Miriam Szokovski, New York
Photos by Chabad.org/Food
With all the noshing that goes on over Purim, I like to keep the meal on the healthier side. Here are some fresh and light ideas for your Purim meal, as well as a delicious hamantaschen recipe.
Light and Healthy Zucchini Soup
This soup makes a lovely appetizer for the Purim meal. It’s quick and easy to cook up even when you’re short on time.
Ingredients
- 3 large Spanish onions
- 6 medium zucchinis
- 2 Tbsp. salt
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked in 2 cups water (optional)
Directions
- Roughly chop onions. Place them in the bottom of the pot with 2 cups water and 2 tbsp. salt. Cover and cook on a low flame for approximately 45 minutes, until translucent.
- Add in chunks of zucchini (unpeeled) and 3 more cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Then simmer for approximately 30 minutes, until the zucchini is tender but not mushy.
- Blend and serve.
- Optional: Add in 1 cup cooked quinoa for a more filling soup.
Yield: 6 servings
Purim Winter Salad
The dressing on this salad is really the hero. It’s thick and creamy without any mayonnaise! Every time I make it, it gets people talking. The salad itself is very forgiving; you can definitely substitute some of the ingredients.
Salad Ingredients:
- 2 bags spring mix salad
- 1 orange pepper, diced
- 10 mushrooms, sliced
- 1 Asian pear, diced
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup candied pecans, chopped
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 small raw onion
- ⅓ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp. mustard
- ½ tsp. salt
Directions:
- Mix salad ingredients together.
- Using a blender, food processor, or even a good immersion blender, blend dressing ingredients.
- Dress immediately before serving.
Note: This dressing is quite potent. I recommend starting with just a little, and adding more to taste. Refrigerate the rest of the dressing—it lasts for more than a week in my experience, and can be used on other salad combinations as well.
Yield: 10 servings
Broiled Lemon Garlic Side of Salmon
Using a side of salmon is a great way to feed a crowd, especially when you’re not sure exactly how many people you’re expecting, or how hungry everyone will (or won’t!) be.
Ingredients
- 1 side of salmon, deboned, with skin on
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 Tbsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 20 large cloves of garlic, chopped
- 6-8 scallions
Directions
- Place salmon skin side down on a baking tray.
- Combine the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper and pour over salmon.
- Sprinkle the garlic and scallions over the salmon.
- Broil on high for approximately 30 minutes. (Slightly less if you prefer it less charred.)
Serves 15-20
Chocolate-Dipped Cream Cheese Hamantaschen
It’s just not Purim without hamantaschen, the traditional triangular cookies said to resemble the evil Haman’s hat. If you’ve never made them before, my step-by-step photo tutorial will probably be helpful.
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 2 tbsp. apple or orange juice
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 5 tbsp. cream cheese
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1½ cup flour
- Pinch of salt
Filling:
- Strawberry preserves
- Apricot preserves
Optional:
- A few squares of chocolate
- Colorful sprinkles
- Nut crunch
Directions:
- Cream sugar, oil, juice, egg and vanilla.
- Add cream cheese, and mix until combined.
- Add baking powder, salt and flour. Mix until the dough forms a ball which is not sticky.
- Roll the dough out, about ⅛″ thick. Using a circle cookie cutter, or the mouth of a glass, cut as many circles as possible.
- Remove remaining dough, roll and repeat.
- Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle, and fold according to the diagram above. Make sure to pinch the corners tightly.
- Bake at 350° F for 15–20 minutes.
- Allow to cool before eating or decorating.
To decorate: Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Dip one corner of each hamantasch into chocolate, then into sprinkles or chopped nuts. Place on a piece of parchment or wax paper to dry.
Yield: Approximately 20 hamantaschen