushroom and onion soup mix combo...loved it, but can't make it now, so I'm on the hunt for a new recipe...this Garlic Honey Brisket looks like it has potential...
Tzimmes
I have never been a fan of cooked carrots, so I've actually never made tzimmes. (See, I told you I was a rule breaker!) It's such an easy thing to adapt for SCD though, and many people love it, so I'm including a few versions in this post. The traditional stew is made from sweet root vegetables and dried fruit...usually roasted with honey and cinnamon. Most recipes call for sweet potatoes or yams, but you can easily sub butternut squash, beets or even apples. It would also be fun to try new combinations of dried fruit...if you don't like prunes, try dried apples, apricots, cherries or raisins. I may be trying one of these sans carrots this year...
Try dressing things up with a little citrus zest on top...
or go all out and spiralize your veggies for a festive touch.
KUGEL
Noodle kugel with apricots was always the best part of Rosh Hashanah dinner, in my opinion. I used to put double apricots in my recipe because that was my favorite part. If you are wondering, a kugel is basically just a baked pudding or casserole...most often sweet...usually made with noodles or potatoes and eggs. Obviously, noodles and potatoes are out of the question on SCD, so veggie kugels are the new noodles. (Ha! Say that five times fast!) As with the tzimmes, you can sub SCD-legal root veggies or squash for sweet potatoes...and rutabaga makes a great sub for white potatoes. Last year I ended up making this summer squash kugel that turned out pretty well...even if the photo didn't...LOL. :)
Here's another version of a veggie kugel with caramelized leeks. This one uses sweet and white potatoes, so I would either double up on the SCD legal veggies in the recipe or sub appropriate amounts of SCD-legal squash or root veggies to make it work.
This sweet potato kugel also looks easy and d'lish...I'd just use butternut squash instead of the sweet potatoes and replace the matzoh meal with nut flour.
Last, but not least, what would Rosh Hashanah be without...
Cake
My mom-mom's honey cake was famous for being ridiculously dense and sticky. My mom, on the other hand, made an apple cake that was incredibly light and fluffy. Whatever your preference, you gotta have a cake. Or something with apples and honey at the very least. There are lots of cake recipes that can easily be converted to SCD just by swapping almond flour for wheat flour. If you want some already proven recipes, a search for SCD Apple Cake or Paleo Apple Cake on Pinterest will give you lots of options. I made this one a few years ago before we started SCD and am seriously considering it for this year...with a few teaks, I think it will work.
And this pic is all about the presentation...no recipe in this post...just a "how to" for assembling this gorgeous creation...you could use any SCD legal cake and icing recipe you like.
So, that's the menu plan for this year. We're having our dinner on Sunday, so I'll share some pics in real time on my Instagram and will try to pull together a recap on the blog next week to let you know how things turned out. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot more recipes on my Rosh Hashanah Pinterest board, along with decorating ideas, holiday crafts and some great videos, so check it out if you need some pin-spiration!
Be sure to stop by on Monday to meet my next IBD Fighter of the Week. I'll also be kicking off my first giveaway to spread awareness about IBD! (I think I already asked you this, but you like jewelry, right??) Don't miss out! Thanks for visiting, have a great weekend and a sweet New Year!!! XOXO, Cindi
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