Passover: Substitutes for leavened/bread products?

Reza151

It's that time of year again! For once, I'm gong to try to go the entire week of passover without leavened products, not only because I'd like to get back more in touch with my Judaism but also as a lesson of self control. ANd to see how my energy levels will be without the leavened products in my diet.

Who here celebrates Passover and avoids leaven? I normally forget to after the first day or two. Here's the thing, I get sick of matzoh so quickly. And I plan on cheating slightly: Though beans are technically not allowed, I'm eating them ebcause I had already cooked them before realizing Pesach was this week (and because I think they should be allowed. I mean, they do not contain wheat or flour and the whole point of avoiding leavened products is that our ancestors didn't have time to fully bake the bread, thus the yeast didn't rise...).

My main issue is going to be breakfast foods. I normally eat Kashi cereal, oatmeal, or whole grain waffles but for this week, I'll have to do some substitutions. Any ideas?



p.s. Silly me did grocery shopping on Saturday, forgetting that Passover is this week. I bough bread products. Let's see if I can avoid eating them until after the holiday!

j4zepedajj

I wasnt aware that Passover was a Jewish celebration. Isnt this the time when Jesus entered the holy land on Palm Sunday and then was crucified and resurrected...??

I know that I havent been eating meat on Fridays... In CA McDonalds even has Fillet O Fish Fridays.. Here in TX though they dont do it because there arent as many Catholics (at least in Waco)....

doubleduofa

I love matzoh! I like to make matzoh brei (basically matzoh scrambled with eggs) and matzoh with cream cheese. I could eat those things all year. (Sometimes I do cream cheese and jelly or fresh strawberries).

Mini quiches are a great way to have quick breakfasts. I roast veggies, put in cupcake tins, pour egg mixture over, and top with a bit of cheese. I freeze 2 in a ziploc snack bag. They reheat nicely.

I also like trio bars (I get them at costco) - just nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Kind bars are similar.

What about oatmeal? I don't eat it a lot myself, but there are great recipes on line. I've done it in the crockpot before (overnight) with apples and a bit of sugar.

concordancia

I think the beans come from the time factor - it takes just as long to cook any beans, except maybe lentils, as it does to let bread rise.

Have you checked out low carb recipes for grain free alternatives?

I sometimes make my own crackers, which is just flour, oil and salt. You can have add ins to make it more varied than matzo. Most wouldn't consider this kosher, but you could probably find the special matzo flour.

You could also use corn tortillas, but be careful that they aren't cheapo American ones that use baking soda.

Here are some suggestions for breakfast: http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/4849550-423/eight-breakfast-optionsto-try-during-passover.html

concordancia

I wasnt aware that Passover was a Jewish celebration. Isnt this the time when Jesus entered the holy land on Palm Sunday and then was crucified and resurrected...??

I know that I havent been eating meat on Fridays... In CA McDonalds even has Fillet O Fish Fridays.. Here in TX though they dont do it because there arent as many Catholics (at least in Waco)....

Passover culminates in the Seder, which is what Jesus had for the Last Supper. So, probably no bread at that table!

As for the oatmeal, it isn't considered proper.

psych0kitty

Make a whole bunch of Seder eggs and eat those for breakfast! I really like the Sephardic-style eggs that you cook overnight on low heat with onion peels. We look like crazy people gathering all the loose onion peels at the grocery store.

rm7161

I wasnt aware that Passover was a Jewish celebration. Isnt this the time when Jesus entered the holy land on Palm Sunday and then was crucified and resurrected...??

I know that I havent been eating meat on Fridays... In CA McDonalds even has Fillet O Fish Fridays.. Here in TX though they dont do it because there arent as many Catholics (at least in Waco)....

Jesus was Jewish

No... Passover was always Jewish. (commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt)

Christianity has Easter, which is a heavily Romanized variant.

szarlotka717

You can freeze the bread that you bought, which would make it harder to forget since you have to defrost.

For breakfast, I suggest yogurt with some fruit (super quick and easy), scrambled eggs or omelets with veggies/protein (slightly more time consuming), cottage cheese with green onions and radishes (fairly quick to make, and could be made ahead), or apples with peanut or sunflower seed butter. I also second the matzoh brei suggestion - so yummy!

I'm not Jewish (just have Jewish in-laws), but it seems to me that the spirit of Passover food restrictions is making quick foods, so beans that were pre-prepared seem totally legitimate.

j4zepedajj

I stand corrected. I knew Jesus was Jewish though...



Religion is always touchy! Thanks for not attacking me!

concordancia

I'm not Jewish (just have Jewish in-laws), but it seems to me that the spirit of Passover food restrictions is making quick foods, so beans that were pre-prepared seem totally legitimate.

By that logic, you could have the bread, as long as it was made before Passover started....

Mufasa0331

I celebrate Passover- (I am Messianic Jew)- I have been doing "no carbs" for a week as of today in preperation for Passover. I eat scrambled eggs for breakfast a lot, or a protein shake/Carb Advantage drink. I sub rice with "cauliflower rice". Definitely look into Low Carb receipes (Atkins.com, South Beach, etc) should get you thru the week pretty easily. Eggs are my best friend during this time... you can scramble, poach, fry them- even make omlettes, fritattas (sp?)...

lee91356

If you live in an area where this a kpsher market/ grocery store you may be suprised that there are great healthy alternatives aside from the generic matzoh - spelt, gluten free, oat, whole wheat, etc. I like many of these products year round because I feel like I get more bang for my buck - one slice bread sometimes has the same or even more calories then a slice of matzoh. They even make rolls and dough mixes, cakes, cookies and cereals, I have even seen granola-like and oatmeal like products that are made with permissible for passover. Today, even quinoa is considered permissible by many to eat on passover (though generally not rice or beans, but that all depends on your level of observation).

A traditional breakfast, that I grew up with was to warm up some milk, crumble matzoh and sprinkle some sugar and cinnamon --> old school cereal lol.

But an easier thing to do rather then buy somethings that you may have no interest in ever really eating is just stick to proteins (yoguts, eggs, cottage cheese), fruits/ veggies, and if you like potatoes, walnuts, and cashews. That my general passover diet when I'm on my own. It VERY different with my family.

Happy holiday!

Commander_Keen

Hi..
I am also Jewish.. One person is right, you should freeze the bread,
You could have Matzo/Matza Bri every other day.

For breakfast you can have: Eggs with Salmon, Matza and cream cheese, Cottage Cheese and fuit. You can still have Kosher for passover Cereal.. It may not be the best but its something.

szarlotka717

I'm not Jewish (just have Jewish in-laws), but it seems to me that the spirit of Passover food restrictions is making quick foods, so beans that were pre-prepared seem totally legitimate.

By that logic, you could have the bread, as long as it was made before Passover started....

Yes, I realize that. :P I imagine that if anyone had day-old leavened bread during the Exodus, they also probably would have brought it along. In this day and age, preservatives and other changes in food technology make it much easier to have all kinds of quick/pre-made foods and breads with long shelf lives. If my husband and I ever decided to celebrate the full week of Passover (not hugely likely, but not impossible), I think a nice challenge would be preparing quick food from (mostly) scratch, which I imagine is a little closer to the original experience of escaping from Egypt. But as I said, I'm not Jewish myself, and it's not my place to judge however someone chooses to celebrate religious holidays or interpret traditions.

Sorry if that got a little off-topic.

OP: My previous post was breakfast-heavy, but have you ever tried using lettuce or cabbage as a flour-wrap or bread slice substitute? At least where I live, burgers with lettuce instead of buns and tacos with lettuce instead of shells/tortillas are fairly common "healthy" restaurant variations. I also love the tofu cabbage wraps from P.F. Chang's.

Mpol2

Make a whole bunch of Seder eggs and eat those for breakfast! I really like the Sephardic-style eggs that you cook overnight on low heat with onion peels. We look like crazy people gathering all the loose onion peels at the grocery store.

Sephardim have WAY better food at Pesach. Chag Sameach to my fellow Jewish MFPers and good luck at the Seders (am NOT logging thiose!)

Commander_Keen

I just googled why Beans are not allowed durring passover.

according to 1 website, the idea is that you can not have anything that will look like Flour.
So, as long as the beans are not in powder form, you should be o.k

Reza151

Thanks for all the suggestions! (Just got back from the gym so didn't have time to respond earlier).

I do like the idea of freezing the bread.I forgot that there exists cereal that's kosher for Pesach!

Also, oatmeal isn't kosher for Passover as it is made of oats, a type of grain. On Passover, we do not eat any grains (except rice, especially if you are Sephardic) or wheat products.

I didn't know there was so much that could be done with matzoh. I'm going to have to pick up some whole-wheat matzoh from the store and try out the brie. (but no matzah kugel this year. I ate 4 servings in one go when i cooked it last year!).

Chag Sameach to all of my fellow Jewish MFPers and as a previous poster said, good luck with keeping to your goals at the seders!