Hello again my friend!

I hope you've had a good week. Firstly, thank you to everyone who donated to the JWA's fundraising campaign. They were able to raise over £500,000 - significantly more than their original target - so well done and huge thanks!

Pesach is now just over a week away, and I have lists coming out of my ears - lists of shopping divided up by shop, lists of dates on which things need to be cleaned/organised/disposed of, lists of guests who are coming for meals and also guests who are staying, lists of cooking plans including where I can find the recipes.... the LIST goes on! But I know that in just over a week, when we've drunk our cups of wine and eaten our matza and charoset, it will be time to sit back and relax and enjoy the rest of the festival. Eyes on the prize! 🤩

So, this week I wanted to share some delicious, easy Pesach dinner ideas with you. I have a couple of yummy new recipes to share. First up is Pesach mushroom blintzes with dill sauce which were a huge hit when I made them here a few weeks ago! Rich, savoury mushroom filling, rolled in golden crepes and served with a delicious fresh dill sauce - what's not to love?! You can even make them ahead and just heat up when you're ready. Perfect.

The second is tenderstem broccoli with garlic almond sauce. This wonderfully versatile dish can be served as a fancy starter, a tasty side dish, or an impressive vegan main course over quinoa or potatoes. You can also use the gorgeously zingy, creamy sauce as a dip for crudités or 'machos' (matza nachos!) or thin it down to make a nutritious salad dressing. So many options!

Also on my list of Pesach meals this year are:

• ​Salade chèvre chaud with sweet potatoes​
  This kind of fresh and delicious salad is perfect for the time of year. The sweet potato and cheese makes it substantial enough for dinner.
• ​Matza pizza!​
  The ultimate thin and crispy! It wouldn't be Pesach without it.
• ​Salmon with pine nuts, rosemary and orange​
  This is a lovely, easy way to dress up salmon fillets. Serve with buttered potatoes and a green veg and you're all set.
• ​Mediterranean vegetable tian​
  This gorgeous dish of baked vegetables on a bed of tomato sauce is perfect served over quinoa or potato gnocchi for a mid-week Pesach dinner.

Now that the sun is shining and the temperatures are finally starting to creep upwards, I'm also looking forward to enjoying more veg-forward salads and side dishes. Give me a couple of these plus a baked potato and I'll be happy!

• ​Swedish beetroot salad​
• ​Classic French carrot salad (carottes râpées)
• ​Israeli red cabbage slaw​
• ​Avocado salad with oranges, olives & watercress​
• ​Chopped vegetable salad - 'TCP'

You can browse all my salad recipes here (note - they aren't all suitable for Pesach).

Pesach cakes and bakes

DH always gets annoyed that for one week a year, when 'normal' baking ingredients are banished, we do more baking than almost any other time! However I argue that it's YomTov, so of course we want some sweet treats. And over the years I've found many recipes that are year-round winners, that also work for Pesach.

Some of my favourite Pesach treats, which may very well appear at FFF towers this Pesach (regardless of what DH says!), include:

• ​Duke of Cambridge matza cake​
  A super-easy, no bake, kosher for Pesach 'tiffin', made with dark chocolate, wine, dried fruit and nuts, and just a little matza!
• ​Favourite chocolate pecan cookies​
  These are SO good, I actually chose these for my birthday instead of a cake! Perfect with a cuppa and a sit down.
• ​Cinnamon sugar matza nachos​
  Quick and simple, and the ideal thing to nosh when you just need a little something. A fresh fruit salsa for scooping turns them into a fun dessert.
• ​Indulgent Pesach tiramisu​
  Made with a delicious hazelnut sponge, this is a truly decadent dessert! If you need a milchig showstopper, this is it!
• ​Lemon, lavender and almond cake​
  If you don't have the lavender, just leave it out. You'll still have a moist and delicious lemon cake that's terrific on its own or with some fresh berries on the side.

And if you're after specifically vegan treats and desserts, there's more than a dozen in my Vegan Pesach survival guide.

Shabbat Shalom

Phew! Thanks for reading all the way to the end! I hope you've found something helpful above, or a new and tasty recipe that's caught your eye. I'll continue to share recipes and ideas over on the Family Friends Food facebook page, so do keep an eye on it, and if you have any questions, that's also a good place to ask them.

May this Shabbat bring a good rest, calm, and the energy needed to head into next week ready to clean, cook, and prepare! Wishing peace, health, happiness and many blessings to us all.

Shabbat Shalom - Good Shabbos! - to everyone.

With love, Helen x.

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